Editing NTFS (section)

==== Disadvantages ====
Large compressible files become highly fragmented since every chunk smaller than 64{{nbsp}}KB becomes a fragment.<ref name="understanding-ntfs-compression">{{cite web |url=http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ntdebugging/archive/2008/05/20/understanding-ntfs-compression.aspx |title=Understanding NTFS Compression |work=Ntdebugging Blog |publisher=[[Microsoft]] |access-date=2011-03-16 |first=Dennis |last=Middleton |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110629043102/http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ntdebugging/archive/2008/05/20/understanding-ntfs-compression.aspx |archive-date=29 June 2011 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.forensicfocus.com/articles/shrinking-the-gap-carving-ntfs-compressed-files/|title=Shrinking the gap: carving NTFS-compressed files|access-date=2011-05-29}}</ref> Flash memory, such as [[SSD]] drives do not have the head movement delays and high [[Hard disk drive performance characteristics#Access time|access time]] of mechanical [[hard disk drives]], so fragmentation has only a smaller penalty.

If system files that are needed at boot time (such as drivers, NTLDR, winload.exe, or BOOTMGR) are compressed, the system may fail to boot correctly, because decompression filters are not yet loaded.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc977213.aspx |title=Disk Concepts and Troubleshooting |date=11 September 2008 |publisher=Microsoft |access-date=2012-03-26}}</ref>{{failed verification|date=May 2022}} Later editions of Windows{{which|date=January 2016}} do not allow important system files to be compressed.