A simple way to speed up a defrag operation in Windows XP
is to restart the system before you launch Defrag. This allows the operating
system to clear out the swap/paging file and reset it to the default size. This
lets Defrag focus strictly on the necessary data on the hard disk, without
having to stop and manage a huge swap file loaded with unneeded data.

Another approach to speeding up a defrag operation in Windows
XP is to configure them to occur immediately upon startup. Fortunately, you can
do so easily with a simple registry edit. Follow these steps:

  1. Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).
  2. Go to
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\
    SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\
    CurrentVersion\RunOnce.
  3. Right-click the RunOncesubkey and select New | String Value.
  4. Name the value Defrag and press [Enter] twice.
  5. Type Defrag.exe c:
    /f     in the Value Data text box, and click OK.
  6. Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows.

The defrag operation will begin when you type in your
password and press [Enter]. (Keep in mind that values added to the RunOnce key are removed immediately after the command has
been run.)

Note: This tip applies to
both Windows XP Home and Professional editions.

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