Xp Defrag - Not All I Hoped For!

[GeneralChin]

I use WinXP Pro Disk Defragmenter. And when its complete my files are fairly far apart. There are very few files in the far left bar, a huge chunk of files in the middle and a few far right. The few unmovable files I can understand, But most of the other files are movable.
My question is is there a Defrag program (freeware. shareware, or bought) that can help this, by moving all the files together on the HD.

Thank You for Your Time.

 

[Freestone]

Freeware:

Defragmentation Programs for Windows NT4, NT2000, and XP

As with any defrag program, backup first.

 

[Kiwica]

Sorry if this is telling you how to suck eggs...but remember XP wants at least 15% free space on your hdd, otherwise you get partial defrags.

 

[kiddpete]

Diskkeeper by Executive Software is reputed to be very effective.

 

[linney]

You could try running ChkDsk to check your drive for errors. Right click your Drive icon/ Properties/ Tools/ Error Checking.

Run the Disk Cleanup tool and get rid of all those old System Restore points by using the "More Options" tab.

Try running the Defragging from Safe Mode.

 

[fuunstatic]

most defragging to me have never made much difference ie pc performance was generally the same

however one area you may want to concentrate on is the pagefile.sys file which may be defragmented itself and windows uses this when out of ram mostly

the only way to defrag it is to copy it to another drive then back again

you'll have to boot up the pc using an ntfs boot disk or Bart's PeBuilder CD to do this

"Work to live, don't live to work"

"The problem with troubleshooting is that sometimes it shoots back"

 

[bcastner]

There are excellent freeware utilities to defrag the pagefile:

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/pagedefrag.shtml

 

[Marcs41]

without utilities:
set it to No paging file, reboot, defrag, and then set it back to what it was.

Marc
[sub]If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
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[GeneralChin]

Great, Many Thanks All!
I will take your suggestions into consideration!

 

[kiddpete]

Just another thought on Windows defrag. Isn't that the result it's supposed to produce? Frequently used programs in the fastest part of the drive, less frequently used in the middle, etc. The idea was to optimize the file access speed. There may not be any problem!

 

[Marcs41]

that is correct kiddpete!
A lot of people just think it is supposed to stuff it all together, but as you state clearly, that is not the case, and not the purpose.

Marc
[sub]If 'something' 'somewhere' gives 'some' error, expect random guesses or no replies at all. Please specify details.
Free Tip: The F1 Key does NOT destroy your PC![/sub]
How Do I Get Great Answers To my Tek-Tips Questions? See faq222-2244