Unknown drive found during Windows 8 Defragmentation?

pinbot2013

Distinguished
Nov 2, 2013
12
0
18,510
I was going to defragment my computer's hard drive. I have windows 8.1 with nearly 1.7 TB left after a clean Win8 install. I just upgraded to Win 8.1 and as I was just about to Defrag my main hard drive (C:\) I noticed a drive which I have not seen before. it has the label
\\?\Volume{a35000e2-efd0-46ce-84b9-cb5116cd13e2}\ and I did get this particular drive analyzed, and it needs defragmentation because it's 22% defragmented. However, I have no idea of what this drive is, I can't defrag it, and I have no idea as to why I'm seeing it on my computer. I did a search, and found out that at least one other person on a different site than this had said that their computer did the same thing. I would like to see about getting rid of it if I can.
 
Solution
Well, I didn't say you couldn't, I'm just saying it's probably not a good idea, unless you are OK with potentially having to reinstall Windows, or at the very least being OK with not having a recovery image to fall back on should something go south with your installed copy. If you are OK with either of those potential scenario's, that's entirely up to you.

If you're not ok with those, then leaving them in place is not going to harm anything.
I suspect this is the recovery partition that Windows sets up on your drive. You definitely do NOT want to remove this. Especially with 1.7TB of free space still remaining, space-wise, you are losing a drop in the bucket. The recovery partition on a vanilla Windows 8 and 8.1 install is 350MB. For some OEM's that ship systems with Windows 8 and above, it's usually between 10-20GB.

Either way, leave it as is. Defrag it if you want to, but don't remove it.
 


And it is listed in the Defrag utility separate from this odd volume we are still trying to figure out? If all you see is the C drive, and this other volume, then it is definitely the recovery partition being displayed. I'm not quite clear on exactly what shows up in the window though.
 

pinbot2013

Distinguished
Nov 2, 2013
12
0
18,510


Is there a way that I can post a picture from my computer on the forum? I can't seem to figure out how to do it.
 
Ok, so it's one of the recovery partitions shown in the image... Not sure why there are multiple ones set up but the OEM must have done it that way for a reason.

It's not going to hurt anything by leaving that partition in place, but it will DEFINITELY cause problems if you start removing them, especially if you remove the wrong partition (that 24GB partition is the one housing your factory image for instance). I wouldn't worry about it, especially given the amount of space you would get back, as opposed to the amount of headaches you will have to deal with having to set up the machine again.

The only time I would worry about wiping all those partitions out is if you go buy another copy of Windows 8, completely wipe the drive of all partitions and go with the basic 350MB recovery partition and leave everything else for the OS and data as is default for a vanilla install.
 
Ok, so it's one of the recovery partitions shown in the image... Not sure why there are multiple ones set up but the OEM must have done it that way for a reason.

It's not going to hurt anything by leaving that partition in place, but it will DEFINITELY cause problems if you start removing them, especially if you remove the wrong partition (that 24GB partition is the one housing your factory image for instance). I wouldn't worry about it, especially given the amount of space you would get back, as opposed to the amount of headaches you will have to deal with having to set up the machine again.

The only time I would worry about wiping all those partitions out is if you go buy another copy of Windows 8, completely wipe the drive of all partitions and go with the basic 350MB recovery partition and leave everything else for the OS and data as is default for a vanilla install.
 

pinbot2013

Distinguished
Nov 2, 2013
12
0
18,510


OK, so apparently, there is nothing that I can do about whatever partition that weird //?/Volume thing is, because I tried to defrag it, but the windows defrag program wouldn't let me. So, I'm not going to worry about it, but I am going to have a friend of mine do a remote connection for me and see what his opinion is.
 
Well, I didn't say you couldn't, I'm just saying it's probably not a good idea, unless you are OK with potentially having to reinstall Windows, or at the very least being OK with not having a recovery image to fall back on should something go south with your installed copy. If you are OK with either of those potential scenario's, that's entirely up to you.

If you're not ok with those, then leaving them in place is not going to harm anything.
 
Solution

pinbot2013

Distinguished
Nov 2, 2013
12
0
18,510
ok, I misread that. I just want to be sure that it's what you say it is, so I'm going to get another opinion. I know a lot of stuff about computers, but not enough to be a true professional. Thanks for your help.
 

Dee Snuttes

Honorable
Dec 26, 2013
2
0
10,510
The original poster's problem almost exactly mirrors mine.

I have an ASUS R503U laptop with Windows 8.1 (should I have ever installed...?) and had automatic "optimization" turned on (don't remember doing that, I usually performed myself monthly). I have some unknown \\?\Volume{xyz etc.} and when I click to defrag it, it remains at 22% defragmented with no change or apparent operation.

Has anyone heard of any updates on a bug or is this just a stupid human error? (Or the latest MS conspiracy.) Thanks for your consideration.
 

pinbot2013

Distinguished
Nov 2, 2013
12
0
18,510
I do believe that I was told by a friend of mine that if anyone comes across this that they shouldn't have to worry about it. Even though I have no idea of what's going on that causes this to happen, I need not worry about it, and neither should anyone else.
 

Dee Snuttes

Honorable
Dec 26, 2013
2
0
10,510


Thanks, Pinbot.
 

Dfarris25

Honorable
Jan 8, 2014
2
0
10,510


Did you ever figure out what it was I'm having the same problem but it says mines 90% fragmented and it can't defragment it.
 

Dracko

Honorable
Feb 11, 2014
3
0
10,510
I have the same thing only mine is named \\?\Volume{fdfc32e8-f524-48af-abe7-c8ae82a3881e}\ I searched the whole computer using this name. I couldn't find find it on the Microsoft website, but I don't think I was looking in the right spot. Thanks for the help.
 

officialcloud73

Reputable
Apr 10, 2014
1
0
4,510


same with my computer
 

SSgt Gumby

Reputable
Apr 10, 2014
1
0
4,510
Guys, I disagree and here is why (I have two of these now): (1) Before this odd volume has never appeared and during this no appear time did I ever use the recovery partition that has a separate and verifiable partition of it's own called "Recovery". Yesterday morning BEFORE turning on my PC I had just ONE of these strange volumes (even after reformatting the drive beforehand this past weekend with no problems) then I turned on the PC and the hard drive makes this noise like it's stuck or something trying to access the files. Once I re-booted I looked at my C drive and ANOTHER weird volume showed up.

I believe these strange volumes appearing is as a result of an impending hard drive failure because Windows has and will automatically "isolate" the bad portion of the drive and set those bad sectors as an inaccessible partition and you can use the rest of the "good" drive.

HP over knighted me a new Barracuda drive that is larger (2 TB) and faster than the original one...............score.

Good luck but rest assured these partitions are NOT any portion of the recovery files or remnants there of.

SSgt Gumby
 

AlanCB

Reputable
Mar 18, 2014
1
0
4,510


Based on my experience with my new HP Probook 45 G1 Notebook PC, I would tend to support SSgt Gumby's explanation for the appearance of the weird looking & unresponsive partition.

I have been experiencing intermittent soft-clicking noises coming the hard drive of my new HP Probook 450 G1 Notebook PC, which I noticed soon after upgrading fro Win 8 Pro to Win 8.1 Pro on 15 Apr 2014, and suspected immediately that it might the very early signs of HDD failure.

Yesterday, 3 May 2014, I decided to check the fragmentation status of the HDD partitions, & if necessary do manual defrags, only to discover that a strange looking partition, \\?\Volume{c44e2a1a-08ea-497a-9670-7908a919742}\ , had appeared since the last time I checked the fragmentation status of the HDD partitions on 15 Apr 2014, which was immediately after I upgraded from Win 8 Pro, to Win 8.1 Pro (a 3.69 GB download over 2 hrs 10 mins). This partition is 4% fragmented and resists any attempt to analyze or optimise (defrag).

It was soon after the Win 8.1 Pro upgrade, that I first noticed the intermittent soft clicking noise coming from the HDD, which would tend to support a connection between the strange looking partition, and the intermittent soft-clicking noise as the early signs of HDD failure

On Fri 1 May 2014, I ran an SFC, which detected some corrupt system files, but did not repair all of them. I subsequently ran the DISM utility, which apparently repaired, or replaced, the remaining corrupted system files, because when when I ran SFC again, it indicated that all was OK. The occurrence of the corrupted files in the first instance, would also tend to support my suspicion of early hard drive failure, although, presumably there could be other causes, for example, the "intermittent touchpad unresponsiveness problem" that I am also experiencing with Notebook PC, which, every 2-4 days forces me to do a Ctrl_Alt_Del > Power > restart of the Notebook.

I will run the SFC again, to find out whether any corruption of system files has occurred, since the last SFC /DISM successful Repair on 1 May 2014.

AlanCB