Originally Posted by
kjthornburg
I have windows vista home basic. I scheduled a daily defragmentation at noon. I noticed that it has not occured since early December 2010 even though the schedule indicates that it should occur daily. What can be stopping the daily schedule?
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There are several reasons why the built-in defragger may not work properly.
Here is a checklist of probable causes that has proven very effective at resolving this issue:
0. There is malware on the system. Solution: Run an Anti-Virus check and also a Spyware check.
1. The disk is too full (you need at least 15% free space, sometimes 20%). Solution: Delete unneeded files and programs till you have more than 20% free space.
2. The disk is damaged and needs to be repaired. Solution:
a. Open "My Computer" and right click on the drive you want to de-frag.
b. Select "Properties" and click on the "Tools" tab.
c. Select "Check now" to check the disk for errors.
d. Select both options and click "start";
(It may take a while and the PC may re-start so it can do the check at boot time. Be patient and let it complete).
3. Disk Defragmenter may be corrupted, needing a System Restore to correct it. Solution:
a. Start - All Programs - Accessories - System Tools - System Restore (click to open);
b. Select a restore point well before you started having problems with Disk Defragmenter;
c. Start the restore process and let it complete (Name the restore operation something descriptive like "Defrag Repair").
4. There are other programs running that interrupt the built-in defragmenter. Solution:
a. Close all running programs.
b. If you suspect there may be some programs running in the background,
c. Press*Ctrl+Alt+Delete and
d. Select "Start Task Manager"
e. Under the "Applications" tab you will find a list of all running applications -- you can close these by selecting "End Task."
5. If still no luck, try disabling the screen saver when running Disk Defrag (you should pretty much leave the system alone when running the built-in defrag utility).
6. If still no go, try running the defragmenter in Safe Mode. If it runs, something is interfering with it and tracking the interference down may not be easy. Note: Some versions of Win 7 disable the ability to run the built in defragger in safe mode. If disabled, it will say so when trying to run it in safe mode.
7. Disk Defragmenter may no longer be on the system or is so corrupted that it needs a re-install. Solution: Re-install the built-in.
There are several methods to re-install the built-in defragger. Try these in sequence until you find one that works for your Windows install:
A:
a. Open the "Start" menu.
b. Type "%Windir%\Inf" in the "Search" box and press "Enter".
c. In the window that opens, find the file named "dfrg.inf".
d. Right-click on "dfrg.inf" and "Install."
B:
a. Go to "Start > Run" on your computer.
b. Type "rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 %windir%\inf\dfrg.inf" and press "Enter"
3. Click "OK" to make the program automatically reinstall itself.
C:
a. Go to Start >All Programs>Accessories>Right Click on Command Prompt> select "Run As Administrator"
b. At command prompt, type "regsvr32 dfrgsnap.dll" and hit "Enter."
c. Type "regsvr32 dfrgui.dll" and hit "Enter." This will reinstall any missing defragger files.
8. Most problems will resolve by #6 above, but if not and if your windows install is otherwise running fine, you should consider downloading a free trial of a commercial defrag tool as opposed to doing drastic actions to restore the built-in's functionality. Third party programs are more robust and many work in the background so you can use your PC while defragging.
Most third party programs offer a free, fully-functional trial (the better ones are for 30 days). Installing one of these will disable the built-in and if you decide to uninstall it, removal will replace the built-in, many times repairing it in the process -- it's worth a try. . ..
Here is a recent Top 10 Reviews side-by-side comparison of the best defrag programs available:
Disk Defragmenter Software Review 2011 | Defrag Software | Disk Defrag - TopTenREVIEWS
a. Select a program and install it. The better defrag programs are automatic and the top placers in the above review can defrag while using the PC. The top placer was the only
defrag program that prevented fragmentation (see the review).
b. Defragment your disk drives.
Good luck to you!
Bill R TechSpec
PS: If still no go, repair may involve registry editing or repairing the windows installation and possibly re-installing windows itself. These are not simple solutions, but if you want to try them, state so and they can be provided.
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