Defrag non booted partition - is it safe?

[Jules]

Exec summary: is it safe to defrag a bootable partition
while booted from another partition?

[Why ask: suspicion I've been told that the registry
contains file offset data, and that if I defrag while not
booted from the partition I'm defragging then the offsets
will get screwed up and Things will go pear-shaped before
hitting the fan.]

Thanks!

 

[Yves Leclerc]

I would think it should be okay! As long as you are using the same Windows
level as the bootable parttiton.

Example:
Defrag Windows XP with Windows XP

Do not defrag:

Windows 98 with Windows XP

Y.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the comfort - that's a pretty heavy
duty "should" though, I think I'll hang out for a
definite reply before trying it! (from Mr paranoid who
forgot, uninstalled AOL7 and just had to do a system
restore to get it working again!]

-----Original Message-----
I would think it should be okay! As long as you are using the same Windows
level as the bootable parttiton.

Example:
Defrag Windows XP with Windows XP

Do not defrag:

Windows 98 with Windows XP

Y.

Exec summary: is it safe to defrag a bootable partition
while booted from another partition?

[Why ask: suspicion I've been told that the registry
contains file offset data, and that if I defrag while not
booted from the partition I'm defragging then the offsets
will get screwed up and Things will go pear-shaped before
hitting the fan.]

Thanks!

.

 

[Ian Smythe]

Thanks for the comfort - that's a pretty heavy
duty "should" though, I think I'll hang out for a
definite reply before trying it! (from Mr paranoid who
forgot, uninstalled AOL7 and just had to do a system
restore to get it working again!]

-----Original Message-----
I would think it should be okay! As long as you are

using the same Windows

level as the bootable parttiton.

Example:
Defrag Windows XP with Windows XP

Do not defrag:

Windows 98 with Windows XP

Y.

message

Exec summary: is it safe to defrag a bootable partition
while booted from another partition?

[Why ask: suspicion I've been told that the registry
contains file offset data, and that if I defrag while

not

booted from the partition I'm defragging then the

offsets

will get screwed up and Things will go pear-shaped

before

hitting the fan.]

Thanks!

I have three (3) hard drives and I regularly defragment them
without any problems whatsoever. The first hard drive is my bootable
drive. The other drives have my programs, pictures, games etc. They
get defragged more often, since things change more often on them.

 

[Jules]

I'm very grateful for the consideration, but the key
point is defragging a BOOTABLE partition while BOOTED off
another... if one defrags a.n.other partition (not booted
from) then the partitition you ARE on has the registry
and it also runs the defragging so will keep the two in
sync...

....it's what happens if they get out of sync that bothers
me...

-----Original Message-----

Thanks for the comfort - that's a pretty heavy
duty "should" though, I think I'll hang out for a
definite reply before trying it! (from Mr paranoid who
forgot, uninstalled AOL7 and just had to do a system
restore to get it working again!]

-----Original Message-----
I would think it should be okay! As long as you are

using the same Windows

level as the bootable parttiton.

Example:
Defrag Windows XP with Windows XP

Do not defrag:

Windows 98 with Windows XP

Y.

message


Exec summary: is it safe to defrag a bootable partition
while booted from another partition?

[Why ask: suspicion I've been told that the registry
contains file offset data, and that if I defrag while
not

booted from the partition I'm defragging then the
offsets

will get screwed up and Things will go pear-shaped
before

hitting the fan.]

Thanks!

I have three (3) hard drives and I regularly defragment them
without any problems whatsoever. The first hard drive is my bootable
drive. The other drives have my programs, pictures, games etc. They
get defragged more often, since things change more often on them. .

 

[CS]

On Thu, 20 Nov 2003 14:30:17 -0800, "Jules"

I would not do it. Only defrag the bootable partition while booted
to the OS that it contains. If you defrag another bootable partition
while not booted to the OS it contains, you may inadvertently move
files that are needed to boot with. I have seen this occur with dual
boot systems and sometimes it's not easy to recover from.

I'm very grateful for the consideration, but the key
point is defragging a BOOTABLE partition while BOOTED off
another... if one defrags a.n.other partition (not booted
from) then the partitition you ARE on has the registry
and it also runs the defragging so will keep the two in
sync...

...it's what happens if they get out of sync that bothers
me...

-----Original Message-----

Thanks for the comfort - that's a pretty heavy
duty "should" though, I think I'll hang out for a
definite reply before trying it! (from Mr paranoid who
forgot, uninstalled AOL7 and just had to do a system
restore to get it working again!]


-----Original Message-----
I would think it should be okay! As long as you are

using the same Windows

level as the bootable parttiton.

Example:
Defrag Windows XP with Windows XP

Do not defrag:

Windows 98 with Windows XP

Y.


message


Exec summary: is it safe to defrag a bootable partition
while booted from another partition?

[Why ask: suspicion I've been told that the registry
contains file offset data, and that if I defrag while

not

booted from the partition I'm defragging then the

offsets

will get screwed up and Things will go pear-shaped

before

hitting the fan.]

Thanks!

I have three (3) hard drives and I regularly defragment them
without any problems whatsoever. The first hard drive is my bootable
drive. The other drives have my programs, pictures, games etc. They
get defragged more often, since things change more often on them.

.

.

 

[Alex Nichol]

Exec summary: is it safe to defrag a bootable partition
while booted from another partition?

Any good defragmenter will work in such a way that it only moves files
that are not in use, and prevents other programs trying to access ones
that it is in the process of moving (for that reason to defragment the
page file, as an example, you have to set the program up to do the job
before windows boots). So you can if fact do a defrag of a bootable
partition when booted from it - doing it from a different boot while
nothing else is taking place on it would be entirely safe (short of
things like power cuts at a critical moment - but even those should
recover with modern defragmenters)

 

[Greg Hayes/Raxco Software]

Completely safe. Why? Because defragmenters don't actually move files. It
is the file system itself that actually "moves" files.

- Greg/Raxco Software
Microsoft MVP - Windows File System

Disclaimer: I work for Raxco Software, the maker of PerfectDisk - a
commercial defrag utility, as a systems engineer in the support department.

Want to email me? Delete ntloader.