antunes@ASTRO.PSU.EDU (Sandy Antunes) (08/01/90)
Hi! Having used the full version (i.e. paidware) of BAD (an excellent
disk optimizer, btw), I have run into a problem.
I recently restructured and reformatted my hard drive. It now has two
20 meg partitions on it.
BAD, according to the docs, requires at least 470K of free ram in order
to format either of them. So I made a disk that boots up and only
uses the binddrivers, mount, and defdisk commands. It mounts dh1:,
makes it the new main partition, then lets me mount either of the two
20 meg partitions.
However, it can't optimize them because it says I don't have enough ram.
Somehow, I am skeptical... I should have ram to burn.
It requires the ram to be contiguous, however, which is where I suspect
the problem.
I tried using FastMemFirst, but that didn't help. So I tried not using
it, and that didn't work.
So, question:
How can I force the system to free a 470K contiguous chunk of ram that
BAD will then read so I can optimize my hard drive????????
(I'm not even sure if BAD looks to see if the mem is cont. or just grabs
fragments, actually)
So, help please! sandy
------------
Sandy Antunes antunes@ASTROD.psu.edu
"Then we'll be off. But remember, chaps, this is not just a matter of
life and death... this is a matter of style."bscott@nyx.UUCP (Ben Scott) (08/01/90)
In article <9007312228.AA09014@astrod> antunes@ASTRO.PSU.EDU (Sandy Antunes) writes: >BAD, according to the docs, requires at least 470K of free ram in order >to format either of them. So I made a disk that boots up and only B.A.D. requires approximately 25K per meg contiguous RAM - this is changed in B.A.D. 4.0 (STILL "RSN") which can use free space on the HD if there is not enough RAM. >However, it can't optimize them because it says I don't have enough ram. >Somehow, I am skeptical... I should have ram to burn. >It requires the ram to be contiguous, however, which is where I suspect Exactly. On a 1 meg non-Super Agnus machine (which is I'm guessing what you have) you have two 512K chunks, and we all know how easy it is to fill up 40K or so... the disk bitmap alone probably takes more than that, and it sits in fast RAM. Your Workbench and any floppies you have take up at least that much chip RAM. So you probably don't have enough RAM after all. It has to be all one chunk. In a 1 meg chip machine, you do have it in one chunk. >So, question: > How can I force the system to free a 470K contiguous chunk of ram that > BAD will then read so I can optimize my hard drive???????? Get either B.A.D. 4.0 or more RAM. You can TRY some more memory-saving techniques like removing all external floppies, but I think you've pretty much at the limit now. >(I'm not even sure if BAD looks to see if the mem is cont. or just grabs B.A.D. simply attempts to allocate as much as it needs - the system will look for a chunk that big (or larger) and give it to the program, or else report an error. B.A.D. doesn't bother to look further to see if you have that much RAM and just don't have it all in one block or not, because it would do no good. Mail me for further help, or alternatively one of the authors is available at the address in the Followup To: line. . <<<<Infinite K>>>> -- .---------------------------------------------------------------------------. |Ben Scott, professional goof-off and consultant at The Raster Image, Denver| |Amiga UUCP node domain: bscott@vila.denver.co.us Else: bscott@nyx.cs.du.edu| |FIDO point address 1:104/421.2, or call the Arvada 68K BBS at (303)424-9831| |"Don't embarrass us..." "Have I ever?" - Buckaroo Banzai | *AMIGA POWER* | `---------------------------------------------------------------------------'