KB186171 - Description of the Disk Defragmenter Tool in Windows 98/Me

Article ID: 186171

Article Last Modified on 1/23/2007

Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition

This article was previously published under Q186171

SUMMARY

This article describes the Disk Defragmenter tool included in Windows 98 and Windows Millennium Edition (Me). You can use the Disk Defragmenter tool to increase the speed of programs on your computer.

MORE INFORMATION

When a program is installed on your computer, the program's files may be broken up over multiple locations on your hard disk. This is called fragmentation. If fragmentation occurs on your hard disk, the performance of programs on your computer is slower. The Disk Defragmenter tool optimizes the performance of your computer by reorganizing the files on your hard disk into contiguous blocks. When the Disk Defragmenter tool completes the defragmentation of files on your hard disk, the performance of your programs is faster because the files are arranged closer together.

NOTE: You can use your computer while Disk Defragmenter is running. However, your computer operates slower and the defragmentation process restarts if the contents of the drive you are defragmenting changes.

To start the Disk Defragmenter tool, use the following steps:

Click Start, point to Programs, point to Accessories, point to System Tools, and then click Disk Defragmenter.
Click the drive you want to defragment, click OK, and then click Yes.

Appears to Hang at 10 Percent

In Windows 98, Disk Defragmenter typically runs an optimization process during the first 10 percent of the defragmentation process. The time that the process takes depends on the number and size of programs to be optimized. It may appear like your computer is hung. If you have previously run Disk Defragmenter without an issue and then converted to FAT32 and are now having an issue, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

238165 Defrag Error Message: ID No:DEFRAG00205

For additional information about troubleshooting Disk Defragment issues, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

218160 Disk Defragmenter Hangs After Choosing Disk to Defragment

186978 "Drive's Contents Have Changed: Restarting.." Message When You Use the Disk Defragmenter Tool

Keywords: kbinfo KB186171