Defrafmentation Program with XP

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I recently acquired a new computer running Windows XP. After loading and
tweaking a number of things, I ran the on-board defragmentation program
(Diskeeper Light?) and discovered a bit of havock had been created, with
several '.ini' files dropped in My Docs and other items not working as I had
set them.

Has anyone else had this experience with the onboard defrag program (it
worked well with W98) and any suggestions. Is this a 'first time' kind of
experience with this utility?

Thanks
 
Hi peedee:

I am not familiar with DiskKeeper Light but I do not believe it is a genuine
XP utility (though it probably uses the true XP utility to execute its
operations). There is no advantage that I can think of in using a third
party software for defragging. The true "on-board" utility is called Disk
Defragmanter and is easily accessed as follows:

Start > All Programs > Accessories> System Tools > Disk Defragmenter

It has been my experience that the XP defrag utility is very safe to use.
And so, if DiskKeeper Light uses the XP utility, one could assume it is safe
to use too and should not cause the problems you describe. Therefore I am
thinking that your problem was caused by something else that DiskKeeper did
alongside the defrag, or something not related at all to your defrag efforts.


Certainly a defrag cannot be "undone", but if you can determine that
DiskKeeper did something other than defrag perhaps it can be undone? Sorry
to say this sounds like a bit of a crap shoot. I hope someone else has some
better suggestions.

Good luck,

Mark
 
Xp's built in defragmentation tool is a subset of Diskeeper (the full
product has more features). The tool used in Windows98 was a subset of
Symantec's defragmenter named Speed Disk. Speed Disk (full product) for XP
has lost a lot of the features that it once had back in the days of Win98.

I've used both the built in defragmenter, Diskeeper (full product) and the
most recent version of Speed Disk and have not seen the issue/problem you
have.

JS
 
Thanks JS. I did not know these things. Does the full version of DiskKeeper
have some other function that might cause this OP's problem?

Mark
 
Not that I know of as I've used both Diskeeper Version 8 and version 10
(trial edition). One feature it does have is a boot time defrag which has
functionality that can't be used when Windows is running. But I've used the
boot time defrag many times without an issue. The only feature I never used
was the background defrag (which runs in the background). But none of this
is available as part of XP's built in defrag.

The one and only problem I did have is that once Diskeeper is installed
(trial or full version) and then you un-install it, you loss the ability to
use XP's built in defragmenter as for some reason it can find the defrag.exe
and will not run.

JS
 
JS said:
Not that I know of as I've used both Diskeeper Version 8 and version 10
(trial edition). One feature it does have is a boot time defrag which has
functionality that can't be used when Windows is running. But I've used the
boot time defrag many times without an issue. The only feature I never used
was the background defrag (which runs in the background). But none of this
is available as part of XP's built in defrag.

The one and only problem I did have is that once Diskeeper is installed
(trial or full version) and then you un-install it, you loss the ability to
use XP's built in defragmenter as for some reason it can find the defrag.exe
and will not run.

JS




Thanks to everyone. I had already rounded up the '.ini' files and put them into one folder and it sits quietly in My Docs.
Click to expand...

It is possible, with all that I've been doing to set up my new machine, that
they may have been created in a way that is separate from the defrag program,
although they did appear shoortly afterwards and I'm sure that that process
was the source. I will use the Defrag program in Accessories from now on.

My question: do I just leave the '.ini' files where they are (i.e.
languishing in the folder in My Docs)?

Thanks again.
 
INI files are text files, open one up with notepad and see what program it
belongs to.

JS
 
My Docs would not be the first choice for storing such critters. Too much
traffic = greater chance for accidental deletion etc., leaving your OS "toes
up" like an armadillo on a Texas highway.

I have to wonder what they were doing in there in the first place. Is it
possible they have been there all along but you had not seen them? i.e.- they
were hidden until recently? You just acquired this machine-- did the
previous owner have them stored in My Docs for some Frankenstein experiment?
Are they even valid, functional copies?

If you have a reliable boot disk, you could do the following:
Make a New Folder on your desktop called "ROAD PIZZA" then cut and paste
those INI's *one at a time* to the new folder and patiently observe if there
is some change in OS behavior. If, after a suitable period of time, there is
no adverse effect, you could likely delete them permanently.

If there is some change you could take some other steps to put them in a
safer place.

No rush whatsoever if your system is working OK. Go slowly and document
your changes and it will be fine.

Mark
 
Callmark1 said:
My Docs would not be the first choice for storing such critters. Too much
traffic = greater chance for accidental deletion etc., leaving your OS "toes
up" like an armadillo on a Texas highway.

I have to wonder what they were doing in there in the first place. Is it
possible they have been there all along but you had not seen them? i.e.- they
were hidden until recently? You just acquired this machine-- did the
previous owner have them stored in My Docs for some Frankenstein experiment?
Are they even valid, functional copies?

If you have a reliable boot disk, you could do the following:
Make a New Folder on your desktop called "ROAD PIZZA" then cut and paste
those INI's *one at a time* to the new folder and patiently observe if there
is some change in OS behavior. If, after a suitable period of time, there is
no adverse effect, you could likely delete them permanently.

If there is some change you could take some other steps to put them in a
safer place.

No rush whatsoever if your system is working OK. Go slowly and document
your changes and it will be fine.

Mark
Click to expand...
 
Thanks again to everyone. My machine is new from Lenovo, and I hadn't noticed
the '.ini' files earlier, although I had downloaded and/or installed several
things before noticing them. I had assumed they appeared during the defrag
stage (which I'd just finished) since I was already working on the computer
and in and out of My Docs. The '.ini' files all seem to relate to my
BitDefender antivirus ware (although I know that they didn't appear when I
installed that program; the '.ini' files only appeared much later). anyway,
I'll work on the files and see if I can get rid of them or leave them in a
deep hole somewhere on board.

Thanks.
Peedee
 
Although I don't use BitDefender, my guess is that after you installed this
AV program you made some customizations to BitDefender and it saves these in
an INI file.

Since the INI file is located in your My Documents folder I would also guess
that
BitDefender allows individual users to make and save their own
customizations.

JS
 
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