Win 10 Defrag no longer works after Defraggler uninstalled [Fixed]

[phillips2361]

Not happy with the Win 10 Defrag for numerous reasons I decided to try Defraggler.

On first use it took a considerable amount of time to complete its task but that wasn't an issue.

I then found that my system was taking a long time to start and almost as long to close down.

My first thought was that maybe Defraggler had configured my files differently and hence a possible cause of the problem. So I tried to use the window defrag, it wouldn't respond.

Have now removed Defraggler and still windows defrag will not load despite it showing in file explorer. Has Defraggler made a change in the registry that I cannot find?

I really need to get the windows defrag working so as I can eliminate a possible "defragment" issue caused by Defraggler. Have tried numerous "fixes" from the internet but either they show setting as correct or any I change ,make no difference, hence I suspect its a registry issue.

Any help would be appreciated.

[nukecad]

Slow starting and apps unable to launch sounds like you have a Windows System issue. (not something that defragmenting files would cause).

Have you run sfc /scannow to check and repair the System files?

If you have and sfc hasn't worked to fix your issues then run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth.
(And then sfc /scannow again).

See this for how to run those commands to repair your Windows System files:
https://www.howtogeek.com/222532/how-to-repair-corrupted-windows-system-files-with-the-sfc-and-dism-commands/

[phillips2361]

21 hours ago, nukecad said:

Slow starting and apps unable to launch sounds like you have a Windows System issue. (not something that defragmenting files would cause).

Have you run sfc /scannow to check and repair the System files?

If you have and sfc hasn't worked to fix your issues then run DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth.
(And then sfc /scannow again).

See this for how to run those commands to repair your Windows System files:
https://www.howtogeek.com/222532/how-to-repair-corrupted-windows-system-files-with-the-sfc-and-dism-commands/

Thanks nukecad for the info.

I had done a SFC scan that showed everything was okay but was too impatient and stopped the DISM scan before it started.

I have now redone them again as per your instructions, SFC shows no errors and DSM reports "completed successfully". Have timed start up and it close to three minutes before I can launch a programme and while it seems much longer when waiting I don't think that's too bad.

I am now left with the Windows defrag issue that I am 95% sure has been caused by the install (and subsequent uninstall) of Defraggler. I click to start it and nothing happens.

Have tried many things as advised on line, including a registry fix, with no success, any thoughts?

[hazelnut]

Are you trying to defrag a hard drive or a solid state drive (SSD) ?

[nukecad]

All I can say at this moment is that both Windows defragmenter and Defraggler work fine here, I can launch and run either one as I choose.
Uninstalling my Defraggler does not affect Windows defrag in the slightest. Neither does reinstalling it.

You seem to have 2 seperate isssues here, the slowish startup, and then the Windows defragmenter not launching.
They are probably not related, but might be.

3 minutes for startup can seem a long time these days, but even only 5 years ago was often considered reasonable.

"Why is my computer slow to start" is one of the top questions asked online, and that's because there can be a multitude of reasons.
From a simple setting, through to too much bloat loading, system or hardware problems, up to even malware.

Have you had a look at just what is strating when you startup?
For example do you maybe have Edge pre-loading, even though you may never use it?
What about other background apps and bloatware?

I'd suggest running AdwCleaner from Malwarebytes to start with, it can quickly get rid of that junk/bloatware, adware, etc.
https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner

In windows Settings go to Apps>Startup and see what is turned on there that could be slowing things.
If you have things that you don't use turned on then turn them off.

You could then also look at Tools>Startup in CCleaner to see just what else is loading at startup, there are 4 tabs there.
You can also disable and enable them there if you are sure that you don't want them running at startup. (Don't use 'Delete' all it does is remove them from that list it doesn't delete them).

Next to the defragmenter.
As Hazelnut asked what type of drive is it? What size is it? How full is it? Right-clicking the drive in File Explorer and selecting Properties will tell you the Capacity and the used/free space on the General tab, the Hardware tab will give you the model number of the drive from which we should be able to tell what type it is.

While you are in the Properties go to the Tools tab and see if the defragmenter will launch from there. (And maybe run the Error checker too, it can take a while depending on the size of the disc, but would rule out another potential cause of problems).

You said that you were not happy with the Windows Defragmenter for various reasons, can you expand on those reasons just it case they might be relevant here?

Step by step, do you normally launch the Windows defragmenter? You mentioned from File Explorer above?
What do you see when it fails to load?

And finally for now, have you tried booting into safe mode and seeing if it runs there?

 

 

 

 

[phillips2361]

@nukecad

Wow what a list of checks, thank you. Results etc as follows:-

Ran adware, found one pup-quarantined.

Have Malwarebytes with browser guard, installed and run it once a week.

In windows settings-startup, only 4 from a list of 12 are set to on, Edge is set to off.

Ccleaner, tools-startup, only 4 of 10 enabled. I use Ccleaner weekly

Defragmenter issue-will give you the good news at the end........

@hazelnut Drive is a SATA, Toshiba DT01ACA100, A 1TB hard drive, Used, 179gb free 751gb

Tried Defrag from properties Tools box-didn't work.

Ran Error check from the properties-Tools and .......................... DFRAG WORKED ON RESTART it now launches from start menu and Tools tab in drive properties. A thousand apologies to Defraggler for blaming you. :-)

To conclude the answer to your questions, even though they are now irrelevant. I am a bit old school and loved the old type of defrag, could watch it for hours. The Win 10 one shows nothing but numbers and gives me little confidence. Defragler seemed more thorough and I could see what it was doing, it also did a considerable amount of file moving straight after doing a Win 10 defrag, giving the impression that it was doing a more thorough job than the standard defrag tool.

so I will give my PC a couple of days to see how its doing and then reinstall Defraggler.

I may have mislead a bit with regard to file explorer and launching defrag. To clarify, I always launch it from the start menu, my reference to file explorer was to say that the defrag folder and associated files were still present in file explorer and therefore it was still installed on my PC.

Finally nukecad, your a star in my books, thank you so much for your help.

[nukecad]

Good to hear that it's working for you now.

So the problem was a disc error/fault preventing Windows defrag from reading the disc, and the Disc Error check has fixed it.
TBH I had thought that you might have replied that you'd already run CHKDSK when doing SFC and DISM.

Hopefully fixing a disc error will have also improved your startup speed.

Sometimes it's better to give a list of things to check all at once rather than one at once which takes longer as posts go back and forth.
Your answers are good, not much at startup, plenty of disc space, you don't say what the PUP was but fair enough if it was unwanted.

Something to note is that using more than one defragmenter isn't going to improve defragmentation.
Every one of them uses their own algorithm, there's no set standard, so will just reorder things as it wants regardless of what the one before did.
You could spend hours defragmenting and ordering the files one way with one app, and then another way with another app, and then .....,

PS. I know what you mean about the removal of the drive map from Windows Optimize and Defrag, watching a defragmenter drive map is a bit like watching someone play Tetris and you can still watch it in Defraggler and others.
But it doesn't really have any function it's just a pretty graphic and maybe reassurance that something is happening. But for all you know the app could just be moving coloured brocks round and not even touching your drive
It also gives it's own issue of people trying to get their drives 'perfect' - everything in a solid block at the start and nothing fragmented.
It's a Holy Grail, only going to happen on an external drive not on a system drive, But that doesn't stop people trying and then complaining about the defragmenter when they can't achieve what can't be achieved. (Well maybe very very rarely).
Probably that's one of the reasons why Microsoft removed it.

PPS. I must have saved hours since I switched both my laptops internal drives to SSD's. No defragging of those just a trim which takes seconds.
Of course I still have the old spinners as external drives, so still Defraggler for those.

[phillips2361]

@nukecad

I thought I had run CHKDSK but at my age its a good possibility that I thought about it and forgot to do it . Must write a check list next time.

Start up speed about the same but by the clock, its acceptable, so my impatience needs to be reigned in.

Comments noted about use of 2 defrag programmes, I hadn't intended to use both but I do like "pretty graphics". 

Will explore changing to SSD's, that's a job for the winter when I am bored.

Thanks again, appreciate your help.

[nukecad]

3 hours ago, phillips2361 said:

..... at my age its a good possibility that I thought about it and forgot to do it....

I think that all us old timers know that one.

I have this laptop set to hibernate when I close the lid so it restarts very quickly, it does mean that when I boot my other laptop from shut down it feels like it's taking an age to start.

[Andavari]

Having a hard disk as the boot drive and only 3 minutes to start and then be able to launch a program of choice in Win10 or Win11 is actually rather good. I've seen some PCs with a hard disk and Win10 installed onto it take 5-10 minutes to settle down before they can used in a responsive state.

One way to avoid the startup time is to just Sign Out, or use Sleep in the case of a laptop. Then occasionally once every few days do a proper Restart to refresh the available RAM and resources.