What live cd can I use for defragmenting ntfs drives?

[lknn]

I'd like to use a live cd to prioritize the defragmentation. I tried using ubcd4win, but it produced errors on startup and was unable to launch any applications. I wonder whether ntfs support in linux is reliable and if there is an efficient live cd I can use to defrag.

[MikeTbob]

I've never heard of anyone using a LiveCD to defrag anything.....Linux does not fragment the way Windows does so there is really no need for a defragmenter.

[lknn]

I'm using Windows, that's why I have ntfs drives. I don't want to defrag in Windows because other programs are inevitably going to be running and contributing negatively to the performance. I could, but I'd like to avoid that.

[yancek]

Googling your problem came up with a few hits but everything I found seemed to be a "our program defrags faster than the windows program" and nothing standalone, at least that I could find in my limited search. This would seem like something useful for a windows toolbox CD such as SystemRescue with Linux.

Have you gone to any windows forums or the microsoft site to look for a standalone program?

[reed9]

There is not currently a NTFS defrag program in linux. There is a project, but I don't think it's gone anywhere in a long time.

ntfsdefrag [www.linux-ntfs.org]

You can create a Windows boot disk which can defrag, however.
How to Create an Emergency Windows Rescue CD (howtohaven.com)

[lknn]

Ok. That rescue cd seems to be based on bartpe, on which ubcd4win is based also, thus it has the potential of generating the same errors. I'm going to just try and do this in safe mode.

[oz]

I'd like to use a live cd to prioritize the defragmentation. I tried using ubcd4win, but it produced errors on startup and was unable to launch any applications. I wonder whether ntfs support in linux is reliable and if there is an efficient live cd I can use to defrag.

Hello and welcome to the forums!

Linux isn't much into the defrag game since Linux filesystems don't fragment so much as some of the others, but I think Paragon makes a defragmenter that can be run from liveCD. I've never used it so can't say anything about the quality, or the performance aspect of it.

[dazzakoh]

Fellas - remember that not all of us are using pure Linux'es. Some of us are still dual booting, or need to be able to share our external drive with a Windows machine. So out of necessity, we leave our external drives formatted in ntfs.

Now while the Tux'es and their filesystems (choose - ext2, ext3, ext4, btfs, squashfs, etc) do not really fragment, I believe ntfs does. So I can see where the OP is coming from. I've been looking around for some safe/r defragging tool, and the only one I have settled on is an old notebook booting Windows.

If only the linux-ntfs project were still alive... sigh!

[dolo724]

I've been using defraggler by piriform. It has more options than Windows defrag, such as moving larger files to the end of the main partition during the process.

Yes, it's used while live in Windows, but sometimes you have to bite the bullet and just do it. If ntfsdefrag were active I'd likely be using it instead. @reed9 has the right idea.

[digital-massacre]

I have a suggestion.

Now. I may not say this right, and you will need to do just a tad of research to pull it off, but......what if you redo your layout, and make the entire computer a Linux system only have Microsoft running in one of the virtual boxes available for free today, and have your Microsoft operating system think that ALL OF YOUR PERSONAL FILES are being sent to a Microsoft SERVER that is handling the Hard Drive.......only in reality, the Server is Linux. Thus, all of your personal files end up being taken care of by Linux, which means no defrag ever again. Plus, if your Microsoft operating system starts getting slow or messed up, you can simply kill it and a second later have a brand new clean install of it running again. And if you get a virus on the Microsoft, again, you just kill it and restart it and you are clean. All the damage that can be done will be limited to the Microsoft operating system itself, which is instantly replaceable.