If your disk defragmenter seems to start over and over and you get the message, "drive contents changed, restarting" you probably have some program or utility still active in Windows. You might not  always see these  programs, nor even know which  ones are active. It’s probably one or more utility programs and schedulers.

You could spend hours trying to determine which programs are causing disk defragmenter to restart over and over.  I know I have.  Rather than continuing to get frustrated and deciding that defrag is not needed, try an alternate solution.

Just to make sure you've given it your best attempt, make sure that:

• You have restarted your computer
• you have shut off your screen saver
• You have closed all programs that come up automatically in your startup programs window.
• You have closed as many programs as possible from the system tray (normally in the lower right corner of your screen)

If you’ve exhausted all other solutions and your feeling a little exhausted yourself, try running defrag in Safe Mode.

Safe Mode is a built in feature of windows used to diagnose and repair problems that could not be fixed in normal mode. It is Windows running in slow motion. 

You will not have access to your CD-ROM, printers and many other devices that usually function in windows normal mode.

To start your computer in Safe Mode:

• Restart your computer

• When you see the message "Starting Windows 95" immediately press the F8 function key.

• Continue with For All Users

• Restart your computer

• Press and hold down the CTRL key

• Continue with For All Users

• After hitting either the F8 or Ctrl key you will be presented with a Windows Startup Menu. This menu is a list of numbered choices.

• Choose the number for Safe Mode and hit Enter

• Don’t try to use your mouse to click on these numbers, it will not work

• You must use the keyboard to make your choice and then hit the enter key.

• Don't choose Safe Mode with Network Support

• Don't choose Safe Mode Command Prompt Only

• Once in windows, you will be greeted with an informative message that you are in safe mode. As if you did not know this already!

• Don’t be alarmed if your windows desktop screen looks a little funny, some icons are missing or  if the system seems to run slowly. This is normal in safe mode.

• Don't try to make any changes to your icons.

Follow the same procedures as normal mode before starting disk defragmenter:

• This time don’t restart your computer, you’ve already done that to get to Safe Mode

• Shut off your screen saver

• Close all active programs

• Close or disable as many utility programs as you can from the systray in the lower right corner or your screen

• Start your disk defragmenter program. It will take a while but safe mode should knock out most offending programs that might normally cause the system to keep restarting.