I operate Windows Millenium and lately have been having problems with disk defragmentation. Word of caution: I am not a techie, so please bear with me and keep explanations and elements of solution to a language which I can understand .

I usually defragment my disk at least once a month and until recently, the process went rather smoothly and didn't take too much time. A couple months ago, it began to really drag on in the time my system took to 'Check for errors' before informing me some 10 minutes later that it had found errors, which I should correct with ScanDisk before it could proceed. Delays there as well: the system had to restart the scanning process several times before it could be completed and the errors fixed. I then returned to Disk Defragmentation, waited several minutes for the system to still check for errors before it started defragmenting in earnest. Sometimes, it would stall mid-process and tell me that the disk contents had changed and re-start from the beginning while leaving intact (i.e. defragmented) the portion it had already defragmented. After several tries, the process was usually brought to an end (i.e. the whole disk was finally defragmented), but it took time.

Today, I proceeded to defragment but, aside from the usual initial problems (i.e. scanning for errors, etc.) the defragmentation proceeded to a point and then....simply stopped without returning to the initial defragmentation point. So, bottom line, my system is today 52% defragmented, after several tries. It's more frustrating than anything else because the system runs, on the whole, fairly efficiently. For now. I wouldn't want for it to come to the point where the bottom 50% gets so fragmented that it prevents my system from operating altogether.

Can somebody please help?

BTW, over the past weeks and months, I've downloaded software which, in my humble opinion, shouldn't have any bearing on the defragmentation process itself but....what do I know?

Here's a list for you:

ZoneAlarmPro
SpyWare Blaster
Ad-Aware
SpyBot Search and Destroy
AVG 6.0
Spyware Doctor

I also have

Yahoo Messenger
AOL Instant Messenger
Net Meeting


*MANY* thanks for any help you can provide.

Here's my Hijack This log, in case it's of any use:

Logfile of HijackThis v1.98.2
Scan saved at 11:32:33 AM, on 10/16/2004
Platform: Windows ME (Win9x 4.90.3000)
MSIE: Internet Explorer v6.00 SP1 (6.00.2800.1106)

Running processes:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\KERNEL32.DLL
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSGSRV32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\mmtask.tsk
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MPREXE.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSTASK.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ZONELABS\VSMON.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\COMMON FILES\SYMANTEC SHARED\CCEVTMGR.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\COMMON FILES\SYMANTEC SHARED\CCSETMGR.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\GRISOFT\AVG6\AVGSERV9.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\EXPLORER.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\RESTORE\STMGR.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\TASKMON.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\SYSTRAY.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\KHOOKER.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\ptsnoop.exe
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\INTERNAT.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\LOADQM.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\WMIEXE.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\COMMON FILES\SYMANTEC SHARED\CCPD-LC\SYMLCSVC.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\DDHELP.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\COMMON FILES\SYMANTEC SHARED\CCAPP.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\GRISOFT\AVG6\AVGCC32.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\ZONE LABS\ZONEALARM\ZLCLIENT.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\SPYWARE DOCTOR\SPYDOCTOR.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\SYMPATICO\ACCESS MANAGER\APP\ENTERNET.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\IEXPLORE.EXE
C:\PROGRAM FILES\HIJACKTHIS.EXE

R1 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Search Bar = http://channels.aimtoday.com/search/aimtoolbar.jsp
R0 - HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main,Start Page = http://www.google.ca/
O2 - BHO: AcroIEHlprObj Class - {06849E9F-C8D7-4D59-B87D-784B7D6BE0B3} - C:\PROGRAM FILES\ADOBE\ACROBAT 5.0\READER\ACTIVEX\ACROIEHELPER.OCX
O2 - BHO: (no name) - {53707962-6F74-2D53-2644-206D7942484F} - C:\PROGRA~1\SPYBOT~1\SDHELPER.DLL
O2 - BHO: NAV Helper - {BDF3E430-B101-42AD-A544-FADC6B084872} - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\NavShExt.dll
O3 - Toolbar: &Radio - {8E718888-423F-11D2-876E-00A0C9082467} - C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSDXM.OCX
O3 - Toolbar: Norton AntiVirus - {42CDD1BF-3FFB-4238-8AD1-7859DF00B1D6} - C:\Program Files\Norton AntiVirus\NavShExt.dll
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ScanRegistry] C:\WINDOWS\scanregw.exe /autorun
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [TaskMonitor] C:\WINDOWS\taskmon.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SystemTray] SysTray.Exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [SiS KHooker] C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\khooker.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [CountrySelection] pctptt.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PTSNOOP] ptsnoop.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [PCHealth] C:\WINDOWS\PCHealth\Support\PCHSchd.exe -s
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LoadPowerProfile] Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [internat.exe] internat.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [LoadQM] loadqm.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [NvCplDaemon] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [nwiz] nwiz.exe /install
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Symantec Core LC] C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\CCPD-LC\symlcsvc.exe start
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [ccApp] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccApp.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [QuickTime Task] "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\QTTASK.EXE" -atboottime
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [AVG_CC] C:\PROGRA~1\GRISOFT\AVG6\avgcc32.exe /STARTUP
O4 - HKLM\..\Run: [Zone Labs Client] "C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [LoadPowerProfile] Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [SchedulingAgent] mstask.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [*StateMgr] C:\WINDOWS\System\Restore\StateMgr.exe
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [TrueVector] C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ZONELABS\VSMON.EXE -service
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [ScriptBlocking] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\Script Blocking\SBServ.exe" -reg
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [ccEvtMgr] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [ccSetMgr] "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec Shared\ccSetMgr.exe"
O4 - HKLM\..\RunServices: [Avgserv9.exe] C:\PROGRA~1\GRISOFT\AVG6\Avgserv9.exe
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [NvMediaCenter] RUNDLL32.EXE C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\NVMCTRAY.DLL,NvTaskbarInit
O4 - HKCU\..\Run: [Spyware Doctor] "C:\PROGRAM FILES\SPYWARE DOCTOR\SPYDOCTOR.EXE" /Q
O8 - Extra context menu item: &AIM Search - res://C:\PROGRAM FILES\AIM TOOLBAR\AIMBAR.DLL/aimsearch.htm
O9 - Extra button: AIM - {AC9E2541-2814-11d5-BC6D-00B0D0A1DE45} - C:\PROGRAM FILES\AIM\AIM.EXE
O12 - Plugin for .spop: C:\PROGRA~1\INTERN~1\Plugins\NPDocBox.dll
O14 - IERESET.INF: START_PAGE_URL=http://www.sympatico.ca/homepage.html
O15 - Trusted Zone: http://www.granddictionnaire.com
O15 - Trusted Zone: http://w3.granddictionnaire.com
O16 - DPF: {41F17733-B041-4099-A042-B518BB6A408C} - http://a1540.g.akamai.net/7/1540/52/...eInstaller.exe
O16 - DPF: {E504EE6E-47C6-11D5-B8AB-00D0B78F3D48} (Yahoo! Webcam Viewer Wrapper) - http://chat.yahoo.com/cab/yvwrctl.cab
O16 - DPF: {0E5F0222-96B9-11D3-8997-00104BD12D94} (PCPitstop Utility) - http://www.pcpitstop.com/pcpitstop/PCPitStop.CAB
O16 - DPF: {9A9307A0-7DA4-4DAF-B042-5009F29E09E1} (ActiveScan Installer Class) - http://www.pandasoftware.com/activescan/as5/asinst.cab
O16 - DPF: {74D05D43-3236-11D4-BDCD-00C04F9A3B61} (HouseCall Control) - http://a840.g.akamai.net/7/840/537/2...ll/xscan53.cab
O16 - DPF: {2BC66F54-93A8-11D3-BEB6-00105AA9B6AE} (Symantec AntiVirus scanner) - http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/S...in/AvSniff.cab
O16 - DPF: {644E432F-49D3-41A1-8DD5-E099162EEEC5} (Symantec RuFSI Utility Class) - http://security.symantec.com/sscv6/S.../bin/cabsa.cab
O16 - DPF: Yahoo! Chat - http://us.chat1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com.../c381/chat.cab
O16 - DPF: {7D1E9C49-BD6A-11D3-87A8-009027A35D73} (Yahoo! Audio UI1) - http://chat.yahoo.com/cab/yacsui.cab
O16 - DPF: {2B323CD9-50E3-11D3-9466-00A0C9700498} (Yahoo! Audio Conferencing) - http://us.chat1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com...45/yacscom.cab
O16 - DPF: {8714912E-380D-11D5-B8AA-00D0B78F3D48} (Yahoo! Webcam Upload Wrapper) - http://chat.yahoo.com/cab/yuplapp.cab
O16 - DPF: {EFAEF0E4-F044-4D57-9900-1C3FF18524C9} (AV Class) - http://www.pcpitstop.com/antivirus/PitPav.cab

Any news on the defragmentation front?

Have you tried defragging in safe mode. Reboot and tap F8 as it starts up, this will take you into safe mode. Looks funny but you should be able to run it from there.

Tassie. Many thanks. Did as instructed. Went through to the end without problem. Now defragmented. I noted that it still took more time than it once did scanning for errors before defragmenting itself but at least it didn't freeze around the 30% mark.

Do you think there's a link between the system's 'relative' sluggishness scanning for errors and the general 'relative' sluggishness I experience surfing on the Net?? It's not that I can't access the sites, it's just that it takes more time than it once did. I realize that this might be a tough question given that it's difficult to tele-diagnose a problem of this kind. Just wondering if a problem of this sort has already been brought to your attention.

Regardless, thank you very much for your solution. It took care of my (minor) problem.

I always found cleaning out the temp internet files, temp files, (just be careful you check whats in them first), old documents, images and programs often sped the comp up quite a bit. It also depends on how many programs you have running in the background and how much memory.
I'd clean it out a bit if you can. Write down whats running when you tap ctrl+alt+del and google search them to see if theyre necessary. A lot of programs install to run at startup and they just dont need to.