A hard disk drive (HDD) is a data storage device that stores and retrieves digital information using magnetic storage and a rotating platter. It is a crucial component of any computer system, as it stores the operating system, software programs, and personal data such as documents, photos, and videos.
Regular maintenance is necessary to ensure the optimal performance, security, and longevity of hard drives. This article offers a variety of useful free programs that can be used to check, optimize, and secure your hard drive. Additionally, most of these programs are also suitable for SSDs.
The utilities presented in this article require very little storage space, so they are not particularly resource-intensive. They can be used on both SSD and HDD-based PCs, including systems that use both storage media as separate drives. It does not matter whether your drives have pure data partitions or if you have a dual-boot Windows installation.
in this article we will talk about :
- Clean your hard drive
- Delete files on hard disk securely
- Formatting and Partitioning your Hard Drive
- Save hard disk space & compress files
- Defragment hard disk
- Data recovery
- Get hard drive information
- Hard disk backup
- Encrypt hard drive
Clean your hard drive with CCleaner and Wise Disk Cleaner: Essential tools for optimizing your system’s performance.
At some point, even the largest hard drive will become full of data, and if you have an HDD with limited storage capacity, it can fill up even faster. However, you can free up space on your hard drive by using clean-up tools such as CCleaner and Wise Disk Cleaner (WDC). These two applications complement each other, although it is also possible to use only one of them. Their main purpose is to clean up the file system.
CCleaner also includes a registry cleaning component. It is important to note that the registry is a hierarchically structured database that is ultimately stored on the hard disk in the form of Hive files for HDD-based PCs and can therefore be located in the file system. Cleaning the registry can improve system performance but usually does not significantly increase disk space.
Wise Disk Cleaner, on the other hand, offers a bonus feature that allows you to delete Windows’ own wallpaper files. The WDC also includes a defragmentation tool that can even optimize the performance of SSDs, making your computer run more smoothly.
Delete files on hard disk securely (Eraser-DBAN)
When it comes to deleting files from a hard disk, it’s important to do it securely to avoid the risk of sensitive data falling into the wrong hands. While deleting files and emptying the Recycle Bin may be enough for SSDs, this is not the case for HDDs, where deleted files can often still be restored. To ensure that your data is securely deleted, it’s recommended to use a tool like the open-source program “Eraser” that overwrites the unwanted files multiple times.
If you need to wipe the entire contents of a hard disk, for example, before selling a PC, you can use an external boot operating system like “DBAN” which makes the reset function of Windows 8 and higher obsolete. However, it’s important to note that using DBAN on an SSD can cause wear and tear, so it should be used sparingly or not at all. CCleaner can also be used to eliminate data waste using shredder methods, but it’s important not to overdo it.
Formatting and Partitioning your Hard Drive (MiniTool/HP USB Disk Storage Format)
For better organization and data security, it is recommended to partition your hard drive, which means dividing it into different segments or partitions and assigning a file system to each partition.
While Windows Disk Management can perform this task, MiniTool Partition Wizard Free is a more powerful tool. It allows you to both partition and format your hard drive, as well as perform other advanced operations.
In addition, if you need to format a USB stick with FAT32, the HP USB Disk Storage Format Tool is a portable solution that can bypass Microsoft’s arbitrary restriction on formatting drives larger than 32GB with FAT32.
Download HP USB Disk Storage Format
Save hard disk space & compress files (FileFusion/7-Zip)
Are you running out of free space on your hard drive?
FileFusion can be a solution: this tool searches for file duplicates and replaces them with equivalent ones called hardlinks, which use practically no disk space.
7-Zip can also help to counteract space problems by packing files into ZIP or 7z archives and shrinking them. To recover hard disk capacity, you can delete the original content after compression. An added feature in 7-Zip is a benchmark performance test for packing and unpacking, which is hidden in the menu bar. These tests take place entirely in RAM, ensuring good comparability when conducted on devices with different hardware.
Defragment hard disk (Auslogics Disk Defrag/Smart defrag)
The more frequently you add, delete, save, and delete files on your disk, the more fragmentation can occur. File components become less coherent, resulting in chaos. Defragmentation software like Auslogics Disk Defrag can rearrange the content on hard disks, improving read-write throughput.
Auslogics Disk Defrag is a good option for optimizing hard disks and can also offer Prefetch-Data optimization for Windows as a bonus.
Alternatively, you can optimize your HDD with Smart Defrag, an IObit solution from China that even trims SSDs and offers game file and app defragmentation.
Download Auslogics Disk Defrag
Defragmentation can harm data recovery efforts if performed after data loss since it can reduce the number of recoverable files by rearranging saved file components. However, defragmentation can benefit data recovery if performed before data loss. According to data recovery specialist O&O, defragmentation is always useful when data from a file needs to be distributed across multiple clusters due to its size, regardless of the Windows file system. NTFS stores clusters in run lists in the MFT, while FAT stores the pointer to the next cluster at the end of a cluster. If a signature is restored, defragmentation is necessary to recover the entire file. When recovering using a defective or deleted sector, the associated cluster information can usually be determined as long as it has not been overwritten.
Data recovery (Recuva)
The old Hdd has a unique advantage over SSDs: deleted files can still be restored for some time since hard drives do not have TRIM background optimizations like SSDs.
In case of data loss, Recuva is a recommended tool for recovering lost data. Developed by the creators of CCleaner, Recuva scans the MFT table (Master File Table) of the file system and can usually retrieve missing files. Its depth scan feature is particularly thorough as it searches for known data type patterns (headers), which can recover any remaining deleted data even after quick formatting. It is advisable to install Recuva before an emergency occurs to ensure its availability.
ShadowExplorer
Windows has been producing shadow copy backups in home editions since Windows 7, and ShadowExplorer can be used to recover deleted items, even those deleted with shredder software (except for DBAN).
The tool was especially useful for Windows 8 and 8.1 because the system did not provide access to older file versions (shadow copy content) through built-in means. However, Windows 10 and 11 offer this feature again with built-in means, similar to Windows 7.
ShadowExplorer is also practical for newer systems since it allows for easy navigation in file manager style.
Get hard drive information (CrystalDiskInfo)
To determine the model name of your drive, you can use the Windows Device Manager or a command line wmic command.
However, CrystalDiskInfo is a more convenient tool that provides not only the model name but also additional information such as disk temperature, operating hours, and RPM (rotations per minute). Typically, a value of 5,400 RPM indicates a power-saving model, while higher values such as 7,200 RPM indicate relatively faster HDDs. SSDs are even faster than 7,200 RPM disks.
Hard disk backup: back up data (Ashampoo Backup 15/Aomei Backupper Pro)
Backing up your hard disk is essential to protect your data. There are various tools available to help you with this task, such as Ashampoo Backup 15 or Aomei Backupper Pro.
With these tools, you can easily back up individual files or create an image file of your Windows system. It is recommended to perform regular backups to ensure that your data is safe in case of system failures, malware attacks, or other unforeseen events.
Encrypt hard drive (VeraCrypt)
VeraCrypt is a tool that allows you to encrypt and protect confidential files with a password-protected container. This application serves as an alternative to BitLocker, which is only available in the professional versions of Microsoft’s operating system and not in Windows Home. With VeraCrypt, users can enjoy the benefits of encryption and protection for their sensitive data without having to upgrade their Windows operating system.
VeraCrypt is a free and open-source encryption software that provides strong encryption for data stored on computers, removable drives, and cloud storage services. It was created as a fork of the now-defunct TrueCrypt project and has been continuously updated and maintained by its developers and a community of contributors.
One of the key features of VeraCrypt is its ability to create encrypted containers and encrypt entire disk partitions. The encryption algorithms used by VeraCrypt, such as AES, Serpent, and Twofish, are considered to be highly secure and have not been broken.
VeraCrypt also offers several advanced security features, such as hidden volumes and the ability to use keyfiles in addition to passwords for added security. Additionally, VeraCrypt has a portable version that can be run directly from a USB drive, allowing users to access their encrypted data on any computer.
The software has a user-friendly interface, and the encryption process is straightforward. However, the process of creating encrypted containers or encrypting entire disk partitions can be time-consuming and resource-intensive, especially for large amounts of data.
Overall, VeraCrypt is a reliable and secure encryption software that can be used by individuals and businesses alike to protect their sensitive data from unauthorized access.