DEFRAGMENTER

[Lorne Phillips]

My CP has 2 hard drives.
C: has Windows XP HOME installed and is FAT32, Will not defragment
D: has apps,etc. Is NTFS and will defrag.
I think my problem started after installing XP SP2.

I cannot explain why my 2 drives are set up differently. Somehow it slipped
by me when setting up originally.

Is there an explanation out there and is there a simple solution?

Thanks

Barney Sailor

 

[DatabaseBen]

yeh,
convert your c drive to ntfs as well.

to take a quick look on your pc
go to start > run > cmd

in the new window simply
type convert/?


to get instructions/info on it
go to microsoft.com and
search for the command called convert.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

yeh,
convert your c drive to ntfs as well.

to take a quick look on your pc
go to start > run > cmd

in the new window simply
type convert/?

Bad advice. It's not at all that simple. Anyone planning on converting to
NTFS should first read http://www.aumha.org/a/ntfscvt.htm because there's an
important issue regarding cluster size that isn't obvious.

Also note that conversion is a big step, affecting everything on your drive.
When you take such a big step, no matter how unlikely, it is always possible
that something could go wrong. For that reason, it's prudent to make sure
you have a backup of anything you can't afford to lose before beginning.

Moreover, converting to NTFS is unlikely to fix his problem with not being
able to defrag.

Lorne, what happens when you try to defrag C:? If you get an error message,
please quote it verbatim.

 

[DatabaseBen]

it's not bad advice.

it's just that you have a different
opinion.

the convert command is avail for use
to anyone who cares to learn more about
it and utilize.

my opinion is that it is not ideal to
have 2 different file systems (period)

 

[mikeyhsd]

the question is why will it not defrag, are there any error message.
you must have a minimum of free disk space for defrag to run.
too many errors on the drive can also interfere with defrag.

have you run a chackdisk/scandisk lately.

also might give Auslogics Defrag a try out.
its free.



(e-mail address removed)



My CP has 2 hard drives.
C: has Windows XP HOME installed and is FAT32, Will not defragment
D: has apps,etc. Is NTFS and will defrag.
I think my problem started after installing XP SP2.

I cannot explain why my 2 drives are set up differently. Somehow it slipped
by me when setting up originally.

Is there an explanation out there and is there a simple solution?

Thanks

Barney Sailor

 

[Lorne Phillips]

As much as I would like to have both drives C and D, NTFS, I am reluctant to take a chance. Therefore I took the advice of Mikey and downloaded AUSLOGICS, Problem solved. (Auslogics works well. Microsoft still hanging on the fence).I thank all who contributed helpful hints, and advice. You are a knowledgeable lot and I will be proud to ask for assistance if need be in the future.

Cheers

Lorne Phillips
the question is why will it not defrag, are there any error message.
you must have a minimum of free disk space for defrag to run.
too many errors on the drive can also interfere with defrag.

have you run a chackdisk/scandisk lately.

also might give Auslogics Defrag a try out.
its free.



(e-mail address removed)



My CP has 2 hard drives.
C: has Windows XP HOME installed and is FAT32, Will not defragment
D: has apps,etc. Is NTFS and will defrag.
I think my problem started after installing XP SP2.

I cannot explain why my 2 drives are set up differently. Somehow it slipped
by me when setting up originally.

Is there an explanation out there and is there a simple solution?

Thanks

Barney Sailor

 

[Ron Martell]

it's not bad advice.

it's just that you have a different
opinion.

the convert command is avail for use
to anyone who cares to learn more about
it and utilize.

my opinion is that it is not ideal to
have 2 different file systems (period)

File systems used on different drives are totally irrelevant to any
performance or operational concerns. You can mix and match as you
see fit with no detrimental effects, except for those relating to the
actual structural differences between the two file systems such as:
- NTFS is more robust and less likely to become corrupted.
- FAT32 is more readily repairable should it become corrupted.
- FAT32 is usable by the 9x versions of Windows and NTFS is not, which
is a consideration if your computer is booting multiple versions of
Windows.

Converting a FAT32 partition to NTFS without first addressing the
partition boundary alignment issue discussed in the Alex Nichol
article that Ken Blake referenced can very likely result in the NTFS
volume using a 512 byte cluster size instead of 4K which in turn can
have a detrimental effect on performance because of the 8 fold
increase in the total number of disk clusters.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[DatabaseBen]

i'm sure all of that is explained
in the knowledge base articles at
microsoft.com

 

[Ron Martell]

i'm sure all of that is explained
in the knowledge base articles at
microsoft.com

Not the partition boundary alignment / NTFS cluster size issue, at
least not insofar as I am aware. This is probably because no
Microsoft product has the ability to adjust an existing partition
without destroying the content.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."

 

[Jim Cladingboel]

Not the partition boundary alignment / NTFS cluster size issue, at
least not insofar as I am aware. This is probably because no
Microsoft product has the ability to adjust an existing partition
without destroying the content.

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

A small program, "Partition Logic" will adjust partition sizes in NFTS and
is available for a 30 day free trial.
HTH,

Jim.