July 30, 200719 yr Defrag is restarting far too often and it is often rewinding itself a lot e.g. jumping back from 90% to say 70%. All this is tiresome.I'm attaching my SYSTEM.INI - could someone comment on the settings and ideally provide some model settings? Thanks.SYSTEM.INI06:13 30 July 2007[boot]oemfonts.fon=vgaoem.fonshell=Explorer.exesystem.drv=system.drvdrivers=mmsystem.dll power.drvuser.exe=user.exegdi.exe=gdi.exesound.drv=mmsound.drvdibeng.drv=dibeng.dllcomm.drv=comm.drvmouse.drv=mouse.drvkeyboard.drv=keyboard.drv*DisplayFallback=0fixedfon.fon=vgafix.fonfonts.fon=vgasys.fon386Grabber=vgafull.3grdisplay.drv=pnpdrvr.drv[keyboard]keyboard.dll=oemansi.bin=xlat850.binsubtype=type=4[boot.description]system.drv=Standard PCkeyboard.typ=Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboardmouse.drv=Standard mouseaspect=100,96,96display.drv=Standard Display Adapter (VGA)[386Enh]ebios=*ebioswoafont=app850.fonmouse=*vmouse, msmouse.vxddevice=*dynapagedevice=*vcddevice=*vpddevice=*int13device=C:\SCANNER\SCANDEV.386keyboard=*vkdMinSPs=16PageBuffers=3232BitDiskAccess=1DMABufferSize=64MaxPhysPage=40000PagingDrive=D:MinPagingFileSize=263168ComBoostTime=2PageOverCommit=20PerVMFiles=200RemovableIDE=1VideoFastPaste=OnVGAMonoText=OffLocalLoadHigh=1MinTimeSlice=40SysVMEMSLimit=-1ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1EMMExclude=C000-CFFF,C000-CFFF,C000-CFFFdisplay=*vdd,*vflatd[NonWindowsApp]TTInitialSizes=4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 22[power.drv][drivers]wavemapper=*.drvMSACM.imaadpcm=*.acmMSACM.msadpcm=*.acmmidi=mmsystem.dllwave=mmsystem.dll[iccvid.drv][mciseq.drv][mci]cdaudio=mcicda.drvsequencer=mciseq.drvwaveaudio=mciwave.drvavivideo=mciavi.drvvideodisc=mcipionr.drvvcr=mcivisca.drvMPEGVideo=mciqtz.drvMPEGVideo2=mciqtz.drv[vcache]ChunkSize=2048MinFileCache=4096MaxFileCache=393216NameCache=4096[MSNP32][Password Lists]RGROBERTS=C:\WINDOWS\RGROBERT.PWL[scannerParameters]LAMP_DELAY=20SCAN_SPEED=1GERMAN_SET=0PaperType=0NoTransparency=0ScannerOrigin=67ScannerGrayOrigin=81ScannerBWOrigin=81Scanfx_IO=378Port_ChipType=20Port_Mode=0[drivers32]msacm.lhacm=lhacm.acmVIDC.VDOM=vdowave.drvMSACM.msg711=msg711.acmvidc.CVID=iccvid.dllVIDC.IV31=ir32_32.dllVIDC.IV32=ir32_32.dllvidc.MSVC=msvidc32.dllVIDC.MRLE=msrle32.dllmsacm.msg723=msg723.acmvidc.M263=msh263.drvvidc.M261=msh261.drvMSACM.imaadpcm=imaadp32.acmMSACM.msadpcm=msadp32.acmMSACM.msgsm610=msgsm32.acmMSACM.trspch=tssoft32.acmVIDC.IV50=ir50_32.dllmsacm.iac2=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IAC25_32.AXmsacm.l3acm=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\L3CODECA.ACMVIDC.YUY2=msyuv.dllVIDC.UYVY=msyuv.dllVIDC.YVYU=msyuv.dll[TTFontDimenCache]0 4=2 40 5=3 50 6=4 60 7=4 70 8=5 80 9=5 90 10=6 100 11=7 110 12=7 120 13=8 130 14=8 140 15=9 150 16=10 160 18=11 180 20=12 200 22=13 22
July 30, 200719 yr Your defrag trouble is most probably caused by programs running in the background. System.ini settings will not solve this. Try running defrag in safe mode if closing programs in the background does not work. Or try another defragmenter. Diskeeperlite is free and is a lot faster anyway. But save mode can do the trick if you like\want\must use Windows defrag.
July 31, 200719 yr Author Your defrag trouble is most probably caused by programs running in the background. System.ini settings will not solve this. Try running defrag in safe mode if closing programs in the background does not work. Or try another defragmenter. Diskeeperlite is free and is a lot faster anyway. But save mode can do the trick if you like\want\must use Windows defrag.Believe me, it goes without saying that I have tried all the usuals and there are no viruses, trojans, or the like either. Even in safe mode (where there are fewer background programmes running) the same characteristics are there, albeit safe mode if a little faster.
July 31, 200719 yr Press Ctrl-Alt-Del and End task all the programs except Explorer and Systray and then restart defrag.
July 31, 200719 yr I don't think that SYSTEM.INI or background stuff is the problem. That stuff you have now happened to me back in the days of 9x because I had bad sectors on HDD, so u might try checking...
July 31, 200719 yr I might as well speak for myself: I have the same problem with the Disk Defragmenter starting over far too often when fulfilling its duty for me to want to use it.I wish there was a way to run DEFRAG on Windows 95 through a DOS interface, like in...well, DOS 6. In my experience, disk tools like Defrag and Scandisk tools are much more reliable when operated outside of the Windows environment.
July 31, 200719 yr In my experience, disk tools like Defrag and Scandisk tools are much more reliable when operated outside of the Windows environment.You might say that, but it is kinda like that due to the fact that in DOS there is no background services like in Windows (at least not in the same way) that will interupt DEFRAG.
July 31, 200719 yr You might say that, but it is kinda like that due to the fact that in DOS there is no background services like in Windows (at least not in the same way) that will interupt DEFRAG.My point exactly!
August 1, 200719 yr Author Thanks for your inputs, guys, but like I said before .... done this, tried that..... no viruses ... no bad sectors ... no nothing .....It might have been something to do with the fact that even though the HD was half empty / half full and mostly empty space there were a few persistent semi-used clusters right at the *end* of the disk ....I'm not totally convinced that SYSTEM.INI is completely irrelevant, either, marxo .... I was hoping that one of you guys would have cast an expert eye over the sysini .....
August 8, 200719 yr Defrag is restarting far too often and it is often rewinding itself a lot e.g. jumping back from 90% to say 70%. All this is tiresome.I'm attaching my SYSTEM.INI - could someone comment on the settings and ideally provide some model settings? Thanks.SYSTEM.INI06:13 30 July 2007[boot]oemfonts.fon=vgaoem.fonshell=Explorer.exesystem.drv=system.drvdrivers=mmsystem.dll power.drvuser.exe=user.exegdi.exe=gdi.exesound.drv=mmsound.drvdibeng.drv=dibeng.dllcomm.drv=comm.drvmouse.drv=mouse.drvkeyboard.drv=keyboard.drv*DisplayFallback=0fixedfon.fon=vgafix.fonfonts.fon=vgasys.fon386Grabber=vgafull.3grdisplay.drv=pnpdrvr.drv[keyboard]keyboard.dll=oemansi.bin=xlat850.binsubtype=type=4[boot.description]system.drv=Standard PCkeyboard.typ=Standard 101/102-Key or Microsoft Natural Keyboardmouse.drv=Standard mouseaspect=100,96,96display.drv=Standard Display Adapter (VGA)[386Enh]ebios=*ebioswoafont=app850.fonmouse=*vmouse, msmouse.vxddevice=*dynapagedevice=*vcddevice=*vpddevice=*int13device=C:\SCANNER\SCANDEV.386keyboard=*vkdMinSPs=16PageBuffers=3232BitDiskAccess=1DMABufferSize=64MaxPhysPage=40000PagingDrive=D:MinPagingFileSize=263168ComBoostTime=2PageOverCommit=20PerVMFiles=200RemovableIDE=1VideoFastPaste=OnVGAMonoText=OffLocalLoadHigh=1MinTimeSlice=40SysVMEMSLimit=-1ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1EMMExclude=C000-CFFF,C000-CFFF,C000-CFFFdisplay=*vdd,*vflatd[NonWindowsApp]TTInitialSizes=4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 18 20 22[power.drv][drivers]wavemapper=*.drvMSACM.imaadpcm=*.acmMSACM.msadpcm=*.acmmidi=mmsystem.dllwave=mmsystem.dll[iccvid.drv][mciseq.drv][mci]cdaudio=mcicda.drvsequencer=mciseq.drvwaveaudio=mciwave.drvavivideo=mciavi.drvvideodisc=mcipionr.drvvcr=mcivisca.drvMPEGVideo=mciqtz.drvMPEGVideo2=mciqtz.drv[vcache]ChunkSize=2048MinFileCache=4096MaxFileCache=393216NameCache=4096[MSNP32][Password Lists]RGROBERTS=C:\WINDOWS\RGROBERT.PWL[scannerParameters]LAMP_DELAY=20SCAN_SPEED=1GERMAN_SET=0PaperType=0NoTransparency=0ScannerOrigin=67ScannerGrayOrigin=81ScannerBWOrigin=81Scanfx_IO=378Port_ChipType=20Port_Mode=0[drivers32]msacm.lhacm=lhacm.acmVIDC.VDOM=vdowave.drvMSACM.msg711=msg711.acmvidc.CVID=iccvid.dllVIDC.IV31=ir32_32.dllVIDC.IV32=ir32_32.dllvidc.MSVC=msvidc32.dllVIDC.MRLE=msrle32.dllmsacm.msg723=msg723.acmvidc.M263=msh263.drvvidc.M261=msh261.drvMSACM.imaadpcm=imaadp32.acmMSACM.msadpcm=msadp32.acmMSACM.msgsm610=msgsm32.acmMSACM.trspch=tssoft32.acmVIDC.IV50=ir50_32.dllmsacm.iac2=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IAC25_32.AXmsacm.l3acm=C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\L3CODECA.ACMVIDC.YUY2=msyuv.dllVIDC.UYVY=msyuv.dllVIDC.YVYU=msyuv.dll[TTFontDimenCache]0 4=2 40 5=3 50 6=4 60 7=4 70 8=5 80 9=5 90 10=6 100 11=7 110 12=7 120 13=8 130 14=8 140 15=9 150 16=10 160 18=11 180 20=12 200 22=13 22Apparently, Defrag is less likely to restart with more RAM. PCs that have less than 128 MB of RAM are the most likely to suffer from Defrag restarts.Even with Windows 98, you should have at least 256 MB of RAM.Hopefully, you have at least that. Edited August 8, 200719 yr by RJARRRPCGP
August 10, 200719 yr I have had problems with running defrag in the past, which appears to be associated with the DHCP client. You can try unplugging your network card during defragging, or use as I do, a fixed IP address.
August 13, 200719 yr Apparently, Defrag is less likely to restart with more RAM. PCs that have less than 128 MB of RAM are the most likely to suffer from Defrag restarts.Even with Windows 98, you should have at least 256 MB of RAM.Lets be precise when we can be. Defrag restarts occur because the defrag application has encountered a write to the hard disk, and so wants to start from the start. If your system is doing so much memory intensive work that it needs to write to the swap file (that is located on the drive you are trying to defrag) then this will also cause a defrag restart. But you shouldn't be trying to defrag and doing lots of work on your computer anyway. Set defrag to start after hours!But that is the only reason why low amounts of RAM will cause Defrag restarts. In fact, a system with only 64 mbs of RAM will still run fine and defrag will run fine. Of course the more RAM the better, but the advice above is not very useful without an explanation.In short, those experiencing defrag restarts need to find the cause of writes to the hard disk. Even bad hard disk sectors shouldn't be the problem
August 13, 200719 yr More info on your system specs:Amount of ramHard drive size/usage/partitions/DMAI see your swap file is on drive D. Is this another partition or a second drive? If another partition, you are doing yourself no good. My swap file is on drive C with a minimum of 20MB and NO maximum. I have 256 of ram and use the WinME defrag exe. When I go to defrag, I disable the swap file and reboot and do the defrag. I then re-enable the swap file so as to get a fresh one.If your drive you are trying to defrag is large, it is going to take awhile. The partial restarts you are seeing are not that uncommon. I keep the operating system and heavily used apps on the C drive and other apps and documents on other partitions. Makes for easier disk maintenance and backups.
August 14, 200719 yr Author Guys - Thanks for all your comments but note# I have 256MB RAM# I don't use a netork card# The swap file is on D: drive (i.e. second hard disk) because I was advised so to do elsewhere on these forums# Defrag is the WinME version courtesy of MDGx# I do not use partitioning# My hard drives are C: 10MB D: 20MB. I hate these latest monster disks, I don't need them.But to get back to the point, which was inviting informed comment on the shape of my SYSTEM.INI file!
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