"They determine the actual performance of the hardware and have nothing to do with defragging, which is a function of the file management software, not the hardware."

Corrupted files are not related to the file management software?

Let's make it simple, fragmented files on disk cause problems, so defrag occasionally. Bad sectors happen, and files on bad sectors cause problems, so run checkdisk once a year. That eliminates two possible causes, so those who get chronic save game file corruption can look into other causes. Like UAC.

"Call me Johnny One-Note, but I still think 99% of these corrupted saves are hardware problems...."

Hardware? Or software? Which do you want to blame?

Personally, I think that blaming systems of hardware and software which are used successfully and with excellent reliability by literally 100s of millions of people every day is a bit naive. I check the forums on SubSim daily, and a lot of postings relate to corrupt save issues. I would say that all of the corrupt save issues in the SH series can be traced to EBKAC. You can defrag and checkdisk all you want, but ignore a few simple Don't and you WILL get corrupt saves, be your HDD ever so pristine.

Okay, I should have said hardware and software, and specified user error involving same. We're actually in agreement here with the EBKAC, failure to maintain the operating system by cleaning up, emptying the recycle bin, checking and defragging the disk occasionally is a classic EBKAC that goes back to when they started selling computers with the OS already installed and configured. Trainz train simulator is notorious for buggy and unstable patches, the people who never have a problem with their patches are the ones who clean up temp files, defrag, and shut down other programs before patching. The ones who don't do that are the ones who have a disaster with every patch every time. SH4 is the same way, the save game subroutine is fragile at best, so anyone with chronic problems involving corrupted save game files should at the very least try some basic maintenance to eliminate the most likely causes.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree?
 

Maybe I've been chasing the wrong trail. To answer some previous questions, I regularly use a commercial defrag program, and all I have installed is SH4 and OM both brought up to date with JSGME. Once again I encountered a ship whose sinking just would not be recorded properly by the game. Looking more closely, I noticed obvious graphics issues concerning the hull under and around the bridge area.
Attachment 875

Attachment 876

Are the ship files somehow corrupted? Is there a way to reload only this info?

Wrong Trail Update
 

I've replayed this save several times where I start prior to encountering this ship. Using a variety of attacks, this sinking just doesn't work out. I decided to just bypass this one, and changed course so I never encountered it. In due course I met a different class ship which went to the bottom obeying all the rules. I hate to have to save any time I get a contact just in case. Has anyone encountered this before?