Quick overview:
Windows-Tweaks has been offering some tips for speeding up the NTFS file system for some time now:
- Switch off support for old 8+3 file names
- Increase the size of the master file table
We'll now show you how to do both tips much easier and give you a brand new tip for speeding up the NTFS file system. Hold on tight:
Increase the size of the master file table
Read more about the MFT. To prevent the master file table from fragmenting, the NTFS file system permanently reserves 12.5% of the system partition for the use of the MFT. If your hard disk capacity runs out, data is also written to the MFT. Especially smaller files with a few kilobytes are stored in the MFT even if there is enough memory. This leads to fragmentation, which you can prevent with the following steps:
1. Click on Start/Execute and carry cmd in. Confirm with OK.
#
2. Here you can use the command "fsutil behavior set mftzone x where x can take values from 1 to 4. Explanation:
1 = 12.5% of the data carrier
2 = 25% of the data carrier
3 = 37.5% of the data carrier
4 = 50% of the data carrier
The larger the MFT, the lower the chance of fragmentation, although memory consumption can of course also increase.
Switch off support for old 8+3 file names
The support for classic file names (8+3 names such as alternam.txt from DOS times) means that all files are still available internally as 8+3 file names even with NTFS. As this costs performance, you should change this via "fsutil behavior set disable8dot3 1 deactivate. Note: If you have problems with 16-bit applications, it is best to deactivate this via "fsutil behavior set disable8dot3 0 again. Read more about possible problems on this page!
Do not save the last access with NTFS
And now for our brand new tip: Every folder and every file contains the "Last accessed" attribute. This indicates when the file was last accessed or modified. This time is first written to the working memory and then to two locations on the hard disk (the file itself and the MFT). As this can lead to considerable performance losses, we recommend deactivating the last access: To do this, click on "Start/Execute and enter "cmd in. Now type the command "fsutil behavior set disablelastaccess 1 and confirm with Enter!
We hope that we have given your system a good boost with these NTFS tweaks!
NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION: This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.
On Windows Tweaks you will find time-saving tech guides for PC, software & Microsoft. For a stress-free digital everyday life. Already we have been "tweaking" Windows since 1998 and just won't stop!
