Vista Tutorial - Disk Defragmenter from Command Prompt

**Brink**

How to Run Disk Defragmenter from the Command Prompt in Vista

Information

This will show you how to run Vista Disk Defragmenter from the command prompt instead of the program within Vista to use more options and details.

RELATED LINKS:

Here's How:

NOTE

Wait until your hard drive stops running before closing the command prompt to allow the defragmentation to finish. It may take a while to finish depending on how large and fragmented your hard drive is.

1. Open a elevated command prompt.

2. Choose the option you want to do below.

3. For a Complete List of Commands -
A) In the elevated command prompt, type defrag.exe -? and press Enter. (See screenshot below)

4. To Defragment a Drive or Volume -

A) In the elevated command prompt, type a option in bold below you want to do. (See screenshot below)
defrag.exe c: for the C: drive
NOTE: You can use whatever drive letter to defrag it.

defrag.exe -c for all drives or volumes.

B) Press Enter.

5. To Perform an Analysis Only and Not Defragment -
A) In the elevated command prompt, type the option in bold below. (See screenshot below)

defrag.exe c: -a for an analysis on the C: drive
NOTE: You can use whatever drive letter to defrag it.

B) Press Enter.

6. To Perform a Partial Defragmentation Only -
A) In the elevated command prompt, type a option in bold below you want to do. (See screenshot below)

defrag.exe c: -r for the C: drive.
NOTE: You can use whatever drive letter to defrag it.

defrag.exe -c -r for all drives or volumes.

B) Press Enter.

7. To Perform a Full Defragmentation -
A) In the elevated command prompt, type a option in bold below you want to do. (See screenshot below)

defrag.exe c: -w for the C: drive.
NOTE: You can use whatever drive letter to defrag it.

defrag.exe -c -w for all drives and volumes.

B) Press Enter.

8. To Force a Defragmentation on a Drive With Low Space -
A) In the elevated command prompt, type a option in bold below you want to do. (See above sections)

defrag.exe c: -f for the C: drive.

defrag.exe c: -w -f for the C: drive with full defragmentation.

defrag.exe c: -r -f for the C: drive with partial defragmentation.

defrag.exe -c -f for all drives and volumes.

defrag.exe -c -w -f for all drives with full defragmentation.

defrag.exe -c- r -f for all drives with partial defragmentation.

B) Press Enter.

9. For Verbose or Detailed Mode -
A) In the elevated command prompt, type a option in bold below you want to do. (See screenshot below)

defrag.exe c: -f -v for the C: drive.

defrag.exe c: -a -v for the C: drive with analysis.

defrag.exe c: -w -f -v for the C: drive with full defragmentation.

defrag.exe c: -r -f -v for the C: drive with partial defragmentation.

defrag.exe -c -f -v for all drives and volumes.

defrag.exe -c -w -f -v for all drives with full defragmentation.

defrag.exe -c- r -f -v for all drives with partial defragmentation.

B) Press Enter.

That's it,
Shawn

**MilesAhead** · 02-04-2009

Brink, just a note... it seems like the -b switch to defrag boot files still works, even though when you do "defrag /?" it doesn't show up in the param list. I just defragged with -b switch.

**Brink** · 02-04-2009

Strange MilesAhed, I cannot get defrag.exe -b to work in a elevated command prompt, but can with this tutorial's shortcut.

Defragment Boot Files - Create Shortcut

**MilesAhead** · 02-04-2009

	Quote:	Brink
	Strange MilesAhed, I cannot get defrag.exe -b to work in a elevated command prompt, but can with this tutorial's shortcut. Defragment Boot Files - Create Shortcut

Hmmmm, do Path and see if C:\Windows\system32 is in your path

I have Auslogics defrag but their command line version is cdefrag.exe. I don't see another defrag.exe on my machine. Plus doing defrag /? brings up the help info so it must be going to the windows defrag.exe

That's weird.

**Brink** · 02-04-2009

Tru Dat.