Disk Cleanup

[AStacy2]

For anyone who uses Windows XP and runs Disk Cleanup, I had a question. There is an option on it that says "Compress Old Files". I run this utility sometimes and noticed that a bunch of drum samples and shit that I hadn't used in a while were automatically compressed to save disk space.


My question would be, what exactly does this program do when it compresses this shit? Does it lower the quality of my old drum loops/samples if I decide to throw one on a new project sometime? Should I uncompress all my samples or does it matter? The disk space isn't an issue, I have a lot.

 

[JBroll]

It doesn't degrade quality - although I don't know exactly how that function works well, as doing so wouldn't make Microsoft, or its legal team, happy, I can say with moderate confidence that it's much like the .zip/.rar/.bz2/whateverthehellyou'reusedto compressed folder/archive. It will not degrade quality - speed, perhaps, if you're really pressed for juice, but it won't actually lose any bits of that file, they'll just be tucked away in a slightly funny but supposedly harmless way.

Jeff

 

[Keiffer]

that type of compression is lossless.

it does slow the Read/Write as the CPU has additional work to do. If you have plenty of disc space, don't compress.

 

[AStacy2]

Alright, thanks guys, it did seem to take a little longer loading up a kit of samples I hadn't used since like nam, maybe that's why. I'll have to uncompress this stuff today.