Speed up Windows XP's defrag operations

One simple way to speed up the defrag operation in Windows XP is to restart your computer before you launch Defrag. Doing so allows the operating system to clear out the swap/paging file and reset it to the default size. Hence 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.
An alternate approach of speeding up the defrag operation in Windows XP is to configure it to occur immediately upon startup. You can do so easily using registry edit:

1. Open the Registry Editor by typing “regedit” in Run window. Registry Editor window opens.

2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\RunOnce.

3. Now Right-click on the “RunOnce” subkey and select New  String Value.

4. Name the new String value as “Defrag” and hit “Enter” twice.

5. Next type Defrag.exe c: /f in the Value Data text box and click OK.

6. After finishing Close the Registry Editor and restart Windows.

The above method can be used for both Windows XP Home and Professional Editions.