[Preston Tyson]

You can turn off all the Defrag time consuming unnecessary functions by using the following command(Just right-click on your desktop,create a new shortcut,and use the following command)

C:\WINDOWS\DEFRAG.EXE C: /U/NOPROMPT

I BELEIVE IT IS FASTER THAN ANY THIRD PARTY PROGRAM WITH THESE SETTINGS.

Your total defrag time will be less than one minute with these switches. If you want defrag to take a long time use the following command:

C:\WINDOWS\DEFRAG.EXE C: /F/DETAILED

*THIS IS THE MODE MOST PEOPLE RUN DEFRAG IN

As I said before I have no operating experience with Windows XP. The defrag commands I provided work on Windows 98 and Windows ME. These defrag switches are covered in Windows 98 Resource Kit and I presume on the Microsoft Support Site. On page 454 of the resource kitis the following info:

defrag [drive: | /all] [/F | /U | /Q | [/noprompt] [/concise | /detailed]

drive: Drive letter of the disk to be optimized.

/all Defragement all local, nonremovable drives.

/F Defragment files and free space.

/U Defragement files only.

/Q Defragement free space only.

/concise Display the Hide Details view (default).

/detailed Display the Show Details view.

/noprompt Unattended mode; do not stop and display confirmation messages.


*My system is Windows ME with IE 5.5SP2.


Preston

[codexaenir]

Um... well not really...


With that command you are only defragmenting the files... you are not aligning the files in order or removing the free space between each file...

Yes, its faster. But yet again the results of your defrag is not as good.

[Preston Tyson]

That's why I said faster...not better.

[saveone]

I always tell my clients to setup the resouce meter on the task bar & scandisk & defrag every 7 days. another thing is to use only a UPS with AVR surge & spike protection.

I can't be the only one! I defrag every day after cleaning my hd of uneccessary files. Find that my system is really zippy that way. Using Windows 98se but have the Windows ME defragmenter. Also use VoptXP (which, despite the name, is for W98se as well), which also has options to maximise the swap file, clear URLs and temporary caches, etc. etc.m Read somewhere that defraging daily would not cause any problems.

T2

[Rhettman5.1]

Here is the advise..: How often should I run Defrag?

This is a commonly asked question with a difficult answer as every computer and computer user is different. We generally recommend that defrag along with scandisk be ran at least once every 2-3 months.



HERE is the source ... Rhett

[pyritechips]

defrag along with scandisk be ran at least once every 2-3 months.

Holy!!

With today's fast computers/utilities there is no reason to wait that long! I'm a light computer user. I defrag once a week and even then I can be up to 5-10% fragged. I can't imagine what it would be like after collecting a myriad of cookies/d-load files/temp net files etc...

I use Norton speed disk to degrag and it takes only a couple of minutes to do all 3 drives. I have also noticed many unknowledgeable computer users complain of molasses-like performance and haven't defragged in a few months. T2 isn't inconvienced, I bet, by doing it daily! T2: excellent maintenance program!

~Jim

P.S. Scandisk takes a lot longer. I only do it if I start getting error msgs.

Hello pyritchips and Rhettman

No inconvenience - the ME defragmenter is very quick. Scandisk
very seldom finds any problems. VoptXP clears all the caches, urls, cookies, etc. very quickly. I like to see that nice blue screen without all those little white patterns. Because it is done so often, it doesn't become a long task. Just me, I suppose



Regards,
T2

[Davey7549]

I believe Defrag and Scandisk should be scheduled depending on the users usage habits. There is nothing wrong with running the utilities more frequently if that is necessary because it not only keeps the drives trim but catches problems early. Another consideration is size of drive and whether the partition was used during that utility interval. I have one drive with a 70GB partition used for video capture and editing. If that drive has not been used it is not included in the utility cycle as is another used for ghost storage.
Guess bottom line here is how much daily usage does the unit get, is the operator downloading, saving, and removing items routinely. Based on that criteria one should pattern their utility cycles accordingly.

Dave

[Rhettman5.1]

Personally, I defrag once a month, and have noticed no slowdown in between defrags...I do quite a bit of image editing all from one 40 gig hard-drive, I have heard that defragging to often can harm your drive...is this just a "rumor" or is it OK to defrag daily...that seems excessive to me...Rhett

Rhett

I followed up this question of daily defragmentation and harm in another forum. The answer was that it would not cause any harm and it is a matter of preference. Using VoptXP (for Windows 98se) I can optimize the swap file and do all sorts of maintenance very quickly, and see very easily what is going on.
I like to have all my files in the correct places so they are found more quickly. It's a matter of choice, as in most things.

T2

[Brooks]

I have been defragging my systems everynight for 2 years now and have not noticed a problem, and my system never gets that suggish feeling, and since I have it scheduled to start at 2:00, it doesn't run while I need it.

Hello brooks - Another daily defragger!!

Yes, my system fairly zips along - I'm very content with the results.

T2


Just read your input Davey, thanks>

[omyn]

Just 2 cents worth:

I am a newbee to this site, but have gotten much help already.

Some time ago I read in Smart Computing magazine, that if there is a power failure while running scan disk or defrag, serious damage could be done to your computer.

I don't know if this is true, but if it is, then the more you do it the more chance for damage?

Any ideas?...........Gene

[flavallee]

Replace the Windows 98/98SE defragger with the Windows ME defragger. It looks and runs the same, but it finishes a L-O-T faster.


Frank's Windows 95/98 Tips