Why, after several years of using Defraggler, suddenly a super large 'MFT' file shows up in my view window ... and cannot get rid of it, no matter what???????
It has NEVER been there before !!!
The operating files are still there, as they have been for some time now, and this so-called MFT file near the bottom ... taking up a large amount of my 'free' boxes.
I don't want it there! How do I get rid of it???
Thanks
Do you have XP? On my Vista system the MFT is only one square but on my mom's XP it's a whole line, but hers has always been that way so I don't know. I just assumed the different operating systems displayed differently. I'll be interested to hear what others say about it.
Edit: Just had a thought. Did you recently update to a different service pack, that might cause it to display differently, but it's just a guess.
Do you have XP? On my Vista system the MFT is only one square but on my mom's XP it's a whole line, but hers has always been that way so I don't know. I just assumed the different operating systems displayed differently. I'll be interested to hear what others say about it.
Edit: Just had a thought. Did you recently update to a different service pack, that might cause it to display differently, but it's just a guess.
Yes have XP w/sp3. No to different sp. Was merely running Adobe Acrobat 9 Pro. It failed to do my job I wanted done, and just sat there and spun over and over until I figured something was going on and exited the program. Last time h/d was reformatted ... about 1 year ago ... have not had this show up, and have done about 15-20 defrags in that time frame; usely with Piriform product.
Hi doonboggle, and welcome to Piriform.
The MFT, or "Master File Table" is an essential part of any drive, and you can't get rid of it.
Here's a description of what it is exactly.
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/file/ntfs/archMFT-c.html
Maybe you just didn't notice it before, or another defrag program you used didn't have a drive map, but Windows couldn't find files on a drive without it.
Dennis.
I am very cognizant to my screen when I use Piriform deflaggler.
Have used it now for the past 3 years or more; and do a defrag monthly or more as needed ... IMO that is.
NEVER has there been double rows of little purple boxes ... NEVER ... as there is now!!! Until recently.
Had previously notice a small 2 box of purple, but not the large numbers as there is now. Have not counted, but likely approaching 100 ... rather than 2.
So something has changed ... and it concerns me.
True ... maybe they are harmless, but once again, WHY were they not there from the very beginning ??????
Hi doonboggle, and welcome to Piriform.
The MFT, or "Master File Table" is an essential part of any drive, and you can't get rid of it.
Here's a description of what it is exactly.
http://www.pcguide.com/ref/hdd/file/ntfs/archMFT-c.html
Maybe you just didn't notice it before, or another defrag program you used didn't have a drive map, but Windows couldn't find files on a drive without it.
From the Piriform Defraggler docs the implication is that the purple blocks denote the MFT reserved space (the MFT Zone). In XP this is set at installation time to a default of 12.5% of the total disk size. This zone has always been on your disk, although I can't say whether prior versions of Defraggler have reported and shown it as such.
The MFT zone, and the $mft files inside it, are the way that the file system (NTFS) works. You can alter the size of the zone (only upwards, I believe) but you can't get rid of it. I don't know why this hasn't been visible to you before, but you can bet your bottom dollar that it's always been there.
Stretching theories a little, it might be the case that if the disk were packed full of data then data would be forced into the MFT Zone, and Defraggler might report it differently, but I wouldn't put anyone's dollar on that.
I've recently noticed on my Defraggler I can't see all the blocks unless the window is maximized. My MFT for example is one block if restored down but three when maximized. There are also a lot of red blocks I can't see unless maximized.
The fact is, Defraggler does not create the MFT. It simply registers what it finds on the drive.
The likely explanation is the one already suggested by norel, that the actual size of the MFT was out of sight, below the limit of the display window.
You seemed pretty putout by my reply. The bold uppercase letters and the exclamation/question marks look as if you are actually shouting.
My reply wasn't intended to be condescending in any way, and I don't think it was. It was simply an attempt to explain why you hadn't seen something which has always been there.
On my mom's machine with XP it's a line and a half maximized, but restored down it's still about 3/4 of a line.
I have the same sh*t... and I dislike it too...
It's just my guess, but I think it's somehow related to System Restore Points...
Don't know how to make it smaller as well. But, maybe it should be so.
The bad idea, is to turn SR points off... really bad.
Hope, I've helped.
enthusiast_385
enthusiast_385, that seems like a logical assumption. Have you tried deleting all but the most recent restore point with the Disk Cleanup utility or CCleaner? It would be interesting to see if it makes a difference.
I have the same sh*t... and I dislike it too...It's just my guess, but I think it's somehow related to System Restore Points...
Don't know how to make it smaller as well. But, maybe it should be so.
The bad idea, is to turn SR points off... really bad.
Hope, I've helped.
enthusiast_385
is not a bad idea..
specially after finding threats like trojans,worns,etc..
in fact i do it like every week. restore oints takes a lot of soce.
you can disable it and then re-enable it.
enthusiast_385, that seems like a logical assumption. Have you tried deleting all but the most recent restore point with the Disk Cleanup utility or CCleaner? It would be interesting to see if it makes a difference.
If some space is reserved for SR points under MFT, then it can't be resized (or changed), because it's locked...
Deletion of some won't affect the actual size of that area...
Hope I've helped.
enthusiast_385
Calm the hell down already.
The MFT is a part of Windows, and is necessary to locate files on your hard drive. Without it, your operating system would not function.
Depending on the age of your install (how long you've kept Windows for, without formatting), and the amount of files you have on your HDD, the MFT size can vary greatly.
The MFT is dynamic, and as such, can start off very small, and inflate its size when required.
So again, calm down, and move on.
Correctly, Ramzy.
But why the users here dislike it, is because for a 1/2 weeks old system (in my case) - the MFT is too large. I have a 500GB HDD, and my MFT is about 10%-15% I'd say...
Anyway, it's pretty normal, because it's Windows OS desided so... and its plans must not be "argued" (lol).
I think topic is closed now.
enthusiast_385
For anyone not clued up as to how Windows handles and reserves space for the MFT, this may be a useful read: