I have a strange problem that appeared yesterday. After windows xp disk defragmenter finishes I get a message saying that "all files on this volume could not be defragmented". When I view the report to find out which files it doesn't ever show any files. I check the log and it says that I have one fragmented file left and 17 additional fragmentations. I have tried to run every possible third party defragmnetation tool but they don't remove the error (in fact they never have any defragmentation problems). I have disabled the paging file but it didn't help and I have tried to run defragmenter in safe mode and many times in a row. It's a small problem but it's very disturbing, so please help me if you can.

Defrag in safe mode is the way I like to go. One thing that does not defragged is Prefetch files: From M$: Optimizing Startup Times by Using Defragmentation Tools Windows XP Professional monitors the files that are used when the computer starts and when you start applications. By monitoring these files, Windows XP Professional can prefetch them. Prefetching data is the process whereby data that is expected to be requested is read ahead into the cache. Prefetching boot files and applications decreases the time needed to start Windows XP Professional and start applications. Prefetching is further improved if the files are located next to each other on the outer edge of the disk. Windows XP Professional optimizes the location of boot files and applications when the computer is idle. The optimization occurs in the background and lasts only a minute or two; you might hear the hard disk being accessed when optimization occurs. After the initial optimization takes place, subsequent optimization occurs, at most, every three days. When you run the Disk Defragmenter tools that are included with Windows XP Professional, they can perform any optimization updates that are scheduled to take place during the next idle period. The Disk Defragmenter tools do not disturb the existing layout of optimized boot files and applications. Note * Computers running Windows XP Home Edition also prefetch and optimize boot files and applications. C:\WINDOWS\Prefetch The Prefetch folder is quite large. I have deleted all files there, even Layout.ini, at times without problems. It will rebuild itself over time.

have you ran scandisk? run that and retrythe disk dfrag.

Thanks, tried both suggested things but it didn't make any difference. Disk defrag reports one defragmneted file and some other defragmentations, but no files are displayed. Before some files were also left fragmented, but disk defrag never informed that "some files could not be defragmented".

John, try CrazyOne's idea in this thread. (Just scroll down the page advertisements to read the solution.) CrazyOne suggested using the freeware SysInternals PageDefrag. This will force XP to defrag the "untouchable" files in the page file and the registry before XP gets to the desktop. i_XpUser