[comp.sys.ibm.pc] SMARTDRV.SYS

elrond@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Brad Hlista) (10/21/89)

Does the SMARTDRV.SYS supplied by MS Windows behave like a cache program
when Windows is not running, ie can I install it in my CONFIG.SYS and have
it work like a CACHE.SYS?  I don't want to have two cache programs running
at the same time.
	Brad
	elrond@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu

freeptos@mips.COM (Dan Freitas) (10/23/89)

In article <560@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu> elrond@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Brad Hlista) writes:
>Does the SMARTDRV.SYS supplied by MS Windows behave like a cache program
>when Windows is not running, ie can I install it in my CONFIG.SYS and have
>it work like a CACHE.SYS?  I don't want to have two cache programs running
>at the same time.



I don't know about MS windows, but smartdrv.sys comes with MS-DOS 4.01.  I 
have the line:
                 device=c:\dos\smartdrv.sys 512

in my config.sys to enable disk caching (for 512K of my 2nd meg of RAM).

This increased my average disk transfer rate from 255KBy/Sec (1:1 interleave)
to 5500-6000Kby/Sec!!  Good stuff.

						Dan Freitas
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hadgraft@civeng.monash.edu.au (Roger Hadgraft) (10/25/89)

In article <29898@obiwan.mips.COM>, freeptos@mips.COM (Dan Freitas) writes:
> In article <560@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu> elrond@titan.tsd.arlut.utexas.edu (Brad Hlista) writes:
>>Does the SMARTDRV.SYS supplied by MS Windows behave like a cache program
>>when Windows is not running, ie can I install it in my CONFIG.SYS and have
>>it work like a CACHE.SYS?  I don't want to have two cache programs running
>>at the same time.
>
>
SMARTDRV is a general purpose cache that works at all times, not just with
Windows. Like most caches, it can have a dramatic effect on your hard disk
performance.
>
--
Roger Hadgraft                  |  hadgraft@civeng.monash.edu.au
Lecturer in Civil Engineering   |  phone:  +61 3 565 4983
Monash University               |  fax:    +61 3 565 3409
Clayton, Vic. 3168. Australia.  |

andyross@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Andrew Rossmann) (12/03/89)

  I would like to know if there is any way to communicate with SMARTDRV.SYS
that comes with MS-DOS 4.01. I would primarily like to know if it is
possible to turn the cache on and off, and reset it.
  I ask because I had a 3M cache on a disk, and when I ran Norton's Speed
Disk, I ended up with a totally scrambled disk. I'm not certain if Speed
Disk caused the problem or not, since I'm also having other problems with
this thing. (It's a Seagate ST4096 in a 6MHz IBM AT, formatted with
DiskManager since the AT's BIOS doesn't understand the 4096.)

  Andrew Rossmann
  andyross@ddsw1.MCS.COM