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© J.C. Kessels 2009

How do I disable the Windows built-in defragger?

Windows 2000 & 2003:
The built-in defragger is not started automatically.
Windows XP:
  1. Download the free *  Tweak UI utility from Microsoft.
  2. Click on "General" and untick the "Optimise hard disk when idle" box.
Windows Vista:
  1. Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> Disk Defragmenter
  2. Untick the "Run on a schedule (recommended)" box.
The following registry settings have something to do with the build-in defragmenter. There is no official Microsoft documentation for these settings, so any information you may find on the internet regarding these settings is guesswork, and I will not add to that. My advise is not to play with these settings, you are on your own here.
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction\Enable
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\OptimalLayout\EnableAutoLayout
  • HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PrefetchParameters\EnablePrefetcher

See also:

*  Frequently Asked Questions