Defragmenter

[Tom Smith]

Hi,

Despite having defragmented my hard drive three times in a row (and doing so
after a restart each time), fragmentation remains extremely high: total
fragmentation stands at 28%, with 54% file fragmentation. There are about 30
music tracks chiefly responsible for this, as well as a file in a directory
called SystemVolumeInformation/catalog.wci/00010006.ci.

Is there any way I can defragment these remaining files? Or do I have to
delete them and then restore them?
That could be done with the music files (though it's hardly preferable), but
what about that last file I mentioned - safe to wipe?

By the way, I'm running Windows XP, and have 15% free disk space.
Defragmenter did not tell me I had to wipe more files for it to run
properly.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ronnie Vernon MVP]

Hi,

Despite having defragmented my hard drive three times in a row (and
doing so after a restart each time), fragmentation remains extremely
high: total fragmentation stands at 28%, with 54% file fragmentation.
There are about 30 music tracks chiefly responsible for this, as well
as a file in a directory called
SystemVolumeInformation/catalog.wci/00010006.ci.

Is there any way I can defragment these remaining files? Or do I have
to delete them and then restore them?
That could be done with the music files (though it's hardly
preferable), but what about that last file I mentioned - safe to wipe?

By the way, I'm running Windows XP, and have 15% free disk space.
Defragmenter did not tell me I had to wipe more files for it to run
properly.

Thanks in advance!

Music tracks are difficult to defragment, but these will have no effect on
the performance of the operating system. The System Volume Information
folder contains the restore points for the System Restore utility and cannot
be defragged.

For the optimum defrag, boot into Safe Mode and run defrag from there.

--
Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Please reply to the newsgroup so all may benefit.
Unsolicited e-mail is not answered.

 

[Carrie Garth]

| | Despite having defragmented my hard drive <SNIP> fragmentation
| remains extremely high <SNIP> chiefly responsible for this <SNIP>
| [is] a file in a directory called
| SystemVolumeInformation/catalog.wci/00010006.ci. <SNIP>

The catalog.wci folder is used by Indexing Service. Try stopping the
Indexing Service before running the Disk Defragmenter (dfrg.msc).
A fast way to stop the indexing service is to click Start, click Run,
type the following command and click OK:

net stop cisvc

To restart document indexing: net start cisvc

For the GUI method "To pause, stop, or start a catalog or Indexing
Service" click Start, click Run, type the following command and click
OK: compmgmt.msc

Then click [menu bar] Action | Help and search for the phrase in
double-quotes.

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Ronnie

If the music files are very large then, if the OP only has free space of 15 % or marginally above that, don't you think that might be the problem? With large files 20% or more free space would be better. The problem could be that free space is scattered across the drive in small parcels and the fragments, which will be listed, are too large to fit in available spaces. I have seen it said that the Disk Defragmenter provided with Windows XP does not defragment free space and there are only a few non-freeware utilities which do.

In the OP's position there might be advantages in partitioning the drive to separate files which constantly fragment from those which are less inclined to fragment. I would guess music files fall into the latter category unless the OP is constantly adding to and deleting from his collection.

Any thoughts on these observations?


~~~~~~

Regards.

Gerry

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Stourport, Worcs, England
Enquire, plan and execute.
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