Is there a problem with using Norton Speed Disk (in SystemWorks 2005) with Windows XP Pro SP2? NTFS.

I tried it on my C-drive and the defragger started, changed the color of one square on the disk map, and then just appeared to sit there. After about 15-min of inactivity, I hit "stop" and nothing changed.

Finally, I exited and re-entered the program and ended up with a completely blank drive map and had to use XP's System Restore to bring it back. I'm happy to say that System Restore worked beautifully. I'm afraid to try Speed Disk again.

I have all sorts of anti-Symantec comments based on recent experiences, but I'd like to get a basic feedback on defragging before giving vent to my general anger.
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I've had very bad luck with Norton utilities. I can't recommend them at all, in any way. As you found, they can be almost lethal for an OS, I've seen this happen before in other circumstances. I would never use that product for any reason. The negative Semantec comments are very well deserved, that company hasn't done a very good job IMO with its programming and other decisions in the last years.

Windows has a perfectly good disk defragmenter utility, if you just switched to XP from an earlier non NT based windows version, the NT disk defrag utility is much superior to the old Windows 9x versions, and much much faster.

It's found in the same place, start/programs/accessories/system tools/disk defragment

It runs very fast, give it a try. I'd uninstall norton utilities personally, or at least make sure it's not set to run automatically under any circumstances.
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I'd love to sort out the problem, as I can't believe that Symantec is blithely selling SystemWorks 2005 if it's imcompatible with XP.

What about NDD, which in the past has been immensely useful to me?

My anti-Symantec comments generally involve the limitations of its interface and documentation, lack of user control, and over-enthusiastic alarm messages. They're selling fear, and while it may be prudent to be cautious, in a difficult situation it's useful to know exactly where you're at, not to have little signs popping up telling you that the Universe as we know it is about to end.
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I have currently fixed too many boxes that were ruined by symantec products, or have almost been ruined by them. I'm pulling all my clients off norton and moving them to other av products, and using native windows utilities to avoid conflicts and errors. This works very well, I've achieved very stable results with this, although to be fair I've also read people who claim to have brough old OS's back to life with norton utilities. But then to be fair to myself, I've never gotten to a point where I needed to bring an old OS back to life.

Although bad NAV, bad modem drivers, these things have come very very close to killing some of my machines, and have been a big reason I've decided to start switching to linux, I'd rather spend time on problems and learn more about the machine and system than just spend two days fixing another bad bug that teaches me nothing. FYI

If the tool fits use it though.
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I have to say that I've come to consider Norton as practically as bad as MS as far as "blithely selling" absolute cr#p to the public....

Best bet is to bypass Norton completely. And as soon as you feel comfortable doing so, migrate to linux.
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