Extreme NTFS file copying without errors

[Guest]

When trying to copy several directories that contain about 300,000 small
files each, I keep getting out of memory errors (with xcopy and Robocopy) and
software errors (with my custom script) that cause a loss of at least some
functionality and require a reboot and sometimes a disk check. Most recently
I got a "\$MFT corrupt" error and couldn't access my USB drive until doing a
chkdsk /i /c /f.

I made some of the registry edits described at
http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=62001&st=0&p=429020&#entry429020read
and http://support.microsoft.com/kb/304101/en-us (I'll specify which ones on
request) but I still got the errors.

I read "...operating system tuning (e.g. disabling last modified time and
background defragmentation) and other protections like XPe's enhanced write
filter are critical if you don't enjoy mysterious disk errors." I think I can
disable last modified time with:
HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\
NtfsDisableLastAccessUpdate (0 Default) = 1
How can I disable background defrag and the rest? Would a time delay after
copying every few files help?

 

[Richard Urban]

Have you read this? http://support.microsoft.com/kb/174619



--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Richard Urban]

Here is another good one. Please read the section on the MFT and MFT Zone.
http://technet2.microsoft.com/Windo...bf8e-4164-862d-dac5418c59481033.mspx?mfr=true

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Guest]

The first page you linked to (
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/174619 ) is much easier to
handle. The second link provides some of the same information, under MTF
Zone, but doesn't mention the required registry edit needed. At least not in
an easy to find and understand way.

For my hundreds of thousands of small files that I'm trying to copy, it
sounds like I should experiment with a NtfsMftZoneReservation value higher
than one (I'd probably try 4) to improve performance, but I'm not sure if it
would work for Windows XP Home. The article from your first link says:

"A new registry parameter was introduced in Service Pack 4 for Windows NT
4.0 that can increase the percentage of a volume that NTFS reserves for its
master file table. NtfsMftZoneReservation is a REG_DWORD value that can take
on a value between 1 and 4, where 1 corresponds to the minimum MFT zone size
and 4 corresponds to the maximum."

It applies to:
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition
Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition

The article also says "To determine the current size of the MFT on a Windows
NT-based computer, type the dir /a $mft command on an NTFS volume" which I
tried at the command prompt (assuming that's what it meant) and the response
was:

------------
C:\>dir /a $mft
Volume in drive C has no label.
Volume Serial Number is C0FB-13C4

Directory of C:\

File Not Found
------------

The second page you linked to says "You can change the size of the MFT
zone..." which may be about the same thing as the first page you linked to,
but I don't know how.

Neither page you linked to discussed the Enhanced Write Filter or background
defragmentation. In my search for a way to turn off EWF, I found
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms933204.aspx and
http://infosys.beckhoff.com/english...33/cx1000_sw/html/cx1000_os_xpe_ewf_setup.htm
.. I don't think the first is intended for people like me. The second looked
easy, but my command prompt doesn't seem to recognize the ewfmgr command,
though I didn't try it with a parameter other than help. It sounds like EWF
may only be for Windows XP Embedded, whatever that is.

 

[Richard Urban]

The way I read it, you can not change the MFT zone on an existing/functional
partition/drive. It will take hold on a new partition or formatted drive
that is created after the registry change has been implemented.

From KB 174619

NOTE: This is a run-time parameter and does not affect the actual format of
a volume. Rather, it affects the way NTFS allocates space on all volumes on
a given system. Therefore, to be completely effective, the parameter must be
in effect from the time that a volume is formatted and throughout the life
of the volume. If the registry parameter is adjusted downward or removed,
the MFT zone will be reduced accordingly, but this will not have any affect
on MFT space already allocated and used.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User
(For email, remove the obvious from my address)

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!

 

[Guest]

I think it will help, but it's kind of vague about how much. Anyway, I found
better information about the MFT zone, for XP, at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/reskit/c13621675.mspx

MFT zone can be set and queried with fsutil as described at
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/documentation/windows/xp/all/proddocs/en-us/fsutil.mspx?mfr=true

I think every one of fsutil's "behavior" commands would be useful to me.