Russian programs for servicing hard drives. Hard drive treatment programs

Programs for hard drives in Russian are collected in this section. All programs can be downloaded for free with activation keys.

Very often, a new computer comes with ready-made, partitioned hard drives. The program developers offer users the ideal manager for hard drive partitions. Partition Wizard is a manager that is designed to work with hard drive partitions. Using the program, users will be able to resize a partition, create a new one on the hard drive, format it, and delete existing ones. Download for free MiniTool Partition Wizard 11.0.1 in Russian Password for all archives: 1progs Video on installing and activating the program On…

Hard Disk Sentinel - software, which is designed to monitor and test your hard drive. The main purpose of this program is to diagnose, find and fix various problems on the disk. Users have the opportunity to view reports on the current status of the hard drive, its condition, temperature and other characteristics. The Russian version of Hard Disk Sentinel allows you to use the functionality of the program without restrictions. On our website, Internet users can download Hard Disk Sentinel activation keys absolutely free of charge. After…

Many users often encounter the problem of a so-called “braking” computer. Not everyone can diagnose problems on their own, and every time they spend money on service centers, to put it mildly, it’s expensive. To avoid advanced cases, sometimes it’s enough just to optimize your computer. You can optimize your computer absolutely safely at home using the simple and convenient Advanced SystemCare program. One of the advantages is that the basic version of this program is free. License key will allow...

PC users constantly experience problems with their hard drive. Over a certain period, the system response to a file request becomes greater, which subsequently leads to slow work OS. In order to correct this situation, it is necessary to defragment the disk. IObit Smart Defrag is an easy-to-use program that is designed to defragment your disk. This application perfectly prevents slowdowns, freezes, and operating system crashes. After users install the program, it will start working in...

PC users know that the defragmentation process is important for regular hard drives because it reduces unnecessary movements and increases data read speed. Developers from different companies come up with effective tools to sort and defragment files on disk. Auslogics Disk Defrag is a useful program that improves the speed characteristics and also increases the stability of Windows. Given software product surpasses most existing analogs due to its speed and quality of defragmentation. Download AusLogics Disk for free...

AOMEI Partition Assistant is powerful program, which is designed to completely manage partitions on your hard drive. The following functions are available to users: hide, format, copy, align, create, activate, erase. The program has several built-in wizards. They allow you to increase the size of partitions, transfer the OS to new disk, copy disks, create bootable disks and much more. Users of this application can divide sections into several parts, combine them into one, and so on. Download AOMEI Partition Assistant for free…

HDClone is a functional utility that is needed to copy information from one disk (meaning hard disk) to another. On this page you can download this program for free in a couple of clicks. Download HDClone 8.0.8 for free in Russian Free + Basic Edition Download for free HDClone Professional Edition 9.0.3 ISO Password for all archives: 1progs Application: copies information sector by sector (thus we get an exact copy of the hard drive); is creating...

TestDisk is a functional program from the author Christophe Grenier, which is a multifunctional tool for resuscitating parts of a hard drive. An addition is another Photorec application, which revives lost or damaged information from HDD departments and works with digital cameras. Program: assumes option complete removal and file duplication; resuscitates data after virus attacks; interacts with a wide variety of file types; enriched with MBR rewrite function. Download TestDisk 7.1 Russian version for free Password to all archives:...

The hard drive in your computer and the drive icon in the My Computer window are different concepts. For example, a computer may have one hard drive installed, while there may be several of them in “My Computer”. The reason for this strange discrepancy is that the hard drive can be divided into so-called partitions. This is called logical disk layout.

I will talk about why such markup is needed, how to do it correctly (and whether it should be done at all), and also tell you about free programs for such a delicate procedure.

Why do you need to partition your hard drive?

There are several reasons to partition a hard drive:

Partitions on a hard drive are primarily needed for proper storage of information. For example, some users prefer the following division: operating system and programs on one disk (usually C), documents - on the second ( D), photo archive on the third ( E) and so on. In this case, there may well be only one hard drive.
If you have one hard drive, but want to have two or more operating systems, you will have to divide the hard drive into partitions, since Windows and other operating systems can only be installed on different partitions or hard drives.
Manufacturers of laptops (and some computers from famous manufacturers such as Acer) have their own reason for dividing hard drive partitions: on a section that is visible as a disk C, Windows installed, second ( D) is completely empty, and the third (which is not visible in the “My Computer” window) stores a compressed copy of the partition C. This hidden partition of the hard drive is called recovery partition. If something happened to operating system(“Windows has flown” - as some users like to say), then when you turn on the laptop, just press a key combination (see which one - see the instructions for the laptop) and a special program will clean the disk C, then unpacks the contents of the hidden partition there. As a result, the user will receive a laptop with the programs that were originally on it at the time of purchase in the store. Disk D however, it will not be changed. The conclusion suggests itself: if you store all documents on a laptop with such a recovery system not on drive C, A only on D, you can restore damaged Windows with a new one at any time, without losing your important data. By the way, any advanced user can make such a recovery system for themselves, but I’ll tell you about it some other time.
The Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems, when installed on a blank, “unpartitioned” hard drive, create a hidden partition of 100-350 megabytes in size. This small partition stores a bootloader designed, oddly enough, to boot Windows. This partition will not exist or its contents will be damaged - and the computer will not start the operating system, displaying the message “Boot fail”, “Cannot find boot device”, “Boot error” or similar on the black screen, the meaning of which is the same - the boot disk with operating system. Actually, the bootloader can be stored on disk C:, and/or in hidden sectors of the hard drive (outside partitions), but the developers decided in Windows 7/8 to use a separate hidden partition in order to somehow protect the boot loader from damage by other programs, viruses or the user.
There are other reasons for partitioning a hard drive. For example, for the GNU/Linux operating systems to work correctly, several sections must be created, but this is the topic of a separate article; we will not consider them here.

So, The main reasons for partitioning a hard drive are: for the convenience of storing information, for installing several operating systems, for operating a recovery system, for storing the Windows 7/8 bootloader.

A little theory: file systems, partition types

Information about partitions (i.e. logical drives) is stored in a "partition table". Each logical drive can have its own file system. You can read more about all this in the Wikipedia articles: Disk partition, Logical disk, File system. A novice user only needs to know the bare minimum:

If you divide your hard drive into logical drives (partitions), Disk capacity will not increase- there’s simply nowhere to find free space! You can make partitions of any size, but in total they cannot be larger than the capacity of the real hard drive. Less please. Then you will have unallocated free space, not visible in My Computer, from which you can get one or more new partitions. This is a question I often get from newbies, so I put it first.
There are primary (main) And extended (additional) sections. One hard drive cannot have more than four main partitions (see the links above for why this is so), so they came up with an extended partition - this is a primary partition that can include any number of partitions. As a result, thanks to the extended partition, the hard drive can have any number of partitions - tens, hundreds.
Each partition can have its own file system. IN at the moment For Windows installations Vista, 7 and 8 can only be used NTFS, and the outdated Windows XP can be installed on disks with the FAT32 file system. However, I do not recommend doing this, as it imposes too many restrictions. Make all partitions in NTFS - everything will work as it should.
Any hard drive must be partitioned one way or another. In one or more logical drives - it's up to you. When purchased, the hard drive is usually already partitioned into one partition - this is what the manufacturer decided. If you are satisfied with this way of organizing information, leave it alone.
It is very undesirable to partition the disk in laptops - most of them have hidden recovery partitions that can be damaged (see point 3 of the previous chapter).
If you bought a 2 terabyte hard drive, but in “My Computer” it is “only” 1.86 terabytes (1860 gigabytes), then do not rush back to the store. It's all about how manufacturers and Windows calculate the volume. Read more about this in the Wikipedia article Hard Drive. How larger size hard drive - the more clearly you can see that there are fewer real gigabytes.
Sections can be delete, create, move(change them physical position on disk), resize them, format them, convert them file systems on partitions from one to another. Moreover, many programs can do this while saving all the data. There are other operations, but novice users most often need the above.
If there is an error during the process of changing partitions (see point 7), information is almost always lost. Yes, it can be restored (or part of it) using special programs with the participation of specialists, but it is best to save all of it in advance important information to other disks (not logical, but real disks) or flash drives, so as not to pay money for data recovery.

Disk Management in Windows

Windows has a standard partition changer - " Disk Management". Depending on the version of Windows, the capabilities of this program change slightly, but in general over the past years (if we talk about Windows Vista, 7, 8) there have been no major changes. Windows XP looks more modest in this regard - apart from formatting and changing the drive letter, there is little that can be done there.

As an example I’ll take “ Disk Management» Windows 7. You can open this program in several ways:

The simplest one is to right-click on the line Computer in the menu Start- select an item Control- in a new window select Disk Management.
Opening Control Panel - Administration - Computer management - Disk Management.
Click Start - Execute(or the Win+R key combination) - enter in the window that opens diskmgmt.msc- press OK.

Disk Management looks like this:

Here you can see both physical disks (including DVD drives, flash drives and other devices for storing information) and logical ones, i.e. virtual - hidden partition of the Windows 7 boot loader, disks C And D. The number of disks on your computer may vary.

Basic actions are available by right-clicking on the desired section:

The list of actions is quite meager:

Items Open, Conductor allow you to view the contents of disks
Make the section active- indicate on which disk (partition) the bootloader is located. In Windows 7 and 8, this is a system-reserved partition. You cannot make another partition active - the operating system will stop loading.
Change drive letter or drive path- you can change the drive letter displayed in the Computer window or display it as a folder. Yes, partitions can be displayed not only as disks, but also as folders on any disk.
Format- you can read about this in the Wikipedia Formatting article. The item opens a window with which you can start high-level formatting.
Extend Volume- if there is space on the hard drive that is not marked as a partition, then you can expand the partition size using this free space.
Shrink Volume- this item allows you to reduce the size of the partition. The result will be the formation of unallocated space, which can be used to expand the volume of another section (see the previous paragraph).
Delete volume- delete the section. Don't click on an item without thoroughly considering the consequences. If you delete a partition, the information on it can only be saved with the help of special programs, and even then not always.
Properties- a properties window will open with information about the selected disk (partition).

Of course, this is far from full list opportunities Disk Management. You can create dynamic disks, for example. However, this is of no use to novice users; this article is intended specifically for them.

So, to create, delete, resize partitions via Disk Management, you only need three menu items: Expand Volume, Shrink Volume, Delete Volume.

All operations take place in real time, i.e. after clicking the desired item and answering the question in the affirmative - do we want to do this - the actual action occurs.

Do not forget that there is a risk of failure, due to which we could lose either one or all of the partitions. This applies primarily to computers with a large number unnecessary programs - each of them may be the culprit in deleting all data. Moreover, the scenario is when you need to change the partition from which Windows is started (usually the disk C), is the worst - most often problems arise for users when they try to change the system partition.

To minimize the risk of failure, There are three methods:

Insert the hard drive into another computer and change partitions from it by running Disk Management or any other program for changing partitions. Due to the fact that Windows will be launched from another drive, no programs will go onto the foreign drive, interfering with a critical operation.
Boot from a Live CD - the operating system and programs will be launched not from the hard drive, but from a CD or DVD, flash drive - again, nothing will interfere with changing partitions.
To change partitions, use a program that can work in Native mode. For example, disk check C always works in this mode - a black window with white text before loading the Desktop. In this mode, a minimum number of programs are launched and the risk of failure is minimal.

The third option is the simplest, because the user essentially does not need to do anything - just restart the computer and wait a few minutes. The following two review programs can do this.

A free hard drive partitioning program for home use.

Surface test- checking the disk surface (physical). Allows you to detect bad sectors (so-called “bads”, “bad blocks”).

View properties- display information about the disk.

Yes, knowledge of English is clearly required here, especially considering that almost every item opens a window with settings for the action being performed. After you have made the necessary manipulations, you need to apply the changes by pressing a button Apply(Apply):

Only then will the partition changes begin. This process may take some time - from a couple of minutes to several hours.

Depending on whether the system partition is affected or not, operations are carried out either immediately in the window, or you will need to restart the computer and start changing the partition in Native mode:

The program has so many functions that it is impossible to list them all. I recommend that you read the help for EaseUS Partition Master. It is in English, unfortunately, but you can use Google Translator. The translation is quite understandable.

Pros of EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition:

Lots of functions.
All actions are “virtual” until you click the Apply button. This means that you can cancel operations before this “point of no return” and try to do something else with the partitions. Or don’t do it at all if you change your mind.
Works stably and predictably. For example, during testing, while changing partitions, I started copying files to the partition that was to be changed. Result - a window appeared stating that the partition could not be locked, all operations were interrupted, the data did not disappear anywhere.
The program is free for home use.

Cons of EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition:

The interface is in English only.
There are, perhaps, too many possibilities - this can confuse beginners.
A serious failure during the operation will lead to serious consequences.
For example, if you turn off the computer while changing a partition, the data on the partition will disappear. However, this is a minus of absolutely all programs for changing partitions.

Conclusion: the program is good. You can and should use it; there is no alternative among free programs.

Paragon Partition Manager 11 Free

Free program for changing partitions from a company based in Russia. Unfortunately, the program is in English. What made the developers take such a step is unclear. Moreover, the paid version of the program is Russian.

The main window of the program is no different from the window of the hero of the previous review, except that the buttons have changed their order:

Deserves special mention Express Mode(Simplified mode). By clicking on this button, we will get a window with a list of the most frequent actions:

One could say that this is an ideal mode for beginners, if not for one “but”: everything here is in English. Moreover, I had a suspicion that the English here was somehow incorrect, as if it was not a person who was translating, but a machine.

Pros of Paragon Partition Manager 11 Free:

Many windows are clear enough to understand the functions.
Some operations are carried out immediately in the program window, some (if required) in Native mode. That is, the program does everything to reduce the chance of data loss.
The program is free to use at home.

Cons of Paragon Partition Manager 11 Free:

English-language, and due to the strange construction of phrases it is quite difficult to perceive.
The simplified Express Mode works exactly the opposite: firstly, descriptions of operations and the operations themselves have more technical subtleties what is required; secondly, this mode is very capricious and does not really work, producing meaningless errors.
The program is too slow. For example, deleting a 38 GB hard drive partition took me about 5 minutes - quite long for such a simple operation.

Conclusion: The program works, but somehow it is unpredictable. I do not recommend using this program, fortunately there is an alternative in the form of EaseUS Partition Master Home.

Changing partitions during installation of Windows 7, 8, 10

This tool also deserves a mention.

We take any installation disk with Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8 or 10, start installing the disk, go to the partition selection and click Disk setup:

It seems that everything is simple: you need to click on a section in the list, then the action button. Unfortunately, there is little action here: deletion, formatting, partitioning and expansion.

You can, for example, delete a partition and, using the freed up space, increase the size of another partition or partitions (when selecting the desired partitions, you must press the Delete and Expand buttons in turn).

Alas, a very popular operation - reducing the size of partitions - is not here. You can delete the partition, then re-create a new one with a smaller partition, but, unfortunately, we will lose the data.

All operations take place in real time, i.e. after pressing the button, the action occurs.

Result: editing partitions during Windows installation is an extremely primitive tool. It works, but performs only a limited list of actions, among which the only one that saves data is increasing (expanding) the size of the partition. If you need to install Windows and do not need to save data on partitions, then the tool will come in handy.

If you suddenly accidentally deleted a partition during Windows installation or through some program, do not despair - the partition recovery function is included in EaseUS Partition Master Home Edition.

In order to recover a deleted hard drive partition, don't touch the partitions, immediately boot into Windows (or insert the hard drive into another computer if you deleted the system partition and booting Windows is impossible), then run the above-mentioned program, click on the line with the word in the list Unallocated("Unallocated"), then click the button Partition recovery.

The rest, as they say, is a matter of technique - the action wizard will tell you where to click, where to check the boxes, and then restore your deleted disk.

Tip #2: Installing two or more Windows operating systems on one hard drive

All you need for this is several sections. If your hard drive already has a second partition that is visible in the " Computer" - make sure that there is at least 20 GB of free space (more is better), then during Windows installation simply specify this second (third, fourth, etc.) disk. After installation, you will be able to select Windows using a menu that appears when you turn on your computer.

If you have one disk ( C), I suggest the simplest option: Through Disk Management give it to the section first WITH team Compress, reducing it by at least 20 gigabytes (or better yet, more, because in addition to Windows you will also be installing programs):

Right click on drive C...

After pressing the button Compress disk size C decreases, unallocated (free) space appears in the partition map:

We indicate unallocated space. The installer will create the partition itself.

After installation, you will have two operating systems. You can create unallocated spaces or empty disks and indicate them for installation.

Thanks to reader Vladimir for raising this topic.

You may have noticed that in the screenshots of the Disk Management window, all partitions are marked with a blue stripe. You may have sections with green stripes. What is the difference between blue and green sections?

A green bar in Disk Management is a sign of an extended (additional) partition. As I wrote above, there may be “nested” sections inside, which from the user’s point of view are no different from the main (primary) ones. Nested partitions have one peculiarity - if you reduce their size, then due to the free space that appears, you will not be able to simply expand the main partition. You must first compress the extended partition itself (which stores free space and a smaller partition) to create free space outside of any partitions, only then can you expand the disks.

Good afternoon

For some reason, many users believe that the heart of the computer is the processor (for some game lovers, the video card). But purely in my opinion, the most important piece of hardware in a computer/laptop is the hard drive (HDD).

Whatever the breakdown of the hardware (if it is not related to the disk), by replacing and repairing it, you will restore your work and continue it as if nothing had happened.

But if the hard drive “flies”, then restoring the data is not always easy... Okay, lyrics, on this page I want to collect the most necessary and useful programs for working with the hard drive. I present only the most popular and relevant programs, which I have used more than once or twice.

I really like this utility for its clarity and focus on novice users. All you need to do is install the program, after a while you will learn:

state of the “health” of your disk in percentage terms;
status about its performance;
temperature;
how much actual time it worked (not to be confused with age and date of manufacture).

The utility works in constant mode (minimized in the tray, next to the clock), and when alarm signals appear, it will notify you in time. What else do inexperienced users need for diagnostics?!

Note : not only work on a PC is supported, but also on laptops, netbooks, etc. SSD drives are also supported.

One of the most renowned utilities for testing and diagnosing disks. The program allows you to test: HDD, FDD, CD/DVD, USB/Flash/SCSI.

Main functions:

viewing complete information about the drive;
support for IDE/SATA controllers;
tests to check the “mechanics” of the disk;
SMART monitor;
low-level formatting and much more.

In general, I must admit that the program is not very friendly and simple for novice users. It must be used with caution - here, more than ever, it is correct: “if you don’t know, don’t press!”

Developer's website: http://mhddsoftware.com/

Very popular free program for diagnosing hard drives. Allows for fairly accurate diagnostics of fur. parts of drives, view SMART attributes, identify defective sectors (note: bad blocks), it contains various tests, and other useful functions.

An excellent program for testing disks. Its main advantage over MHDD and Victoria (discussed above) is support for all drives with a wide variety of interfaces: ATA/ATAPI/SATA, SSD, SCSI and USB.

By the way, the program does not work under Windows; to run it, you need to burn bootable media (flash drive or CD/DVD disk), and after booting from it, run the utility.

A very high-quality utility for checking HDDs and SSDs for bad sectors, viewing S.M.A.R.T., for setting up special... parameters (power management, acoustic mode adjustment, etc.).

The hard drive temperature can be displayed on the taskbar (to be aware of how things are going ☺).

Supported drives:

HDD with ATA/SATA, SCSI, USB, FireWire or IEEE 1394 interface;
SSD with ATA/SATA interface;
RAID arrays with ATA/SATA/SCSI interface;
Flash drives with USB interface.

A decent program for monitoring the status of hard drives that support S.M.A.R.T technology.

The program displays detailed information about your drives: interface, total operating time, firmware, serial number, standard, allows you to manage AAM/APM settings (useful when your drive is very noisy), displays S.M.A.R.T. parameters. (reading errors, track search time, number of on-off cycles, performance, spindle starts/stops, sector errors, etc.).

Cleaning HDD from debris

Advanced System Care

One of the best programs for cleaning your computer from junk, fixing errors, editing the registry, removing incorrect shortcuts, etc. Allows you to tidy up your Windows in a few minutes and make it work much faster.

Using the program is very simple: just install and run. In my example below, I did just that - it turned out that there were enough problems (although I regularly use wizards to clean up Windows...).

Also note that after installing Advanced SystemCare, a special manager appears in the upper right corner of the screen: it shows the current CPU and RAM load (in percentage). Thanks to this manager, you can take screenshots, watch disk, memory, processor load, perform quick cleaning, and diagnostics. In general, it replaces the task manager...

CCleaner

A free utility for comprehensive cleaning of your Windows. Cleans various debris: temporary unnecessary files, “residues” from deleted programs, browsing history in browsers (all popular ones are supported: Firefox, Opera, Chrome, etc.).

There is a portable version: which does not require installation. The program works in all popular versions of Windows: XP, 7, 8, 10.

Wise Disk Cleaner

This program allows you to deep clean your Windows system and hard drive from various debris. No other utility will find as much garbage as Wise Disk Cleaner finds!

In addition to its main purpose, the program has a built-in defragmenter. Defragmentation carried out after cleaning has a very good effect on the responsiveness and performance of the hard drive.

Wise Disk Cleaner has a convenient and pleasant interface: all the main tabs are located at the top; by clicking on one of them, you can quickly complete the current task. In general, only positive emotions from such software ☺!

Formatting, breakdown - working with sections

A very convenient and multifunctional program for working with hard drives. Its capabilities are more than enough for the average user, here you have: resizing a partition (without formatting), moving a disk partition, joining (merging) partitions (without losing information), deleting a partition, formatting, backup wizard, migration wizard from HDD to SSD and much more.

What is especially noteworthy: all disk operations are performed using step-by-step wizard, which at each stage will tell you what is being used and for what. Also, most disk operations occur without data loss (unless the program warns otherwise).

Aomei Partition Assistant - what can be done with the HDD partition

Acronis Disk Director

A very powerful and reliable tool for managing disks and volumes on a computer. Main functions: split and merge disk volumes, disk formatting (all popular file systems are supported: FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, Exts, Ext3, Reiser3, Linux or SWAP), recovery of accidentally deleted volumes, ability to download the program offline (without using Windows - for this you need to prepare a bootable USB flash drive in advance), etc.

MiniTool Partition Wizard

A very convenient machine for working with a hard drive: it allows you to perform the entire list of operations that an ordinary PC user might need.

Main functions:

Windows Migration Wizard to another disk/partition (convenient, for example, when migrating Windows from HDD to SSD);
Partition Copy Wizard;
recovery wizard;
merging, formatting, splitting, deleting partitions;
Russian language support;
Works in all popular Windows: 7, 8, 10.

EASEUS Partition Master Free

The best free solution for Windows 10/8.1/8/7/Vista/XP, which will help you create, delete, resize, transfer, expand, split, format, clone partitions of any disks: HDD, SSD, USB media (flash drives, disks etc.), memory cards, and other storage media.

The program allows you to change the file system (from FAT32 to NTFS) without data loss, change the MBR disk layout to GPT or the reverse operation - GPT disk layout to MBR (also without data loss).

In general, it is a convenient and indispensable manager for working with disks (certainly more convenient than the built-in Windows wizard...).

Defragmentation

If, when opening some files from the disk, your PC begins to think, does it slowly and not immediately, then in the most harmless case, this is to blame fragmentation. To correct this mess, you need to carry out the reverse operation - defragmentation(such a tautology ☻).

Defragmentation- the process of optimizing information storage on disk to ensure a continuous sequence of clusters. In general, if we step back from unclear terms, then after defragmentation your disk starts working faster: reading and writing files speeds up. Thanks to this, your programs become more responsive, and it becomes more pleasant to work on such a PC!

Windows, by the way, has its own defragmentation wizard, but in my opinion, it does not work perfectly... Therefore, I will give a couple of necessary utilities.

Auslogics Disk Defrag

Despite its compact size, this utility will give a head start to many competitors! The program works very quickly, optimizes the file system, which speeds up your work. Needless to say, the program is used by more than 11 million users around the world!

Main functions:

defragments files and unused space on the HDD;
When defragmenting, special attention is paid to system files (which affects performance);
you can defragment specific files (there are not many programs where there is a data feature);
the ability to work in the background (i.e., unnoticed by you);
free for home use!

A free and small utility for defragmenting HDDs, USB drives, memory cards, floppy disks. By the way, the program makes it very convenient to configure the startup time - you can set up a work schedule so that the disk is analyzed and defragmented when you are not working on the PC.

Main functions of MyDefrag:

there is a version that works from command line(does not need installation);
2 algorithms for defragmentation;
there is a task scheduler;
The standard version of the program is automated and will not take you a minute of time to set up.

A free defragmenter from the manufacturer of the CCleaner utility (Piriform Ltd). The program allows you to work both with an entire disk partition and with individual files and folders.

After analyzing the desired hard drive partition: the program will display a list of fragmented files. You can select the ones you need, and Defraggler will quickly optimize their placement. As a result, you don’t waste time defragmenting the entire disk (in general, in some cases it’s very convenient!).

The page will be updated with new software as you work with the site.

Additions on the topic of the article are welcome!

Problems with hard drives are very common, and many users do not know what to do in such situations. And each hard drive repair program is designed to perform certain actions depending on the type of failure. Next, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with some types of failures and software tools that allow you to eliminate them.

Checking and repairing your hard drive: Windows programs and tools

Before using such a tool, you need to find out the nature of the failure. Among the main types are the following:

violation of the file system structure;
damage to the hard drive surface;
software errors;
loss of information due to failures or formatting.

Don't underestimate the tools available in Windows operating systems. The program for repairing a Windows 7 hard drive or any other system is called ScanDisk and in the simplest case is called from the partition properties menu, where the scan button is used on the service tab.

In this case, you need to specify automatic correction of bad sectors, and if desired, you can also use surface checking.

However, using a similar applet (chkdsk), called from the command line (cmd), launched with administrator rights in the Run console, looks much preferable. For this tool you need to enter additional attributes. Among the most frequently used are the checks with space-separated combinations /f /r and /x /f /r. If system components are damaged, you can use the sfc /scannow command.

The best applications for hard drive treatment and data recovery

In order not to deal with the procedures described above, many users also use third-party utilities, among which the following can be highlighted:

HDD Regenerator.
Victoria.
R. Saver.
Acronis Recovery Expert.
Hetman Partition Recovery, etc.

Let us immediately note that applications like Recuva, designed to recover deleted files or missing information from damaged HDDs, will not be considered only because of their absolute ineffectiveness.

HDD Regenerator

HDD Regenerator is a relatively recently developed program for diagnosing and repairing a hard drive, designed not to restore lost information, but to search for problems associated with physical damage to hard drives or software failures.

According to its creators, the work is based on the principle of reversing the magnetization of the HDD surface, which makes it possible to completely restore the performance of the hard drive. It works in DOS mode, which causes users some problems with use, however, in some cases it shows good results when no other tool helps.

Victoria

The Viktoria hard drive repair program from Belarusian developers, according to most professionals, is the best in its field and allows you to eliminate many software problems associated with the file system, bad sectors, etc.

It can be launched in two versions: in DOS mode emulation and as a standard Windows application. However, as noted, it is better to use the first method, since checking in this mode is more effective, not to mention eliminating failures and errors (similar to the difference in launching a standard Windows tool).

R.Saver

The R.Saver hard drive repair program is designed to recover deleted or lost information. Its use is justified because the utility is able to find files, which may include important system components, even after formatting the disk or logical partition, completely reconstructing the file system.

Scanning, however, takes quite a lot of time, but the application finds files that the user may not even be aware of. And in most cases, the use of this program is the best option even for removable USB HDDs, flash drives and memory cards of any standard.

Acronis Recovery Expert

This program for repairing a hard drive is mainly used when the structure of the file system is damaged and even allows you to create bootable media for those cases when starting the OS from the hard drive becomes impossible.

At the same time, the application supports a huge number of file systems and large hard drives.

Hetman Partition Recovery

Although this utility is positioned as a means of recovering information if it is lost after formatting or in the event of software failures, it can nevertheless be used to find problems with the HDD.

The main advantage of the application is that it can be launched in manual mode, and using a special “Wizard”, which makes it possible to automate the processes of analysis (scanning) and data recovery.

Results

These are not all programs capable of servicing hard drives, but only a few of the most popular ones. But even a brief acquaintance with them allows any user to understand the principles of their functioning and areas of application. If we recommend a universal solution, at the first stage of repair you need to use system tools (if possible), HDD Regenerator or Viktoria, and for subsequent data recovery - R.Saver or other software products.

The performance and ease of use of the system depend on the condition of the hard drive. Cluttered media reduces performance, slows down the system and is more susceptible to errors and failures. Adequate disk management and the use of custom partitions improve its performance, increase comfort and have a positive impact on the security of data and equipment. There are many tools and programs for working with a hard drive. Some of them differ only in graphical interface and price.

Selecting a program for working with hard disk partitions.

GParted is an advanced program for working with hard disk partitions that does not interfere with the operating system. After downloading, the program is offered as an ISO disk image, which must be burned to a CD/DVD. After recording, restart your computer and select to run from CD/DVD. The program allows you to create, delete and resize an existing partition. A big advantage of the program is the ability to change the size of the partition on which the system is installed. The program supports most known file types, including fat16, fat32, ntfs, ext2, ext3 and ext4. Before any operations on partitions, it is recommended to first defragment them and back up the most important files. Resizing partitions can take anywhere from a few minutes to several hours.

How to use the program:

Back up your important files!
Download the GParted program and burn it to disk.
Insert the disc into the drive and restart the computer.
When the motherboard manufacturer splash screen appears, press the F8 key (sometimes it can be the F9, F10, F11, F12 key, depending on the manufacturer) and select boot from CD/DVD.
Once downloaded, select GParted Live from the list.
Click "Don't touch keymap".
Select a language (Russian – 24).
“Which mode do you prefer?” – 0 and confirm with ENTER.
The search for all available ones will begin. hard drives and sections that have already been created on them. This may take a few minutes.

If you need to repartition the disk, first delete any previously created partitions. To do this, delete them one by one (the “Delete” trash can icon). If you don't have any sections yet, skip this step.
In the list of partitions, click on the space with unallocated space. Then click on the white sheet icon (“New”).
In the window that opens, you need to set the parameters for the new partition: size, partition type (primary, extended or logical) and its file system, partition name. Then confirm adding the section with the “Add” button.
After creating the section, confirm the actions by selecting the green “check” icon. The program will begin creating partitions. This may take a few minutes.
The next step is to close the main window and double click on the “Exit” icon.
Restart your computer.

After the reboot, the new disk partitions will be ready for use.

One of the most convenient programs for working with disks, EaseUS Partition Master, supports RAID devices. The application is equipped with a Wipe module, thanks to which the user can permanently erase files so that their recovery is impossible (especially useful before selling the hard drive). Each operation requires additional confirmation and comes first in the queue, so the risk of error is minimal. Let's see how to use this program to organize a disk that contains too many or too few partitions:

Download the program and run the installation.

IMPORTANT. During installation, do not download additional tools.

Once the application is installed, launch partition management to proceed to management.
Select the drive you want to format, right-click on it and select the “Erase data” option.
Set the number of times to clean the disk to 1, and click OK.

IMPORTANT. Formatting the drive means that all data will be deleted permanently.

The task will be added to the list of pending operations in the window on the left.
Next, select the “Create partition” option.
Then you need to configure new section, select its size, enter a name and select a letter. After entering all the data, click "OK".

You can create multiple partitions on a disk, but remember that if you create a partition on a USB drive, Windows will only be able to read the primary partition.

To complete all tasks in the Pending Operations list, simply click Apply Changes.

How to create a new partition:

Select the system partition.
The Actions panel displays the available functions.
If you are using hard drive, it is recommended to defragment the partition first. Select Defragment, then click OK.
After defragmentation, select Resize/Move Partition.

In the next window, use the pointer to drag the borders to the left - this will reduce the size of the system disk.

If you are performing SSD partitioning operations, check the "Optimize SSD" checkbox.
Click "OK" to confirm the operation.
In the Apply Changes window, click Yes. A message appears asking you to restart your computer. Click Yes. The disk will be partitioned and the computer will reboot.
Launch EaseUS again. Click on the free space and in the Actions panel select Create Partitions.
If it is an SSD, then check the "Optimize SSD" checkbox. Click OK. The unallocated space will be formatted as a new disk.

Merging sections:

In EASEUS Partition Master, select the partition on drive C. In the Actions panel, select Merge Partitions.
Select the second section, it should be the adjacent section. Select the destination drive from the list. Files from the second partition will be placed in a separate folder. Click OK, then Yes. Sections will be merged.

The program also has a diagnostic module that allows you to search for damaged sectors and manage the structure of the hard drive. Important function is a preliminary separation before approving changes, thanks to which the user has full control over the planned actions. The rest of the programs in the review work on the same principles as those described above.

One of the best programs for working with a hard drive, supporting hard drives with a capacity of more than 2 TB. Each partition can be archived as a backup, allowing you to restore data after a possible failure. The user can also change the file system from FAT to NTFS, and after each change in the size of the NFTS partition, there is no need to reboot the system. The application is equipped with interesting modules, including a disk map, which shows a graphical view of the partitions on the disk, Disk Surface Test, which offers basic disk diagnostics, and the Partition Surfece Test, which analyzes a specific partition.

Free utility for Windows 7 and later Microsoft operating systems. Created on the Visual Operating System (ViOpSys) environment and runs from a boot CD/DVD when the system starts. Allows you to create new sections, divide, move and delete existing ones and copy their contents. In addition, the user has modules for defragmenting and formatting partitions. The program has low system requirements, so it can be used on older hardware (Pentium-class x86 processor, 32 MB of RAM or 16 MB in text mode).

A powerful and functional disk and partition management tool, equipped with diagnostic and repair modules for working in Windows 10 and earlier versions. In addition to the basic functions of creating, copying and deleting partitions, you can back up and restore data lost due to, for example, a hard drive failure. The application is equipped with a “tomofinder” that allows you to find and restore deleted data. The program supports the most popular file systems, such as FAT12, FAT16, FAT32, NTFS, EXT2 and EXT3, as well as media with DE, SCSI, SATA interfaces. Allows you to manage virtual storage media and RAID. The built-in diagnostic module allows you to analyze the state of the disk, find and correct any errors (including restoring a damaged MBR).

A program designed to create copies system partitions Windows. Allows you to quickly clone a partition to a new drive, so you can work on new media without having to go through the operating system installation process. When moving a partition, you can change its size or leave it at its original size. The program supports files in FAT and NTFS, IDE, SATA, SCSII, USB and FIREWIRE interfaces.

An application designed to manage USB storage devices (cards, pendrives, external drives), supporting FAT16, FAT 32 and NTFS file systems. Allows you to create, copy and delete partitions, format memory and create bootable media, for example, with an operating system or another program. The program is equipped with a diagnostic module that checks the performance of the hard drive and the size of the media.

Allows you to analyze disk resources, provides detailed data about files and displays them in graphical form. For example, their size and location. The user can determine what data will be displayed and in what form. The application generates reports from collected data in HTML, ASCII and XML formats.

Conclusion

Thus, we introduced you to the best programs for working with hard disk partitions. You just need to try them and decide which one suits you in the best possible way. And if after reading this article you still have questions, feel free to ask them in the comments.