# De fragin' Hard Drive!!! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 12, 2001, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139 "2001-02-12T13:35:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VanLandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/eb9ed0/32.png) [@VanLandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanLandry)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/1 "2001-02-12T13:35:33Z")
I would like to defrag my hard drive, but I receive an error at 4% with instruction telling me to run scan disk first. I run scan disk(thorough) and it tells me there are no errors on the hard drive. Is there anything else I can try that would help find and fix errors on the hard drive? ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/2 "2001-02-12T13:39:50Z")
What makes you think there are errors? I’d say that defragging hard drive is probably the most misunderstood form of maintenance on a computer. The best it can do is speed up access to the hard drive and maybe make a program run a bit faster. It does nothing to fix most problems, and if a customer service person suggests you defrag in order to solve a problem, find someone else to talk to. ---
**Author:** ![VanLandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/eb9ed0/32.png) [@VanLandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VanLandry)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/3 "2001-02-12T13:42:42Z")
I’m not trying to fix errors by defragging. I’m getting an error when I actually run the defrag. ---
**Author:** ![DVous\_Means](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@DVous\_Means](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DVous_Means)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/4 "2001-02-12T13:55:02Z")
Try running scandisk from MS-DOS mode (restart the box in DOS mode via the START menu). That should ensure that nothing else other than scandisk is running. If it finds some errors or drive defects, it should drop into a sector-by-sector surface scan, and either repairs the errors or mark the sectors as bad and shift the data to another location. Once this is finished, then reboot Windows. When it has completely finished loading, bring up the task list with CTRL+ALT+DELETE, and shut down every task listed except for “explorer” and “systray”. Then run defrag. If you still have problems, you may need to consider a reformat of your drive, or some industrial strength diagnostic and repair software from the Symantec collection. Good luck! ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 3:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/5 "2001-02-12T15:06:52Z")
I just went through a similar problem myself. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=55755](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=55755) > [@](#): > > Jim, the Chicago Tribune computer guy, has a column, and in it, last week (which is why I’m trying this yet again, after having given up on it a year ago, when Drive C was only 4% fragmented), someone e-mailed him with this identical problem, and he suggested starting in Safe Mode and trying it then. Starting in Safe Mode for Win95 involves pressing F8 when you see the words “now starting Windows 95”. Dunno how it is for Win98. Try it and see if it helps. There was also this thread. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57555](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=57555) ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/6 "2001-02-12T16:19:20Z")
VL should have told us his operating system. But DDG is right, it’s been answered most excellently many times. Frankly, I wish that people would get a third party program like System Suite 2000 for W95/98/etc which handles this sort of thing & tons more. ---
**Author:** ![HomeSlice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9d8465/32.png) [@HomeSlice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HomeSlice)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/7 "2001-02-12T17:25:07Z")
Why defrag when you can format? ---
**Author:** ![slortar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/6bbea6/32.png) [@slortar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slortar)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/8 "2001-02-12T18:10:58Z")
That’s my view. I generally reinstall windows every 6 months or so anyway. As Hicks and Ripley said in Aliens, “It’s the only way to be sure.” 🙂 It also has a surprising effect on how fast everything runs. It’s truly astounding how much windows can bloat in a relatively brief period of time. ---
**Author:** ![Jeffism15](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/53a042/32.png) [@Jeffism15](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeffism15)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/9 "2001-02-12T20:06:18Z")
The reason why you don’t format HomeSlice is because it erases everything on your computer… Thus leaving you to reload everything on your computer ---
**Author:** ![HomeSlice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/9d8465/32.png) [@HomeSlice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HomeSlice)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/10 "2001-02-12T21:00:48Z")
I was kind of joking. Regardless of the joke however, as long as you have a cd-burner, or even a zip drive, formatting is the way to go to get some speed back. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2001, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/11 "2001-02-12T23:47:57Z")
HomeSlice, you mean to say if you format a drive that it doesn’t need defragging at all??? ---
**Author:** ![Adolph\_Peewee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e47c2d/32.png) [@Adolph\_Peewee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Adolph_Peewee)\ **Post date:** [February 16, 2001, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-fragin-hard-drive/54139/12 "2001-02-16T13:27:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by HomeSlice \* > \*\*Why defrag when you can format? \*\* [bump] love the sense of humour HomeSlice. Keep it up…not enough dopers have a decent sense of humour in this joint. Bit hard to express sarcasm in writing even so! I’ve posted sarcastic comments before, and was almost threatened with banning from here. Humour is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle!! back to the OP! [/bump]