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How can I make defragging my Windows ME machine work?

I have a Dell computer running Windows ME. I go to start, accessories, applications, system tools, and to disk defragmentation. I have left this open all night. I wake up to find it going back and forth from 0% to 1%. I have been doing this everyday now for two weeks but cannot get pass the 1%. What should I do?

Check if the drive is running out of disk space. If this is true, free some space to allow defragmentation. Check also, if the defragger is hanging on a certain file. Is this file exclusively locked by another application? Or are other applications running at all, e.g. a virus scanner. Shut down all applications before running the defragger. If this still does not help, try another defrag software to check if you have a problem with your system or if the built-in defragger has a problem.

There are several third-party defraggers available as trial versions on the Net. Download, install and go ahead!


This was first published in March 2002

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