Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro: common problems and how to deal with them

If you’ve ever noticed that your computer has become broody, programs open with a delay, and your hard disk feels like it’s humming with fatigue – it’s probably time to do some defragmentation. One of the popular tools for this purpose is Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro. It is more powerful than the standard Windows utility and gives you more control. But, as everything that has software, it has its flaws. A set of common issues and practical solutions is shown below. Without water and complicated terms.

1. The program slows down or freezes

What’s going on:

You start defragmenting, and it seems like it’s frozen. Hanging at one percent or completely unresponsive.

Why it’s like this:

The issue is frequently behind the curtain as the antivirus can prevent the activities of the program. Other Windows processes can get in the way at times, spuriously so when automatic defragmentation is in use.

What to do:

Try disabling antivirus temporarily (but wisely).
Run Disk Defrag Pro as administrator.
Turn off automatic defragmentation for a while (in the settings).
Reboot the system and check if the disk is full.

Tip: if you have an SSD, you don’t need defragmentation at all. The program may slow down precisely because it works with the wrong type of disk.

2. Can’t see some disks

What’s going on:

You run the utility and the drive you want is not displayed.

Why it’s like this:

This will be possible when the disk is system-obscured, encrypted, or uses a non-standard file system (e.g. exFAT or Linux partitioning).

What to do:

Make sure the drive is not disabled in Windows Disk Management.
Check if it is connected at all.
Disk Defrag Pro works only with NTFS and FAT32. If the disk is in any other format, the program will not see it.

Important: don’t try to defragment external disks without being absolutely sure that they are supported – it can corrupt your data.

3. Defragmentation cannot be completed

What’s going on:

You start a full analysis, 20-30% passes, and that’s it – either an error or a loop.

Why it’s like this:

Most likely the disk has corrupted sectors or problems with access rights to individual files.

What to do:

Check the disk via chkdsk – a standard Windows command.
Clean the recycle garbage can and temporary files (CCleaner or built-in cleaner).
Try defragmentation in safe mode.

One more thing: sometimes it helps to just reduce the load – turn off your browser, mail, and other background stuff.

4. Things got worse after defragmentation

What’s going on:

You have performed complete defragmentation and the system performs slower that it was.

Why it’s like this:

The program may have moved system files to unwanted areas of the disk. Or you used the wrong optimization strategy (there are several of them: “By access speed”, “By time of last use” and so on).

What to do:

Go to settings and change the optimization type.
Try to restore the previous structure via Windows restore point.
Don’t enable the “deep optimization” option unnecessarily – it is for very fragmented disks and can harm a relatively clean one.

Hint: it is better not to defragment the system disk (C:) more than once a month. Sometimes you should not defragment the system disk (C:) at all.

5. Automatic defragmentation interferes with performance

What’s going on:

You’re working and defragmentation runs in the background – everything starts to lag, you hear hard disk noise.

Why it’s like this:

The default automatic mode is set too aggressively. It does not take into account when you are at the computer and when you are not.

What to do:

Go to “Scheduler” and turn off auto-defragmentation.
Or set a specific time, e.g. at night.
Check “don’t run on battery power” (for laptops).

Is it even worth using Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro?

Here’s the truth: if you have an old hard disk drive (HDD), the program can really speed things up. Especially if you haven’t cleaned and defragmented it for a long time. It gives you more settings than the built-in Windows utility and shows a detailed disk map – that’s handy for some people.

But if you have an SSD, there’s no point in using it. SSDs don’t need defragmentation. On the contrary, it can shorten the life of the disk.

Conclusion

Auslogics Disk Defrag Pro is not a tool for everyone and not for every day. It is useful if you understand why you need defragmentation and what risks it carries. But the program has its own peculiarities, and many problems are not bugs, but the result of unsuccessful settings or working in unsuitable conditions.

Here’s the short of it:

1. On HDD – works fine, but you need a reasonable approach.
2. On SSD – don’t get involved, forget it altogether.
3. If it slows down, glitches or does not find the disk – check the format, access rights and background processes.
4. Don’t use automatic defragmentation unnecessarily.