Uncompress Windows 95 harddrive?

jbradshaw77 · 12-26-2007, 02:59 AM

Hello,

I have a hard drive that I'm trying to pull data from. It's very old, and I don't have a machine to boot it from, so I'm slaving it to another computer with Windows XP. The problem is, the drive is compressed. Using the "Recover My Files" program, I can clearly see all the files on it, but when I attempt to retrieve them, the data is all messed up, due to the compression. It looks like it was compressed using drvspace.

Is there a way to easily uncompress this drive? What are my options?

Thanks,
j

Geekgirl · 12-27-2007, 07:55 AM

This info should help

Quote:

How can I decompress my compressed DriveSpace files and drives? (Win95)

DriveSpace decompresses each file it opens, so if you open a file and save it to a decompressed media or drive, it will decompress it. To decompress an entire drive, open DriveSpace and click the drive you are decompressing. From the Drive menu, select the Decompress Drive option. Click Start and DriveSpace will scan the drive for errors and decompress the drive.

You must have enough room on your drive for all the decompressed files once decompression is complete. If your drive is full, delete files or move (open and resave) them to diskettes or a Zip drive to free enough space.

http://www.pctoday.com/editorial/art...02%2F27t02.asp

jbradshaw77 · 12-27-2007, 10:29 AM

So I would have to find an older computer to boot from a windows 95 or 98 hard drive, then...

Ok, thanks.

**OldGrayGary** · 01-01-2008, 02:28 AM

Hi jbradshaw77, Hi GeekGirl -

If the hard drive has enough room to allow the decompression, you might be able to decompress it directly - by booting the computer with a Windows98se diskette, and typing the command drvspace /uncompress from the DOS 6.22 (or newer) command prompt (I believe DOS 6.22 is the version built into Win98). For full details on the command syntax and usage, see the article --- http://www.vfrazee.com/ms-dos/6.22/h...s.htm#Examples --- Make sure to read the "Notes" section of the article for important details.

Another option is to install Windows 95 (or Windows 98/98se) into a virtual environment on your Windows XP computer, and access the files in that manner. Copying the files to an uncompressed drive will decompress them, or you may be able to uncompress them from within the DriveSpace 2utility that is included in Windows 95 or the DriveSpace 3 utility included in Win98/98se. Microsoft now provides Virtual PC 2004 free-of-charge: read all about it here --- http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en

You are also certainly correct that if you could round up a Windows 95 or Windows 98/98se computer, you could access the files using that PC.

Best of luck & Happy New Year!
. . . Gary

hitech · 01-07-2008, 03:34 PM

Windows 98 uses dos 7.0

12-26-2007, 02:59 AM	#1 (permalink)
jbradshaw77 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 61 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2	Uncompress Windows 95 harddrive? Hello, I have a hard drive that I'm trying to pull data from. It's very old, and I don't have a machine to boot it from, so I'm slaving it to another computer with Windows XP. The problem is, the drive is compressed. Using the "Recover My Files" program, I can clearly see all the files on it, but when I attempt to retrieve them, the data is all messed up, due to the compression. It looks like it was compressed using drvspace. Is there a way to easily uncompress this drive? What are my options? Thanks, j

12-27-2007, 10:29 AM	#3 (permalink)
jbradshaw77 Registered User Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 61 OS: Windows XP Pro SP2	Re: Uncompress Windows 95 harddrive? So I would have to find an older computer to boot from a windows 95 or 98 hard drive, then... Ok, thanks.

01-01-2008, 02:28 AM	#4 (permalink)
OldGrayGary Mentor, Microsoft Support Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Woodland Hills, CA Posts: 2,240 OS: Windows 98se/2000/XP/Vista	Re: Uncompress Windows 95 harddrive? Hi jbradshaw77, Hi GeekGirl - If the hard drive has enough room to allow the decompression, you might be able to decompress it directly - by booting the computer with a Windows98se diskette, and typing the command drvspace /uncompress from the DOS 6.22 (or newer) command prompt (I believe DOS 6.22 is the version built into Win98). For full details on the command syntax and usage, see the article --- http://www.vfrazee.com/ms-dos/6.22/h...s.htm#Examples --- Make sure to read the "Notes" section of the article for important details. Another option is to install Windows 95 (or Windows 98/98se) into a virtual environment on your Windows XP computer, and access the files in that manner. Copying the files to an uncompressed drive will decompress them, or you may be able to uncompress them from within the DriveSpace 2utility that is included in Windows 95 or the DriveSpace 3 utility included in Win98/98se. Microsoft now provides Virtual PC 2004 free-of-charge: read all about it here --- http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...displaylang=en You are also certainly correct that if you could round up a Windows 95 or Windows 98/98se computer, you could access the files using that PC. Best of luck & Happy New Year! . . . Gary __________________

01-07-2008, 03:34 PM	#5 (permalink)
hitech Tech Hardware Team Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Kansas Posts: 615 OS: Windows	Re: Uncompress Windows 95 harddrive? Windows 98 uses dos 7.0