compress drive to save space

[Menikos]

Hello

I refer to the C drive Properties where there is an item under the General
tab for compressing drive to save disk space. Upon checking this, the popup
says to choose between Apply changes to C:\ only or Apply changes to C:\,
subfolders and files.

I was wondering if choosing either would affect any active programmes in
that drive.

Thanks for the advice.

Menk

 

[John John (MVP)]

Hello

I refer to the C drive Properties where there is an item under the General
tab for compressing drive to save disk space. Upon checking this, the popup
says to choose between Apply changes to C:\ only or Apply changes to C:\,
subfolders and files.

I was wondering if choosing either would affect any active programmes in
that drive.

Thanks for the advice.

If you compress the root folder (C:\) you will not be able to boot
Windows, when you boot you will get an error message stating that ntldr
is compressed.

When Windows is up and running the files will be "decompressed"
"on-the-fly" when they are needed or opened, the operating system will
do this seamlessly and without user intervention. There is however a
bit of overhead involved when the files are "decompressed" and depending
on how the machine is used there may be a slight performance hit.

Best practices are that you should not compress the whole boot volume,
for best performance the Windows directory and supporting files should
not be compressed and the same should be followed for the Programs
folder. If you are at the point where you must resort to this amount of
compression you need to clean out your disk and get rid of unused files
or move them to another volume, or you need to buy a bigger hard drive.

John

 

[mikeyhsd]

the infamous SHOULD NOT.

it is not a good idea to compress the drive.

once you use small amount of the new space you can not uncompress the drive.

drives are so cheap these days. it would be better to purchase a larger one and upgrade to it.
of course being that your system can handle a larger drive.
(e-mail address removed)



Hello

I refer to the C drive Properties where there is an item under the General
tab for compressing drive to save disk space. Upon checking this, the popup
says to choose between Apply changes to C:\ only or Apply changes to C:\,
subfolders and files.

I was wondering if choosing either would affect any active programmes in
that drive.

Thanks for the advice.

Menk

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hello

I refer to the C drive Properties where there is an item under the General
tab for compressing drive to save disk space. Upon checking this, the popup
says to choose between Apply changes to C:\ only or Apply changes to C:\,
subfolders and files.

I was wondering if choosing either would affect any active programmes in
that drive.

Thanks for the advice.

Read John John's reply, and also note the following:

1. Compressing drives is generally bad for performance.

2. A disk problem on an uncompressed drive usually leads to the loss
of a single file. But a disk problem on a compressed drive can lead to
the loss of everything on the drive.

3. Considering points 1 and 2 above, and considering that large drives
are very inexpensive these days, compressing to save disk space is a
poor bargain. If you are short of disk space, I recommend buying and
installing a second drive or a replacement drive instead.

 

[JS]

You might want to consider freeing up some space by using some or all of the
techniques I've posted below instead of turning on drive compression.

First use Windows 'Disk Cleanup' to create more space on your C: drive.
Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

Next: Empty the Recycle Bin.

If you recently installed Windows XP Service Pack 3:
Look for an odd folder name which is located here
C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\cf8ec753e88561d..........\
Note: the apparent random set of letter and number may vary from my
example above but whatever the name is, it will be more than
600MB in size and can be safely deleted.
You may also see a number of other folders or files located in the:
C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\ directory
They also can be deleted.

You can also free up more disk space by reducing
the number of 'System Restore' points:
Select Start/Control Panel/System, then in the System Properties window
click on the System Restore tab.
Next select the drive letter where Windows is installed (usually C,
Then click on the Setting button
Now in the Drive Settings window move the Disk space usage slider to the
left to reduce the amount of drive space System Restore points will use.
This will remove some of the older restore points and free up some space.

Disable Hibernation and delete hiberfil.sys file (If you have it enabled):
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...sys-hibernation-file-in-windows-xp-and-vista/
and:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/getstarted/hibernate.mspx

If you are using IE7 and then installed SP3 read the info below.
IE7 users will find the folders listed below on their hard drive:
$NtServicePackUninstallIDNMitigationAPIs$
$NtServicePackUninstallNLSDownlevelMapping$
They are needed to uninstall IE7. However, if you installed IE7 and
then installed XP SP3 you can no longer uninstall IE7 and these
folders can also be deleted.

Note: The recommended procedure before installing XP SP3 is to
uninstall IE7, then install XP SP3. Now you still have the ability to
install and uninstall IE7.

Next if you still need more space:
Remove the files used to uninstall updates to Windows
These folders and associated files in these folders are safe to remove,
however once deleted you will no longer be able to un-install a patch or
update that was associated with the deleted folder/files.
I would keep the most recent set (last two months just in case) of folders
and delete the older updates.
As a safety net I burned these folders to a CD before deleting them.
These files are located in the Windows folder and have folder names
like $NtUninstallKBXXXXXX$.
They are hidden folders so enable viewing of hidden files in Windows
Explorer.
Warning: One folder you should not delete is: $hf_mig$
Also See the following web pages on this issue:
http://www.pagestart.com/ntuninstall.html
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm

If you upgraded your PC from Windows 98 to Windows XP.
The $Win98UpdateUninstall$ can be deleted.

You can reduce the size of the Internet Explorer Disk Cache:
How and Why to Clear Your Cache:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/using/howto/customizing/clearcache.mspx
Just follow the instructions but instead of increasing the size
(as stated in the article) decrease it.

Finally: Check the Recycle Bin one more time and empty it
if necessary as some of those files you deleted in the steps
mentioned above may find there way into the recycle bin.

If you have more than one partition or drive then:
How to Change the Default Location of Mail and News Folders:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307971/en-us

Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder
(Example: move it to the D drive)
See: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147
Also:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/how_to_move_my_documents.htm

How to move the Spool folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q308666

Can I move or delete my C:\I386 directory to free up some space?
See:
http://ask-leo.com/can_i_move_or_delete_my_i386_directory_to_free_up_some_space.html
Note: C:\i386 is not to be confused with the
C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386 folder which should not
be moved or deleted as Windows File Protection needs those files

JS
http://www.pagestart.com

 

[Twayne]

the infamous SHOULD NOT.

it is not a good idea to compress the drive.

It's not good or bad; it's a matter of choice and saves space.

once you use small amount of the new space you can not uncompress the
drive.

Incorrect. A simple tick in Properties will remove the compression, or
moving the file to an uncompressed drive/folder will also decompress it.
When using such a file, windows will uncompress it on the fly withou
user intervention also.
This is one of the few areas in windows where there don't seem to be
many problems.

drives are so cheap these days. it would be better to purchase a
larger one and upgrade to it.

Very true. Once space gets tight, anything you do will be a stop-gap
bandaid and may become too small again quickly. The best and
semi-permanent solution is more disk space.

of course being that your system can handle a larger drive.
(e-mail address removed)

Hello

I refer to the C drive Properties where there is an item under the
General
tab for compressing drive to save disk space. Upon checking this, the
popup
says to choose between Apply changes to C:\ only or Apply changes to
C:\,
subfolders and files.

I was wondering if choosing either would affect any active programmes
in
that drive.

Thanks for the advice.

Menk

If you compress C:\ it will only compress files in that one root
directory.
Otherwise everything on the disk becomes compressed. That could lead to
boot problems; I'm not sure since I've never tried it.

It woud be better to compress, say, My documents and everything under
it, or any other folder where you keep your data. Programs and most
images don't compress much anyway with the exception of .bmp files.

XP's compression, by design, doesn't compress as much as say Winzip's
legacy compression. This is so the XP compression can be compatible
with as many other unzip programs as possible, should people want to do
it that way.

XP's compression is quite functional but I use WinZip instead so I can
compress to greater ratios. XP cannot decompress those, I have to, but
I only compress things of little use or things I want to group together
into just one file like say, a bunch of letters, or documents, or even
images. When I compress something it's usually to take it off the
computer after burning it to a DVD for safekeeping.
I used to compress my whole external drive but now I let my imaging
software compress it; makes things smaller than XP can.

Twayne

 

[Twayne]

Oh yeah, you're the html ignoramus!

 

[Twayne]

You might want to consider freeing up some space by using some or all

of the techniques I've posted below instead of turning on drive
compression.
First use Windows 'Disk Cleanup' to create more space on your C:
drive. Description of the Disk Cleanup Tool in Windows XP:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310312

Next: Empty the Recycle Bin.

If you recently installed Windows XP Service Pack 3:
Look for an odd folder name which is located here
C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\cf8ec753e88561d..........\
Note: the apparent random set of letter and number may vary from my
example above but whatever the name is, it will be more than
600MB in size and can be safely deleted.
You may also see a number of other folders or files located in the:
C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\ directory
They also can be deleted.

You can also free up more disk space by reducing
the number of 'System Restore' points:
Select Start/Control Panel/System, then in the System Properties
window click on the System Restore tab.
Next select the drive letter where Windows is installed (usually C,
Then click on the Setting button
Now in the Drive Settings window move the Disk space usage slider to
the left to reduce the amount of drive space System Restore points
will use. This will remove some of the older restore points and free
up some space.
Disable Hibernation and delete hiberfil.sys file (If you have it
enabled):
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/...sys-hibernation-file-in-windows-xp-and-vista/
and:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/using/mobility/getstarted/hibernate.mspx

If you are using IE7 and then installed SP3 read the info below.
IE7 users will find the folders listed below on their hard drive:
$NtServicePackUninstallIDNMitigationAPIs$
$NtServicePackUninstallNLSDownlevelMapping$
They are needed to uninstall IE7. However, if you installed IE7 and
then installed XP SP3 you can no longer uninstall IE7 and these
folders can also be deleted.

Note: The recommended procedure before installing XP SP3 is to
uninstall IE7, then install XP SP3. Now you still have the ability to
install and uninstall IE7.

Next if you still need more space:
Remove the files used to uninstall updates to Windows
These folders and associated files in these folders are safe to
remove, however once deleted you will no longer be able to un-install
a patch or update that was associated with the deleted folder/files.
I would keep the most recent set (last two months just in case) of
folders and delete the older updates.
As a safety net I burned these folders to a CD before deleting them.
These files are located in the Windows folder and have folder names
like $NtUninstallKBXXXXXX$.
They are hidden folders so enable viewing of hidden files in Windows
Explorer.
Warning: One folder you should not delete is: $hf_mig$
Also See the following web pages on this issue:
http://www.pagestart.com/ntuninstall.html
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/spack.htm
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_hotfix_backup.htm

If you upgraded your PC from Windows 98 to Windows XP.
The $Win98UpdateUninstall$ can be deleted.

You can reduce the size of the Internet Explorer Disk Cache:
How and Why to Clear Your Cache:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie6/using/howto/customizing/clearcache.mspx
Just follow the instructions but instead of increasing the size
(as stated in the article) decrease it.

Finally: Check the Recycle Bin one more time and empty it
if necessary as some of those files you deleted in the steps
mentioned above may find there way into the recycle bin.

If you have more than one partition or drive then:
How to Change the Default Location of Mail and News Folders:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307971/en-us

Change the Default Location of the My Documents Folder
(Example: move it to the D drive)
See: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/310147
Also:
http://www.techsupportalert.com/how_to_move_my_documents.htm

How to move the Spool folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q308666

Can I move or delete my C:\I386 directory to free up some space?
See:
http://ask-leo.com/can_i_move_or_delete_my_i386_directory_to_free_up_some_space.html
Note: C:\i386 is not to be confused with the
C:\Windows\ServicePackFiles\i386 folder which should not
be moved or deleted as Windows File Protection needs those files

JS
http://www.pagestart.com

That will work; for awhile. But it won't be long before the drive is
full again. Consider it as a notice that you need to start thinking
about adding more drive space. Bigger drive, another drive, whatever.

 

[db.·.. >]

i think that feature was
actually designed for
tiny harddrives from
the olden days.

further, compressing and
decompressing is a drag
on the system because
each time a file is opened
and closed, a utility and
conversion is involved.

the emphasis is on the
above words "each time"

but with the onset of larger
and cheaper disks on the
market and the ease of adding
the extra drive to motherboard,
strategies have changed:

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/1a8040b6-90ef-4400-a89f-52bd4d1292441033.mspx

however, if you are
referring to a laptop
then another strategy
has to be considered.
--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces

 

[mikeyhsd]

apparently you have very little if any limited experience with computers.

and or have never been there done that.


(e-mail address removed)

the infamous SHOULD NOT.

it is not a good idea to compress the drive.

It's not good or bad; it's a matter of choice and saves space.

once you use small amount of the new space you can not uncompress the
drive.

Incorrect. A simple tick in Properties will remove the compression, or
moving the file to an uncompressed drive/folder will also decompress it.
When using such a file, windows will uncompress it on the fly withou
user intervention also.
This is one of the few areas in windows where there don't seem to be
many problems.

drives are so cheap these days. it would be better to purchase a
larger one and upgrade to it.

Very true. Once space gets tight, anything you do will be a stop-gap
bandaid and may become too small again quickly. The best and
semi-permanent solution is more disk space.

of course being that your system can handle a larger drive.
(e-mail address removed)

Hello

I refer to the C drive Properties where there is an item under the
General
tab for compressing drive to save disk space. Upon checking this, the
popup
says to choose between Apply changes to C:\ only or Apply changes to
C:\,
subfolders and files.

I was wondering if choosing either would affect any active programmes
in
that drive.

Thanks for the advice.

Menk

If you compress C:\ it will only compress files in that one root
directory.
Otherwise everything on the disk becomes compressed. That could lead to
boot problems; I'm not sure since I've never tried it.

It woud be better to compress, say, My documents and everything under
it, or any other folder where you keep your data. Programs and most
images don't compress much anyway with the exception of .bmp files.

XP's compression, by design, doesn't compress as much as say Winzip's
legacy compression. This is so the XP compression can be compatible
with as many other unzip programs as possible, should people want to do
it that way.

XP's compression is quite functional but I use WinZip instead so I can
compress to greater ratios. XP cannot decompress those, I have to, but
I only compress things of little use or things I want to group together
into just one file like say, a bunch of letters, or documents, or even
images. When I compress something it's usually to take it off the
computer after burning it to a DVD for safekeeping.
I used to compress my whole external drive but now I let my imaging
software compress it; makes things smaller than XP can.

Twayne

 

[Twayne]

There's that html narcissist kid mikey again. Woof!

 

[Richie Hardwick]

i think that feature was
actually designed for
tiny harddrives from
the olden days.

DoubleSpace/DriveSpace - from the days of DOS 6

Richie Hardwick

 

[db.·.. >]

agree...!

--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces

 

[mikeyhsd]

you are barking up the wrong leg.


(e-mail address removed)





There's that html narcissist kid mikey again. Woof!

 

[db.·.. >]

i recall mikey had a serious
problem and everyone including
mvp's would have had him format
the harddisk, when in fact all he
needed to do was to run some
commands via the recovery
console.

actually, mikey is one of
the good guys here and
has had to battle many
narcissists on this ng because
most have been relentless
at contradicting his suggestions.

mikey is ok, in my book.
--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces

 

[Bob I]

i recall mikey had a serious
problem and everyone including
mvp's would have had him format
the harddisk, when in fact all he
needed to do was to run some
commands via the recovery
console.

actually, mikey is one of
the good guys here and
has had to battle many
narcissists on this ng because
most have been relentless
at contradicting his suggestions.

mikey is ok, in my book.

<<SNORT>>

 

[db.·.. >]

yeah, we had a feeling
that it was probably
something called
hawaiin ice...
--

db·´¯`·...¸><)))º>
DatabaseBen, Retired Professional
- Systems Analyst
- Database Developer
- Accountancy
- Veteran of the Armed Forces

i recall mikey had a serious
problem and everyone including
mvp's would have had him format
the harddisk, when in fact all he
needed to do was to run some
commands via the recovery
console.

actually, mikey is one of
the good guys here and
has had to battle many
narcissists on this ng because
most have been relentless
at contradicting his suggestions.

mikey is ok, in my book.

<<SNORT>>

 

[Twayne]

Nope; tis thou. You're probably ADHD to boot.
I do take one thing back; don't switch to Plain Text; that way fewer
people can see your crap.

 

[Twayne]

i recall mikey had a serious

problem and everyone including
mvp's would have had him format
the harddisk, when in fact all he
needed to do was to run some
commands via the recovery
console.

actually, mikey is one of
the good guys here and
has had to battle many
narcissists on this ng because
most have been relentless
at contradicting his suggestions.

mikey is ok, in my book.

You're certainly entitled to your own opinion but IMO he's a childish
HTML poster and hasn't shown anything useful yet other than anti-social
manderings. But, it does take all kinds to make the worl' whirl 'round.
Definitely a ymmv case.

Twayne

 

[mikeyhsd]

doing your white powder again we see.

(e-mail address removed)

i recall mikey had a serious
problem and everyone including
mvp's would have had him format
the harddisk, when in fact all he
needed to do was to run some
commands via the recovery
console.

actually, mikey is one of
the good guys here and
has had to battle many
narcissists on this ng because
most have been relentless
at contradicting his suggestions.

mikey is ok, in my book.

<<SNORT>>