How to Fix Windows Defragmenter if It Stalls

Defragmenting is a reoccurring nightmare, because the Windows' tool stalls at around the 10 percent mark. The problem could be your screen saver or a program running in the background using drive resources. You might also have corrupted files, folders or bad sectors on the drive you're trying to defrag.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Turn off screen saver. This opens the "Display Properties" dialog box. Find the "Screen Saver" tab and change the selection to "none." This stops Windows Defragmenter from hanging up because the screen saver has automatically engaged.
2. Close programs running in the background. In the "Task Manager," find the "Close Program" box; this is where a list of all running programs is displayed. "End Task" all the programs, except Explorer and Systray one at a time. Window's Defragmenter is now free to run without time outs due to excess CPU usage.
3. Fix corrupted files, folders and bad sectors. Double click "My Computer," locate the icon for the drive you want to defrag and go to "Properties." Follow the prompts to run "Scan Disk." The computer identifies and isolate problems; this prevents defragmenter from stalling in attempt to write data to these areas.
4. Run "Disk Clean-up" before restarting Window's Defragmenter. Go to "Programs" menu and find "System Tools" under "Accessories." Select the drive you want to clean. "Disk Clean-up" displays a dialog box with the items you need to delete checked.
5. Run "Disk Defragmenter."

Tips & Warnings

• Clicking "End Task" for "Explorer" or "Systray" in the "Task Manager" will seriously damage your computer.
• Do not check an item in "Disk Clean-up" you are not sure you want to delete. Doing so can render some programs inoperable.

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