Defrag the Pagefile?

[DrOrgaZmo]

My computer's been really slow lately, accessing the hard drive when I try to do anything, and I have 512 mb RAM. When I try to defrag my hard drive, I have 2 blocks of unmovable data. I think I am only supposed to have one (for the page file). How do I combine the two? Is this even a cause for the decrease in performance?
And how do I defrag the pagefile?

Thanks

 

[Lucky]

Defragging the pagefile won´t work while in Windows, as it is used it the defrag process itself. So you need to have a DOS defragger or something. But those have problems with FAT32 or even NTFS HDs. :crazyeyes:

Anyway, the easiest solution is to:
1. Delete the pagefile. Best would be to use DOS mode to do that if possible.
or, especially with ME, 2000 or XP
2. Check the no pagefile option (My Computer -> Properties -> Advanced -> Virtual Memory) or somewhere there. Reboot and check the former option again.

The best thing is to manually control your pagefile after that. Set a minimum of like 5-10% of your System partition and a maximum which is double that amount. This way Windoze will create a fixed file once, which is unfragmented. I have a 1.5GB minimum and 3GB maximum, but that is far more than enough, you will probably never see Windoze using more than 500MB or so.

 

[IceBlaZe]

Best is to use a fixed size = Equal minimum and maximum.

 

[Grisu]

Or you could invest some money into a defragger like O&O Defrag which can be timed to run at boot-up and defrag the pagefile before windows boots...

 

[DrOrgaZmo]

Dammit. I disabled the page file and reenabled it, and now it's in like 5 different places. I think it's because my hard drive's free space is fragmented, so there isn't any large area where the entire pagefile can be held. Is there any solution to this?

 

[IceBlaZe]

Dual OS Degrag. (Say if you have 98 and XP installed, use 98 to Defrage and then use XP to defrag).
I used to do that... But now I am (sort to say) mono-OS. I have linux, but it is useless.

 

[muppet]

That screenshot doesn't match the appearance of the defragger that's included in either XP or 2K.

It looks like a screenshot from Executive Software's Diskeeper, the full blown version of the windows pre-packaged and "crippled" defragger.

If you're using diskkeeper, you can defrag the pagefile:

Action -> Set It and Forget It -> Disk Volume Schedule -> Boot Time Schedule.

Then select your pagefile drive, and check "reduce pagefile fragments" on next boot. Remember to FIRST defrag BEFORE this operation to create a large blank space for it to relocate the pagefile.