For every question, there's an answer -- and you'll find it here!


Printer-friendly copy
Top The PC Q&A Forum The Computer Forum topic #205101
View in linear mode

Subject: "Disk Compression" Previous topic | Next topic
_Chewy_Fri Mar-14-03 10:05 PM
Member since Dec 07th 2002
5255 posts
Click to send email to this author Click to send private message to this authorClick to view this author's profileClick to add this author to your buddy list
"Disk Compression"


  

          

I've heard this term tossed around in forums so often I thought i'd ask. What is disk compression? And what does it do on a Win9.x and a NT system? Does it compress all the files on a HDD so it can hold more data?

  

Alert Printer-friendly copy | | Top

Replies to this topic
Subject Author Message Date ID
RE: Disk Compression
Mar 15th 2003
1
RE: Disk Compression
Mar 15th 2003
2
      RE: Disk Compression
Mar 15th 2003
3
           RE: Disk Compression
Mar 15th 2003
4
                RE: Disk Compression
Mar 15th 2003
5
                     RE: Disk Compression
Mar 15th 2003
6

ShellySat Mar-15-03 12:06 AM
Charter member
58338 posts
Click to send email to this author Click to send private message to this authorClick to view this author's profileClick to add this author to your buddy list
#1. "RE: Disk Compression"
In response to _Chewy_ (Reply # 0)


  

          

Disk compression should be avoided. It was popular when a 500MB drive cost hundreds of dollars. With today's huge cheap drives using compression is dumb, a small disk error can cause the loss of all your compressed data.

Shelly

  

Alert Printer-friendly copy | | Top

    
_Chewy_Sat Mar-15-03 03:00 AM
Member since Dec 07th 2002
5255 posts
Click to send email to this author Click to send private message to this authorClick to view this author's profileClick to add this author to your buddy list
#2. "RE: Disk Compression"
In response to Shelly (Reply # 1)
Sat Mar-15-03 03:17 AM

  

          

Perhaps i should clarify. I never said i wanted to use it. I was just wandering what exactly it is because i'm preparing for my A+ certification and wanted to be prepared in case it was on the test. (i.e. I wanted to know if my initial hunch was correct or incorrect).

  

Alert Printer-friendly copy | | Top

        
HoratioSat Mar-15-03 05:06 AM
Charter member
4162 posts
Click to send email to this author Click to send private message to this authorClick to view this author's profileClick to add this author to your buddy list
#3. "RE: Disk Compression"
In response to _Chewy_ (Reply # 2)
Sat Mar-15-03 06:21 AM

          

>>>Does it compress all the files on a HDD so it can hold more data?<<

Yes.

Chewy,
from my old A+ course notes re: 'Drivespace' in Windows 9X:

A compressed drive is not a drive at all; it's a file.

What Drivespace does to compress a drive:

* Assigns a different drive letter to the hard drive, such as H.
* Compresses entire contents of the hard drive onto a single file on drive H
* Sets up the drive so that Windows 9X and other applications view this compressed file as drive C.
* Configures Windows 9X so that each time it boots, the Drivespace driver will load and manage the compressed drive.

It gets a bit confusing when you start to try and understand where data is actually going on a compressed drive and what the data compression engine does to the appearence of your disk drives.

One more thing to remember for the exam: Drivespace doesn't work with FAT 32 under Windows 98.

Like Shelly said, the whole process is extinct these days.

  

Alert Printer-friendly copy | | Top

            
_Chewy_Sat Mar-15-03 06:16 AM
Member since Dec 07th 2002
5255 posts
Click to send email to this author Click to send private message to this authorClick to view this author's profileClick to add this author to your buddy list
#4. "RE: Disk Compression"
In response to Horatio (Reply # 3)


  

          

Horatio, thanks for the info. That's helps to get a better handle on what it is.

  

Alert Printer-friendly copy | | Top

                
HoratioSat Mar-15-03 06:22 AM
Charter member
4162 posts
Click to send email to this author Click to send private message to this authorClick to view this author's profileClick to add this author to your buddy list
#5. "RE: Disk Compression"
In response to _Chewy_ (Reply # 4)


          

You're welcome Chewy,
Good luck on the exam.

  

Alert Printer-friendly copy | | Top

                    
kittenmuellerSat Mar-15-03 05:51 PM
Member since Sep 27th 2002
1418 posts
Click to send email to this author Click to send private message to this authorClick to view this author's profileClick to add this author to your buddy list
#6. "RE: Disk Compression"
In response to Horatio (Reply # 5)


          

Just reading this thread- i have Win xp and use the file compression. NTSB or whatever it is called- i do not need them for anything- just do email, etc here. So, I read it is slower than not compressing them- I read in help , etc they recommend it. I want to keep my Hd uncluttered as I do not need all those old files. Is there a way I can go in and UNDO it so when i do disk clean- it does not compress but deletes them all.I looked and could not seem to find where I had set it up to begin with. Thanks

"kitten with a mean streak"

  

Alert Printer-friendly copy | | Top

Top The PC Q&A Forum The Computer Forum topic #205101 Previous topic | Next topic
Powered by DCForum+ Version 1.27
Copyright 1997-2003 DCScripts.com
Home
Links
About PCQandA
Link To Us
Support PCQandA
Privacy Policy
In Memoriam
Acceptable Use Policy

Have a question or problem regarding this forum? Check here for the answer.