Hello all:

Am a newbie here and have checked the forums to a possible answer to the problem of discovering that the disk deframenter is no longer listed among the system tools.

Windows XP service pack 3 was recently INSTALLED on 5/31/08 ( an automatic update ).  Would this have anything to do with this?  If not, how do I get the disk defragmenter back?  ( No add/remove program PROCEDURES were done either. )

Thank You.
Try going to Control Panel (category view) --> Performance and Maintenance --> Click on Rearrange items on your hard disk to make programs run faster.Try going to Start,Run, then type in the following see below.

%SystemRoot%\INF

Now right click on 'dfrg' and choose Install.hw did you go with that procedureApprentice:  The procedure that Egghead gave didn't install the defragmenter.   

There's a message that says the Diskeeper failed to connect to the service.  The service may have stopped.  See the Windows Event Log for more details.

Went to the Event Log, and from the looks of that, my computer will have to be taken in and fixed.  Having moved recently, I will have to find the recovery disk.

Thanks to all for your help.So then this is not the built-in Windows Disk defragmenter, but rather Diskeeper? The service appears to have somehow been disabled. Try looking at your services (Start->Run "Services.msc") and try to find something related to Diskeeper (I couldn't tell you the exact name). If it is Disabled, Right-click, and start it. Then see if Diskeeper will run.B_C Programmer:

After your suggestion, it appears that it is the Diskeeper as was mentioned in my previous post.  Not knowing how to check that out until you came along, I had no clue as to what was really going on.  There are several disabled items there, most of which pertain to a shared computer ( which we do not have ), but there are also others that I know should not be disabled.   TRIED to right click, but the start and other areas are grayed out, which means that they won't be able to do anything.

I just wonder now if this also has anything to do with a worm called Atinney1 has anything to do with all this, or if it's the new antivirus program that I had installed via our ISP.  Parts of our former spyware ( Webroot ) also had to be removed as the computer was doing weird things.  I did use the add/remove program to remove Webroot, and evidently it STILL left things in the hard drive instead of being removed completely.  SINCE then, there have been problems of one sort or another.  To me, it seems to be one big mess. 

Gotta find that disk and get this baby to a repair shop. 

Thanks, B_C , for telling me where & how to look.the reason they are disabled in the right-click is because they have been disabled. you'll need to right click->properties and then change the start mode from Disabled to either manual or automatic, then you'll be able to start the service.B_C:  Question:  Do I also have to "Start" each disabled feature?  Upon looking under the Help button at the top left, I see that these may be related to Service Pak 2.  We recently had an update to Service Pak 3, and I have heard that many problems have cropped up with Service Pak 3.  My brother didn't have problems, but we sure do.
Thanks again. Quote from: wiladyreader on June 28, 2008, 09:45:00 PM

B_C:  Question:  Do I also have to "Start" each disabled feature?