Most users working with hard disks and logical partitions on Windows systems, using the Explorer or the corresponding disk management section, probably drew attention to the presence of a somewhat obscure item "Compress this disk to save space" in the context menu. This innovation was put in a separate category, starting with Windows 7, although in systems of a lower rank it was also. Let's see what it is, what it can be used for, whether it is worth doing such things, and what should be considered if such an operation is still supposed to be performed.
“Compress this disk to save space” settings item: what is it?
As you know, before, when hard drives did not have enough storage space, and some files, most often related to multimedia formats (mainly video and music), were very large, saving space on the hard drive was a real problem for all users, without exception . That is why at one time, Microsoft specialists decided to somehow eliminate it. To save free space when choosing a partition, it was proposed (and is proposed) to compress this disk to save space. This, in theory, should mean a reduction in file size, due to which the necessary additional volume is released. As already clear, if such a function exists in the system, it is a sin not to use it. And, according to most users, there is nothing critical about this. However, despite the appearance of such a function in Windows, some people do not understand the essence of the issue well enough and, without understanding what is happening, they immediately try to apply compression to disks and partitions. But this is not worth doing without understanding the essence of what is happening.
How it works?
Yes, indeed, volume compression can be performed. The technology for carrying out such actions is very much reminiscent of working with the Zip archiver built into the latest versions of Windows, when you can just go into a packed archive and view its contents or open the file you need.
Similarly, here. When you select compression, all files are simply compressed, but only in the percentage ratio that is provided for each specific format. However, in the "Explorer" all compressed objects are visible in their usual form, and the compression itself does not in any way affect the ability to open files, edit them, save them, or perform copy or move operations. On the one hand, it is very convenient. But not always, since in some cases you can not only encounter unforeseen difficulties, but also get an inoperative operating system.
What drives or partitions can I compress?
What does it mean to “squeeze the disk to save space”, a little understood. Now let's see which sections you can apply such operations to. If we are talking about logical partitions, you can perform compression.
But the main condition is that they must be initially formatted exclusively in NTFS. Otherwise, nothing will work. Another nuance is that when you copy a compressed file from one section to another, the compression is preserved, but when you move such an object inside the section, it takes on the original form in which there was no compression. Thus, if you often perform operations related to copying or moving large files in one section, the meaning of compression is, in general, completely lost (especially since you won’t be able to compress the moved file again to compress the entire section).
Now a few words about whether to compress the disk to save space if it acts as a system partition (the one in which the operating system is installed). Most experts are inclined to believe that in this case it is not worthwhile to use compression, despite the presence of such an item in the properties of the disk, under any circumstances, if only for the reason that after its execution Windows may stop loading at all.
How to perform compression with the simplest method?
As for the implementation of the compression procedure, here usually there are no difficulties even for the most unprepared users. In the "Explorer", it is enough to simply go through the PCM menu to the section properties section for which it is supposed to perform the compression operation, then on the general tab, select the corresponding item, confirm your actions and restart the system.
How to decompress a system partition?
But what if the user decided to use such a tool and unknowingly or mistakenly squeezed the system partition, after which Windows stopped loading normally?
Please note immediately that the rollback of the system, which sometimes can start automatically, will not give any result.
In this situation, you will have to boot from some removable media, after which, at the very beginning of the installation, select the restore point, and at the stage of choosing the driver location (after determining the installed OS) in the window that appears, select the properties of the system partition again through the context menu and uncheck the box unfortunate item.
Should I squeeze the disk to save space?
In general terms, as can be seen from all of the above, there is nothing wrong with the compression. The last question remains regarding the use of the "Compress this disk to save space" item. This decision, of course, remains with the user himself, but as the most practical solution, it is advisable to compress only logical partitions, and only those in which frequent internal movement of files and folders is not provided. It is better not to experiment with the system partition.