NTFS Documentation: Windows NT® FAQ

This FAQ assume that you are logged as Administrator on the system.

How to see the difference between storage units and volumes?

Use the Disk Administrator: click on the View menu, choose Volumes or Disk Configuration.

How to manage data compression?

By default, Windows NT® compresses nothing.

To (un)compress a file or a directory, simply select it in the Explorer, and click on the File menu, choose Properties. Then (un)check the Compress box and click on Ok.
Note: When you compress a directory, the Explorer compresses all the items it contains too. After that operation, when you create an item in a compressed directory, it is automatically compressed. You can although manually uncompress an item in a compressed directory.
To (un)compress a whole volume, select it in the Disk Administrator, and click on the Tools menu, choose Properties. Then (un)check the Compress box and click on Ok.

How to see the DOS® name generated from the Win32 name?

Go to the File Manager, click on the desired file, menu File, Properties. You can also use the DIR /x command.

How to disable DOS® name generation from the Win32 name?

Go to the System Policy Editor, menu File, Open Registry. Go to Local Computer->Windows NT System->File system. Check the box marked 'Do not create 8.3 filenames for long filenames'. You can also go to the Registry Editor, and set the value of the key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\FileSystem\NtfsDisable8dot3NameCreation to 1.

Doing so is useful to speed up your NTFS filesystem when you don't use DOS® applications.

Regis Duchesne at VIA, ECP, France

Last modified: Sun Jan 24 00:54:47 PST 1999