[comp.sys.mac.programmer] Virtual 2.0 and DiskExpress

mkelly@cs.uoregon.edu (Michael A. Kelly) (09/01/90)

Thanks to all who responded to my earlier question regarding System 7.0 and
Virtual 2.0.

Now can virtual memory utilities such as these coexist with automatic disk
optimizers such as DiskExpress II?  I understand that Virtual needs its disk
space to be contiguous, so an optimizer is necessary at some point, but can
they both run at the same time?


Thanks,

Mike.
--
Michael A. Kelly
mkelly@cs.uoregon.edu

weesh@grymoire.crd.ge.com (Darweesh) (09/04/90)

Using Disk Express II and Virtual would be bad if you optimized the swapfile
while using virtual.  You could however, partition your hard drive and
have one partition for your swapfile only (this may slightly reduce your
swapping speed though).

From personal experience-I tried using DiskExpress II and Virtual (with the
swap file on another partition) and may computer froze.  No damage was done,
but it was obvious that there were going to be some problems although I
haven't called either software company to discuss the problem.

-Mike Darweesh
weesh@unclejack.crd.ge.com

yahnke@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Ross Yahnke, MACC) (09/04/90)

In article <1990Aug31.223432.28381@cs.uoregon.edu>, mkelly@cs.uoregon.edu 
(Michael A. Kelly) writes...
-Now can virtual memory utilities such as these coexist with automatic disk
-optimizers such as DiskExpress II?  I understand that Virtual needs its disk

I think a way exists to "lock down" files so that DiskExpress won't
touch them while optimizing, this should probably occur for any
vm swapfile. 

Personally, I think DiskExpress is a well written & designed utility,
but I think it's a bit compulsive to have to have yur HD optimized
everyday. I find the constant disk access annoying, as it tries to
optimize while I'm using a word processor and trying to think...

>>> yahnke@macc.wisc.edu <<<

jmpiazza@acsu.buffalo.edu (Joseph M. Piazza) (09/04/90)

In article <4316@dogie.macc.wisc.edu> yahnke@vms.macc.wisc.edu (Ross Yahnke, MACC) writes:
>In article <1990Aug31.223432.28381@cs.uoregon.edu>, mkelly@cs.uoregon.edu 
>(Michael A. Kelly) writes...
>-Now can virtual memory utilities such as these coexist with automatic disk
>-optimizers such as DiskExpress II?  I understand that Virtual needs its disk
>
>I think a way exists to "lock down" files so that DiskExpress won't
>touch them while optimizing, this should probably occur for any
>vm swapfile. 

	This seems to be happen automagically.  Examining DE II's
Volume Info shows the swap file (the only file on my disk that's 13 Meg :-)
as "Anchored."  I presume that DE II leaves such files alone.

>Personally, I think DiskExpress is a well written & designed utility,
>but I think it's a bit compulsive to have to have yur HD optimized
>everyday. I find the constant disk access annoying, as it tries to
>optimize while I'm using a word processor and trying to think...

	To make DE II stop optimizing while you're working, activate DE II,
hit the Status button (the only one that shows, I believe), and hit Cancel.
Note that the "Optimize Automatically" box is still checked.  DE II will
then perform the optimiziation later.  If you leave your machine on all
the time (I do) it will be fully optimized every morning (or whenever you
get back to your Mac).

Flip side,

	joe piazza

---
In capitalism, man exploits man.
In communism, it's the other way around.

CS Dept. SUNY at Buffalo 14260
UUCP: ...!{watmath,boulder,decvax,rutgers}!sunybcs!jmpiazza
BITNET: jmpiazza@sunybcs.BITNET		Internet: jmpiazza@cs.Buffalo.edu

billkatt@mondo.engin.umich.edu (billkatt) (09/04/90)

In article <11594@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> weesh@grymoire.crd.ge.com (Darweesh) writes:
>Using Disk Express II and Virtual would be bad if you optimized the swapfile
>while using virtual.  You could however, partition your hard drive and
>have one partition for your swapfile only (this may slightly reduce your
>swapping speed though).
>
>From personal experience-I tried using DiskExpress II and Virtual (with the
>swap file on another partition) and may computer froze.  No damage was done,
>but it was obvious that there were going to be some problems although I
>haven't called either software company to discuss the problem.

Disk Express II takes pains to make sure it doesn't move your swapfile.  So,
in theory, it should work fine.  I've had version 2.04 running fine under
virtual, but I haven't run virtual much lately, so most of the time, I'm
running it without virtual.

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909 Church St. Apt C                                               \ o.O|
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clarson@ux.acs.umn.edu (Chaz Larson) (09/04/90)

In article <11594@crdgw1.crd.ge.com> weesh@grymoire.crd.ge.com (Darweesh) writes:
>Using Disk Express II and Virtual would be bad if you optimized the swapfile
>while using virtual...
>From personal experience-I tried using DiskExpress II and Virtual (with the
>swap file on another partition) and may computer froze.  No damage was done,

I think the problem was related to your partitioning software.  I use Virtual
2.0.3 and DiskExpress II together on a regular basis on the same Apple 40Mb
drive.  In the DiskExpressII control panel, the Virtual swapfile shows up as
being "anchored", so it is never optimized at all.

chaz


-- 
--
 Joan Rivers Slaughters Ninety-Five Chinese Physicists in drunken rampage.
                 			 -spew
clarson@ux.acs.umn.edu                                       AOL:Crowbone

hammen@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Robert Hammen) (09/08/90)

>Personally, I think DiskExpress is a well written & designed utility,
>but I think it's a bit compulsive to have to have yur HD optimized
>everyday. I find the constant disk access annoying, as it tries to
>optimize while I'm using a word processor and trying to think...

I concur (the desire to have your disk always optimized seems a bit, well,
anal-retentive, doesn't it?). More troubling to me is the sheer number of
trap patches that DiskExpress II does to do it's job. With all of the INIT
incompatibility/weirdness going on in the world, it's the last thing I need.
I now use Norton's SpeedDisk about once a week. After the first time (which
took 45 minutes on a 140 MB disk), it now only takes about 20 minutes to
fully optimize my disk. Plus, I use Norton's DiskDoctor program to fully
check out the health of my HD before I do the optimization, which is an
added value to the package. Norton's optimization of System and INIT files
does seem to make the boot process (or at least my boot process) faster...

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