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Analyze drives

Analysis reads the drive layout and gathers fragmentation information. It does not move or delete files.

Run an analysis​

  1. Open Drive Optimization and select one or more volumes.
  2. Confirm the drive letters, labels, and detected media types.
  3. Choose Analysis in the toolbar.
  4. Follow the status until analysis finishes.
  5. Review the drive statistics, ClusterView, and the Advisor.

Drive Optimization with the drive list, the toolbar, and the block map of drive C:

The toolbar holds the method button, Analysis, Stop, and Optimization Advisor; Cluster and Files on the right switch between the block map and the file list. The drive list shows the status, the date of the last analysis, file and fragment counts, the assessment, and the detected drive type. The block map below it belongs to the selected drive, and its legend explains the colors.

You can also start analysis from a dashboard finding or use Analyze only in the Optimization Advisor.

If a drive is already busy, let its action finish or stop it deliberately before starting another. For a very large volume or a volume with many files, collecting the results can take time.

Read the results​

Look at the fragmentation value, occupied and free space, drive status, and analysis date. The heading above the block map also reports the number of fragmented files and free-space fragments. Choose Files for FileInspector and the largest or most fragmented files, or select a block and open ClusterInspector for that area.

The drive map is a compressed picture. One visible block can represent many clusters and several files. A red-looking area is not a hardware error. Use the legend and inspectors for its actual meaning.

Analyze again when needed​

Run another analysis after large copies, deletions, software installations, or a change to fragmentation reporting settings. An analysis before and after a maintenance task makes comparisons more useful.

To keep a history, enable reports in Settings → Reports. An analysis-only scheduled job is useful when you want a recurring report without reorganizing files.

If analysis does not complete​

Check that the volume is available, the agent is connected, and no other drive action is active. Record any error. If the drive reports file-system or hardware problems, follow troubleshooting before attempting further optimization.