Defrag


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TROUBLESHOOTING PROBLEMS WITH DISK DEFRAGMENTER

I avoid defrag troubles by using Vopt 7.22 which is available at: www.goldenbow.com/ This program is super fast as Vopt decided that optimization of the most used program files (a feature of MS Defrag) was a waste of time, especially with today’s super fast computers. The slowest program on my 866 MHz Dell loads in about two seconds. VptXP also has some nice options and you can try it out for free for 30 days.

1. Apply one recommendation at a time and then try Defrag again to see if it helped.

2. Disable the screensaver and anti virus program and unplug the cable/DSL modem (if any).

3. Delete the files in the Recycle Bin, the browser cache (Temporary Internet Files folder if using MSIE) and the Temp, History and Recent folders. Corrupt files can cause Defrag problems.

4. You may receive a notice indicating the drive was written to and caused Defrag to restart. This means some process is causing hard drive activity which interferes with Defrag. Either reboot to safe mode and run Defrag from there or use EndItAll2, a free program which shuts down nearly all running programs except Explorer and Systray. Download the program from here:
www.docsdownloads.com/Tier1/enditall.htm. To boot to safe mode in W98, see: support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q180/9/02.asp

5. It's possible corrupt files in the Cookies and Applog folders will cause Defrag problems (for example, error Defrag023). Since those files contain useful information, you can either move them to a partition other than the one being Defragged or to floppy disks. Once Defrag is complete, you can replace the files. If it appears either folder contains corrupt files, you will either have to try to determine which files are corrupt, delete all the files and let them rebuild as part of your normal operations or move the folders during the next Defrag session. If you run into problems deleting a file because it is corrupt, try deleting it from a DOS prompt.

6. The first Defrag after installing or upgrading to Win98 may take a significant amount of time to complete. Also, Defrag may appear to stall out at the 10% mark; however, this is a common occurrence. As long as there is disk activity, let Defrag run. The appearance of stalling with W95 may also occur but it will generally be before 10%.

7. Defrag004 error is not documented by MS; however, it can often be fixed by booting to the boot start menu, selecting command prompt, typing scandisk and once the screen appears, selecting a thorough scan to find and repair errors.

8. There are plenty of MS Knowledge Base articles on Defrag features and problems:

List of Articles About the Disk Defragmentor Tool
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q286/2/63.asp