# Solved: Partition will not optimize



## golddust (Jan 2, 2005)

Have a strange thing going on with my disk optimization. When I checked to see if my hard drive needed optimizing I saw one partition with a strange (to me) labeling. Says it's 21 percent fragmented, but can't get it to optimize. Click on that item and when I click Optimize nothing happens. Computer is only about a month old.

Tech Support Guy System Info Utility version 1.0.0.2
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 8.1, 64 bit
Processor: AMD E2-1800 APU with Radeon(tm) HD Graphics, AMD64 Family 20 Model 2 Stepping 0
Processor Count: 2
RAM: 3659 Mb
Graphics Card: AMD Radeon HD 7340 Graphics, 384 Mb
Hard Drives: C: Total - 357182 MB, Free - 310170 MB; D: Total - 17894 MB, Free - 2187 MB; H: Total - 99998 MB, Free - 99888 MB;
Motherboard: Hewlett-Packard, 2AE4
Antivirus: Windows Defender, Disabled (don't know why it says disabled it is running)


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

1. Windows Defender - disabled - a bug in the TSG utility it does not correctly report on Defender

2. What please does disk management show in respect of disks and partitions

3. any usb drives connected


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## golddust (Jan 2, 2005)

Hope these help. Nothing attached other than the usual mouse, keyboard, speakers, printer. No flash drives or external hard drive attached.


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

Was the computer supplied with 8.1 or has 8.1 been installed since
open a cmd prompt with admin rights - that is right click and click run as admin from either the metro screen or the desktop if you have it pinned

type
mountvol

scroll down and the discs/drives will be shown with the GUID - the globally unique identifier which is what that number is shown on optimize

those that are lettered will have that shown as well

the causation is usually disconnecting active usb drives to which a letter has been allocated without stopping the device OR windows 8.1 has created the recovery partition - and for some reason a letter has not been allocated or has now not been shown

It is all explained here
http://social.technet.microsoft.com...ted-by-windows-81-update?forum=w8itproinstall


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## golddust (Jan 2, 2005)

Here in the USA - at this time anyway - all new computers are still coming with Windows 8. We have to get all the updates from day 1 and then the 8.1 upgrade shows up in the Microsoft Store. That new partition is part of the upgrade process. From what I'm reading at the link you furnished me with this is happening to a lot of people. One guy with a SSD drive managed to fix it but I don't have an SSD drives.

Here's the results from the Admin Command Prompt (volume in question is highlighted in yellow):


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

Well I would rather leave it, until and if you experience problems
That is not a cop-out, but I have to be honest and say I do not have the knowledge of exactly why it occurs or indeed how to rectify it - correctly and safely

I may have missed it - but do we know what capacity the volume is 
It may be interesting to see what diskpart says

that is cmd prompt
type
diskpart
press enter
type
list disk


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## golddust (Jan 2, 2005)

Macboatmaster said:


> Well I would rather leave it, until and if you experience problems
> That is not a cop-out, but I have to be honest and say I do not have the knowledge of exactly why it occurs or indeed how to rectify it - correctly and safely
> 
> I may have missed it - but do we know what capacity the volume is
> ...


Well, at least you're willing to admit you don't have an answer. Some people would be more concerned with 'saving face' and come up with something - anything - if you know what I mean. Here's the diskpart info:


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

now type select disk 0
then it will tell you that is the selected disk, so then type 
list partition

then if you CAN ID the right one
select partition
then
detail partition.

Re the 


> Well, at least you're willing to admit you don't have an answer. Some people would be more concerned with 'saving face'


Well - there is no way I would act on a hunch- with something as drastic as deleting a partition
especially GPT systems with FAT format boot partitions , system reserved and recovery it is just asking for problems

In case you do not know what I refer to with FAT format boot partition that is the EFI partition, as UEFI the firmware requires a GPT (Globally Unique Identifier Partition Table) disc and the system loads windows from the efi partition

The system partition contains the hardware-related files and the Boot folder that tell a computer where to look to start Windows.


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## golddust (Jan 2, 2005)

Can't tell which item is the 'problem' partition. Well, as long as it isn't causing any problems, I'll just leave it. Maybe Microsoft will be able to address the problem (yeah right lol - that forum is usually Microsoft blaming everything on something else, but we'll see). Thanks for your help.


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

If I find the answer I will send you a PM and post here


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## golddust (Jan 2, 2005)

If you find an answer you might want it posted in the sticky notes. From looking at the Microsoft Community Forum posts it's a common problem - seems to have something to do with the 8.1 upgrade installation. So far the only answer I've gotten from them is that the drive needs a letter - but when you right click on any drive without a letter in Disk Management, all you get is a box with HELP written in it. That takes you to one of the TechNet pages that is so generalized, and does not cover that problem at all.


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

Well IMHO that is wrong information


> So far the only answer I've gotten from them is that the drive needs a letter -


You cannot assign drive letters to GPT partitions, except data partitions, that is why on your screenshots of disk management the system reserved, the FAT boot partition and the one in question have no drive letters

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh824839.aspx


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## Macboatmaster (Jan 15, 2010)

I am not sure how far this will get you, but it is worth a try
windows key + R
paste into the box the entry in the optimize or the cmd window on post 5
However add a second \ at the end of that
All being well it should open windows showing the dir/files on that partition


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