The problem you're having defragging your disk is a W98 problem. Too much stuff running in the background. Easy fix. Go to System Information in the System Tools Menu. Look for the item under Tools that says System Configuration Utility. At the startup tab, to to the option with all the sub-boxes under it...I think it's something like Custom Startup. Uncheck all those boxes. Hit apply and then ok. YOur machine will reboot. This will allow your machine to start up in safe mode without loading a bunch of drivers and stuff. Your screen will look funky, but don't worry about that. Go ahead and defrag now. Once defragging is finished, go back into the same area (System Tools, System Info, Sys Config Utility) and check the Normal Setup. Then hit apply, ok. This will reboot your machine into normal mode. The only hassle is having to move your desktop icons back where you want them.

Sgiathalaich