Optimize Windows XP NTFS System

Windows XP supports FAT, FAT32 and enhanced NTFS file systems. When installing Windows XP, users can choose to use FAT32 file system and NTFS file system. There is only one reason for not choosing NTFS: that is Users also need to use an operating system that cannot read NTFS partitions, such as Win9x, MS-DOS, etc.

If you want to fully understand the full functionality of Windows XP, it is highly recommended that you use the NTFS file system, Windows XP uses the NTFS 5 file system, and the enhanced NTFS file system provides users with updated enhancements. . After selecting the NTFS file system, users can also optimize NTFS to improve system performance.

First, the size of the cluster

According to the average size and type of files to be stored in the NTFS volume to select the size of the cluster, ideally, the size of the cluster should be able to divisible file size (closest The value of the ideal cluster size minimizes I/O time and maximizes disk space. Note that in any case, using clusters larger than 4KB will have some negative effects, such as the inability to use NTFS file compression and wasted disk space.

There are several ways to determine the average size of a file. One way is to select the "Run" command from the "Start" menu, type cmd, and press Enter to enter the command prompt at the command prompt. Enter the command chkdsk to get the number of files on this volume and the disk space already used. Use the number of files to remove the amount of disk space already used, and you can get the ideal cluster size.

Another way is to use Performance Monitor by selecting Settings from the Start menu-->Control Panel-->Administrative Tools--> The "Performance" command, then based on the average disk byte/transfer of the trace logical disk object, uses this method to get a more accurate file sum size and the type of data stored on this volume.

Second, NTFS converted from FAT

Volumes converted from FAT to NTFS will lose some of the performance advantages of NTFS. The main file table MFT may be fragmented and cannot be on the root volume. Set file access permissions for NTFS. To check for fragmentation on the main file table MFT, use the following method:

From the Start menu, choose Programs-->Accessories-->System Tools --> "Disk Defragmentation", analyze a drive, then click "View Report", drag the report information to the MFT fragment of the main file to view the total MFT fragment.

After converting a FAT to NTFS, the size of the cluster is 512KB, which increases the possibility of fragmentation and takes more time to defragment, so it is best to format it at the beginning. Select the NTFS file system.

Third, defragmentation

Even if the main file table MFT mentioned above does not appear fragmentation, defragmentation is also essential, when fragmentation occurs on the disk, when accessing a file Requiring the head to do more motion, extending the reading time, greatly affecting system performance, so keeping the debris on the disk at a lower limit is the most important factor to improve the NTFS volume, often running the defragmentation program very much necessary.

Fourth, compression function

NTFS compression function can compress the entire directory tree on a single file, the entire folder or NTFS volume, which can help us save some hard disk space. However, using the compression function will cause the performance of the NTFS volume to drop. The reason is that each time you access the compressed file, you need to decompress it. For example, to copy a compressed file, the process is: first decompress, then copy, Finally, compression is performed, which greatly increases the running time of the CPU. Therefore, it is recommended to try not to use the compression function when the hard disk space is large enough.