>>But I don't have any "scheduled tasks" and the FindFast thingy is set to go every 999 hours.
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>I have Windows XP but haven't bothered to install it yet. Check your Control Panel; there may be a "Scheduled Tasks" Icon there.

Yep, found "Schedule Tasks" and there are none schedule. The only thing appearing was "Add scheduled task".
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SNIP
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>If that doesn't help, I would try to narrow things down by doing a file/folder or Registry search on "defrag". That will usually provide additional context information (eg. "Startup" programs/folders).

I'll do such snooping and see what reveals itself.

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>>In addition, the .DBFs are by far the largest of the files involved. They remain untouched while the .FPTs (most fragmented) and the CDXs were! How to explain that???
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>I expected that "auto defraging" is partially related to the "last used" date of a given file. Also, everytime you "touch" your system, all "auto activities" will be terminated. The odds that a "large" file in the process of being "auto defragmented" will conclude before you touch the system will be smaller than for a smaller file; hence, Windows may consider smaller files first based on the amount of perceived quiet time available.

A possibility. Though I have subsequently let the machine sit quiet for over an hour, with no change in fragmentation status.
In addition, according to a KB article I read, Disk Defragmenter can be stopped anytime while working on a file and that part of it which has been defragged will remain so. There's absolutely NO CHANGE in the stats for the .DBFs. Almost as if it may be protected by some list somewhere. Or maybe it size/fragcount ratio kept it from being processed. It would be damned nice to know!