Hi, I have a 100 GB Hardrive, 75% free. When I defrag I get a message that some things could not be defragged. I do a defrag fairly regularly - maybe twice a month. Every time I defrag the list gets longer. I never had this happen before.
Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this? The list of items is very hard to read. The text does not scroll and you have to expand to the right by pushing the scroll bar a little at a time.
It also does not print out the complete path of the item that cannot be defragged.
Defrag take about 20 minutes.
Thanks in advance for any help you can give me.
emkayess

It is likely that the files that are unable to be defraged are the swamp files (or swap space or, in Windows NT/XP, a pagefile).

This is a space on a hard disk used as the virtual memory extension of a computer's real memory (RAM). Having a swap file allows your computer's operating system to pretend that you have more RAM than you actually do. The least recently used files in RAM can be "swapped out" to your hard disk until they are needed later so that new files can be "swapped in" to RAM. In larger operating systems (such as IBM's OS/390), the units that are moved are called pages and the swapping is called paging. source

For most users, is is not necessary to bother with this, but if you wish to do this, here are some links you may find helpful.

Windows XP
To defragment the pagefile, we first have to remove the pagefile, then defragment the machine, and finally recreate the pagefile. To do this, start by opening the System utility in Control Panel. (You may have to get there by clicking Performance and Maintenance from the Control Panel and then clicking System.) Then select the Advanced tab, click the Settings button under Performance, select the Advanced tab of Performance Options, and click Change to view your Virtual Memory settings:
Windows XP

Older Systems
Defrag Swampfile for older Windows systems: Older Systems

Dwight when do you think if the Indexing service is on it is adding to the defrag load?

I have this switched off, ditto "compressing the drive" box. also on the cleanup clearing the compressed old files cache as a 1-off may help or altenatively turning on this option From memory the tick box is at the foot of the Menu list
See if that helps matters?

Another option is to reduce the Restore points a few percent This is always a set percentage of the Hard drive by default (12%) So a large Hard drive will have several months worth of places to go back to yet a small capacity drive will go back perhaps 3 momths Max

I have reduced mine to 2 months restore points (about 6%) by trial and error and gained 4000 MB of space Ive got an 80GB drive on this machine

Hi Dwight, thanks for answering.
I have 1 GB of RAm. My machine does not struggle at all when I am working with even big pictures.
Some of these files have not been used. Some of the scrapbooking files are just downloaded and have not been touched. And last time I defragged they were fine.
I will try what you said to do.
It's just got to be something else
Disk Defragmenter Volume (C Fragments File Size Files that cannot be defragmented 2 76 bytes \Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\Jot
3 1 KB \WINDOWS\system32\config\SECURITY.LOG 3 9 KB \Documents and Settings\Owner\Application
3 12 KB \Documents and Settings\Owner\Application
3 76 bytes \Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My
3 12 KB \Program Files\Adobe\Photoshop Elements
4 76 bytes \Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My
4 18 KB \MyFolders\Usefile\ScrappingGoodies\RoseTgsFrms\nbk-rose-tags6\Thumbs.db 3 76 bytes \MyFolders\Usefile\ScrappingGoodies\Shabby
5 20 KB \System Volume Information\_restore{87AA2578-EB92-4191-B9A7-40179941DF37}\RP937 4 76 bytes \MyFolders\Usefile\ScrappingGoodies\SP.com
4 76 bytes \MyFolders\Usefile\ScrappingGoodies\SP ~
4 76 bytes \Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My
3 21 KB \Documents and Settings\All Users\Application
6 76 bytes \MyFolders\PicsITook\Conservatory407 3 27 KB \MyFolders\A-WorkingWPics\MyBitsNPieces\BreakOutPos\Thumbs.db 6 76 bytes \Documents and Settings\Owner\My Documents\My
5 28 KB \Config.Msi
This is the report the machine gives me.
Thanks Dwight
emkayess

Hi Dwight and bedstor, thank you both for helping.
I ran another defrag. I am including a screenshot of the screen.

I noticed the defrag only goes to 54%.
Tonight I have school homework. Can't wait to try your advice.
I need to get this fixed. I want to install full photoshop and not have any funny business messing me up.
Thanks again Dwight and bedstor.
emkayess
screenshot didn't work. How do I include it.
http://www.pixentral.com/show.php?picture=1qhsTe1at7iETlXNAC96RqAPgVzrF21

I see it and its more compact than mine and thats only been defragged a few days ago

PS The defrag on XP never runs to 100%
Mine stops in the 50's
NOTE Hosted Images on AP aren't seen by everyone. Posting the link to the picture does ensure they do get seen