How can I shrink the image with Piriform DeFragger?

[FreeCat]

Hi - I have a C drive (Win 7 Ultimate 64 bit) that has only 435 used Gbytes on a 2 TB drive. I am attempting to use an image backup to restore to a 1 TB drive. But, after defrag, the image is still over 1 TB. How can i shrink it further so I can restore to 1 TB drive? Thanks.

[dvdbane]

defrag not gonna shrink anything

its just arrange the file for faster access

[Derek891]

One of the things Defraggler does is to minimize the number of empty disk clusters that exist in between disk clusters that contain data. It does nothing to compress the actual data. (1GB of data that is 10 percent fragmented occupies 1.1 GB of physical disk space. But you can't use Defraggler to make it any smaller than 1GB. Understand?) The only thing I could suggest is to bring the image onto your 2TB drive, clean out any files or folders you don't need, then use a utility like 7Zip to compress the other files and folders you want to keep.

[FreeCat]

OK - thanks dvdbane and Derek891 - I understand that defrag will not help me. Maybe you know of a way to identify what is out there so I could take it off independently and, then, make my image. I can not really zip things as this is OS volume and contains only OS and programs. I have already deleted all the temp Internet, etc stuff. - Thanks for your help.

[Alan_B]

Your mission is impossible.

 

Defraggler will NOT reduce the size of a partition image backup file.

 

Defraggler will defragment a real partition and this SHOULD permit you to shrink the partition,

BUT

There may be files near the far end of the system partition C:\ which Windows will not move,

and then your alternatives include :-

http://www.partition...ootable-cd.html

and

http://www.partition...ash-drive.html.

 

Alternatively,

Create two partitions on your 1 TB drive, 600 GB followed by 400 GB,

then use something like Macrium Reflect to create in the 400 GB partition a System C:\ partition Image backup file.

I guess that 435 used Gbytes will need a backup image file of less than 350 Gbytes.

Then use Macrium Reflect to restore into the 600 GB partition your 350 GB backup of your original system C:\, automatically shrinking a 2 TB system into 600 GB.

 

Subsequently you can boot from the 1 TB drive and then :-

You can shrink the 2 TB partition because no files are locked;

Or you can format / delete / wipe the 2 TB and use as an archive or for installation of other applications,

and consider whether to use he 400 GB partition for other purposes, or to merge it with the 600 GB to give you a 1000 GB C:\

 

My personal advise is NEVER waste a whole drive on C:\,

You only succeed in "painting yourself into a corner".

 

I am more than happy with 25 GB for Windows 7 Ultimate,

and separate partitions for documents and portable applications and other installed applications.

 

Please note that when Macrium restores an image into a different sized partition,

it will also defrag as it restores, hence the end result is fully defragged even if the original was badly fragmented.

[eL_PuSHeR]

+1 to what Alan_B said. Several partitions make space management easier and things are more tidy. Also, having your documents / personal data on a single partition makes reinstalling the operating system a lot less painful operation.

 

For my 500GB hdd, I have 3 partitions:

 

+ 40 GB for c: (boot drive) - Win7 x64.

+ 324 GB for personal data.

+ 100 GB for games.

[FreeCat]

Thanks much for all the great information Alan_B and eL_PuSHeR. I really appreciate it, very, very much. Best to you both.

[FreeCat]

Hi again - I am not sure what size I will change to with the re-partitioning yet. But, I was poking around my C drive and was wondering if someone can tell me if I can delete (or is there a program to do it) any of the attached files in SYSTEM VOLUME INFORMATION folder that are older than the date of my last reboot. I used Ztree for this list and sorted by size and then by date. Thanks again.

[Alan_B]

If Ztree can delete those System Volume Information files then it is too dangerous to be in your hands.

You might hack vital bits and pieces out of your Restore Point System.

 

It would be much safer to choose which recent Restore Points might be of value and to delete the older ones by using

CCleaner / Tools / System Restore.

[FreeCat]

Thanks, Alan, for you comments on 2013 09 20.  Very helpful.  sorry that I did not thank you when I read it.

Happy New Year!

[Augeas]

You already thanked him over five years ago. This is a most peculiar post.