i read on a webpage somewhere that AOL linked to one day that told how to make a computer automatically delete unneeded (temp) files and defragment every time you start the computer or daily or something.
does anyone know how to do this?
please give me a link.
That would make your computer take (on average) about 2 hours to load. Sometimes (in my experience) 10 hours.
Somehow I don’t think it is very practical, do you?
If you really want to do it, put a shortcut to defrag.exe in your startup folder. And figure out which command line options make it run without user input. (without you pressing ‘begin’ or something)
I am basing this on assumptions and experience of defrags on my computer. Someone correct me if defrags can be run in matters of minutes
To have it done daily. (not when you start your computer) run the task scheduler, (can’t remember where it is off the top of my head) and pick a time to run a defrag. It would still take hours, and you would have to leave your computer alone while it does it (otherwise it will keep re-starting)
To have it done daily. (not when you start your computer) run the task scheduler, (Start Menu->Programs->Accessories->System Tools->Scheduled tasks) click ‘add scheduled task’ and pick a time to run a defrag. It would still take hours, and you would have to leave your computer alone while it does it (otherwise it will keep re-starting)
it took like all night and then some on my old computer (of course my old computer only had 2 GB as opposed to 40 in the new), but my new one does it in about 15 min. and i’ll probably just have it done like twice weekly (as was recommended in PCWorld i think) if possible.
What’s this 10 hours thing? My computer takes about 5-15 minutes per partition, and I’ve got a total of 5 partitions and 80 GB. Of course, I defrag fairly regularly; defragging twice a week or every bootup or whatever should keeps times nice and low.
If you want to do this, I’d suggest setting up a scheduled task for some time when you’re not using the computer–for example, during dinner if you tend to eat at about the same time every night.
As for deleting temp files automatically, it could either be done with a batch file or the Disk Cleanup utility. I’m not sure if that has a no-user-input mode or not, but I suspect it does.
Mine took 10 hours once because I left it too long (like 2 years)
I think doing it twice a week is overkill (it would be like tidying your work desk every 5 minutes, all day) I would say once a fortnight or less.
In fact - it is not necesary at all unless you regularly install and uninstall programs. If you do it twice a week without ever installing things, I think it is bloody stupid, like tidying an already tidy desk (sorry, but that’s the way I feel)
The Disk Cleanup Tool will delete several types of temp files. It can be scheduled to run with the command line switches described here. The same is true for defrag.
You may also want to run Page Defrag once in a while. It defragments the pagefile and some registry hives that the built-in utility won’t.
As has been mentioned, defragging more than once a month is unnecessary unless you’ve been installing and uninstalling a lot of programs.
Number, your defrag link doesn’t mention any command line switches to schedule a defrag.
I’ve had this same question, not because I want to defragment every day, but because Windows has trouble defragmenting my disk while it’s in use. Many system files and programs show up as ‘unmovable’ even though they’re very fragmented.
Is there a way to schedule defrag to run before Windows is fully loaded, so it can defragment files that would normally be in use?
You need to use the Task Scheduler. The command line switches are what enable you get it to run the way you want. These were added in XP; it wasn’t possible to schedule a defrag in Windows 2000 (with the built-in tools anyway).
So if you wanted to defrag your C: drive at a certain time you should create a scheduled task with the command line defrag c: -f.
I don’t think there’s a way to schedule it, but you can hit F8 before Windows starts and select Safe Mode With Command Prompt. You can then run defrag without any other processes going.
If you run defrag daily, it should oly take a few minutes. If you wait a couple months, it could take hours depending on how often you use the HD.
gypsymoth3, they used to have a maintenace wizard that would do this cleanup but they seemed to have taken that out of XP & put in the scheduled task feature.
gypsymoth3 just use START: support center & in the search box put in 'maintenance' youll get a cool video showing you how to do this.If you add up all the time spent doing daily (or even weekly) defrags, it would probably be more than the time spent doing it monthly or tri-monthly, because you’d be doing a high percentage of completely pointless defrags (where an already arranged drive gets arranged again), whereas tri-monthly your drive might actually need defraging.
Ideally - Do it once a month. If it is going to take hours (which it shouldn’t if you do it monthly and you haven’t installed/uninstalled like 30 programs) then set it off at a time when you would not normally be using your computer.
This is all blindingly obvious, why am I patronizing you with it?
Summary - Why regularly tidy something that takes a month or more to get messy?