CCleaner is not compressing old files

[GSP]

I have CCleaner set to run every time I start the computer to keep things nice and clean to keep my system performance up (dial up modem has a tendency to stall out if I don't).

 

Lately, I've been noticing that despite that, I have to run the regular Disc Cleaner native to Windows at least once a week because stuff is backing up and clogging the system. I just had over 300 thousand k worth of flile compression needed despite the regular use of CCleaner. It's ALWAYS Compress Old Files that is the issue...

 

Can anyone advise?

[Alan_B]

I doubt File compression would improve dial-up operation,

unless you are extremely low on disk space.

 

What File compression has done for me is :-

compress a 2 MB file to 1.5 MB ;

Add a 2 MB copy to system32\dllcache because Windows thought it a good idea ;

Distrust its own compression utility so badly that Windows File Protection kicked in,

and demanded that I plug in the Windows Installation disk so it could validate,

and it was relentless in that demand,

even though Windows was pre-installed and I never had installation discs.

 

When this happened to me, there were 7 different files that suffered the above aggravation.

Never again.

 

Are you sure File compression is such a good idea ?

 

Alan

[GSP]

All I know is that if I don't keep old files compressed, the observed effect is a degredation of my dial up performance. And there's no way to just not run it, as it's integral to Disk Cleanup in both Windows AND CCleaner.

[Aethec]

All I know is that if I don't keep old files compressed, the observed effect is a degredation of my dial up performance. And there's no way to just not run it, as it's integral to Disk Cleanup in both Windows AND CCleaner.

 

That is impossible - or, at least, really weird. Compressing files will degrade performance when reading them, as Windows has to decompress them each time.

[GSP]

That is impossible - or, at least, really weird. Compressing files will degrade performance when reading them, as Windows has to decompress them each time.

 

If you don't mind me asking, why is that a standard part of Disk Cleanup then? I wouldn't expect Windows to have something as part of it's normal system maintenance that would actively degrade performance.

[Aethec]

Since the files it compresses are the files you don't use often, it is a good compromise between freeing up disk space and performance.

[GSP]

Since the files it compresses are the files you don't use often, it is a good compromise between freeing up disk space and performance.

 

Could large amounts of uncompressed files clutter up RAM (physical and "virtual" on the HD both)? A full up RAM degrades performance.

[Aethec]

Could large amounts of uncompressed files clutter up RAM (physical and "virtual" on the HD both)? A full up RAM degrades performance.

 

No. Unless used, no files are loaded into RAM (the exception being with Vista and 7's SuperFetch, which loads some libraries into RAM that would otherwise be unused to speed up program launch time if there's enough RAM availaible, but that's another subject).

However, depending on your disk, its end will be slower than its beginning, and thus if you have a nearly full disk, it can slow down your system if the most used files are in the end of it.

[Alan_B]

If you don't mind me asking, why is that a standard part of Disk Cleanup then?

 

Compress is merely one of many options. You do NOT have to tick it.

It wastes a minute or so trawling through the system so it can tell me how much space it will save if I allow it - and I was always disappointed with what it gave me c.f. what it promised me ! !

When I realised how bad compress is for me by demanding the use of a never supplied Windows Installation Disk,

I became frustrated by the time wasted to give me an inaccurate measurement of space "saving" that I was not going to allow any way.

I found a registry fix that eliminates the compress option,

and now Disc Cleanup is ready for action when I launch it.

I forget the details, but search Google for "stop compress old files",

or look at http://www.windowsbbs.com/windows-xp/73591-compress-old-files.html

 

The option to remove all but the current restore point is far more valuable.

Typically 55 MB per Restore Point.

 

Alan