Should I use disk compression to get extra space on my hard drive?

I saw that if I compressed my C drive it would give me an extra 770MB. I currently only have 144MB of free space. What will compressing my C drive do other than give me all that extra, needed space?

This question was answered on June 30, 1999. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

---

Below you will find the instructions from the Microsoft home page on installing Drivespace, a Microsoft hard drive compression tool that is already in your system but needs to be enabled by you But a word of caution the Microsoft support web site is filled with compression problem issues Yes hard drive compression can free up space, but it can also cause major problems including startup issues and application compatibility troubles

Have you gone through and removed any programs that are unnecessary or defragmented your hard drive yet The instructions below tell how to do this, please try this first.

The easiest way to delete programs from Windows 95 or 98 is to use "Add/remove Programs" in the Control Panel.

To get there click

Start->Settings->Control Panel->Add/Remove Programs.

This will give you a list of most of the programs installed on your computer To remove ones you no longer want double click the name of the program.

(Dont forget to back up your files...just in case) Be sure and empty your recycle bin when done As for Defrag...this is a usefull utility that moves data on your hard drive to one area Windows like to move things around and this causes fragmented areas of the disk Defrag helps fix this so your disk doesn't have to hunt around for your files This keeps your computer running in top shape I recommend running Defrag every 2 weeks, or more if it seems to help you out To Defrag go Start-Programs-MSDos Prompt-then at the prompt type defrag and follow the instruction.

Good luck

How to: Increase storage capacity by compressing the hard drive

Solution:

From the 'Start' menu, select 'Programs', 'Accessories', 'System Tools', and select 'DriveSpace' From the 'Drive' menu, select 'Compress...' Click 'Start'

NOTE: This procedure typically takes 1 - 3 hours to complete

1) Click 'Start' on the Windows taskbar (The 'Start' menu appears.)

2) Select 'Programs' and select 'Accessories' (A submenu appears.)

3) Select 'Systems Tools' and select 'DriveSpace' (The DriveSpace 3 utility loads.)

4) Select the drive to be compressed

5) From the 'Drive' menu, select 'Compress...' (The 'Compress a Drive' dialog box appears.)

6) (Optional) To change the compression options:

a) Click 'Options...' (The 'Compression Options' dialog box appears.)

b) Do one or more of the following:

1] Select a drive letter for the host drive in the drop-down list box

2] Type a new vale for the amount of non-compressed free space to be reserved on the host drive

3] To prevent this host drive from appearing when browsing for files, click the 'Hide host drive' check box

c) Click 'OK'

7) Click 'Start' (A 'Create Startup Disk' dialog box appears.)

8) Do one of the following:

a) If you do not have a current Windows 98 startup disk, click 'Yes' to create one (the 'Add/Remove Programs Properties' dialog box appears), and do the following:

1] When the 'Insert Disk' dialog box appears, insert the diskette labeled 'Windows 98 Startup Disk' into the appropriate drive, and click 'OK'

NOTE 1: Any files currently on this disk will be deleted

NOTE 2: You may be prompted to insert the Windows 98 CD before proceeding

2] When Windows is done copying files, remove the Windows 98 startup disk from the floppy drive and store it in a safe place

3] Click 'OK' to proceed with the compression of the selected drive

b) If you are sure that you have a current Windows 98 startup disk, click 'No' to proceed with the compression of the selected drive

9) (Optional) In the 'Are you sure?' dialog box, click 'Back Up Files' to create backup copies of the files that are on the selected drive

10) Click 'Compress Now' to begin the file compression (DriveSpace3 begins scanning the disk for errors.)

NOTE: You may receive a dialog box warning you that this procedure will disable the Windows 98 uninstall feature If that is acceptable, click 'Yes' to proceed

11) If the drive you are compressing is the only hard drive on your computer, or if it is the drive containing the Windows system files, a 'Drive in Use' dialog box appears, prompting you to restart Windows Click 'Yes' to continue

NOTE: Windows will temporarily restart in a special mode that enables it to run DriveSpace3 while the system drive is being compressed

12) After the compression is complete, click 'Close'

NOTE: Windows may restart at this point

About the author

Posted by Ken Colburn of Data Doctors on June 30, 1999

Need Help with this Issue?

We help people with technology! It's what we do.
Contact or Schedule an Appointment with a location for help!