defrag1 person needs an answerI do too

I ran into a similar problem about a year ago. I my case, it was my hard drive going toast. The first thing I would suggest is: 1)disable all anti-virus/firewall/Malware & etc. removers. 2)Run msconfig, click services tab, check "Hide All Microsoft Services" box, uncheck everything that is left, click on the "Startup" tab, uncheck everything then restart. This will give you a clean boot. 3)Run your defrag to see if it still hangs. If it does'nt, I believe your problems may lay in the programs you run. That can be figured out by process of elimination. Second thing I would suggest is: 1) Visit the website of the hard drive manufacturer to see if they have any diagnostic tools. If yes, create a backup of your data then run the tool (*** read all the instructions prior to doing so, for some diagnostic tools when used incorrectly can cause data to be lost). I hope this helps.