As I know my learned colleagues here are interested in areas other than Avast (of which I am a very satisfied user - 5 free edition), what do you say about this:
After running a weekly Windows defrag on my one year old VAIO latop running Windows Vista Home - I wondered whether the Windows defrag was actually doing anything.
The Defraggler analysis showed 55% fragmentation so I ran a defrag which reduced this to 45%, which seemed poor. If anything the system seems jerkier. I always run CCleaner before defragging to make the job easier by clearing things like Temp Internet Files and Windows Explorer Files.
Because it is a laptop I try to restrict use of Drive C to Programs and store my own stuff whenever possible externally.
I cannot think that this 45% remianing consists of locked or immovavble system files - but since all I keep on Drive C is mainly programs perhaps this is so. Could it be so?
It could be your RAM. Depending on how much RAM it has, it may not be enough to run Vista (depending on versions). If yours is Home Premium, then you will need to buy more RAM or get a new laptop that would that meet the requirements, 'cause it uses 1 GB of RAM or if it’s Home Basic, it uses 512 MB of RAM. However, Vista Ultimate has more features than the Home Basic and Premium editions, and it use the same amount of RAM as Home Premium does.
Use the Windows built in Defrag to analyse the partition first, then analyse with Defraggler and see if they match. Having defragged it compare the two analysis again and see if they match.
I use Defraggler regularly and it always completes and shows 0% fragmentation, so I don’t know what is going on with your system. If you analyse the partition again, it should show the fragmented Files List, niw that is where you should be looking to see what isn’t being defragged.
Defraggler can defrag a single file.
Other ones are better for the whole HDD defrag: Auslogics (free) (and in some cases the version 10/11 of O&O for free).
Defraggler can defrag the whole HDD it depends on what you select.
If you don’t go into the File List and select any files, but stay in the Analyse section and click Defrag from there it does the whole partition or drive (if you don’t have multiple partitions). This by comparision to just defragging the listed files takes much longer.
The built in Windows defragger on Vista Home Premium tells you nothing other than schedule and when it is functioning, that was why I tried Defraggler to see what was what.
When I looked at the files listed that were still fragmented I was not sure which were Sys files.
Since I have 220GB free out of total 289GB it is perhaps stupid of me to worry about defragging anyway. I do use the CCleaner weekly to get rid of excess.
As I say I analysed and did the Defraggler ONCE only without going back to defrag individual files. Surely that cannot have done harm?
45% - I doubt that it is the pagefile. But you could just go and disable the virtual memory, reboot and defrag, than reactivate the virtual memory and reboot.
As I said I was using the windows defrgui once weekly on this year-old laptop, and wondered whether it was really doing anything since there is no display like Defraggle has, or the windiws XP has.
So when I did Defraggle defrag I ws surprised that the fragmented files were reduced from 55 just to 45%.
I have since been told that either figure is pretty normal and nothing to worry about.
I really don’t want to go ducking around with Sys Res or disableing Virt Mem etc - that’s all too hifalutin for me.
Seems like a poor upgrade to Vista’s defragger as the one with XP shows the amount of fragmentation and the files concerned.
However, defraggler will certainly show you what files are fragmented before the defrag and if as you say it is still fragmented afterwards, it should show what files are still fragmented and also show their location, see image. So if you can give some examples of these files, name and location ?
It is a bit immaterial if they are system files or not as they too should have been defragged.
Yes DR the Vista defaragui is a poor ugrade - I remember the XP defrag is very similar to the Defraggler display. Perhaps there is another Defrag program somehwhere in the Vista system?
I will look into “It is a bit immaterial if they are system files or not as they too should have been defragged” and try to upload it to the forum - but do not really want to go through another Defraggle - just the analytic.
No I don’t feel you are making a fuss as I would say all of those should be able to be defragged.
I don’t have a ReadyBoot folder in my prefetch folder, presumably that is a Vista function and I don’t know if that can be cleared in the normal way of clearing prefetch and allow them to be rebuilt.
The same goes for the google earth, if you don’t use that function frequently, perhaps that can be cleared.
You could try the ones Tech mentioned in Reply #5 above.
“You could try the ones Tech mentioned in Reply #5 above.”
Now that reminds me: my old (dying) XP laptop may well have fallen victim to an over-zealous use of Defraggler for individual files. The drive had a much smaller capacity and about 1 RAM, so I was ruthless. Perhaps it wasn’t this that hobbled it - it may have been the Registry cleaning function that I think that version of Defraggler had - this was about 18 months ago. I still use that old laptop for “experiments”, but I am sure that messing with the registry was what did it.
SVI can consume masses of HDD space if not controlled, e.g. see limits on its size. You can also clean it out, by setting a new restore point and then clearing old restore points.
Create Clean Restore Point - Clear old Restore Points.
If your system is running fine and you are clear of infection create a clean System Restore point:
Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System tools, System Restore.
In the pop-up that appears fill in the radio button to Create a Restore Point
Click NEXT
Enter a useful name that you will remember if you need to find this again (Clean Restore Point)
Click CREATE
You now have a clean restore point, you should clear the old ones:
Click Start, All Programs, Accessories, System tools, Disk Clean Up
Click OK on the C: drive
Click the More Options tab
In the System Restore section click the Clean Up button
Item 1. in both may be different for Vista so I leave you to check that out.
Note, if you have multiple partitions there will be an SVI on each.
Well thanks DavidR. I have copied this suggestion and it would not be beyond me to apply the instructions to Vista.
For the moment my system is running well, and I should leave defragging alone until things start slwoing noticeably. BUT being a born button pusher I am bound to succumb to trying it out sooner than later!
Hi DavidR if you are still there, or anyone else - a quick one about Avast 5 - I notice that in Program Data - Log that the Setup file seems rather large - 8838KB. Is there any reason why I shouldn’t delete it or its contents?
