Defragging

Hi all.
Cleaning out my pc a bit as it is sluggish and crashes using MOHAA online.
Got to defragging my hard drive and used AUS Logics, one of the recommends on here.
Left it running over night but wasn't impressed by the % it said it managed to defrag, ran anlyze on windows defrag and it says the drive is still 42% fragmented?
Is AUS any good or is windows lying??

 

Tried IObit.
It still leaves my drive over 32% fragged.
Do I need a format??

 

What is your OS

 

XP home, is my signature not showing??
It should be.

 

Why don't you windows defrag and run ccleaner
http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=5125

 

I've ran cccleaner and from what i've read on here, windows defrag is useless.
I'll give it a go anyway.
Cheers

 

Ran windows defrag.
It does it's job then when i run the analyzer after it's 'defragged' it tells me the drive needs defragging???
It has over 18gb of free space so it's not that.

 

Probably fragmented system files (MFT/page file) which the free defraggers cannot process. Get a trial version of a commercial defrag like Diskeeper 2k8 and see if that can defragment the drives... should be easily able to do it. Leave DK 2k8 on auto mode, or run a manual defrag if that's your preference. if the pagefile is fragmented, run a normal defrag first and then a boot-time defrag.
It ought to be fully usable for 30 days (since it's a trial version).

 

I am running it now, thanks for the suggestion, i will let you know how it went.

 

You might also try Contig, which is a free defragmenting program I found out on Technet. It can be run from a command line with various switches or used with an optional GUI (Power Defragmenter). Both Contig and Power Defragmenter are freeware ( I'm pretty sure Power Defragmenter includes Contig with the download). I have used them both and found them very effective, though somewhat slow.

 

Very few people bother to look at / FOR signatures before answering a post, IMO. I, for one, wouldn't be bothered as in most cases it is a waste of time. If MG gave some indication, near the nickname for example, that there was a signature loaded, then maybe I would change my mind. Bazza

===

 

TechnoFeeb.
Might need to try that as dk 2k8 says my drive is still fragmented after running it.

bigbazza.
Don't know what you mean, 'look for it', the signature is at the bottom of every post isn't it?
If I log off from MG and look at my posts as a guest I can see that under every post my signature says what basics I am running on my pc.
Tell me if you can't see it. Everyone should put their spec there so there is no need to keep putting it in every request for help.
Cheers

 

FWIW: I'm new, but I have signatures turned off anyway in options, as most people don't use them to give system specs, as you do, but to show me their cutesie slogans, political quotes, pseudo-philosophical pomposities, etc., which I'm really not interested in...it'd be nice if it was used the way you do, but that's not usually the case...too bad, it'd be a good idea if everybody did it correctly, but then you'd have to make sure they were *updated* to reflect current OS, etc...

so many of us don't use--or see--signatures.

 

There are many reasons why a poster may not be referring to the machine listed in his/her signature.

Assuming that this is the one can lead to much confusion so it is always best for the poster to establish details within the post.

 

Proper defragmentation seems to lead to more bar-room bravado and nonsense than almost any other computer subject.

It is also a fertile field for purveyors of 'enhanced' defragmenters to ply their wares.

Microsoft exclude certain system files from the defragmenter for very good reasons. If you read the small print properly (you do don't you) on third party software they all exclude liability if their software trashes Windows.

Heaving large files like hiberfil.sys or pagefile.sys about the hard drive is likely to do just that and Microsoft provides alternative safe ways of coping with these.

Defragmenting should not be done on a whim, part as part of a proper disk maintenance regime.
Files with errors cannot be defragmented by any method so you should always run check disk first.
But before all this there is no point defragmenting tempory files that will soon be deleted anyway
So clear your internet cache, delete .tmp files etc.

Here are some different reasons and approaches to defrag

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=171258&highlight=defrag

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=119015&highlight=defrag

http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=119504&highlight=defrag

So tell us about your hard drive (%full etc) and how you use it (photos/games/video editing????) for more practical advice.

 

Hi studiot.
If the poster is not talking about their own spec listed then it would be easy to say so and then list details of the machine they are on about, it just seems so simple to me but that is my opinion.
In future perhaps I will put 'see signature for spec', that should clear any confusion, (yeah right!)

As for defragging, I was following this tutorial to clean my pc. http://forums.majorgeeks.com/showthread.php?t=106650

As the drive wasn't defragging I came on here to find out why.
It is obviously a bit more complicated than the tutorial implies, although I understand every situation is different.
It may be quicker to format and have a lovely clean pc to play with.
Thanks for the pointers, I will take a view.

 

Don't know about everyone else, but when I get ready to de-frag,I will disconnect from Internet and turn off all services to ensure that EVERYTHING is de-fragged. And I prefer Auslogics over Windows.

 

How much over 18gb free? As 18gb is slightly more than 11% free in your case. So it looks like you may need to free up some space.

'course my computational skills aren't the best.

 

Spec sigs are boring and kind of like, "Hey look at me!"
I have seen too many people give wrong specs in help posts, either because they don't actually know what they have, leave out out an important letter or number, or include typo's.

 

It is always best to list the specs of the computer in question. If you have said specs in your sig, just say 'Specs in Sig'. I have several computers, sometimes with different OS's. Plus I tend to buy hardware pretty often. A spec sig for me would not work, plus I work on other people's puters.:confused

I have found in the past, that running the defrag program of your choice multiple times with get the disk defragged better. But if you let it go too long before you defrag it, you may never get it fully defraged.

Run the defrag program of your choice 2 or 3 times after running CCleaner. If you are unsatisfied with the results, you could just reformat, install the OS, and if you want a perfectly defraged drive, defrag after installing the OS, after installing the drivers, and after you install your programs. I don't see any real time advantage to that though. Read the next sentence before doing that though!

I bow to StudioT's knowledge on defraging in a post above. You can potentially have a defrag damage files. Read StudioT's post carefully, and read the links.

 

Muksnipe, I think there is less chance of typo errors as you can spend more time doing the signature and I personally forget what I have so have to run dx diag and write evrything down in the post so a signature with my spec is best for me.
As for the signature saying 'hey look at me', I don't find them too annoying as I don't have to read them.
One thing more annoying, in my opinion, is moving and flashing avatars!!!
Now those you can't help but see while you are trying to concentrate on reading the post.
Just my opinion though, not a dig at you as many people use them.

Fred_G
Cheers, i'll take a look.
A spec sig would work for me if people had their sigs enabled.
I shall in future, if i remember, put, 'see my sig for spec'.

Plastidust, I now have 23gb free so I will defrag again and again then if that don't work I shall format, I think!

hrlow2, I shall try in safe mode, perhaps that will do the trick.