dwl10@amdahl.UUCP (Dave Lowrey) (04/08/85)
I have recently seen two disk speed enhancing products on the market.
One, 1541 Flash, has been highly advertised on this net, and the other,
kwik load, seems to be in just about every software store I go to.
I have several questions about both:
o - kwik load claims to be able to handle more than one drive. Is this
possible with 1541 flash?
o - Does either product work with a 1540 disk drive (I have both a 1540
and a 1541. I am considering upgrading the 1540).
o - Does kwik load work speed up sequential, relative and direct access
modes as well as program loading? (I assume 1541 flash does).
o - Where the heck can I find 1541 flash in the Washington D.C-Baltimore
area? Is it avaliable via mail order?
Answers to any of the above questions and any other comments about these
product would be greatly appreciated.
--
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Dave Lowrey
"GORT...Klatu borada niktow"
...!{nsc,sun,hplabs,ihnp4}!amdahl!dwl10
[ The opinions expressed <may> be those of the author and not necessarily
those of his most eminent employer. ]rwh@aesat.UUCP (Russ Herman) (04/11/85)
I can tell you about kwikload - someone else will have to tell you about FLASH!
Kwikload is functionally the same as the TURBODISK program published in COMPUTE!
All it does is speed up loading of programs; saving and transferring data
are unaffected. Most slow-loading games do their own loading as part of their
protection schemes, so Kwikload/TURBODISK won't help you there either. If
all you want to do is load large BASIC or ML programs that start running
immediately when you type RUN, get TUBODISK - no need to spend any money.
Otherwise you'll have to spring for FLASH!
If you have the PAL assembler package and a disassembler, TURBODISK is readily
disassembleable for recreating a self-relocating version (under RPAL) that will
coexist with your wedge. Just add a preamble to print out where the entry is
upon loading, and save/restore the LOAD vector on activation/deactivation.
Details on request.
I tried to modify Kwikload to do the above sorts of things, and couldn't get
it to work. Its code is obtuse by my standards.
--
______ Russ Herman
/ \ {allegra,ihnp4,linus,decvax}!utzoo!aesat!rwh
@( ? ? )@
( || ) The opinions above are strictly personal, and
( \__/ ) do not reflect those of my employer (or even
\____/ possibly myself an hour from now.)dillon@ucbvax.ARPA (Matt Dillon) (04/15/85)
>I have recently seen two disk speed enhancing products on the market. >One, 1541 Flash, has been highly advertised on this net, and the other, >kwik load, seems to be in just about every software store I go to. > >I have several questions about both: > > o - kwik load claims to be able to handle more than one drive. Is this > possible with 1541 flash? > o - Does either product work with a 1540 disk drive (I have both a 1540 > and a 1541. I am considering upgrading the 1540). > o - Does kwik load work speed up sequential, relative and direct access > modes as well as program loading? (I assume 1541 flash does). > o - Where the heck can I find 1541 flash in the Washington D.C-Baltimore > area? Is it avaliable via mail order? Kwik load will NOT work with the 1540 drive. It will have to be upgraded first. 1541 Flash UPGRADES you 1540 to a latest revision 1541. Two different 'kwik loaders' are provided on the Datamost Disk (By the way, Datamost is Chapter 11, so don't expect any customer support). One will work with one drive, the other with two drives (#8 and #9). You can get a 'second drive kit' for the Flash. (or make your own) Kwik Load does not speed up SEQ,REL or Direct Access modes. In fact 1541 Flash is the ONLY product out now that does. Please remember, Kwik Load is a fine product, but is very limited in scope. It will only load certain types of Program files faster, nothing else. As to avalibility, talk to you local dealer. If (he/she/it) does not have it have (her/him/it) contact the manufacturer (Skyles Electric Works). The product is also advertised in Computes Gazette, RUN, and Commodore Micro Mag. -From the Society to port BSD4.2 to the Sinclar ZX81