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disk defrag

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by sophietrace

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Ok so as you can tell im a bot thick when it comes to these things I know how to do things when they work but when they dont im useless!! im trying to carry out a disk defrag but when I ask it to analyze it comes up chkdsk/f any ideas?? thanks loads

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by older mycroft

The defragmentation routine is a bit dumb too, if you'll pardon the pun. The only thing the defragmentation program 'knows' what to do, is defragment. So when it encounters a sector of the hard drive that it cannot read properly, it reports back with the words CHKDSK /F.

CheckDisk is a Windows program that is also a bit dumb - it can't defragment - but it CAN check your hard disk for errors.

To run CheckDisk do the following:

Start > Run > type [u]cmd[/u] and press ENTER > type [u]CHKDSK /F[/u] and press ENTER.

If this is your system disk, the program will report that it cannot access the drive because files are in use, type [u]Y[/u]+ ENTER then [u]Y[/u]+ ENTER again for the next question and your system should close down in preparation for CHKDSK running when it restarts.

When the computer powers on again, it will look like normal for a moment then change to a Microsoft System Screen (two tone blue, I think) and it will check the entire hard drive for errors. Depending on the size of the hard drive, the time taken will vary, at least a half hour - probably more.

IMPORTANT: Even if you think the system is doing nothing, DO NOT interrupt the program by cancelling or powering down. Just let it run.

Once it has finished it will reset your system and boot up as normal once again.

At this point it would be prudent to go straight to the defragmentation routine and run that also. It should not complain now that CHKDSK has run it's course.

Post back if you've got any more questions. :)

by jellimonsta

When you run the Defrag in the Windows environment, you should temporarily disable or prolong any power save options in your Display settings.
Go to Start>Settings>Control Panel. Double click 'Display' and choose the 'Screen Saver' tab.
Click on 'Power' and each turn off powersave or prolong settings that turn off the hard disk for an hour or more, to ensure Defrag has ample time to run.
Note, this may only take 10 minutes depending on the level of fragmentation, speed of your PC (RAM and processor) and size of your hard drive.

On another note Sophie, are you a Tipton Baggies fan, or do you support the Gold and Black? :)

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