Defragment Boot Files - Enable or Disable

How to Enable or Disable Defrag of Boot Files at Startup in Vista

information   Information
This will show you how to enable or disable the defragging of the boot files automatically during the startup or restart of Vista. This is enabled by default in Vista.
Note   Note
When enabled, this can help improve the performance of the computer by consolidating the fragmented boot files to get a faster startup time.
Tip   Tip
If you would like to create a Defragment Boot Files shortcut so you can manually defrag the boot files when you want to without having to restart the computer, then see: How to Create a Defragment Boot Files Shortcut in Vista




OPTION ONE
Using a REG File Download

1. To Disable Defrag of Boot Files at Startup
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.​
Disable_Auto_Boot_Defrag.reg
download

B) Go to step 3.​

2. To Enable Defrag of Boot Files at Startup
A) Click on the Download button below to download the file below.​
Enable_Auto_Boot_Defrag.reg
download

3. Click on Save, and save the .reg file to the Desktop.​
4. Right click on the downloaded .reg file and click on Merge.​
5. Click on Run, Continue (UAC), Yes, and then OK when prompted.​
6. When done, you can delete the downloaded .reg file if you like.​





OPTION TWO
Manually in Registry Editor

1. Open the Start Menu.​
2. In the white line (Start Search) area, type regedit and press Enter.​
3. Click on the Continue button for the UAC prompt.​
4. In regedit, go to: (See screenshot below)​
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Dfrg\BootOptimizeFunction
Reg_Enabled.jpg

5. To Disable Defrag of Boot Files at Startup
A) In the right pane, right click on Enable and click Modify. (See screenshot above)​
B) Type N and click OK. (See screenshot below)​
Modify_Disabled.jpg
C) The registry will now look like this. (See screenshot below)​
Reg_Disabled.jpg
D) Go to step 7.​

6. To Enable Defrag of Boot Files at Startup
A) In the right pane, right click on Enable and click Modify. (See screenshot above)​
B) Type Y and click OK. (See screenshot below)​
Modify_Enabled.jpg
C) The registry will now look like this. (See screenshot below step 4)​

7. Close regedit.​
That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

  • Enable_Auto_Boot_Defrag.reg
    248 bytes · Views: 21,747
  • Disable_Auto_Boot_Defrag.reg
    248 bytes · Views: 20,405
  • Disk_Defragmenter.png
    Disk_Defragmenter.png
    97.2 KB · Views: 351
Last edited:
Hi Krisdestruction, and welcome to Vista Forums.

Yes, but only as needed.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
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    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
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    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
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    Conexant ISST Audio
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    17.3" UHD IPS touch
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    3480 x 2160
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    512 GB M.2 SSD
Gonna do the work to set the Vista defrag utility to defrag boot files, on boot up as needed, when I get a chance.

Thanks for this, I was wondering if something like this was possible, since I don't use Diskeeper anymore.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Core 2 Duo E6600
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    Intel 975XBX2
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    8GB's of DDR2 800
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    Radeon 3870X2
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    HT Omega Claro
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    Viewsonic VG2030wm Widescreen LCD
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    120GB
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    16X LG DVDROM & LG Dual Layer DVD Burner
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Your welcome WildEagle. It should be enabled by default though.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
Just checked it is enabled by default. Wasn't sure if it was enabled already.
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    Core 2 Duo E6600
    Motherboard
    Intel 975XBX2
    Memory
    8GB's of DDR2 800
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon 3870X2
    Sound Card
    HT Omega Claro
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Viewsonic VG2030wm Widescreen LCD
    Screen Resolution
    1680X1050
    Hard Drives
    120GB
    200GB
    320GB
    PSU
    ThermalTake Toughpower 700
    Case
    Antec P182
    Cooling
    four 120mm fans
    Keyboard
    Microsoft Natural Multimedia Keyboard
    Mouse
    Microsoft Wireless Intellimous Explorer 2.0
    Internet Speed
    10MB
    Other Info
    16X LG DVDROM & LG Dual Layer DVD Burner
    Logitech X-540 speakers
Hello. I have a little qestion. What mean's "LcnEndLocation"? In your registry entry i can seen value 575821, but in my registry is this value 0. Is this range of space in bytes of the system files on the disk or something?

Thank you in advice

TorchMan™
 

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    Intel Core2Quad, 2400Mhz
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    MSI NX8600GTS-E
    Hard Drives
    #1 - Seagate Barracuda 7200rpm. 111GB

    #2 - WesternDigital 7200rpm. 235GB
Hi Torchman,

Well basically LcnEndLocation stands for the "Logical Cluster Number (on the hard drive) End Location" of the files moved by Disk Defragmenter for boot optimization (defrag), and LcnStartLocation is for the start location.

The data within these cluster numbers is usually the prefetch data. The size numbers for LcnEndLocation and LcnStartLocation will vary and should not be manually modified.

Hope this helps,
Shawn
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
um. what if i use smart defrag. and i defag like every 20 minuites. will i need it?
 

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    amd 64x2 4200+ 2.2ghz per core
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    ECS NETTLE
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    3 gb
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    nvdia 6150se nforce 430(old rig, upgrading)
    Sound Card
    reltrek hd audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    hp w1907
    Screen Resolution
    1440x968/1024x768
    Hard Drives
    320gb
    PSU
    upgrading, Coolmax CA-450 450watts
    Case
    hp casing
    Cooling
    defult..
    Keyboard
    hp
    Mouse
    hp
    Internet Speed
    768kbps down and 128 up...very slow..
    Other Info
    not great compared to other people..
Hi Kiddieboy,

Unless that program had a feature to defrag the boot files specifically, then yes you will. I do not know if it does or not though, so I would play it safe and leave this as enabled.

Defragging that often is just way to often, and may wear out your hard quicker. Maybe once a week if you do a lot of installing and uninstalling of files and programs. It's your choice though. :)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
i love trying out new software.

change is good
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • CPU
    amd 64x2 4200+ 2.2ghz per core
    Motherboard
    ECS NETTLE
    Memory
    3 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    nvdia 6150se nforce 430(old rig, upgrading)
    Sound Card
    reltrek hd audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    hp w1907
    Screen Resolution
    1440x968/1024x768
    Hard Drives
    320gb
    PSU
    upgrading, Coolmax CA-450 450watts
    Case
    hp casing
    Cooling
    defult..
    Keyboard
    hp
    Mouse
    hp
    Internet Speed
    768kbps down and 128 up...very slow..
    Other Info
    not great compared to other people..
Hi Shawn,
I checked it out and this feature is enabled by default.
Is a registry defragmentor the same as a hard drive defragmentor? What I'm asking does the function perform the same procedure of moving around cluster like a hard drive?
 
Last edited:

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    SB X-Fi MB
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    Samsung Syncmaster T240
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    1900x1200
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    2x1TB Western Digital Black (Raid 0), 150GB WD Raptor
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    1200W Thermaltake Toughpower
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    Lian Li PC80P
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    Chassis - 3 Front 140mm, Top 140mm, Rear 140mm
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    Logitech MX Revolution
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    Fold up beast by me :-)
Hello Gnys,

Yes, this is enabled by default in Vista.

A registry defragmentor does the same thing as a hard drive defragmenter, but it only defrags the registry file itself instead of the entire hard drive. :)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro 64-bit
    Manufacturer/Model
    Custom
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    Seasonic Prime Titanium 850W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro
    Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy Y0F94AV
    CPU
    i7-7500U @ 2.70 GHz
    Memory
    16 GB DDR4-2133
    Graphics card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce 940MX
    Sound Card
    Conexant ISST Audio
    Monitor(s) Displays
    17.3" UHD IPS touch
    Screen Resolution
    3480 x 2160
    Hard Drives
    512 GB M.2 SSD
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