Categorized under Windows
WhatsaByte may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page.
- Jan 04, 2019 Compressed files. File compression uses various algorithms to reduce the physical space taken up by a file without loss of any information. Once upon a time, Windows would offer to compress “old” files as part of the disk cleanup tool. That’s no longer present in current versions of Windows.
- Jul 12, 2017 Tip: If you are not happy to see this overlay icon, see how to Disable blue arrows icon on folders and files in Windows 10. If saving disk space is your priority goal, here is how to enable NTFS compression in Windows 10. To compress files and folders in Windows 10, do the following.
What is the System and Compressed Memory process? Why is it running on your Windows 10 computer? Why is it using a lot of my CPU resources?
Jul 20, 2020 Disable Automatic File Compression in Windows by using these three ways: If you have ever noticed, we can decompress files and folders manually. You just have to the right click on the file or folder and choose properties. Go to advanced settings on the general tab and uncheck the box of Compress contents. Then save and click OK.
Typically, the System and Compressed Memory process only uses a small number of your computer resources, including CPU, RAM, and Disk.
However, if it uses too much CPU, RAM, or Disk resource, then you’ll need to diagnose and find the cause of that high computer resource usage problem.
In some cases, the System and Compressed memory process can use 100% of your CPU, or RAM, and make your computer run incredibly slow, or even crash. That is the reason why you must find out the cause and resolve it as soon as possible.
What is System and Compressed Memory and How Does It Work?
In previous generations of Windows OS (operating system), when your computer is running out of physical RAM, Windows will use the pagefile.sys to store unused pages. This file is often located at C:pagefile.sys and acts as extra memory, which is used to keep pages that don’t use at the time your RAM becomes full.
When your RAM has more free space again, Windows will load back stored pages in the pagefile.sys file to use. This function will help your computer still run smoothly in case of deficiencies in RAM. Chrome os vm image.
However, in Windows 10, instead of storing unused pages to the pagefile.sys file as usual, Windows will compress those pages. The purpose is to make them lighter and continue to keep them in the physical RAM memory. It will help to reduce the memory used per process and allow Windows 10 to run more programs in physical memory at a time. A quick explanation can be found in this article, from Microsoft’s blog.
Also Read: How To Fix MsMpEng.exe High CPU Usage Problem?
This service is only available in Windows 10, named “System and Compressed Memory Service“. Microsoft creates it to improve the overall performance. Of course, Windows still uses pagefile.sys in case your computer doesn’t have much RAM left, and it can’t compress pages anymore.
In this article, I will show you a few useful methods that you can use to resolve the System and Compressed Memory high CPU usage problem on your Windows 10 PC.
Fix System and Compressed Memory High CPU Usage Problems in Windows 10
Note: The System and Compressed Memory process can cause high CPU, RAM, or Disk usage problem. I would recommend that you try all solutions below, one by one until you fix it.
Set The pagefile.sys File Size Back to Automatic
By default, Windows will set the pagefile.sys file size and manage it automatically. You can also adjust it to a particular value as you want. However, doing that can lead to a few issues with memory compression, or sometimes causing 100% disk usage problem in Windows 10.
If you recently changed the “pagefile.sys” file size, restoring it back to the default setting will help you solve this problem. To do so, follow the instructions below:
- Press Windows and then choose Settings.
- In the Settings window, search for “Performance” and then choose “Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows“.
- Go to the Advanced tab and click the “Change…” button, in the Virtual Memory section.
- In the Virtual Memory window, check the “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives” box.
- Click “OK” button twice and then restart your computer.
Stop or Disable Superfetch
What is Superfetch? It’s a Windows service that is used to maintain & improve your Windows system performance. However, Superfetch sometimes can cause the System and Compressed Memory process 100% disk usage issue.
Also Read: Fix Svchost.exe (netsvcs) High CPU Usage or Memory Leak Issues.
To fix it, you need to stop the Superfetch service, or even disable it. To do so, follow the instructions below:
- Press Windows + R to launch the Run dialog box.
- Type “services.msc” without the quotes and press Enter.
- In the Services window, search for the Superfetch service.
- Double-click on it and choose “Stop“.
- In the “Startup type” drop-down list, select “Disabled“, then press “Apply” button and then “OK” button.
- Restart your Windows PC.
Optimize Windows’ Visual Effects for Best Performance
According to some answers from the Microsoft forum, many users have resolved the System and Compressed Memory high CPU usage problem by optimizing Windows’ visual effects for best performance.
To do so, follow the instructions below:
- Right-click on “This PC” and choose “Properties“.
- Select “Advanced system settings” from the left panel.
- Click on the “Settings…” button in the Performance section.
- Select “Adjust for best performance” option, and click on “Apply” and then “OK” button.
- Click on “Apply” and then “OK” button again in the System Properties window.
- Restart your computer and check whether the problem remains.
Besides the methods above, I would also recommend you to use Reimage Plus to scan your Windows computer, detect corrupted files and fix them if there is any.
You also can try to disable Hibernate, Fast Startup and “Show me tips about Windows” to resolve the System and Compressed Memory high CPU, RAM, or Disk usage problem.
If you have any questions regarding this guide or the System and Compressed Memory process, let me know by leaving your comment below.
3/5(1 vote )
Windows 10 supports two very different kinds of file compression. The distinction is confusing but important. Understanding how Windows 10 compresses files and folders will help you understand if you need NTFS.
File compression reduces the size of a file by cleverly taking out parts of the contents of the file that aren’t needed, storing only the minimum amount of information necessary to reconstitute the file — extract it — into its full original form. A certain amount of overhead is involved because the Windows 10 computer must take the time to squeeze extraneous information out of a file before storing it, and then the computer takes more time to restore the file to its original state when someone needs the file. But compression can reduce file sizes enormously. A compressed file often takes up half its original space — even less, in many cases.
How does compression work? That depends on the compression method you use. In one kind of compression, known as Huffman encoding, letters that occur frequently in a file (say, the letter e in a word-processing document) are massaged so that they take up only a little bit of room in the file, whereas letters that occur less frequently (say, x) are allowed to occupy lots of space. Rather than allocate eight 1s and 0s for every letter in a document, for example, some letters may take up only two 1s and 0s, and others can take up 15. The net result, overall, is a big reduction in file size. It’s complicated, and the mathematics involved get quite interesting.
Following are the two Windows 10 file compression techniques:
- Files can be compressed and placed in a compressed (zipped) folder. The icon for a zipped folder, appropriately, has a zipper on it.
- Folders or even entire drives can be compressed by using the built-in compression capabilities of the Windows file system (NTFS).
Here’s where things get complicated.
Windows 10 Compress Drive To Save Space
NT file system (NTFS) compression is built in to the file system: You can use it only on NTFS drives, and the compression doesn’t persist when you move (or copy) the file off the drive. Think of NTFS compression as a capability inherent to the hard drive itself. That isn’t really the case — Windows does all the sleight-of-hand behind the scenes — but the concept can help you remember the limitations and quirks of NTFS compression.
Although Microsoft would have you believe that compressed (zipped) folder compression is based on folders, it isn’t. How to make a killing floor server. A compressed (zipped) folder is really a file — not a folder — but it’s a special kind of file, called a zip file. If you ever encountered zip files on the Internet (they have a .zip filename extension and are read and created directly in Windows File Explorer), you know exactly what this means.
Zip files contain one or more compressed files, and they use the most common kind of compression found on the Internet. Think of compressed (zipped) folders as being zip files, and if you have even a nodding acquaintance with zips, you’ll immediately understand the limitations and quirks of compressed (zipped) folders. Microsoft calls them folders because that’s supposed to be easier for users to understand. You be the judge.
If you have Windows 10 show you filename extensions, you see immediately that compressed (zipped) folders are, in fact, simple zip files.
Zipping is very common, particularly because it reduces the amount of data that needs to be transported from here to there. NTFS compression isn’t nearly as common. It’s more difficult, and hard drives have become so cheap there’s rarely any need for most people to use it.
The table below shows a quick comparison of NTFS compression and zip compression.
NTFS | Zip |
Think of NTFS compression as a feature of the hard drive itself. | Zip technology works on any file, regardless of where it is stored. |
The minute you move an NTFS-compressed file off an NTFS drive (by, say, sending a file as an email attachment), the file is uncompressed, automatically, and you can’t do anything about it: You’ll send a big, uncompressed file. | You can move a compressed (zipped) folder (it’s a zip file, with a .zip filename extension) anywhere, and it stays compressed. If you send a zip file as an email attachment, it goes over the Internet as a compressed file. The person who receives the file can view it directly in Windows or use a product such as WinZip to see it. |
Lots of overhead is associated with NTFS compression. Windows must compress and decompress those files on the fly, and that sucks up processing power. | Very little overhead is associated with zip files. Many programs (for example, antivirus programs) read zip files directly. |
NTFS compression is helpful if you’re running out of room on an NTFS-formatted drive. | Compressed (zipped) folders (that is to say, zip files) are in a near-universal form that can be used just about anywhere. |
You must be using an administrator account to use NTFS compression. | You can create, copy, or move zip files just like any other files, with the same security restrictions. |
You can use NTFS compression on entire drives, folders, or single files. They cannot be password protected. | You can zip files, folders, or (rarely) drives, and they can be password protected. |
If you try to compress the drive that contains Windows 10 itself (normally your C: drive), you can’t compress the files that are in use by Windows.
Compressing in Windows 10 with NTFS
To use NTFS compression on an entire drive, follow these steps:
- Make sure you’re using an administrator account.
- Bring up the Windows 10 File Explorer by clicking the File Explorer icon. On the left, choose This PC.
- On the left, tap and hold down (or right-click) the drive you want to compress. Choose Properties, and click the General tab.
- Select the Compress This Drive to Save Disk Space check box. Then click OK.Windows asks you to confirm that you want to compress the entire drive. Windows 10 takes some time to compress the drive; in some cases, the estimated time is measured in days. Good luck.
To use NTFS compression on a folder, follow these steps:
- Make sure you’re using an administrator account.
- Bring up the Windows 10 File Explorer by clicking the File Explorer icon. On the left, choose This PC.
- On the left, tap and hold down (or right-click) the folder you want to compress. Choose Properties, and click the Advanced button.
- Select the Compress Contents to Save Disk Space check box. Then click OK.Windows 10 asks you to confirm that you want to compress the folder. Unless the folder is enormous, it should compress in a few minutes.
Disk Compression Windows 10
To uncompress a folder, reopen the Advanced Properties dialog box (right-click the file or folder, choose Properties, and click the Advanced button) and deselect the Compress Contents to Save Disk Space check box.