Defraggler 2.9.0 crashes on full defrag (has ocurred twice)

[TechHarmony]

Hi, Defraggler 2.9.0 has crashed on me twice while doing a full disk defrag of my C: volume.

_________

Defraggler (v2.9.0.391) doing a full disk Defrag. Has crashed two times, in more or less the same general area of apparent disk activity (though, different file was in the info state space (bottom left).

I have performed a boot time Checkdisk (two times, once via Recovery Console with /p force check, other via more usual MyComputer-C-Tools-Errorchecking-Checknow-at next boot) in between the first crash of two days ago, and this one. No other programs running at time of the Defraggler crash.

I also ran a Seagate SeaTools (dos mode bootup) on the drive (ST3160021A) and it reported drive is all OK. Also, several tools report SMART health on the drive is OK/Good (including Speccy).

Windows XP Pro SP3 (uptodate). Pentium 4 ,3.2 GHz, 2 GB RAM.

ERROR MESSAGE (from crash pop up screens):

Defraggler has encountered a problem and needs to close. We are sorry for the inconvenience.

Please tell Microsoft about this problem.

Error Signature:

AppName: defraggler.exe AppVer: 2.9.0.391 ModName: defraggler.exe

ModVer: 2.9.0.391 Offset: 0011b95a

Attaching:

Tech details screen inf report to MS txt

Error Details: \Temp\9f89_appcompat.txt

Two screen snaps

FYI, I run Defraggler pretty much daily, in the normal (for me) mode of Analyze C drive, defrag just the highly fragmented files. This proceeds normally, with no problems (has been fine doing this for a long time.)

Thank you.

Defraggler crash, Tech details screen inf report to MS.txt

Defraggler Crash Error Report 9f89_appcompat.txt

[Super_Fast]

* Edited: I believe the answer below may be more relevant, based upon the new data you have given.

[hazelnut]

@TechHarmony

Thanks for including the crash info.

I would hold off on altering any boot setup just yet as it seems to be Defraggler which has the problem not your boot setup (because you are able to boot and run your system okay).

The devs read all threads.

[TechHarmony]

Thanks all.

I like the signature quote: "try to stay calm"

Kind of like the Hithhikers GTTG "Don't Panic" (which I have as one of my several desktop wallpapers)

I ran a bootup, Recovery Console Dskchk again. This time specifying the /r command, to try to recover any bad sectors. Did it twice, as is my practice when the first statement comes back "... found errors " and second time it came back with the (expected) "...has finished checking the drive." Since the /r command was specified it took a loooooooooong time.

Ran Defraggler today:

(a) first, in the usual method of analyze and defrag just the fragmented files. (Note that I have a bunch of temp files, SysVolInf, etc, on the exclude list). It ran fine, as usual. on both C partition and D partition.

(b ) ran a full disk defrag -via right click- on my D partition (second of two partitions on my C,D Seagate 160GB). It took about 20 minutes and ran to completion OK.

(c ) Thus encouraged, I ran a full disk defrag on volume C. Boom. It crashed after about 4 or 5 minutes. "fault address 0x0011b95a."

(d) I then ran the Defraggler Verify disk on C. Note that it reports SMART health as Good.

The Defraggler verify failed, and asked me to schedule a Chkdsk /f, which I have and will be doing on reboot.

This time, I am attaching a text file of the relevant Event Log entries. That is, just the Defraggler errors, and the several Winlogon Checkdisk routines I have run - at least, what it decided to record from them.

(It is too bad that Microsoft provides no way to capture all of the info from the many Checkdisk runs I have done. As the messages in the event log do not exactly match what I have seen onscreen from the several Recovery Console (dos style) status messages I have been running. Oh Microsoft, why do you do these to us...)

Even though the Recovery Console Chkdsk /r came back "clean" on its second pass, and always comes back clean on its second pass of /p, I am starting to wonder if there is something wonky in my C drive, the sectors about, oh, 10 % into my drive.

Note that in all other respects, my computer seems fine. Computer boots fine (I shut it off overnight). Programs run. Browsers (FF, IE) browse web. Files download. Windows updates, Words process, e-mails, etc.

Only Defraggler seems to be encountering this glitch.

I guess I could try a pass with MyDefrag or JKDefrag, or Auslogics Defrag (which I used to use before switching to Defraggler).

I will keep an eye here for future thoughts.

(I also am not ready to tweak the booting process... as I am not sure what 'act' 'exi' and 'bcdboot' will do. I looked up the DiskPart command options and did not find those. Maybe they are new to Win7. I have only ol' XP. )

Defraggler 290 crash May 13 notes.txt

[Super_Fast]

Thank you for specifying that you are running XP.

_____

I noticed that in your text you attached, it said Fault bucket -1493311654. Fault bucket errors can be caused by many things.

Sometimes it is a program that is using memory improperly. Also, it can be a hardware issue with the RAM itself.

_____

Check to be sure your RAM is seated properly, then test your RAM. MS makes a RAM tester that can be booted to. Then, report back here.

[TechHarmony]

P.S., forgot to include the May 13 Defraggler crash snapshots ... here they are.

Defraggler 290 crashed again may 13 e02b_appcompat.txt ---the so-called report to Microsoft data file

2012-05-13_180651 Defraggler 290 crash on full defrag C-.png ---which shows a different file on the status focus info line, lower left. So seems not to be in exactly the same place as previous crashes, I think.

2012-05-13_1819 Defraggler verifying C-.png ---Running the Defraggler Verify.

2012-05-13_1823 Defraggler states error found, run Chkdsk F-.png ---where Defraggler states it cannot finish verify, and requests a normal Windows chkdsk.

2012-05-13_1823 Defraggler schedules Chkdsk f of C drive-.png ---the chkdsk f is now scheduled.

2012-05-13_1759 Ready to start Defraggler full on C, Health Good-.png ---and lastly, though should have been first, the snap before I started the full C drive defrag, showing Defraggler Health Good status info.

Thanks.

___________________

P.S.

Looking at the Event log file (attached in prev email as 'Defraggler 290 crash May 13 notes.txt'), I see that all three of the listed Defraggler crashes identify "fault address 0x0011b95a." Same address for all three recent crashes in the event log. Just FYI.

And I guess I should have made the title to "three crashes" not just the two I had in mind when I posted yesterday. (But am not going to change the title, since title names are sometimes used to re-find things... )

.

Defraggler 290 crashed again may 13 e02b_appcompat.txt

[TechHarmony]

Thank you for specifying that you are running XP.

_____

I noticed that in your text you attached, it said Fault bucket -1493311654.

Fault bucket errors can be caused by many things.

Sometimes it is a program that is using memory improperly. Also, it can be a hardware issue with the RAM itself.

_____

You can Google RAM TEST and find programs that will test your RAM. MS makes one that you make a boot disk and run it.

Also, it never hurts to open your computer and make sure the RAM is seated properly.

Some good ideas, SuperFast.

Since this crash only occurs in one particular module of Defraggler (the right-click, full disk defrag of my C volume), I had not even thought to think of memory (small computer tech joke...)

Though, Since I do tech work, I was the one to install the RAM, and at the time of installation am rather (over) meticulous about snapping in the RAM cleanly - static protected, never touching the gold contacts, ensuring the little tabs snap back up and fully into their respective semi-circle DIMM edge cutouts, and all that sort.

Although not recently, I have run Memtest86+ on this system, in its 2GB config.

But won't hurt to run it again, next time I boot, via one of my boot-disk CDs.

So I'll plan on that soon.

Thx.

it is mysterious

[Super_Fast]

Well, that is definitely weird.

I do wonder if you have an additional spare drive that you can insert into the PC, for the matter of testing, & set up Windows in order to check if it may be a problem with the drive itself?

Additional problems can arise if certain program configurations are setup, & one program is overly protective of any area being written to (IE: certain encryption programs, etc.)

It would be highly interesting if you should have a spare drive laying around to test & see how that does.

[Addihockey]

Crashes for me as well. Windows 7. It only crashes on the quick defrag though...

[Nergal]

Addihockey, you'll need to start your own thread, as this is a specific thread dealing withTechHarmony's crash. When you do that, others will be willing to help you, be sure to include useful information in the thread, saying "it crashes" tells us nothing, look to how tech harmony has laid out this thread (with error logs and what not)

[TechHarmony]

Here is an update, from my various follow-on troubleshooting steps.

Over the past few days, I have booted my computer from several of my CD emergency boot disks, and run various tests on the machine: Several passes of several Disk check and scan/recover surface media. I get a clean bill from these (sometimes the first pass says unspecified errors found, nothing serious, and then second pass indicates all is fixed and good).

Ran Memtest86+ (2.11) and it showed the 2 GB RAM is OK (all white text, no RED errors. Whew. ).

I ran two other defragment apps,

Auslogics Disk Defrag, and MyDefrag - both version 4.2.6 (from CD boot) and later/last 4.3.1 (from Windows) of MyDefrag. They all were able to finish a full disk defrag and complete successfully.

The one interesting -and significant- thing to note, the MyDefrag log file indicated there were several unmoveable files, a few system files (expected), and three user data files - which I did not expect.

I tried looking at those files, and was able to view, copy and moved them OK to a different drive. Two were jpg image files, less than 128KB each, nothing special about them. No indications as to why they were found unmoveable by MyDefrag.

And one system restore file: "A0019147.dll" (27KB), which I was also able to copy no problem to a different drive. Only thing about that A0019147 was the 'compressed' attribute, but most restore files also have that. So again, nothing special as to why MyDefrag said it was unmoveable, out of hundreds (or thousands even) of other restore files which are able to be moved/optimized.

After moving the two (alleged) 'unmoveable' jpg files, and leaving the A0019147 as it was, and several reboots, I did a full uninstall of Defraggler. Waited a day, then a clean re-install Defraggler 2.9.0 fresh.

Now Defraggler runs the full disk Defrag successfully. Hurray. Ran it in mostly default mode (that is, I entered no exclusions, no special move rules).

So my final thoughts on the three crashes of 2.9.0 earlier this week and last:

(a.) being repeatable, it was probably tied to either some weird file occupancy/attributes data actually on the disk (ref. the quote 'unmoveable' regular files which MyDefrag log file indicated it found) which caused Defraggler to crash -- this is what I consider most likely.

If this was indeed the cause, It would probably be better for Defraggler to issue an error, rather than crash ...

Or,

(b.) possible corruption of the Defraggler installed app, or its options, itself.

In either case, my cleaning the drive, moving files and re-installing Defraggler seem to have gotten me past the crashes,

as it now performs a full disk defrag on my C drive and goes to completion.

This adventure did highlight a few things about the Defrag programs which I was not aware of before, and prompts me to write up a couple of small suggestions, which I will post separately.

So for now, I consider the issue to be resolved.

:)