Compress Old Files option in Windows Vista/XP disk cleanup tool doesn’t delete any files from the hard disk drive.It compresses files that Windows hasn’t accessed for a specified period of time.The files are still available, but there will be a slight increase in access times because the files will be decompressed the next time they are accessed.Note that when Compress Old Files is highlighted in Windows Vista disk cleanup tool an Options button appears,clicking it will allow you to set the number of days to wait before an unaccessed file is compressed.

When running Disk Cleanup tool on a Windows XP or Windows Vista workstations, you may have notice that it pauses for a long time when checking for files to be compressed.To work around this problem, follow these steps:
- Click on Windows Vista Start, and then click Run.
- Type regedit in the Open box, and then press ENTER.
- Locate, and then click the following registry key:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\VolumeCaches\CompressOldFiles
- In the right hand pane, double click on the REG_SZ (default) variable to edit it.
- A window pops up that will have a long string of characters in the Value Data field: B50F5260-0C21-11D2-AB56-00A0C9082678
- Press DEL to remove (clear out) the value data field, then click OK.
- Quit Registry Editor.
- Reboot your computer for changes.
- Run Disk Cleanup again and you wont see the compress old files anymore.
Warning: If you use Windows Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system.It is better to backup your Windows registry data before making any changes. Tomstricks.com is not responsible for any changes you may make to your system.Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
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