# [SOLVED] My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista



## lesletheking (Mar 23, 2011)

i have been trying to run the disk defragmenter on my computer for a while. it says it is analyzing the disks, then it says "your file system performance can be improved". then i click on the defragment now button, and i pick the disks to defrag, it starts for a bit, then it just stops and it goes back to saying " your file system performance can be improved". it is really frustrating, i don't know what is wrong! 

i asked around and eventually was told to down load auslogics defrag(free version) when i did so i kept getting error messages such as....

Result Description 

OK file successfully defragmented 
locked file in use, access denied 
cancelled file defragmentation cancelled 
free space not found unable to find free contiguous disk space 
unmovable file unable to move, defragmentation error 
cannot defragment file still fragmented, cannot defrag


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## lesletheking (Mar 23, 2011)

*My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista! Help!!?*

i have been trying to run the disk defragmenter on my computer for a while. it says it is analyzing the disks, then it says "your file system performance can be improved". then i click on the defragment now button, and i pick the disks to defrag, it starts for a bit, then it just stops and it goes back to saying " your file system performance can be improved". it is really frustrating, i don't know what is wrong! 

i asked around and eventually was told to down load auslogics defrag(free version) when i did so i kept getting error messages such as....

Result Description 

OK file successfully defragmented 
locked file in use, access denied 
cancelled file defragmentation cancelled 
free space not found unable to find free contiguous disk space 
unmovable file unable to move, defragmentation error 
cannot defragment file still fragmented, cannot defrag


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## Tyree (May 10, 2009)

*Re: My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista! Help!!?*

Apparently you have a locked file(s) that is deterring the operation. Do you have any Norton (Symantec) software installed?
I don't don't if Auslogic can run in Safe Mode but you could give it a try.


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## Michael_Larsen (Apr 25, 2005)

*Re: My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista*

Have you tried running it in SAFE MODE? There is another great FREE application that you can try called DEFRAGGLER. I use it once in a while on my older systems but now I use Diskeeper 2011. It runs perpetually in the background and keeps my drives in a constant state of defragmentation and I really like it a lot. It does cost money but for me it's worth it because I think I have about 5 or 6 Terabytes of hard drive space to deal with. 

You can find the Defraggler HERE.

Good day!

Mike


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## dai (Jul 2, 2004)

*Re: My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista*

threads merged only post the same problem once


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## TheGift73 (Oct 17, 2006)

*Re: My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista*

Have you tried running the defrag program as administrator?
Start>All Programs>Auslogics>Auslogics Defrag, and right-click on it and select 'Run as administrator'

Could be that if you are running the program as a user without admin privileges and therefore are unable to move certain system files to another locating on the disk when using deep optimisation?


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## reish (Mar 24, 2011)

*Re: My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista*

It may be worth it to scan the system for viruses and malware first and then try defragging again. Also ensure that you have enough free space, if not run cleanup first. Or just get one of the automatic defrag programs that will defrag under 5% free space. 


> I use Diskeeper 2011. It runs perpetually in the background and keeps my drives in a constant state of defragmentation and I really like it a lot


I use the older version but am very happy with it too.


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## Bill R TechSpec (Mar 24, 2011)

*Re: My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista*

There are several reasons why the built-in may not work:

0. There is malware on the system. Solution: Run an AV 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: Open "My Computer" and right click on the drive you want to de-frag. Select "Properties" and click on the "Tools" tab. Select "Check now" to check the disk for errors. 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).

3. Disk Defragmenter may be corrupted, needing a correction. Solution: Open System Restore and restore to a point before you started having problems with Disk Defragmenter.

4. Disk Defragmenter may no longer be on the system or is so corrupted that it needs a re-install. Solution:
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."

5. There are other programs running that interrupt the built-in defragmenter. Solution: Close all running programs. If you suspect there may be some running in the background, use Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select "Start Task Manager" Under the "Applicatins" tab you will find a list of all running applications -- you can close these by selecting "End Task."

6. 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). 

7. 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. 

I agree that you should consider downloading a free trial of a commercial defrag tool. Personally I use Diskeeper; it is more robust and it works in the background so you can use your PC. The latest edition also prevents fragmentation. 

You can get a free trial at: https://www.diskeeper.com/landing/pc-speed/?APID=PPS0006049


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## lesletheking (Mar 23, 2011)

*Re: My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista*

i tried ur number solution which is Disk Defragmenter may no longer be on the system or is so corrupted that it needs a re-install. i go according to your instruction but was unable to find dfrg.inf inside inf folder... pls advise me what to do. thanks..


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## Bill R TechSpec (Mar 24, 2011)

*Re: My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista*

Ok, this can get pretty complicated....

Before we get real complex, make sure you have removed the Auslogics freebie (many defrag programs will replce the buit-in defragmenter. Removing them _should_ restore the built-in). 

You may be lucky and the removal of the freebie may restore the built-in to fully functional status. Restart the computer after removing the freebie (auslogics) and then try running the built-in again and see if it is OK now.

If not OK, search for the file like this: Start -type: dfrg.* in the _Start Search_ box and hit "Enter" key (* after the dfrg. tells the search engine to find all files that start with dfrg. regardless of the extension). 

Right click any files that come up and select "Open file location". Right click the file itself at the location that came up and select "Install". 

If no files come up at all, make sure you have tried all the other steps first (0, 1, 2, 3, 5, 6 & 7 in my previous post) as any of those may fix it as well.

If you did all of 0-7 and still no go, there are some more drastic steps you can take, but really, the easiest thing to do would be to install a commercial third party defrag program as previously suggested. 

Use the link at the bottom of this post and get a free trial of Diskeeper (I suggest Professional Edition or the Home Edition). You can run it free for 30 days and at the end either buy it or remove it (and doing so may repair and restore the built-in). You will may be offered a discount at the end of the trial, so it's worth a shot.

Here are the more drastic measures:

A. You can restore the built-in defragger by *editing the Registry* -- do you know how to do that? If so, let me know and I can post the steps for that (if Vista is working well, I wouldn't recommend messing with the Registry unless you know exactly what to do and how to back it up in case an error is made as it could damage the rest of your Vista installation).

If you don't know how to handle the Registry, you can try:

B. Repair the Vista installation by booting up to the Vista installation disk and selecting "Repair" instead of "Install". If you do this, back up all your files as if you erroneously select "Install" it will re-install Vista and you will lose your files (music, photos, videos, word docs, etc.) Doing this should re-install the built-in and all should be fine. If not;

C. Re-install Vista completely. You will have to save all your files and make sure you download any drivers you will need for your hardware as you may need them after you re-install. Also, your service packs will be lost (unless your install disk has the newest service packs).

Really, A, B, and C are pretty drastic and a "last resort" situation. I highly recommend you get the free trial and use it to defrag the files you wanted to handle in the first place. 

You have to ask yourself if having the built-in is really worth all the hassle you will go through in doing A, B & C (especially when Diskeeper will automatically do a much better job of defragging _all_ your files without you having to wait or even remembering to do it (it's automatic and will not slow down your PC while it is defragmenting). 

Try is first and see what you think: https://www.diskeeper.com/landing/pc...PID=PPS0006049

Either way, let me know if you need any more help -- I will be monitoring this forum in case you need more info. Good luck! :smile:


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## Michael_Larsen (Apr 25, 2005)

*Re: My disk defragmenter won't work on my vista*

Hey Lesletheking, before you go hog wild with other things, have you tried the simple things first? SAFE Mode defragmentation, Defraggler freebie software....you didn't mention if you tried these yet. 

Mike


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