I've been using Defraggler for a while (and love it), but just recently started playing around with the settings.
Short version: Whenever I check "Move large files to end of drive during while drive defrag", Defraggler just skips the defrag altogether and jumps straight to the benchmark, then announces that the defrag is complete.
Steps to replicate: Check "Move large files to end of drive during whole drive defrag", all other options left as default. Running defrag goes directly to benchmark - no files are moved at all. Unchecking the box returns Defraggler to normal operating condition.
Settings: "Move large files..." checked, Minimum file size 10280 (10GB), "Move only selected files" unchecked, both "Advanced" options checked
I can confirm this problem. It's a bit of a nuissance. Been happening to me in my current windows 10, and previous windows 8.1 installs on 2 different computers.
DF Version: 2.19.982 (though this problem has persisted across many, many previous versions)
Main computer:
Win10 64-bit custom desktop
Previously, Win8.1 64-bit
HDD: WD1002FAEX 1TB, internal SATA
previously a system drive with a storage partition, an ntfs win partition, and ext4 linux partition
currently solely a secondary storage NTFS drive (the problem has been occuring throughout this computer's lifetime)
Other computer:
Same as above, except a dell laptop instead of a desktop
HDD: hitachi 500GB 7200rpm laptop hdd
one storage ntfs partition, one win ntfs partition, one ext4 ubuntu partition, and one extended partition, containing debian in ext4 and swap
Viper426 , if I read your post correctly you had the Minimum file size set at 10280 (10GB), this means you had to have at least one (1) file => 10 GB before DF could move anything.
One thing you need to know about moving large files, DF MUST have enough empty squares at or near the end of drive so that it can move the file as one continuous series of empty squares, or it will not move the file at all. If you have a lot of used squares scattered out all over your disk then you will be lucky to move any files at all, therefore you must move as many scattered used squares as you can to as close to the beginning of the dive as you can, you do this using the Full Defrag without the Move Large Files option.
If you have not noticed, DF does not have an Optimize option, this is because the Full Defrag option ALSO Optimizes and will move normal files as close to the beginning of the drive as it can get them but will not move “System” files or files that are “In Use”. When trying to clean up scattered used squares it is best to do it when the drive is “Offline”, I go to my D: drive and Defrag my C: drive from there, this allows some but not all “System” files to be moved, and it makes the defrag a bit faster because it is not having to deal with files that are “in use”. I do not use the “Defrag On Reboot” because it appears to do very little if anything.
The bottom line here is when moving large files keep as many used squares away from the end of disk as possible and make sure the Minimum file size is set =< the file size to be moved.
When DF cannot move any files it does what you described, and you are correct, When using the “Move Large Files” option it skips the Defrag part. I GUESS because it can’t be moving some files to the end and some files to the begging of drive at the same time
I store my C: drive image on drive D: and my D: drive image on drive C:
I do NOT want these image files mixed up here and there amongst my regular system and/or program files. Once these image files are put on the disk they are never accessed again until they are replaced, so I always move them to the end of the disk’s, and believe me this can be one heck of a chore at times.