diff --git a/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/vfs/newvfs/persistent/CompactRecordsTable.java b/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/vfs/newvfs/persistent/CompactRecordsTable.java
index e269c4426848..5d69fe951c1c 100644
--- a/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/vfs/newvfs/persistent/CompactRecordsTable.java
+++ b/platform/platform-impl/src/com/intellij/openapi/vfs/newvfs/persistent/CompactRecordsTable.java
@@ -103,7 +103,6 @@ public class CompactRecordsTable extends AbstractRecordsTable {
   private static final int CAPACITY_MASK = 0x7FFF0000;
   private static final int CAPACITY_SHIFT = 16;
   private static final int SPECIAL_POSITIVE_VALUE_FOR_SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE = 0xFFFF;
-  private static final int SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE = -1;
 
   @Override
   public int getSize(int record) {
@@ -113,7 +112,7 @@ public class CompactRecordsTable extends AbstractRecordsTable {
       return myStorage.getInt(getOffset(-currentValue, SIZE_OFFSET_IN_INDIRECT_RECORD));
     }
     int i = currentValue & SIZE_MASK;
-    if (i == SPECIAL_POSITIVE_VALUE_FOR_SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE) i = SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE;
+    if (i == SPECIAL_POSITIVE_VALUE_FOR_SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE) i = SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE_FOR_REMOVED_RECORD;
     return i;
   }
 
@@ -130,13 +129,13 @@ public class CompactRecordsTable extends AbstractRecordsTable {
     }
 
     // size to fit in normal record [-1 .. 0xFFFF)
-    if (size >= 0xFFFF || size < SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE || forceSplit) {
+    if (size >= 0xFFFF || size < SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE_FOR_REMOVED_RECORD || forceSplit) {
       // introduce indirect record able to hold larger size range
       extendSizeAndCapacityRecord(record, size, getCapacity(record));
       return;
     }
 
-    if (size == SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE) {
+    if (size == SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE_FOR_REMOVED_RECORD) {
       size = SPECIAL_POSITIVE_VALUE_FOR_SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE;
     }
 
@@ -232,7 +231,7 @@ public class CompactRecordsTable extends AbstractRecordsTable {
       @Override
       public boolean validId() {
         assert hasNextId();
-        return getSize(nextId) != -1;
+        return isSizeOfLiveRecord(getSize(nextId));
       }
     };
   }
diff --git a/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/openapi/vfs/local/CompactStorageTest.java b/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/openapi/vfs/local/CompactStorageTest.java
index 4cdaecfcd295..020576cb9537 100644
--- a/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/openapi/vfs/local/CompactStorageTest.java
+++ b/platform/platform-tests/testSrc/com/intellij/openapi/vfs/local/CompactStorageTest.java
@@ -52,6 +52,9 @@ public class CompactStorageTest extends StorageTestBase {
     int logicalRecordCount = countLiveLogicalRecords();
     assertEquals(recordCount / 2, logicalRecordCount);
 
+    int removedRecordId = recordsList.getQuick(0);
+    assertEquals("No content for reading removed record",0, myStorage.readStream(removedRecordId).available());
+
     Disposer.dispose(myStorage);  // compact is triggered
     myStorage = createStorage(getFileName());
     assertEquals(myStorage.getLiveRecordsCount(), physicalRecordCount / 2);
diff --git a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/io/storage/AbstractRecordsTable.java b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/io/storage/AbstractRecordsTable.java
index 8a00546cbe01..2558b2667fba 100644
--- a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/io/storage/AbstractRecordsTable.java
+++ b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/io/storage/AbstractRecordsTable.java
@@ -52,6 +52,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRecordsTable implements Disposable, Forceable {
 
   private TIntArrayList myFreeRecordsList = null;
   private boolean myIsDirty = false;
+  protected static final int SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE_FOR_REMOVED_RECORD = -1;
 
   public AbstractRecordsTable(final File storageFilePath, final PagePool pool) throws IOException {
     myStorage = new RandomAccessDataFile(storageFilePath, pool);
@@ -93,7 +94,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRecordsTable implements Disposable, Forceable {
     }
     else {
       final int result = myFreeRecordsList.remove(myFreeRecordsList.size() - 1);
-      assert getSize(result) == -1;
+      assert isSizeOfRemovedRecord(getSize(result));
       setSize(result, 0);
       return result;
     }
@@ -127,7 +128,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRecordsTable implements Disposable, Forceable {
       @Override
       public boolean validId() {
         assert hasNextId();
-        return getSize(recordId) != -1;
+        return isSizeOfLiveRecord(getSize(recordId));
       }
     };
   }
@@ -147,7 +148,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRecordsTable implements Disposable, Forceable {
   private TIntArrayList scanForFreeRecords() throws IOException {
     final TIntArrayList result = new TIntArrayList();
     for (int i = 1; i <= getRecordsCount(); i++) {
-      if (getSize(i) == -1) {
+      if (isSizeOfRemovedRecord(getSize(i))) {
         result.add(i);
       }
     }
@@ -194,7 +195,7 @@ public abstract class AbstractRecordsTable implements Disposable, Forceable {
     markDirty();
     ensureFreeRecordsScanned();
     doCleanRecord(record);
-    setSize(record, -1);
+    setSize(record, SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE_FOR_REMOVED_RECORD);
     myFreeRecordsList.add(record);
   }
 
@@ -248,4 +249,12 @@ public abstract class AbstractRecordsTable implements Disposable, Forceable {
       myStorage.putInt(HEADER_MAGIC_OFFSET, getSafelyClosedMagic());
     }
   }
+
+  protected static boolean isSizeOfRemovedRecord(int length) {
+    return length == SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE_FOR_REMOVED_RECORD;
+  }
+
+  protected static boolean isSizeOfLiveRecord(int length) {
+    return length != SPECIAL_NEGATIVE_SIZE_FOR_REMOVED_RECORD;
+  }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/io/storage/AbstractStorage.java b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/io/storage/AbstractStorage.java
index 10e040c72e44..1b91fb327541 100644
--- a/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/io/storage/AbstractStorage.java
+++ b/platform/util/src/com/intellij/util/io/storage/AbstractStorage.java
@@ -255,8 +255,8 @@ public abstract class AbstractStorage implements Disposable, Forceable {
   protected byte[] readBytes(int record) throws IOException {
     synchronized (myLock) {
       final int length = myRecordsTable.getSize(record);
-      if (length == 0) return ArrayUtil.EMPTY_BYTE_ARRAY;
-      assert length > 0;
+      if (length == 0 || AbstractRecordsTable.isSizeOfRemovedRecord(length)) return ArrayUtil.EMPTY_BYTE_ARRAY;
+      assert length > 0:length;
 
       final long address = myRecordsTable.getAddress(record);
       byte[] result = new byte[length];