Too many fragments remain after defrag and defrag takes too long

[Ext User(Joyce)]

Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard drive.
They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and have
"restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these up?

Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting the C
drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed this up
at all?

[Ext User(Gerry Cornell)]

Joyce

The normal way to remove System Restore points (in the System Volume
Information folder ) is Disk CleanUp. To increase your free space on your
drive select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp,
More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest System
Restore points? Restore points can be quite large.

To investigate how you are using hard disk space you need to make sure that
you can see all files. Go to Start, Control Panel, Folder Options, View,
Advanced Settings and verify that the box before "Show hidden files and
folders" is checked and "Hide protected operating system files " is
unchecked. You may need to scroll down to see the second item. You should
also make certain that the box before "Hide extensions for known file types"
is not checked. Next in Windows Explorer make sure View, Details is selected
and then select View, Choose Details and check before Name, Type, Total
Size, and Free Space.

You still will not see the System Volume Information folder.
How to Gain Access to the System Volume Information Folder
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;309531

How much RAM memory?Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task
Manager and click the Performance Tab. What is the Total,
the Commit Charge and the Peak?

What is your CPU processor speed? Right click on your My
Computer icon on your Desktop and select Properties to get
this information and the amount of RAM memory.

How large is your hard disk and how much free disk space? In
Windows Explorer right click on your C drive and select
Properties. Is the hard disk formatted as fat32 or NTFS?

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Joyce" <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:660D92E9-9DA2-47A2-B1B5-8309F7AC8020@microsoft.com...
> Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard
> drive.
> They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and
> have
> "restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these up?
>
> Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting the C
> drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed this
> up
> at all?

[Ext User(Joyce)]

Thanks, Gerry. I've printed out your suggestions and will let you know the
results.



"Gerry Cornell" wrote:

> Joyce
>
> The normal way to remove System Restore points (in the System Volume
> Information folder ) is Disk CleanUp. To increase your free space on your
> drive select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp,
> More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest System
> Restore points? Restore points can be quite large.
>
> To investigate how you are using hard disk space you need to make sure that
> you can see all files. Go to Start, Control Panel, Folder Options, View,
> Advanced Settings and verify that the box before "Show hidden files and
> folders" is checked and "Hide protected operating system files " is
> unchecked. You may need to scroll down to see the second item. You should
> also make certain that the box before "Hide extensions for known file types"
> is not checked. Next in Windows Explorer make sure View, Details is selected
> and then select View, Choose Details and check before Name, Type, Total
> Size, and Free Space.
>
> You still will not see the System Volume Information folder.
> How to Gain Access to the System Volume Information Folder
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;309531
>
> How much RAM memory?Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task
> Manager and click the Performance Tab. What is the Total,
> the Commit Charge and the Peak?
>
> What is your CPU processor speed? Right click on your My
> Computer icon on your Desktop and select Properties to get
> this information and the amount of RAM memory.
>
> How large is your hard disk and how much free disk space? In
> Windows Explorer right click on your C drive and select
> Properties. Is the hard disk formatted as fat32 or NTFS?
>
> --
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Gerry
> ~~~~
> FCA
> Stourport, England
>
> Enquire, plan and execute
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> "Joyce" <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:660D92E9-9DA2-47A2-B1B5-8309F7AC8020@microsoft.com...
> > Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard
> > drive.
> > They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and
> > have
> > "restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these up?
> >
> > Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting the C
> > drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed this
> > up
> > at all?
>
>
>

[Ext User(Bert Kinney)]

Hi Joyce,

First of all and in most cases there will little or no benefit in defragging the
System Volume Information (SVI) folder.

The System Volume Information (SVI) folder is a super hidden system folder, and
for good reason. There will be a SVI folder on each partition or volume that
Windows sees. This includes external drives and some flash or thumb drives
connected to the system. The SVI folder can not be permanently deleted, if so it
will be recreated automatically.

System Restore uses the SVI folder to store it's information and hold restore
points.

Here are some tips on adjusting disk space usage and keeping System Restore
healthy:
http://bertk.mvps.org/html/healthy.html


If the Indexing Service is turned on it will use the SVI folder to store files.
This will be evident by the existence of a folder named catalog.wci or by typing
cmd /k net start in the Start - Run box and looking for Indexing Service. Keep
in mind that having the Indexing Service turned on can cause the SVI folder to
grow very large. It's useful if you have a lot of Office documents or text files
and want to do searches of them based on Content. Otherwise it's best turned
off.

How do I disable the Indexing Service?
Go to Start - Run - and type the following command then click OK.

services.msc

Scroll down to and double click: Indexing Service
Click the Stop button
In the Startup Type field select Manual of Disabled, then click Apply then OK
After you restart your machine it will stay disabled.


If Encrypting File System (EFS) is in use, it will use the SVI folder to store
the log file that is generated during the encryption and decryption process.

--
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org


"Joyce" wrote
> Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard drive.
> They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and have
> "restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these up?
>
> Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting the C
> drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed this up at
> all?

[Ext User(Joyce)]

Bert and Gerry,

I'm mostly interested in removing the fragments that show up in my C drive
defrag reports. According to the defrag report, the vast majority of these
are in the SVI files. I'm not a big fan of randomly deleting files marked
"system" which is why I turned to this forum for help. When my defrag
finishes, there's still a whole lot of red showing.

The reason I want to remove them is that I think they're slowing the defrag
down. If they aren't the culprit, then I'd be happy to know what is and
I'll turn my attention to that! :)

Primarily, I'd like to know what's inhibiting the speed of the defrag.

I've gotten through most of the items Gerry listed:

Commit Charge (k)
Total 426304
Limit 1276484
Peak 504380

RAM = 512 MB
CPU Speed is 2.79 GHz

The C drive is 85.9 GB and has 62.3 GB still free. Format is Fat32.

I've had much slower machines run defrag in a 10th of the time it's taking
on this machine. (With most of the same programs installed.)

I'm going now to go look at the hidden file settings as Gerry recommended
and investigate the indexing things that Bert mentioned.

Please keep the helpful hints coming! I really do appreciate your help.


"Bert Kinney" wrote:

> Hi Joyce,
>
> First of all and in most cases there will little or no benefit in defragging the
> System Volume Information (SVI) folder.
>
> The System Volume Information (SVI) folder is a super hidden system folder, and
> for good reason. There will be a SVI folder on each partition or volume that
> Windows sees. This includes external drives and some flash or thumb drives
> connected to the system. The SVI folder can not be permanently deleted, if so it
> will be recreated automatically.
>
> System Restore uses the SVI folder to store it's information and hold restore
> points.
>
> Here are some tips on adjusting disk space usage and keeping System Restore
> healthy:
> http://bertk.mvps.org/html/healthy.html
>
>
> If the Indexing Service is turned on it will use the SVI folder to store files.
> This will be evident by the existence of a folder named catalog.wci or by typing
> cmd /k net start in the Start - Run box and looking for Indexing Service. Keep
> in mind that having the Indexing Service turned on can cause the SVI folder to
> grow very large. It's useful if you have a lot of Office documents or text files
> and want to do searches of them based on Content. Otherwise it's best turned
> off.
>
> How do I disable the Indexing Service?
> Go to Start - Run - and type the following command then click OK.
>
> services.msc
>
> Scroll down to and double click: Indexing Service
> Click the Stop button
> In the Startup Type field select Manual of Disabled, then click Apply then OK
> After you restart your machine it will stay disabled.
>
>
> If Encrypting File System (EFS) is in use, it will use the SVI folder to store
> the log file that is generated during the encryption and decryption process.
>
> --
> Regards,
> Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
> http://bertk.mvps.org
> Member: http://dts-l.org
>
>
> "Joyce" wrote
> > Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard drive.
> > They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and have
> > "restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these up?
> >
> > Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting the C
> > drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed this up at
> > all?
>
>
>

[Ext User(Yves Leclerc)]

Defrag is very limited. You should look at "other" defragging utilities, such
as Diskeeper.

On 17/10/2006 Joyce <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
>Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard drive.
> They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and have
>"restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these up?
>
>Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting the C
>drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed this up
>at all?

--
---

Y.

[Ext User(Joyce)]

Where do you get Diskeeper?

"Yves Leclerc" wrote:

> Defrag is very limited. You should look at "other" defragging utilities, such
> as Diskeeper.
>
> On 17/10/2006 Joyce <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> >Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard drive.
> > They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and have
> >"restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these up?
> >
> >Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting the C
> >drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed this up
> >at all?
>
> --
> ---
>
> Y.
>
>

[Ext User(Tom Willett)]

www.diskeeper.com

"Joyce" <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0EA42CCF-04F1-4A2D-8351-8BB9F95D7CB7@microsoft.com...
| Where do you get Diskeeper?
|
| "Yves Leclerc" wrote:
|
| > Defrag is very limited. You should look at "other" defragging
utilities, such
| > as Diskeeper.
| >
| > On 17/10/2006 Joyce <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
| > >Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard
drive.
| > > They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information
and have
| > >"restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these
up?
| > >
| > >Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting
the C
| > >drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed
this up
| > >at all?
| >
| > --
| > ---
| >
| > Y.
| >
| >

[Ext User(Gerry Cornell)]

Joyce

Running Disk Defragmenter should not take the same length of time each time
if done regularly. You should always run Disk CleanUp before running Disk
Defragmenter to remove Temporary Internet Files and all but the latest
System
Restore point. If you run Disk Defragmenter and you still have fragments you
can run it again to reduce file fragmentation further. However, you cannot
eliminate
it entirely because you will always have a master file table in 2 or 3
fragments and
the page file. You need to purchase a better Disk Defragmenter which is
capable
of defragmenting the page file. Diskkeeper has been mentioned but there are
others.

Another point. The default allocation to System Restore is 12% and for a 86
gb disk this
is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right click your My Computer
icon
on the Desktop and select System Restore. Place the cursor on the drive /
partition
select Settings, find the slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700
mb and exit.
When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK and exit.

It is worth remembering that defragmenting is only one of many means to
improve system performance. Money spent buying a proprietary Disk
Defragmenter might be better spent on more RAM memory.

The figures provided from Task Manager suggest that your system may be
using virtual memory (the page file) rather than RAM memory from time to
time. I
would check page file usage.

Another small utility to monitor pagefile usage:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm

However, graphics and camera related programmes will bump
up page file usage.

What readings do you get?

Converting your Disk from FAT32 to NTFS would also help.
http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Joyce" <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:F85D1C67-2FDD-4D6B-AE18-DC518167626B@microsoft.com...
> Bert and Gerry,
>
> I'm mostly interested in removing the fragments that show up in my C drive
> defrag reports. According to the defrag report, the vast majority of
> these
> are in the SVI files. I'm not a big fan of randomly deleting files
> marked
> "system" which is why I turned to this forum for help. When my defrag
> finishes, there's still a whole lot of red showing.
>
> The reason I want to remove them is that I think they're slowing the
> defrag
> down. If they aren't the culprit, then I'd be happy to know what is and
> I'll turn my attention to that! :)
>
> Primarily, I'd like to know what's inhibiting the speed of the defrag.
>
> I've gotten through most of the items Gerry listed:
>
> Commit Charge (k)
> Total 426304
> Limit 1276484
> Peak 504380
>
> RAM = 512 MB
> CPU Speed is 2.79 GHz
>
> The C drive is 85.9 GB and has 62.3 GB still free. Format is Fat32.
>
> I've had much slower machines run defrag in a 10th of the time it's taking
> on this machine. (With most of the same programs installed.)
>
> I'm going now to go look at the hidden file settings as Gerry recommended
> and investigate the indexing things that Bert mentioned.
>
> Please keep the helpful hints coming! I really do appreciate your help.
>
>
> "Bert Kinney" wrote:
>
>> Hi Joyce,
>>
>> First of all and in most cases there will little or no benefit in
>> defragging the
>> System Volume Information (SVI) folder.
>>
>> The System Volume Information (SVI) folder is a super hidden system
>> folder, and
>> for good reason. There will be a SVI folder on each partition or volume
>> that
>> Windows sees. This includes external drives and some flash or thumb
>> drives
>> connected to the system. The SVI folder can not be permanently deleted,
>> if so it
>> will be recreated automatically.
>>
>> System Restore uses the SVI folder to store it's information and hold
>> restore
>> points.
>>
>> Here are some tips on adjusting disk space usage and keeping System
>> Restore
>> healthy:
>> http://bertk.mvps.org/html/healthy.html
>>
>>
>> If the Indexing Service is turned on it will use the SVI folder to store
>> files.
>> This will be evident by the existence of a folder named catalog.wci or by
>> typing
>> cmd /k net start in the Start - Run box and looking for Indexing
>> Service. Keep
>> in mind that having the Indexing Service turned on can cause the SVI
>> folder to
>> grow very large. It's useful if you have a lot of Office documents or
>> text files
>> and want to do searches of them based on Content. Otherwise it's best
>> turned
>> off.
>>
>> How do I disable the Indexing Service?
>> Go to Start - Run - and type the following command then click OK.
>>
>> services.msc
>>
>> Scroll down to and double click: Indexing Service
>> Click the Stop button
>> In the Startup Type field select Manual of Disabled, then click Apply
>> then OK
>> After you restart your machine it will stay disabled.
>>
>>
>> If Encrypting File System (EFS) is in use, it will use the SVI folder to
>> store
>> the log file that is generated during the encryption and decryption
>> process.
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>> Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
>> http://bertk.mvps.org
>> Member: http://dts-l.org
>>
>>
>> "Joyce" wrote
>> > Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard
>> > drive.
>> > They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and
>> > have
>> > "restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these
>> > up?
>> >
>> > Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting
>> > the C
>> > drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed
>> > this up at
>> > all?
>>
>>
>>

[Ext User(Joyce)]

Gerry, the link in your post didn't work for me. Is there another?

"Joyce" wrote:

> Thanks, Gerry. I've printed out your suggestions and will let you know the
> results.
>
>
>
> "Gerry Cornell" wrote:
>
> > Joyce
> >
> > The normal way to remove System Restore points (in the System Volume
> > Information folder ) is Disk CleanUp. To increase your free space on your
> > drive select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp,
> > More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest System
> > Restore points? Restore points can be quite large.
> >
> > To investigate how you are using hard disk space you need to make sure that
> > you can see all files. Go to Start, Control Panel, Folder Options, View,
> > Advanced Settings and verify that the box before "Show hidden files and
> > folders" is checked and "Hide protected operating system files " is
> > unchecked. You may need to scroll down to see the second item. You should
> > also make certain that the box before "Hide extensions for known file types"
> > is not checked. Next in Windows Explorer make sure View, Details is selected
> > and then select View, Choose Details and check before Name, Type, Total
> > Size, and Free Space.
> >
> > You still will not see the System Volume Information folder.
> > How to Gain Access to the System Volume Information Folder
> > http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;309531
> >
> > How much RAM memory?Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task
> > Manager and click the Performance Tab. What is the Total,
> > the Commit Charge and the Peak?
> >
> > What is your CPU processor speed? Right click on your My
> > Computer icon on your Desktop and select Properties to get
> > this information and the amount of RAM memory.
> >
> > How large is your hard disk and how much free disk space? In
> > Windows Explorer right click on your C drive and select
> > Properties. Is the hard disk formatted as fat32 or NTFS?
> >
> > --
> >
> > Hope this helps.
> >
> > Gerry
> > ~~~~
> > FCA
> > Stourport, England
> >
> > Enquire, plan and execute
> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
> >
> > "Joyce" <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> > news:660D92E9-9DA2-47A2-B1B5-8309F7AC8020@microsoft.com...
> > > Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard
> > > drive.
> > > They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and
> > > have
> > > "restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these up?
> > >
> > > Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting the C
> > > drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed this
> > > up
> > > at all?
> >
> >
> >

[Ext User(Joyce)]

Thank, Gerry.

I run the disk cleanup every day (or CCleaner). From a performance
perspective, the machine seems to do what I need it do in timeframes I think
are reasonable.

EXCEPT the defrag program. That routinely takes 2-3 HOURS whether I run it
every day or every quarter. It's loaded with fragments I cannot seem to
eliminate. This is the only machine I've ever had that runs defrag this
slowly.

Will converting the format from FAT32 to NTFS produce a discernably faster
or cleaner defrag?

I suppose I can download and run the trial version of Diskeeper; but my
experience with trialware has left me a bit jaded.




"Gerry Cornell" wrote:

> Joyce
>
> Running Disk Defragmenter should not take the same length of time each time
> if done regularly. You should always run Disk CleanUp before running Disk
> Defragmenter to remove Temporary Internet Files and all but the latest
> System
> Restore point. If you run Disk Defragmenter and you still have fragments you
> can run it again to reduce file fragmentation further. However, you cannot
> eliminate
> it entirely because you will always have a master file table in 2 or 3
> fragments and
> the page file. You need to purchase a better Disk Defragmenter which is
> capable
> of defragmenting the page file. Diskkeeper has been mentioned but there are
> others.
>
> Another point. The default allocation to System Restore is 12% and for a 86
> gb disk this
> is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right click your My Computer
> icon
> on the Desktop and select System Restore. Place the cursor on the drive /
> partition
> select Settings, find the slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700
> mb and exit.
> When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK and exit.
>
> It is worth remembering that defragmenting is only one of many means to
> improve system performance. Money spent buying a proprietary Disk
> Defragmenter might be better spent on more RAM memory.
>
> The figures provided from Task Manager suggest that your system may be
> using virtual memory (the page file) rather than RAM memory from time to
> time. I
> would check page file usage.
>
> Another small utility to monitor pagefile usage:
> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm
>
> However, graphics and camera related programmes will bump
> up page file usage.
>
> What readings do you get?
>
> Converting your Disk from FAT32 to NTFS would also help.
> http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm
>
> --
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Gerry
> ~~~~
> FCA
> Stourport, England
>
> Enquire, plan and execute
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> "Joyce" <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:F85D1C67-2FDD-4D6B-AE18-DC518167626B@microsoft.com...
> > Bert and Gerry,
> >
> > I'm mostly interested in removing the fragments that show up in my C drive
> > defrag reports. According to the defrag report, the vast majority of
> > these
> > are in the SVI files. I'm not a big fan of randomly deleting files
> > marked
> > "system" which is why I turned to this forum for help. When my defrag
> > finishes, there's still a whole lot of red showing.
> >
> > The reason I want to remove them is that I think they're slowing the
> > defrag
> > down. If they aren't the culprit, then I'd be happy to know what is and
> > I'll turn my attention to that! :)
> >
> > Primarily, I'd like to know what's inhibiting the speed of the defrag.
> >
> > I've gotten through most of the items Gerry listed:
> >
> > Commit Charge (k)
> > Total 426304
> > Limit 1276484
> > Peak 504380
> >
> > RAM = 512 MB
> > CPU Speed is 2.79 GHz
> >
> > The C drive is 85.9 GB and has 62.3 GB still free. Format is Fat32.
> >
> > I've had much slower machines run defrag in a 10th of the time it's taking
> > on this machine. (With most of the same programs installed.)
> >
> > I'm going now to go look at the hidden file settings as Gerry recommended
> > and investigate the indexing things that Bert mentioned.
> >
> > Please keep the helpful hints coming! I really do appreciate your help.
> >
> >
> > "Bert Kinney" wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Joyce,
> >>
> >> First of all and in most cases there will little or no benefit in
> >> defragging the
> >> System Volume Information (SVI) folder.
> >>
> >> The System Volume Information (SVI) folder is a super hidden system
> >> folder, and
> >> for good reason. There will be a SVI folder on each partition or volume
> >> that
> >> Windows sees. This includes external drives and some flash or thumb
> >> drives
> >> connected to the system. The SVI folder can not be permanently deleted,
> >> if so it
> >> will be recreated automatically.
> >>
> >> System Restore uses the SVI folder to store it's information and hold
> >> restore
> >> points.
> >>
> >> Here are some tips on adjusting disk space usage and keeping System
> >> Restore
> >> healthy:
> >> http://bertk.mvps.org/html/healthy.html
> >>
> >>
> >> If the Indexing Service is turned on it will use the SVI folder to store
> >> files.
> >> This will be evident by the existence of a folder named catalog.wci or by
> >> typing
> >> cmd /k net start in the Start - Run box and looking for Indexing
> >> Service. Keep
> >> in mind that having the Indexing Service turned on can cause the SVI
> >> folder to
> >> grow very large. It's useful if you have a lot of Office documents or
> >> text files
> >> and want to do searches of them based on Content. Otherwise it's best
> >> turned
> >> off.
> >>
> >> How do I disable the Indexing Service?
> >> Go to Start - Run - and type the following command then click OK.
> >>
> >> services.msc
> >>
> >> Scroll down to and double click: Indexing Service
> >> Click the Stop button
> >> In the Startup Type field select Manual of Disabled, then click Apply
> >> then OK
> >> After you restart your machine it will stay disabled.
> >>
> >>
> >> If Encrypting File System (EFS) is in use, it will use the SVI folder to
> >> store
> >> the log file that is generated during the encryption and decryption
> >> process.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Regards,
> >> Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
> >> http://bertk.mvps.org
> >> Member: http://dts-l.org
> >>
> >>
> >> "Joyce" wrote
> >> > Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard
> >> > drive.
> >> > They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and
> >> > have
> >> > "restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these
> >> > up?
> >> >
> >> > Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting
> >> > the C
> >> > drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed
> >> > this up at
> >> > all?
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
>

[Ext User(Bert Kinney)]

Try this link.

How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=309531&sd=RMVP

--
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org

"Joyce" wrote
> Gerry, the link in your post didn't work for me. Is there another?
>
> "Joyce" wrote:
>
>> Thanks, Gerry. I've printed out your suggestions and will let you know the
>> results.
>>
>>
>>
>> "Gerry Cornell" wrote:
>>
>> > Joyce
>> >
>> > The normal way to remove System Restore points (in the System Volume
>> > Information folder ) is Disk CleanUp. To increase your free space on your
>> > drive select Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, Disk CleanUp,
>> > More Options, System Restore and remove all but the latest System
>> > Restore points? Restore points can be quite large.
>> >
>> > To investigate how you are using hard disk space you need to make sure that
>> > you can see all files. Go to Start, Control Panel, Folder Options, View,
>> > Advanced Settings and verify that the box before "Show hidden files and
>> > folders" is checked and "Hide protected operating system files " is
>> > unchecked. You may need to scroll down to see the second item. You should
>> > also make certain that the box before "Hide extensions for known file
>> > types"
>> > is not checked. Next in Windows Explorer make sure View, Details is
>> > selected
>> > and then select View, Choose Details and check before Name, Type, Total
>> > Size, and Free Space.
>> >
>> > You still will not see the System Volume Information folder.
>> > How to Gain Access to the System Volume Information Folder
>> > http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;309531
>> >
>> > How much RAM memory?Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task
>> > Manager and click the Performance Tab. What is the Total,
>> > the Commit Charge and the Peak?
>> >
>> > What is your CPU processor speed? Right click on your My
>> > Computer icon on your Desktop and select Properties to get
>> > this information and the amount of RAM memory.
>> >
>> > How large is your hard disk and how much free disk space? In
>> > Windows Explorer right click on your C drive and select
>> > Properties. Is the hard disk formatted as fat32 or NTFS?
>> >
>> > --
>> >
>> > Hope this helps.
>> >
>> > Gerry
>> > ~~~~
>> > FCA
>> > Stourport, England
>> >
>> > Enquire, plan and execute
>> > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>> >
>> > "Joyce" wrote
>> > > Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard
>> > > drive.
>> > > They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and
>> > > have "restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these
>> > > up?
>> > >
>> > > Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting the
>> > > C
>> > > drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed this
>> > > up at all?

[Ext User(Joyce)]

:( That gives me this message

Sorry, the page you requested is not available.

The page you were looking for is currently not available. The address may
not be correct, or there may be a temporary problem with this site. Please
try one of the following options:

* Check the address for typing errors.
* Click the Back button and try a different option from the navigation
menu.
* Try this page again later.

For additional assistance, try one of the pages below:

* Home
Go to the Microsoft Help and Support site
* Product Support Center (FAQs and Highlights)
Review common support questions, issues, and new information for
Microsoft products.
* TechNet
Search the online support site that provides detailed "how-to"
information for IT professionals concerning Microsoft products.
* MSDN
Search the online support site that provides detailed information for
development professionals concerning Micros



"Bert Kinney" wrote:

> Try this link.
>
> How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=309531&sd=RMVP
>
> --
> Regards,
> Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
> http://bertk.mvps.org
> Member: http://dts-l.org
>
> "Joyce" wrote
> > Gerry, the link in your post didn't work for me. Is there another?
> >
> > "Joyce" wrote:
> >
> >> Thanks, Gerry. I've printed out your suggestions and will let you know the
> >> results.
> >>
> >>

[Ext User(John John)]

They all work here. Try this one: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531

John

Joyce wrote:

> :( That gives me this message
>
> Sorry, the page you requested is not available.
>
> The page you were looking for is currently not available. The address may
> not be correct, or there may be a temporary problem with this site. Please
> try one of the following options:
>
> * Check the address for typing errors.
> * Click the Back button and try a different option from the navigation
> menu.
> * Try this page again later.
>
> For additional assistance, try one of the pages below:
>
> * Home
> Go to the Microsoft Help and Support site
> * Product Support Center (FAQs and Highlights)
> Review common support questions, issues, and new information for
> Microsoft products.
> * TechNet
> Search the online support site that provides detailed "how-to"
> information for IT professionals concerning Microsoft products.
> * MSDN
> Search the online support site that provides detailed information for
> development professionals concerning Micros
>
>
>
> "Bert Kinney" wrote:
>
>
>>Try this link.
>>
>>How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
>>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=309531&sd=RMVP
>>
>>--
>>Regards,
>>Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
>>http://bertk.mvps.org
>>Member: http://dts-l.org
>>
>>"Joyce" wrote
>>
>>>Gerry, the link in your post didn't work for me. Is there another?
>>>
>>>"Joyce" wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>Thanks, Gerry. I've printed out your suggestions and will let you know the
>>>>results.
>>>>
>>>>

[Ext User(Bert Kinney)]

Hi Joyce,

Start deleting Microsoft cookies in IE Options try the link again.

--
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org


"Joyce" wrote
> :( That gives me this message
>
> Sorry, the page you requested is not available.
>
> The page you were looking for is currently not available. The address may
> not be correct, or there may be a temporary problem with this site. Please
> try one of the following options:
>
> * Check the address for typing errors.
> * Click the Back button and try a different option from the navigation
> menu.
> * Try this page again later.
>
> For additional assistance, try one of the pages below:
>
> * Home
> Go to the Microsoft Help and Support site
> * Product Support Center (FAQs and Highlights)
> Review common support questions, issues, and new information for
> Microsoft products.
> * TechNet
> Search the online support site that provides detailed "how-to"
> information for IT professionals concerning Microsoft products.
> * MSDN
> Search the online support site that provides detailed information for
> development professionals concerning Micros
>
>
>
> "Bert Kinney" wrote:
>
>> Try this link.
>>
>> How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
>> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=309531&sd=RMVP
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>> Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
>> http://bertk.mvps.org
>> Member: http://dts-l.org
>>
>> "Joyce" wrote
>> > Gerry, the link in your post didn't work for me. Is there another?
>> >
>> > "Joyce" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Thanks, Gerry. I've printed out your suggestions and will let you know
>> >> the results.

[Ext User(Joyce)]

Same error message. :(

"John John" wrote:

> They all work here. Try this one: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/309531
>
> John
>
> Joyce wrote:
>
> > :( That gives me this message
> >
> > Sorry, the page you requested is not available.
> >
> > The page you were looking for is currently not available. The address may
> > not be correct, or there may be a temporary problem with this site. Please
> > try one of the following options:
> >
> > * Check the address for typing errors.
> > * Click the Back button and try a different option from the navigation
> > menu.
> > * Try this page again later.
> >
> > For additional assistance, try one of the pages below:
> >
> > * Home
> > Go to the Microsoft Help and Support site
> > * Product Support Center (FAQs and Highlights)
> > Review common support questions, issues, and new information for
> > Microsoft products.
> > * TechNet
> > Search the online support site that provides detailed "how-to"
> > information for IT professionals concerning Microsoft products.
> > * MSDN
> > Search the online support site that provides detailed information for
> > development professionals concerning Micros
> >
> >
> >
> > "Bert Kinney" wrote:
> >
> >
> >>Try this link.
> >>
> >>How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
> >>http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=309531&sd=RMVP
> >>
> >>--
> >>Regards,
> >>Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
> >>http://bertk.mvps.org
> >>Member: http://dts-l.org
> >>
> >>"Joyce" wrote
> >>
> >>>Gerry, the link in your post didn't work for me. Is there another?
> >>>
> >>>"Joyce" wrote:
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>>Thanks, Gerry. I've printed out your suggestions and will let you know the
> >>>>results.
> >>>>
> >>>>
>

[Ext User(mikeyhsd)]

Defrag does produce a list of fragmented files, check to see where they are.

spme common ones are EVENTS
under Control Paner | Admin tools | Event Viewer.
review the entries to see if you have any BIG problems, and when satisfied, CLEAR the events.



mikeyhsd@sport.rr.com



"Joyce" <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:402E4843-B522-429F-AE5A-580D0731DA39@microsoft.com...
Thank, Gerry.

I run the disk cleanup every day (or CCleaner). From a performance
perspective, the machine seems to do what I need it do in timeframes I think
are reasonable.

EXCEPT the defrag program. That routinely takes 2-3 HOURS whether I run it
every day or every quarter. It's loaded with fragments I cannot seem to
eliminate. This is the only machine I've ever had that runs defrag this
slowly.

Will converting the format from FAT32 to NTFS produce a discernably faster
or cleaner defrag?

I suppose I can download and run the trial version of Diskeeper; but my
experience with trialware has left me a bit jaded.




"Gerry Cornell" wrote:

> Joyce
>
> Running Disk Defragmenter should not take the same length of time each time
> if done regularly. You should always run Disk CleanUp before running Disk
> Defragmenter to remove Temporary Internet Files and all but the latest
> System
> Restore point. If you run Disk Defragmenter and you still have fragments you
> can run it again to reduce file fragmentation further. However, you cannot
> eliminate
> it entirely because you will always have a master file table in 2 or 3
> fragments and
> the page file. You need to purchase a better Disk Defragmenter which is
> capable
> of defragmenting the page file. Diskkeeper has been mentioned but there are
> others.
>
> Another point. The default allocation to System Restore is 12% and for a 86
> gb disk this
> is over generous. I would reduce it to 700 mb. Right click your My Computer
> icon
> on the Desktop and select System Restore. Place the cursor on the drive /
> partition
> select Settings, find the slider and drag it to the left until it reads 700
> mb and exit.
> When you get to the Settings screen click on Apply and OK and exit.
>
> It is worth remembering that defragmenting is only one of many means to
> improve system performance. Money spent buying a proprietary Disk
> Defragmenter might be better spent on more RAM memory.
>
> The figures provided from Task Manager suggest that your system may be
> using virtual memory (the page file) rather than RAM memory from time to
> time. I
> would check page file usage.
>
> Another small utility to monitor pagefile usage:
> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm
>
> However, graphics and camera related programmes will bump
> up page file usage.
>
> What readings do you get?
>
> Converting your Disk from FAT32 to NTFS would also help.
> http://aumha.org/win5/a/ntfscvt.htm
>
> --
>
> Hope this helps.
>
> Gerry
> ~~~~
> FCA
> Stourport, England
>
> Enquire, plan and execute
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>
> "Joyce" <Joyce@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:F85D1C67-2FDD-4D6B-AE18-DC518167626B@microsoft.com...
> > Bert and Gerry,
> >
> > I'm mostly interested in removing the fragments that show up in my C drive
> > defrag reports. According to the defrag report, the vast majority of
> > these
> > are in the SVI files. I'm not a big fan of randomly deleting files
> > marked
> > "system" which is why I turned to this forum for help. When my defrag
> > finishes, there's still a whole lot of red showing.
> >
> > The reason I want to remove them is that I think they're slowing the
> > defrag
> > down. If they aren't the culprit, then I'd be happy to know what is and
> > I'll turn my attention to that! :)
> >
> > Primarily, I'd like to know what's inhibiting the speed of the defrag.
> >
> > I've gotten through most of the items Gerry listed:
> >
> > Commit Charge (k)
> > Total 426304
> > Limit 1276484
> > Peak 504380
> >
> > RAM = 512 MB
> > CPU Speed is 2.79 GHz
> >
> > The C drive is 85.9 GB and has 62.3 GB still free. Format is Fat32.
> >
> > I've had much slower machines run defrag in a 10th of the time it's taking
> > on this machine. (With most of the same programs installed.)
> >
> > I'm going now to go look at the hidden file settings as Gerry recommended
> > and investigate the indexing things that Bert mentioned.
> >
> > Please keep the helpful hints coming! I really do appreciate your help.
> >
> >
> > "Bert Kinney" wrote:
> >
> >> Hi Joyce,
> >>
> >> First of all and in most cases there will little or no benefit in
> >> defragging the
> >> System Volume Information (SVI) folder.
> >>
> >> The System Volume Information (SVI) folder is a super hidden system
> >> folder, and
> >> for good reason. There will be a SVI folder on each partition or volume
> >> that
> >> Windows sees. This includes external drives and some flash or thumb
> >> drives
> >> connected to the system. The SVI folder can not be permanently deleted,
> >> if so it
> >> will be recreated automatically.
> >>
> >> System Restore uses the SVI folder to store it's information and hold
> >> restore
> >> points.
> >>
> >> Here are some tips on adjusting disk space usage and keeping System
> >> Restore
> >> healthy:
> >> http://bertk.mvps.org/html/healthy.html
> >>
> >>
> >> If the Indexing Service is turned on it will use the SVI folder to store
> >> files.
> >> This will be evident by the existence of a folder named catalog.wci or by
> >> typing
> >> cmd /k net start in the Start - Run box and looking for Indexing
> >> Service. Keep
> >> in mind that having the Indexing Service turned on can cause the SVI
> >> folder to
> >> grow very large. It's useful if you have a lot of Office documents or
> >> text files
> >> and want to do searches of them based on Content. Otherwise it's best
> >> turned
> >> off.
> >>
> >> How do I disable the Indexing Service?
> >> Go to Start - Run - and type the following command then click OK.
> >>
> >> services.msc
> >>
> >> Scroll down to and double click: Indexing Service
> >> Click the Stop button
> >> In the Startup Type field select Manual of Disabled, then click Apply
> >> then OK
> >> After you restart your machine it will stay disabled.
> >>
> >>
> >> If Encrypting File System (EFS) is in use, it will use the SVI folder to
> >> store
> >> the log file that is generated during the encryption and decryption
> >> process.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Regards,
> >> Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
> >> http://bertk.mvps.org
> >> Member: http://dts-l.org
> >>
> >>
> >> "Joyce" wrote
> >> > Question 1: I cannot seem to get rid of all the fragments on my hard
> >> > drive.
> >> > They appear to reside in something called System Volume Information and
> >> > have
> >> > "restore information" in the string. Is there a way to clean these
> >> > up?
> >> >
> >> > Question 2: I have about 72% free space on my PC and defragmenting
> >> > the C
> >> > drive takes two to three hours each time. Is there a way to speed
> >> > this up at
> >> > all?
> >>
> >>
> >>
>
>
>

[Ext User(Joyce)]

That worked! :)

"Bert Kinney" wrote:

> Hi Joyce,
>
> Start deleting Microsoft cookies in IE Options try the link again.
>
> --
> Regards,
> Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
> http://bertk.mvps.org
> Member: http://dts-l.org
>
>
> "Joyce" wrote
> > :( That gives me this message
> >
> > Sorry, the page you requested is not available.
> >
> > The page you were looking for is currently not available. The address may
> > not be correct, or there may be a temporary problem with this site. Please
> > try one of the following options:
> >
> > * Check the address for typing errors.
> > * Click the Back button and try a different option from the navigation
> > menu.
> > * Try this page again later.
> >
> > For additional assistance, try one of the pages below:
> >
> > * Home
> > Go to the Microsoft Help and Support site
> > * Product Support Center (FAQs and Highlights)
> > Review common support questions, issues, and new information for
> > Microsoft products.
> > * TechNet
> > Search the online support site that provides detailed "how-to"
> > information for IT professionals concerning Microsoft products.
> > * MSDN
> > Search the online support site that provides detailed information for
> > development professionals concerning Micros
> >
> >
> >
> > "Bert Kinney" wrote:
> >
> >> Try this link.
> >>
> >> How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
> >> http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=309531&sd=RMVP
> >>
> >> --
> >> Regards,
> >> Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
> >> http://bertk.mvps.org
> >> Member: http://dts-l.org
> >>
> >> "Joyce" wrote
> >> > Gerry, the link in your post didn't work for me. Is there another?
> >> >
> >> > "Joyce" wrote:
> >> >
> >> >> Thanks, Gerry. I've printed out your suggestions and will let you know
> >> >> the results.
>
>
>

[Ext User(Joyce)]

Well, that was fun. I got into the SVI folder. And there's bunches of file
folders with all sorts of things in them. I've no idea which contain the
pesky fragments.

Two main folders: restore (with a string of alphanumrics) and Catalog.wci

Within the Restore folder are many others. None are labelled in an
intuitive way.

Sigh.


> "Bert Kinney" wrote:
>
> > Try this link.
> >
> > How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
> > http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=309531&sd=RMVP
> >
> > --
> > Regards,
> > Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
> > http://bertk.mvps.org
> > Member: http://dts-l.org
> >
>

[Ext User(Bert Kinney)]

Hi Joyce.

Right click on the SVI folders and select Properties and look at the Size. What
is it?

Did you check to see if the Indexing Service is Started?

I EFS being used?

--
Regards,
Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
http://bertk.mvps.org
Member: http://dts-l.org



"Joyce" wrote
> Well, that was fun. I got into the SVI folder. And there's bunches of file
> folders with all sorts of things in them. I've no idea which contain the
> pesky fragments.
>
> Two main folders: restore (with a string of alphanumrics) and Catalog.wci
>
> Within the Restore folder are many others. None are labelled in an intuitive
> way.
>
> Sigh.
>
>
>> "Bert Kinney" wrote:
>>
>> > Try this link.
>> >
>> > How to gain access to the System Volume Information folder
>> > http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=309531&sd=RMVP
>> >
>> > --
>> > Regards,
>> > Bert Kinney MS-MVP Shell/User
>> > http://bertk.mvps.org
>> > Member: http://dts-l.org