Thanks for the input
I will try it in Safe Mode and see if it is any quicker.
Yes, I think that I had closed everything down - I had certainly closed all of the programmes in the right-hand tray - and I can shut down AVG. I had not however turned off the screen saver.
When I was watching the progress at around 75pc it was doing one 'block' (sorry not technical) a second when it was going through free space with occasional blocks of 'to be moved to the end'.
I'll let you know how it goes.
Scottie Dog