Defraging HDD wont help

MachineDeth

Commendable
Jun 29, 2016
24
0
1,510
My 3 TB HDD is fragmentated 49% and running the Windows defrag tool doesnt help at all. after its finnished it just stays 49%.
The HDD is pretty much full, 100 GB free. So I cant wipe it clean, cause i have no other volume, that could hold all the files.
Is there a way to solve this by keeping all my files on it?
 
You will have to temporarily move some files off the drive.

Basically a defrag takes file fragments from one place and relocates them in another so every file is as contiguous as possible. In your case, the hard drive is so full there is nowhere for the defrag to move the file fragments. So before and after the defrag there is no/minimal difference.

You need somewhere around 10% free drive space to ensure there's ample room for file fragments to move to and fro and thus make the defrag effective. So if you can find 200 GB worth of files (this combined with the 100GB you already have free = 300GB (10%) free space) to move temporarily to another drive, then you can do a defrag and get the 49% closer to 0%. Then move your files back.
 
The only other thing I can think of is to download Defraggler, then try a defrag during the boot up. Download it, then when you run it, go to settings and select the Boot Time Defrag option. Then restart the computer.

If that doesn't resolve it, then I'm afraid I'm all out of ideas.
 

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