Compact

[plain]

Okay, I have a couple of questions about compacting the partition before creating and image. I searched for any threads but I got the result that "compact" would yield no results because it is "too common" a word?

Anyway, if I defrag the partition with the OS utility does it defrag so that the resulting arrangement is more efficient than it would have been just randomly bunching everything together? The reason I am wondering is because if I choose to compact a partition before creating an image will this reduce the efficiency of the partition when the image is restored?

Also, when choosing compact I am warned that under certain circumstances compact can harm the OS as it is and that I should do a backup. Well, that is what I am trying to do. Is there something here that I`m missing? Is the a very rare occurrence or should I not compact at all? Opinions?

Thanks, Plain

[TeraByte Support]

compact moves data under a certain range, defrag may not, unless you're
using one that can compact too.

"plain" wrote in message news:4534@public.image...

Okay, I have a couple of questions about compacting the partition before
creating and image. I searched for any threads but I got the result that
"compact" would yield no results because it is "too common" a word?

Anyway, if I defrag the partition with the OS utility does it defrag so that
the resulting arrangement is more efficient than it would have been just
randomly bunching everything together? The reason I am wondering is because
if I choose to compact a partition before creating an image will this reduce
the efficiency of the partition when the image is restored?

Also, when choosing compact I am warned that under certain circumstances
compact can harm the OS as it is and that I should do a backup. Well, that
is what I am trying to do. Is there something here that I`m missing? Is
the a very rare occurrence or should I not compact at all? Opinions?

Thanks, Plain

[plain]

Okay thanks for clarification of the difference between defrag and compact. So what percentage of times does 'compact' mess something up? I had hoped to use 'compact' but I certainly don`t want to risk the OS integrity.

[TeraByte Support(PP)]

Compacting is designed to be data safe and shouldn't result in something getting corrupted. I've used compact numerous times without any problems and don't consider it more risky than a defrag or resize. However, in my opinion, it's best to take precautions when making partitioning changes since there is a possibility that something may go wrong during the procedure (software problem, drive failure, power outage, etc.) -- this is true regardless of the software used.

If you're concerned or the data is valuable, I would recommend creating a backup image of the partition before running compact. Then you can compact it, check it, and create a new backup. Note that it's not generally necessary to compact before creating an image, unless you need it reduced to restore to a smaller drive. It's certainly not something I'd do as part of a regular backup strategy.

[plain]

Okay! Thanks Very Much for your reply. It helped me a lot to understand a little better how I should approach my making images. Have a good Spring and Success To You!


Plain