• Home
  • About 404TS
  • Contact

404 Tech Support

Where IT Help is Found

  • Articles
    • Code
    • Entertainment
    • Going Green
    • Hardware, Gadgets, and Products
    • Management
    • Network
    • News
    • Operating Systems
    • Security and Privacy
    • Software
    • System Administration
    • Talking Points
    • Tech Solutions
    • Web
    • Webmaster
  • Reviews
  • Media
    • Infographics
    • Videos
  • Tech Events
  • Tools
    • How do I find my IP address?
    • Browser and plugin tests
  • Get a Technical Consultation
You are here: Home / Articles / Operating Systems / Run Disk Cleanup without calculating to Compress Old Files

Run Disk Cleanup without calculating to Compress Old Files

2012-01-09 by Jason

In Windows, you can free up some space by running the Disk Cleanup tool. It will remove temporary Internet files, old setup files, and other miscellaneous files taking up space. The Windows XP version of the tool also offers you the option to Compress old files that haven’t been used lately to free up more space but it just doesn’t seem worth it. Decompressing those files later when they are needed can take more time than you gain. Another negative is that calculating the space for compressing old files when running a disk cleanup can take some time or even hang.

To be able to run the Disk Cleanup tool without the option of compressing old files, it just takes a simple Registry change.

In the Registry Editor, go to HKLMSoftwareMicrosoftWindowsCurrentVersionExplorerVolumeCaches and backup/delete the ‘Compress old files’ key.

After that, you can run Disk Cleanup like normal (right-click on the drive under My Computer and select Properties) and it will bypass the calculation for file compression and speed the process up quite a bit.

To make it even easier, Microsoft has a FixIt tool that will resolve the issue with only a few clicks under the related Knowledge Base article.

Filed Under: Operating Systems, Tech Solutions

Trending

  • Sandboxed Adobe Flash Player available as beta for Firefox
    In Security and Privacy, Software
  • Microsoft to eradicate IE6 with automatic updates
    In Security and Privacy, Software
  • Preventing website hacking as a nature video
    In Media, Security and Privacy

Latest Media Posts

Find Out Where To Download SNES ROMs

Find Out Where To Download SNES ROMs

Multifunctional Video Conversion Tools – Wondershare Video Converter

Multifunctional Video Conversion Tools – Wondershare Video Converter

  • Popular
  • Latest
  • Today Week Month All
  • SOLVED: “This modification is not allowed because the selection is locked.” SOLVED: "This modification is not allowed because the selection is locked."
  • Increase IIS Private Memory Limit to improve WSUS availability Increase IIS Private Memory Limit to improve WSUS availability
  • What is the AllJoyn Router Service on Windows 10? What is the AllJoyn Router Service on Windows 10?
  • How to ‘Unblock’ multiple files at a time with PowerShell How to 'Unblock' multiple files at a time with PowerShell
  • Troubleshooting time synchronization for domain-joined computers Troubleshooting time synchronization for domain-joined computers
  • 3d rendering circuit cloud for cloud computing technology What Is An Ellucian Migration And Is It Important?
  • Remote monitoring of text messages on a mobile device Remote monitoring of text messages on a mobile device
  • ​Great Tech Tips For Remote Workers ​Great Tech Tips For Remote Workers
  • Ideas That Will Free up MacBook Hard Drive Ideas That Will Free up MacBook Hard Drive
  • Advantages Of Video Conferencing For Small Businesses Advantages Of Video Conferencing For Small Businesses
Ajax spinner

Elevator Pitch

404 Tech Support documents solutions to IT problems, shares worthwhile software and websites, and reviews hardware, consumer electronics, and technology-related books.

Subscribe to 404TS articles by email.

Recent Posts

  • What Is An Ellucian Migration And Is It Important?
  • Remote monitoring of text messages on a mobile device
  • ​Great Tech Tips For Remote Workers

Search

FTC Disclaimer

404TechSupport is an Amazon.com affiliate; when you click on an Amazon link from 404TS, the site gets a cut of the proceeds from whatever you buy. This site also uses Skimlinks for smart monetization of other affiliate links.
Use of this site requires displaying and viewing ads as they are presented.

Copyright © 2021 · Magazine Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in