Can I stop defrag before it finishes?

limberg Level 1

August 14, 2017, 3:16 pm

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Can I stop defrag before it finishes?

So, my laptop (which is running Windows 8) has been a bit slow these couple of weeks so I decided once and for all to defrag drive C. After the analysis of the drive, it said that it was 23% fragmented. Therefore, I started the defrag process. I continued to use my laptop as usual to browse the web. Nothing more (and I'm still going at it right now).

I was very happy when the defrag reached 100% in a few minutes.

But then, pass 2 started and the % of defragmentation repeated anew. It started again at 0%. I'm now at pass #7 and it's still going and going (currently at 11%). Oh, by the way, it has already been 3 hours since I started the defrag.

Can I safely click on the stop button to cancel the defrag? Will my laptop be okay? If ever I stop it and restart the defrag tomorrow, will it start at the very beginning?

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Joteque

Joteque

Well you're running Windows 8 which means your problem with lagging goes way beyond simply defragging your hard drive. You need to get off that platform! You should consider upgrading to Windows 10 as Windows 8 as you may be aware of was one of the most hyperluted controversial platforms that Windows had to offer. And let me guess you're running Windows 8 Home Edition, correct? Do yourself a favor and upgrade your system. Check to make sure you have the necessary system requirements in terms of RAM and hard drive space and perhaps backup your files then try upgrading the Operating system. Make sure your antivirus is disabled and let the program run a compatibility test. If you persist with Windows 8 you will be defragging forever. Also you could possibly have a hard drive issue. The lifespan of most hard drives is 3-5 years. Some may not fail right away but you will see some signs such as slow performance all of a sudden. Freezes and perhaps even restarts can occur as well.

7 years ago

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cmoneyspinner

cmoneyspinner

I am never very sure about tech problems with my laptop. Besides that my laptop is second hand and I think the previous owner (my son) treated it well, but he liked certain programs that I don't really have a need for. I don't think he uninstalled them when he gave me the laptop. I guess my laptop defrags automatically because I don't seem to be having any problems. I think my daughter installed a package to let me know if I need to do that kind of maintenance.

I appreciate both this question and the responses.

7 years ago

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galegatling

galegatling

Defrag or defragging a disk or disks is done automatically by your computer weekly, or if you set it to custom time via Disk Defragment. So the default if I can recall correctly is once every week and it is done to all of your disks installed.

I assume you can always stop it anytime because if you can't, or if it's not allowed, there wouldn't be a stop button if it's risky. So since there is one, it should be fine. I've stopped some defrags before when I don't know how they work and it took a long time. But eventually I learned while searching the net about them. You should be good I guess. Haven't heard of someone having problems with defrag or computer not booting, etc.

7 years ago

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kgord

kgord

I think you should be able to stop the process at anytime. That seems like a long time for a defrag though. That is why I hate running certain virus programs because some of them tend to take a really long time, and it is an issue with doing it too often. I dislike it.

7 years ago

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overcast

overcast

I use MyDefrag which can be stopped and started any time. All you have to do is just make use of the new settings they have given. You can do partial defrag and build on that. I have seen that defraging once a month is more than enough. And you are allowed to start or stop. And that works out just fine in that case.

7 years ago

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Corzhens

Corzhens

I agree that it is scary to stop the defrag operation because it is rearranging the files in the disk. But it's not really a problem if you quit the unfinished operation. Yeah, defragging a big hard disk takes hours and hours. Maybe you run defrag when you are going to sleep so you can let defrag have the computer exclusively.

7 years ago

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Authord

Authord

Well it's not advisable to stop Defrag, you should allow it to finish optimizing .
And no!, clicking the stop button huh?. That is not the way it works. First, hitting stop does not stop the process. The process stops when the program "sees" the stop button is pushed, and is able to processes it. The program will only process to stop when it safe to do so. As another safeguard, first the file is completely moved and then if all is well the MFT is updated to reflect the relocation.

7 years ago

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Ezekielzz

Ezekielzz

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3 years ago

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