I definitely saw a few restarting issues even in Safe Mode, as well.
PIII866MHz, Ram 512Mb
The files definitely was very fragmented. There are no Optimize files option
in my version of Defrag.
Will try Norton Speed Disk or tool from Win ME.
Just note: when I just tried run Defrag tool from windows [C Properties
Defragment now] for a few minutes then cancel: does it done some small
defragmenting, or did not due canceled operation?

Aster



"glee" wrote in message
...
"Aster" wrote in message
...
I tried to defrag HD from MS DOS, I restarted PC into a MS-DOS prompt,
typed

defrag c: /f /sd- /skiphigh

but got message saying that "this program requires microsoft
windows"..

So defrag utility does not work from DOS. Defragging from Windows
does
work, since it constantly restarts and says "drive's content changed:
restarting", then tried defrag from Safe mode (from Run command
prompt) but
had the same issue "drive's content changed: restarting", just less
frequently. Finally I tried "Selective startup" in Msconfig, unchecked
all
boxes, restarted into Safe mode, then run command from command prompt.
I was
able to defrag, but it took a huge time. And I still I faced the same
problem a few times, "drive's content changed: restarting".
Is there better method or better tool for defragging? The default
windows
tool is too ugly.

Those command line switches you posted for Defrag have not been
applicable since Windows 95 (yes, 95) was released, except for the /f
switch. Win9x versions of Defrag ignore them with no error message.
Also as you discovered, Defrag will not run from a DOS boot on a Win9x
system.

You shouldn't see constant restarting of Defrag from Safe Mode, as all
background programs are disabled in Safe Mode. If your computer is old,
and has a small amount of RAM installed, it could be due to swap file
changes to compensate for the low memory. How much memory is installed
in the computer, and what processor does it have?

Using Selective Startup from msconfig while in Safe Mode is a waste of
time, as Safe Mode already disables all startups by default.

Defrag will take a very long time if you have not adjusted its settings
to turn off the option to "optimize files". When you open Defragmenter,
first click the Settings button, and un-select the option to
re-arrange/optimize files, and save the setting for use every time you
run Defrag.

Defrag will also take a long time to run if the files are very
fragmented, or if the hard drive is an old and slow drive.

One popular way to get a faster defrag is to replace the Win98 version
of Defrag.exe with one from Windows ME. A number of web pages discuss
this....here are just two from top Google hits:
http://aroundcny.com/technofile/texts/tec060902.html
http://www.the-old-sea-dog.net/defrag.html

If you want to buy a better defragmenter for Win9x, VOPT 7.22 is still
available and is quite good:
http://www.vopt.com/nuVoptXP.htm

Also see:
Windows 95 (and 98) Defrag.exe Command-Line Parameters
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/Q155326

Serenity Windows 98 Program's Command Line Parameters and Registry
Settings
http://www.mvps.org/serenitymacros/winprogs.html
(click to expand the Defrag section)

--
Glen Ventura, MS MVP Oct. 2002 - Sept. 2009
A+
http://dts-l.net/