Diskeeper Server Enterprise 10.0 - User Guide and FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions - Diskeeper Server Enterprise

1. Does Diskeeper work with Windows XP Service Pack 2?
   
   Yes. However, if you are installing or running Diskeeper on a computer running Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
   
   
2. Can Diskeeper defragment paging files?
   
   The paging file is open for exclusive use by the Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 operating systems. Diskeeper cannot safely defragment any file that is open for exclusive use. However, Diskeeper can defragment the paging file on these operating systems during boot-time, before Windows has started up.
   
   
3. Why don't my files get moved to the beginning of the volume?
   
   On NTFS volumes, Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 reserve a portion of the free space on a volume for the Master File Table (MFT). This free space is usually most noticeable at the physical "beginning" of the volume (easily seen using the Volume Map display), but space is also reserved for use by the MFT in other areas of the volume.
   
   Since this free space is reserved for exclusive use, Diskeeper will not move files into these areas of the volume. However, Diskeeper will move files out of this reserved area.
   
   
4. Why don't all of my NTFS volumes appear in the Computer pane?
   
   It is necessary for both SYSTEM and ADMINISTRATOR to have full control over a file (or the directory folder it is in) in order for Diskeeper to have access to move the file. This is because the Diskeeper service runs under the Administrator account, and System access is necessary to defragment files safely. This is a security feature that is governed by the Windows NT, Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003 C2 security requirements.
   
   If the root-level directory folder does not have system and administrator set for full control (as seen in the Permissions section under the Security tab in the Properties dialog box) Diskeeper will not display the volume in the Volume list under some circumstances.
   
   
5. Why don't my defragmentation jobs all start at the same time?
   
   Diskeeper is designed to defragment more than one volume at a time. However, when the defragmentation of two or more volumes is scheduled to begin at the same time, Diskeeper will start each job separately, in one-minute intervals. For this reason, you will notice the start times for each Diskeeper job run in the Application Event Log can vary by several minutes. This is no cause for alarm.
   
   Note that different editions of Diskeeper support different numbers of simultaneous operations.
   
   
6. Why doesn't free space reported in the post-analysis (or defragmentation) pop-up match what the Diskeeper Fragmentation Report shows?
   
   Several of the post-analysis and post-defragmentation summary screens include information about the amount of free space available on the disk volume for defragmentation. This figure is based on the space available to Diskeeper, but on NTFS volumes this is not necessarily the total free space on the volume. A certain percentage of the total volume is reserved for the Master File Table (MFT) on NTFS volumes, and this space cannot be used by Diskeeper for defragmenting files. Because of this, the figure shown in the Diskeeper post-analysis and post-defragmentation summaries on NTFS volumes will not match the total free space figure displayed in the Diskeeper Job Report tab (or other utilities like Disk Properties in Windows Explorer).
   
   
7. How can I run Diskeeper from an account that is not a member of the Administrators group?
   
   In most cases, if the account you are using is not a member of the Administrators group, you will not be able to install or operate Diskeeper. We recommend that you simply use the set and forget. It features to set a schedule to allow Diskeeper to run in the background on all systems. Since the Set It and Forget It operation runs under the system process, there is no need for an administrator to be logged in when it is running.
   
   However, if you are using Diskeeper Administrator to deploy Diskeeper to your remote computers, you do have the option to allow non-administrator users to control Diskeeper on each remote computer.
   
   
8. Do I need to have the Diskeeper service running all the time?
   
   Yes. DkService is the program that actually runs Diskeeper defragmentation jobs. It monitors the Diskeeper schedule file and starts defragmentation jobs when they are needed. If the Diskeeper service is disabled or not present, you will not be able to run Diskeeper at all.
   
   If you look at the DkService process using Task Manager, you will see that it uses only a few seconds of CPU time each week. The fact that it is running all the time is not going to use up system resources, or cause any problems.