Skip to main content

Restart into Fortress Mode

Fortress Mode is O&O Defrag's own start environment based on Windows RE. Preparing it and starting an optimization are separate steps. Each automatic or manual boot-time run applies to one start only; the prepared environment remains available afterward.

Before you restart​

  1. Finish work in other applications and save open files.
  2. Keep the computer connected to reliable power.
  3. Confirm the mode and, for Automatic, the intended drives on Boot-Time Optimization.
  4. Make sure Fortress Mode is set up for the current program version and Windows RE is ready.
  5. Keep BitLocker recovery information available for encrypted drives.

When you schedule a run or confirm an immediate restart, the application may ask to suspend BitLocker protection until Windows starts normally. Suspension can take effect when you schedule the run, before you restart. Read the prompt before continuing; if you decline, the requested start is not scheduled or initiated. Suspending protection does not decrypt the data. Follow your organization's encryption policy.

Cancelling a scheduled optimization resumes protection on drives O&O Defrag suspended for that start. If protection on other drives was already suspended independently of O&O Defrag, the application asks whether to resume it as well. Review that separate prompt and verify the protection state after cancellation or after returning to Windows.

Enter the environment​

  1. On Boot-Time Optimization, select Automatic or Manual. In automatic mode, review the drive list.
  2. Choose Restart and optimize now.
  3. Read the notice describing the selected mode. Choose Restart now only after you are ready, and respond to any BitLocker prompt.
  4. Allow the computer to restart into Fortress Mode.

The confirmation states that the restart will occur within about 10 seconds. Cancel or close the notice if you are not ready. Closing this notice does not cancel a run that was already scheduled; use Cancel scheduled optimization on the boot-time page for that.

Alternatively, choose At next system start on the boot-time page and check the status banner. The same selected mode runs once when you next restart the computer.

During optimization​

  • Automatic: O&O Defrag waits for drive detection, starts SOLID/Quick on the selected available drives, and returns to Windows after all operations in the run have finished, including queued drives. You do not need to close the application yourself.
  • Manual: O&O Defrag waits for your input. Choose what to optimize and let your operations finish. Close O&O Defrag when you are ready to return to Windows.

Drive letters and device availability can differ in Windows RE. Automatic optimization identifies the saved volumes across environments and displays their original Windows names. For an interactive selection or an unlock prompt, check the drive's label and size as well as its letter. Supply a BitLocker key if an encrypted drive needs unlocking.

After returning to Windows​

Open O&O Defrag and review the result in Reports and logs. The completed start is no longer scheduled; there is no recurring boot-time checkbox to turn off. To run again, return to Boot-Time Optimization and start or schedule another run. Confirm the normal BitLocker protection state if protection was suspended.

Files that remain fragmented may be excluded or intentionally skipped by ROI settings. The recovery environment does not guarantee that every possible file or device can be optimized.

If something goes wrong​

If no selected drive can be started, or the agent connection is lost during an automatic run, the application returns to Windows. Returning to Windows alone does not prove that optimization succeeded. A startup failure may briefly display an exit code and a log-file hint before the computer restarts; record these details and check the logs.

Record the exact preparation or startup error. Normal application logs and persistent recovery-environment logs can help support trace the failure. See Reports and logs.

Do not edit Windows boot configuration or delete recovery partitions as a general troubleshooting step. Use Cancel scheduled optimization for a pending run or Remove for the prepared Fortress Mode environment, and follow the guidance for the reported failure.