Which folders are best suited for compression?
You know, when you right-click a folder, select
Properties, Advanced, and check the box "Compress
contents to save disk space"

For example, I would guess that C:\WINDOWS\Installer
is a good choice.

A good read, but lacking:

Should I Use Windows File Compression?
http://www.lockergnome.com/windows/2006/07/04/should-i-use-windows-file-compress.../

ju.c

Files you rarely need to access. Some files compress more than others.
Large not small files.

If your drive is formatted as NTFS another potential gain arises with
your operating system on your C drive. In the Windows Directory of
your C partition you will have some Uninstall folders in your Windows
folder typically: $NtServicePackUninstall$ and $NtUninstallKB282010$
etc. These files may be compressed or not compressed. If compressed
the text of the folder name appears in blue characters. If not
compressed you can compress them. Right click on each folder and
select Properties, General, Advanced and check the box before Compress
contents to save Disk Space. On the General Tab you can see the amount
gained by deducting the size on disk from the size. Folder
compression is only an option on a NTFS formatted drive / partition.

--

Hope this helps.

Sorry to hijack this thread but your answer poses another question.

I deliberately turned off compressing by right clicking my hard

space".

I also unticked this option in Disk Cleanup.

However, when I look in my Windows folder (show hidden files and
folders), all the service pack uninstall files are blue.

Is this a feature that is automatically downloaded with the service pack
files?

"Gerry" nospam.com> wrote in message
news:ejuwAq4AJHA.2060@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

No they are just compressed and the Blue inicates as such.

Smirnoff wrote:

"Compress drive to save disk space". This not the same as file
compression. You do not want to compress the drive.

The compression referred to in Disk CleanUp is file compression.
Unchecking the option does not decompress those files compressed
previously.

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Smirnoff wrote:

Thanks, I understand that.

What I wanted to know is, as I have not selected either option to
compress (Drive or Disk Cleanup) and have not done so for years, why do
the uninstall files still show up in blue. Is it because they are
downloaded as compressed files? I assume that SP3 has overwritten files
that may have been compressed by Disk Cleanup many moons ago.

"Gerry" nospam.com> wrote in message
news:eXFWpp#AJHA.2292@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...

Thanks everybody, but I'm looking for specific folders that are good candidates for compression,
like:

C:\WINDOWS\Downloaded Installations
C:\WINDOWS\inf
C:\WINDOWS\Installer
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache

ju.c

"Smirnoff" wrote in message
news:34CE9695-9049-4A0F-96C5-B5A88EC11CA8@microsoft.com...

Smirnoff

I have not got a complete answer to your question. What I have
discovered is that there is more than one factor coming into play.

Some files are compressed because they have not been accessed within the
time setting within Disk CleanUp. On my computer I have it set to 50
days. However, I have some folders where the contents are...

Smirnoff wrote:

At a guess, the program that installed the fixes, and thus created the
uninstall folder, realised that the chances of your needing those files
was minuscule, that if you *did* need them, it would only take a few
seconds extra to uncompress them, and in the meantime you'd welcome the
extra free space on your drive. I know I do. I routinely compress all
of my backup files.

"Swifty" gmail.com> wrote in message
news:#8g1fWIBJHA.1632@TK2MSFTNGP06.phx.gbl...