Which Windows Tool Can You Use To Find Out If The Hard Drive Is Slowing Down Windows Performance?

Windows has a reputation for slowing downwards your computer over time. Admittedly, Windows 10 is much better than its predecessors, but the problem still occurs.

Thankfully, you tin speed up a hard disk drive using HDD optimization apps; a few different tools are bachelor.

In this article, we're going to look at which utilities can improve the speed and efficiency of a hard disk. Continue reading to learn more.

1. Windows Optimize Drives

Let's begin with a mention of a native Windows tool—Optimize Drives. It tin analyze your organisation for defragmentation bug, and so ready any problems it finds.

Unless you'd fiddled with the settings, it should already be running on an automatic schedule. To check, head to Start > Windows Administrative Tools > Defragment and Optimize drives.

Highlight the bulldoze you want to gear up, then click either Analyze or Optimize, depending on the office you want to carry out. To make sure the scheduling is set up correctly, click on Change settings and tick the box next to Run on schedule.

Performing disk defragmentation is less disquisitional on SSDs than HDDs, just Microsoft still recommends running the tool once per month. In fact, you shouldn't defrag your SSD, every bit it only increases wear and tear, and the SSD has congenital-in tools for file management.

two. Disk SpeedUp

Disk SpeedUp is a third-party tool that can heave an HDD'south speed. It will analyze, defragment, and optimize any drives that are connected to your car.

It has a few more features than the native Windows tool. For example, Disk SpeedUp can automatically shut down your figurer after the defrag procedure is complete. You lot could fire it upward before you go to bed and come back to a fresh computer in the morn.

Deejay SpeedUp too has better visuals than the Windows tool. The defrag map is more intuitive, and in that location are more graphs and data for you to dig into.

Anecdotally, many users have claimed that Disk SpeedUp is faster than the Windows tool. Naturally, your mileage may vary.

Download: Deejay SpeedUp (Free)

iii. Windows Device Manager

If you want to increase a disk's read/write speed, some other Windows tool worth using is Device Manager. You lot tin use it to make certain Write Caching is turned on.

Write caching lets your computer store data in a enshroud before it is written to the hard drive. Because a reckoner can write information to a enshroud much more than quickly than to a difficult drive, the difficult drive'south overall read/write performance is improved.

Remember, however, that information in a cache is only temporary. If your computer suffers from a sudden power loss and the data in the cache has not been transferred to your difficult drive, yous will lose it.

To turn on write caching on Windows, follow these steps:

Right-click the Start menu and select Device Manager.
Expand theDisk drivesbill of fare.
Right-click on the drive you desire to change.
Click on Backdrop.
Select the Policies tab at the tiptop of the new window.
Marking the checkbox next to Enable write caching on the device.

iv. IOBit Avant-garde SystemCare

An important aspect of giving your HDD a boost is to make sure your system stays "clean." That ways you need to stay on top of temporary and duplicate files, brand sure your RAM and CPU usage is optimized, and go on your registry every bit tidy equally possible.

One tool that can perform all those HDD optimization tasks is IOBit Advanced SystemCare. A complimentary version and a paid version both exist. The free version includes all the features we just mentioned. The $20 paid version adds deeper registry cleaning, real-time monitoring, browser optimization, and system boot optimization.

Download: IOBit Advanced SystemCare (Gratis, paid version available)

5. Razer Cortex

If you're wondering how to speed upwardly a hard disk even further, bank check out Razer Cortex. The tool is specifically designed for PC gamers who want to squeeze every drib of juice out of their systems. It tin help you reach higher frames per second and reduce game loading times.

The HDD optimizer is split into two parts—System Booster and Game Booster. They combine to requite an HDD boost to all users.

The organisation function of the tool will make clean junk files, your browser history, and your system cache. The gaming part will defragment game files (as long every bit they on an HDD rather than an SSD), optimize your arrangement's configuration for gaming, and disable background processes that tin impact a game's performance.

Download: Razer Cortex (Gratis)

6. Windows Deejay Management

disk management partition manager windows

The concluding native Windows utility that tin can improve the speed and efficiency of a hard disk is Disk Management. You can use it to repartition your drives.

Using a greater number of partitions is one of the most often overlooked ways to speed up a hard bulldoze. Broadly speaking, the more partitions you use, the more than organized your information is. Every bit a result, an HDD's head does not need to move as far to admission the data, and thus, read times are reduced.

To repartition a hard drive using Disk Management, follow the steps beneath:

Right-click the Start card.
Select Deejay Management to open up the tool.
Correct-click on a drive and select Shrink Volume.
Right-click on the freed-up space and choose New Simple Volume.
Choose how large you want to brand the new volume.
Select the bulldoze letter for the new book.
Choose a file system for the new volume.
Click on Stop.

The new book will appear in File Explorer > This PC.

vii. Ashampoo WinOptimizer

The final tool that can give your hard disk a health increase is Ashampoo WinOptimizer. The tool brands itself equally a "Swiss ground forces for your PC." It's a fair description.

In terms of improving difficult bulldoze health, it tin schedule maintenance and optimization tasks, scan for junk files, fix broken registry entries, and make clean your browser cookies. The tool offers both a one-click fix and user-controlled corrections.

Separately, you tin add additional modules to the app. At that place are 38 to choose from, covering tasks such equally service direction, beginning-up tuning, process management, privacy tuning, and much more.

Download: Ashampoo WinOptimizer (Free)

More than Tips on How to Speed Up a Difficult Bulldoze

The seven tools nosotros've explained in this article will go a long way towards speeding up your difficult drive. They tin give both SSDs and HDDs a boost.

Allow us know on Twitter which tool works best for you.

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About The Author

Dan Cost (1604 Manufactures Published)

Dan joined MakeUseOf in 2014 and has been Partnerships Director since July 2020. Attain out to him for inquires about sponsored content, chapter agreements, promotions, and any other forms of partnership. You can also notice him roaming the evidence floor at CES in Las Vegas every year, say how-do-you-do if you're going. Prior to his writing career, he was a Financial Consultant.