Member Avatar for Kamex

I have Linux on my computer as well, but this concerns both versions of Windows I have. They both share the first of my two hard disks, with the first partition being a 10gb FAT32 (with Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition). The second parition is roughly 70gb NTFS, and contains Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition Service Pack 2.

I've been defragmenting the NTFS partition every time Disk Defragmentor tells me I should, but I've left the other partition alone. The reason is that I still don't fully understand how defragmenting works, and I don't know if defragging in one OS will break the other. I really don't care if Windows 98SE is slowed down, since I don't do anything with it other than play ancient games, but if it doesn't work anymore, that's a different story.

I analyzed the FAT32 partition today, and it appears to be badly fragmented. I'm wondering if it's ok to defragment it with XP. Is it? Will it affect Windows 98? Is there the possibility that it will affect Linux, which is sitting on a second hard drive?

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Short answer: you can safely defragment the FAT32 (Win98) partition while booted to Windows XP, and that will not change the partition table or the Linux drive on the second disk. , and are on the right track — XP understands FAT32 and will rearrange clusters correctly — but a few practical steps will reduce risk and save time.

Before defragmenting, make a quick backup of irreplaceable files and repair the filesystem. From XP run:

chkdsk X: /f

(replace X with the FAT32 drive letter). If chkdsk asks to schedule on next boot, say yes and reboot. Do not run a defrag on a volume that still has filesystem errors.

Notes on behavior and pitfalls: XP’s defragmenter updates the FAT and directory entries, so moved files remain readable by Win98. It cannot defragment files that are locked/in use (pagefile, some system files) unless you use a boot-time/offline tool. XP will not touch Linux partitions (ext2/3/4) on the other drive because it doesn’t recognize those filesystems.

How to proceed: boot into XP, open Disk Defragmenter (or use defrag X:), Analyze, then Defragment. Expect it to take a while on a badly fragmented 10GB partition. After it finishes, reboot into Windows 98 once to confirm everything boots and your games run. If defrag fails or reports errors, re-run chkdsk and restore from backup if necessary.

If you prefer zero risk, boot Win98 and run its native defragger instead. Otherwise, follow the checklist above and you’ll get the faster, consolidated FAT32 volume without breaking the other OSes.

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Member Avatar for Catweazle

Defrag away!

Member Avatar for sabuj

You can do the defragmenting of your windows 98 partition using the defragmenting program of Windows xp. There is no problem. This is because of the fact that windows xp understands FAT32 partitions and will do the job nicely.

Member Avatar for fry

You can do the defragmenting of your windows 98 partition using the defragmenting program of Windows xp. There is no problem. This is because of the fact that windows xp understands FAT32 partitions and will do the job nicely.

yeah and it doesn't do any harm to linux partition neither. defragmentation is used only for arranging your disk clusters on purpose your os working faster with files which are situated on HD.

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