Defrag not defragmenting! Please help.

[Jentle Jiant]

Defrag will not defragment a large number of files.

I've been having some slow performance for a few days, so decided to
defrag. After analysis, the drive is 23% defragmented. It's never been
that high. I ran defrag. It reported that a number of files could not
be defragmented. Fragmentation stayed high (19%)

I saved the report so I could look at the files..

With one exception, all the files listed are MPG files, which I
created, ripped from DVDs and converted to MPG. They represent 29 gig
on an 80 gig drive!

They are listed as having several hundred to several thousand
fragments.

The one exception is a .db file in Documents and Settings, for ACDC.
That db file is LARGER than the images it supposedly represents, and
has more parts than there are images, again several thousand parts.

I thought perhaps changing the properties by turning off "read only"
would take care ot it. Ran defrag again. Did not work. Still at 19%.
All of the same files are listed.

Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Mark Barrett]

What version of windows are you running. If it is not Windows XP Go buy
executive software diskeeper.

 

[johnf]

Here are my disk findings on C:

"Diskeeper has completed a defragmentation run on this volume and there
remain 0 fragmented files and/or directories and 0 excess fragments. (There
were 3675 excess fragments before the defragmentation run, and now there are
100% fewer.)

The average number of fragments per file is 1.00.

Congratulations! There are no excess file or directory fragments on this
volume. The files on this volume are as defragmented as possible."

Yet when I check the performance map, I have several large files sitting
down the bottom.
I think what happens is that during defrag,it fills waste space with fragged
files until it reaches the stage where you have (for arguments sake),
several ~1GB files but can't find a space large enough to put them in, so
it leaves them insitu.

Anyway. if you're running XP/NTFS, I doubt very much whether you'd find any
noticable degradation in performance.

johnf

 

[Jentle Jiant]

Thanks for the feedback.

Running WinXP SP2 Installed.

Any recommendations?

Thanks.

 

[Jentle Jiant]

My situation is totally different. I AM running windows XP.

I've got about 2 dozen files in thousands of fragments each. And there
has been a huge degradation of performance. Opening programs and files
takes a very noticably longer time, sometimes agonizingly slow.

Thanks for the feedback

 

[Jentle Jiant]

If anyone is interested, or has/had a similar problem...

I figured out a workaround to fix this. It may be micky-mouse, but it
worked.

Assuming that if I copied a fragmented file to another physical
medium, Windows would have to assemble and sort the thousands of
fragments, I copied each file individually to an external drive, I
then deleted the originals, re-copied one at a time to the original
folder, and ran defrag. Result= 2% fragmentation.

Don't know what could have cause such severe fragmentation, and if
anybody out there has any idea, I would appreciate your feedback.

 

[Mark Barrett]

Sure that is a great way of doing it if you have to. In fact in windows NT4
that was the only way you could do it. Microsoft only gave you one option to
defrag in NT4 and that was to format the drive and reinstall everything from
backup LOL it was nuts thank god for executive software's diskkeeper.

 

[Jentle Jiant]

You fail to mention that executive software's diskkeeper, costs 40
bucks. So I did a workaround and got the needed results within 20
minutes for FREE.

Isn't the idea here to help people figure out how to solve their XP
problems? Or is it now a forum for selling software?

This is an XP group, Why would you even find it necessary to mention
NT4? And I said nothing about formatting.

Seems you want to somehow embarrass me with snide remarks because I
did not take your advice and purchase software, but chose instead to
use my own wits and what was available to me without further expense.
And, bottom line, it worked.

Thanks so much for your positive feedback and assistance.

Jentle Jiant

 

[Fitz]

Why are you being so hard on Mark? He merely related that he's been through
the same thing. He elected to buy a program. He didn't recommend you buy
it or anyone else. The forum is for people to make suggestions about
solutions that have worked for them and alternative ways of doing things. I
don't see anywhere in his post where he was snide or tried to embarrass you.
No one can embarrass you...only you can.

 

[Jentle Jiant]

Hard on him? Read again.
He said what I did was "nuts",
In what way was that necessary, to say nothing of supportive?

As you say, we are here for solutions. I found one. Not very
sophistacated or technically advances. Pure Mickey-Mouse. But it did
not cost me a dime, and it worked! Why does that make me "nuts"? Why
would he need to use that word if not to be snide and insinuate some
defective thinking on my part?

I've posted a variety of questions over several years, and have never
felt insulted or condescended to before this.

But I do this time. And my response was totally justified.

Jentle Jiant.

 

[Fitz]

He didn't say what YOU did was nuts. He said Microsoft only gave NT4 users
one way to defrag and that involved formatting the hard drive and
reinstalling from backup. He said "it was nuts".

 

[Mark Barrett]

LOL this is funny, I try to bring my expertise to this forum. There are
still a lot of people running NT4 and maybe they found this informative. It
is not time efficient to constantly copy files to defrag. Microsoft windows
XP has Disk keeper built in they bought executive software disk keeper. I as
a system administrator enjoy the fact that I can set disk keeper to do the
work for me. It creates a stable and properly running system for people. Its
simplifies things isn't that what this forum is about? I did not put down
your method I stated it was a valid option that Microsoft once recommended
themselves. Why is it that I keep getting put down in this forum I am here
to help if you don't like what I say go to the next post LOL. Must be an
inferiority complex.

 

[Mark Barrett]

Since you are bashing me for helping you fine. Next time i see you have a
problem ill just skip it. No point in helping someone with your type of
attitude. I was just telling you that what you did was considered the only
way to do it at one point. And if you want to take 20 minutes to defrag one
file when in 30 minutes you can defrag the entire hard drive. Also if you
cant afford 40 bucks you have larger problems. 40 dollars to save yourself
alot of time and heartache. I assumed your time was worth more than 40
dollars. I guess i was wrong. I am sorry for helping you.