When I ran the Disk Cleanup system tool, it seemed to be chugging along forever without anything happening. Do I need to close most of the processes that are running before I do Cleanup and Defrag? If so, which ones need to remain open?
Thanks!
![]() |
Patch reliability is unclear. Unless you have an immediate, pressing need to install a specific patch, don't do it. |
SIGN IN | Not a member? | REGISTER | PLUS MEMBERSHIP |
Home » Forums » AskWoody support » Windows » Windows Vista, XP and earlier » Questions: Vista, XP back to 3.1 » Disk Cleanup and Defrag
Hi Betsy,
The key words in your post were ‘it seemed to be’. When you run the disk cleanup tool, it scans everything in the boot drive and estimates how much space could be saved by compressing older, unused files. If given enough time, it will eventually stop “chugging” and present you with a final list of options for cleanup.
You can continue to use the computer while this is taking place without any problems.
My response to say Thanks! is much delayed because somehow I’ve managed to turn off the option that sends me an email stating that someone at the Lounge has replied to my query. Anyhow, thanks again for the note that it’s OK to run Disk Cleanup and just let it do its thing even if it takes quite a while. Now on to the issue of setting my options properly.
Cheers,
As you can see from the message dates, I’m marching slowly along the computer-maintenance path! Your response about letting Disk Cleanup run while using the computer for other tasks — works just fine. But no one has addressed the same question about running DeFrag. What’s the setup for that?
Windows defrag utility is slooooow and clunky. For a much better defrag experience get a copy of Perfect Disk. But if you ar set on using Window built-in utility, there’s a good set of step-by-step instructions at the bottom of this page. HTH
Thanks for the quick reply. The instructions in the “Why defrag?” article will help immensely.
BTW, the article mentions a program called “Power Defrag” but it doesn’t work for Windows 2000 — I checked.
I will also check out the Perfect Disk program you recommended.
This Lounge is the coolest thing ever for getting straight and useful help!
OK, so it’s a year later, and I’m finally making the time to defrag my Windows 2000 hard drive. I’ve done all the preparation steps, running CleanDisk, deleting unused material, .tmp and .wbk files, temporary Internet files, and so forth. In the article you recommended, “Why defrag?” Step 2 a. says to type “msconfig” in the Run box.
When I click Open, I get an error message saying it’s not there (or library or component is missing). So I did a search for “config” and got the result shown in the attachment. Nothing here seems to be right either. What am I doing wrong? I want to shut off the startup programs and other items that prevent Defrag from running properly.
Am I stuck with one of several recommended “better” programs, like Power Defrag or Perfect Defrag?
Help, please.
Nice to see you back.
First, I’m not sure I understand your problem. If you are going to Start>Run typing msconfig and clicking OK it should bring up the System Configuration Utility. You say that it’s giving you an error message and you can’t find msconfig] when you do a search for config ??? Take a look in your C:WINDOWSPCHealthHelpCtrBinaries folder for Msconfig. I put a shortcut for this utility in a folder on my desktop where I keep all my system maintenance utilities and programs.
If you can’t find msconfig (a problem we should deal with seperately), you can still defrag the drive by disabling the things that disrupt the process manually. It’s usually just the screensaver, instant messaging programs and antivirus programs that cause problems. HTH.
Let us know how you make out. And this time, don’t wait a year.
Great! More stuff I can’t find on my computer. There’s no c:windowspchealthhelpctrbinaries folder (upper or lower case). In fact, I have WINNT. So is there an msconfig file in WIINT, and if so, where?
I’m hesitant to try defragging until we get this “new” issue solved. Would it help if I send you a screenshot of some particular folder or file listing?
See why I waited a year to tackle this supposedly simple maintenance task? Ick.
Msconfig is not supplied with Win2k. You may run the version for XP though. See MSCONFIG Windows 2000 to get a link to download it.
Joe
--Joe
Please, I need a small favor. Would you send me a short reply to this message?
My Norton Internet Security 2005 has been deleting email messages from the Lounge because they contain my own email address in the “to” field. I’ve made some changes to the Norton configuration that should allow the messages to come into my Inbox. Your reply will let me test my system.
Thanks a bunch!
The Disk Cleanup utility frees up space on a hard disk. If the program hangs the system or slows it to a crawl, the problem is most likely caused by the Disk Cleanup Wizard checking for all files older than 50 days that it can compress. Disabling this behavior might improve the performance.
To disable the behavior, perform the following steps:
Start regedit – Start>Run regedit
Navigate to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerVolumeCachesCompress old files registry subkey, then select it.
From the File menu, select Export.
Enter a filename and location, C:/ Registry – File Exports is good, then click Save. This protects you. If you make a mistake you can restore this registry entry.
Now delete the “Compress old files” registry subkey.
Close the registry editor.
Now Disk Cleanup will work! You can still compress files manually, but Disk Cleanup will not have the capacity to automatically compress old files after you make this change. HTH
I really don’t know. Unless I’m sending a file or packing it for archiving, I NEVER compress a file. Given the size of today’s hard drives and their low cost I really don’t see the need. This file compression process IMHO is unnecessary and I simply delete the key on every machine I set up.
Donations from Plus members keep this site going. You can identify the people who support AskWoody by the Plus badge on their avatars.
AskWoody Plus members not only get access to all of the contents of this site -- including Susan Bradley's frequently updated Patch Watch listing -- they also receive weekly AskWoody Plus Newsletters (formerly Windows Secrets Newsletter) and AskWoody Plus Alerts, emails when there are important breaking developments.
Welcome to our unique respite from the madness.
It's easy to post questions about Windows 11, Windows 10, Win8.1, Win7, Surface, Office, or browse through our Forums. Post anonymously or register for greater privileges. Keep it civil, please: Decorous Lounge rules strictly enforced. Questions? Contact Customer Support.
Want to Advertise in the free newsletter? How about a gift subscription in honor of a birthday? Send an email to sb@askwoody.com to ask how.
Mastodon profile for DefConPatch
Mastodon profile for AskWoody
Home • About • FAQ • Posts & Privacy • Forums • My Account
Register • Free Newsletter • Plus Membership • Gift Certificates • MS-DEFCON Alerts
Copyright ©2004-2025 by AskWoody Tech LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Notifications