OT: compress OS files?

LReavis wrote on 10/19/2009, 1:29 PM
I just bought an Intel SSD from B&HphotoVideo (excellent price), but it is only 80 GB. I'd like to put both my current XP32-bit OS on one partition, and create a new partition for Win7-64bit. Problem is, my XP installation is nearly 40 GB. If I right-click Drive C and click Properties, there is a checkbox to "compress drive to save drive space." Is it OK to compress the OS? Any negative consequences?

Comments

Coursedesign wrote on 10/19/2009, 2:19 PM
Fuhged about compressing the drive, that's a really bad idea here. You could compress some folders, but it won't be that worthwhile.

I think there are some freeware programs that can remove a lot of the bloat in Windows XP.

And of course it contains a lot of .exe's I trust you never use.
John_Cline wrote on 10/19/2009, 2:25 PM
Compressing the system drive is no different than running Stacker years ago. (It was a full disc compression utility used when hard drives were relatively tiny.) As was already mentioned, it might slow things down ever so slightly, but I don't see any inherent danger in doing so.
Chienworks wrote on 10/19/2009, 2:25 PM
I guess i'd have to ask why you are using the SSD as the system drive.
John_Cline wrote on 10/19/2009, 2:54 PM
"Fuhged about compressing the drive, that's a really bad idea here."

Because...?
LReavis wrote on 10/19/2009, 11:37 PM
why an SSD boot drive? because it boots and opens programs so much faster than hard disk boot drives - see reviews at http://www.amazon.com/Intel-Mainstream-Solid-Retail-SSDSA2MH080G2R5/product-reviews/B002IJA1EG/ref=sr_1_2_cm_cr_acr_img?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

I figure I'll be going from XP32-bit to Win7 64-bit many times each day until I get all installed and working (if ever) in Win7, so want a boot drive that closes windows and boots fast.
ushere wrote on 10/20/2009, 1:12 AM
not meaning to sound critical, but do you trust ssd drives that much?
dlion wrote on 10/20/2009, 9:05 AM
conventional wisdom i've heard is that you should never let a system drive get more than about 60% full. not sure if this applies to ssd but i sure wouldn't put 2 partitions and 2 os on an 80gb drive, sounds like a recipe for trouble.
Coursedesign wrote on 10/20/2009, 9:23 AM
"Fuhged about compressing the drive, that's a really bad idea here."

If the OS has to do extra work every time it needs a DLL, it could become unpleasant pretty quick.

SSDs need driver awareness in the OS to function at their best reliability-wise, but I think Windows 7 has this already.