How to speed up defrag operations in Windows XP

1.   The most simple way to speed up a defrag operation in Microsoft Windows XP is to restart the system before you launch the Defrag application. This allows the operating system to clear out the swap/paging file (may require a change in configuration for ultimate effect) and to reset it to the default size. This lets Defrag focus strictly on the necessary data on the hard disk, without having to stop and manage a huge swap file loaded with unneeded data.

2.   Another approach to speeding up a defrag operation in Windows XP is to configure it to occur immediately upon startup. You can do so easily with a simple registry edit.

Note: Before editing the Windows Registry   back up your Windows Registry. 

Follow these steps to start a defrag operation immediately upon startup:

Launch the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe).

Go to: 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce
Right-click the RunOnce subkey and select New | String Value.
Name the value Defrag and press [Enter] twice.
Type Defrag.exe c: /f in the Value Data text box and click OK.
Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows.

The defrag operation will begin when you type your password and press [Enter]. (Keep in mind that values added to the RunOnce key are removed immediately after the command has been run.)

Note: This applies to both Windows XP Home and Professional editions.