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Fix: The Volume is too Fragmented to Complete This Operation
Defrag the drive or repair the system files
6 min. read
Updated onOctober 4, 2023
updated onOctober 4, 2023
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Key notes
If you see,The volume is too fragmented to complete this operation, it’s a system error caused by storage problems.
This can happen when you try toconvert your disk from FAT32 to NTFSor even when performing other operations. Keep reading to find out how to reduce the fragmentation and get things running!
What can I do when the disk is too fragmented to complete operation?
Before we start with the slightly complex solutions, try these quick ones:
If none work, head to the fixes listed next.
1. Recover your files with a specialized tool
First, you can fix this problem by recovering your files to another hard drive. To complete this process, we recommend using a specialized tool such as Stellar Data Recovery.
Stellar Data Recovery is the go-to solution for recovering lost or deleted files in any format (documents, emails, photos, videos, and more) across multiple Windows devices and storage media.
You can even use it on severely corrupted or formatted drives or RAW drive volumes, and it will still work like a charm.
So, if you’re looking for data recovery software that is both reliable and efficient, this Stellar-powered solution is your best bet.
Let’s quickly look at itskey features:
Stellar Data Recovery
2. Perform a Clean boot
Third-party applications can often start automatically with your PC and cause this and other errors to appear.
To fix this issue, many users suggest performing a Clean boot. To do that, you need to disable all startup applications and services.
After doing that, you need to restart your PC to apply changes. When your PC restarts, check if the problem still appears.
If not, one of your startup apps or services was certainly causing the issue. To find the problematic application, you need to repeat the same steps and enable apps and services one by one or in groups.
Keep in mind that you need to restart your PC after enabling each group of apps or services to apply changes. After you find the problematic app, you need to disable it oruninstall the program.
Alternatively, you can try to update the application to the latest version and check if that solves the problem.
3. Run the chkdsk scan
If you’re still gettingThe volume is too fragmented to complete this operationerror message, it’s possible that your files are corrupted. File corruption can occur due to malware or power loss, but you might be able to fix your files using the Check Disk scan.
4. Perform an SFC scan
The scanning process will now start. The scanning process can take a while, so don’t interrupt it. After the scanning is complete, check if the problem still persists.
5. Format your removable storage
IfThe volume is too fragmented to complete this operationmessage appears while using removable storage, you might be able to fix it by reformatting it.
You should know that formatting your storage will remove all your files from it, so be sure to back them up in advance.
6. Defragment your drive
If you’re getting this error, you might want to trydefragmenting your hard drive. Defragmentation is a useful procedure that optimizes all your stored data allowing you to access it faster.
Defragmentation can take a while, depending on the size of your hard drive, so don’t interrupt it. After the process is finished, check if the error message still appears.
If you want, you can also use athird-party defragmentation softwareinstead. Many users prefer third-party tools because they offer more features, so feel free to use one of these tools if you want.
7. Use System Restore
Another way to fixThe volume is too fragmented to complete this operationerror is to useSystem Restore. Windows usually creates restore points automatically. So if this error started appearing recently, you might be able to solve it by restoring your PC.
8. Reset Windows 10
When nothing else works, you have no option but toreset Windows to the factory defaults.
This will wipe all the data on the PC but should help get rid ofThe volume is too fragmented to complete this operationerror.
Before you leave, find out how tospeed up Windows 10.
Let us know what worked for you by reaching for the comments section below.
More about the topics:System Errors,windows 10 fix
Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Milan has been enthusiastic about technology ever since his childhood days, and this led him to take interest in all PC-related technologies. He’s a PC enthusiast and he spends most of his time learning about computers and technology.
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s one of the Troubleshooting experts in our worldwide team, specializing in Windows errors & software issues.
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Milan Stanojevic
Windows Toubleshooting Expert
Before joining WindowsReport, he worked as a front-end web developer. Now, he’s specialized in Windows errors & software issues.
