i was wondering why the drive is always so badly fragmented? i run diskeeper all the time, and yet everytime i check it is always fragmented with read time of at least 60% imrpovemnt. does diskeeper actually work? coz i hardly ever install anythign or download anything.

It also defrages when you update a lot of files. I run CAD software that writes as you work, at the office and the disk is fragmented about half that in two weeks.

yeah but thats more reasonable since cad is more intensive, but i just surf internet and type stuff?

You don't perhaps have Hibernation enabled, do you? Diskeeper won't defragment hibernation files. They take up space equivalent to your RAM size.

May be able to do it better in Windows Safe-Mode. No programs or drivers running there. Hold down F8 during boot. ------------ A Description of the Safe Mode Boot Options in Windows XP http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315222&Product=winxp ---------------- Also info. about Defrag. and 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.