W2k defrag doesn't completely defrag

>>>Is this the way it should be or should it end up as one solid blue bar.

This is pretty normal. Because a lot of the system files and any files or programs you have open won't be moved because they are locked.

Also I woudn't be overly concerned about this. I doubt you would notice much if any in performance increase if you did get the blue to be one solid block.

You seem to be confusing 'free space consolidation' with 'file defragmentation.'

Fragmented files simply have more than one part of themselves scattered in different locations on the disk.  Bringing these scattered parts together to a single location is the goal of disk defragmentation.  This single place can be almost anywhere on the disk.

Consolidating the free space is moving all the files to the beginning of the logical disk.  Then the disk has all its files one after another and then all the free space in one lump area.

Some defragmenters also do free space consolidation.  As I recall, Win98's built in defragmenter did both without asking or giving you any option.  But these are two seperate concepts.  What you are seeing is only defragmentation.  The Win2K defragementer is behaving exactly as it should.

PS - The problem with free space consolidation is that it almost guarantees that adding to any file means the file becomes fragmented.  If the free space is left to fall where it will, then files are more likely to already have empty space to add on to themselves.

Free space consolidation is good for boot partitions that rarely change.  It is bad for file servers where lots of people frequently add and subtrack to work files.  Whether it is bad for your workstation depends on several variables and so as a good general it is better not to consolidate the free space.  Just defragment workstations from time to time.

With Windows default Disk Defragmenter: You can boot your computer to Safe Mode, and run defragmenter there. In Safe Mode there's less services running --> You get better results.

With 3rd party Defrag software, I have noticed, that not all of these programs support Win2K/XP Disk systems. As a example, Diskeeper cannot defragment HDD which is mounted to folder..

Sounds like defrag display is normal.Is defrag actually completing?Do you get any error messages?If defrag is not completing check task manager(CTRL-ALT-DEL 1x)to see what programs are running.Defrag needs exclusive access to the disk.Hope this helps.

http://sourceforge.net/projects/autodefrag/

Allows scheduling of the built in defrager in 2000, I tossed it into the startup scripts, to run during boot up and it defrags before any one logs in. (uses system account that way)

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/pagedefrag.shtml

This runs early enough in boot up that it can defrag page file and some other system files.

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/contig.shtml

for trouble files contig can do them one at a time, for some you may need to preform a regular defrag after contiging them other wise they'll revert back to being fragmented (doesn't happen often)

Hope that helps...