peter.gowdy@canremote.uucp (PETER GOWDY) (11/15/89)
Does anyone know how to make Smartdrive work on a hard disk setup by Disk Manager? A Microsoft article I read suggested that it doesn't, and I have noticed that it's operation is intermittent. Any comments are appreciated. Peter Gowdy, Toronto Usenet: peter.gowdy@canremote.uucp --- * Via ProDoor 3.1R
claude.vidal@canremote.uucp (CLAUDE VIDAL) (11/16/89)
//]Does anyone know how to make Smartdrive work on a hard disk setup by
//]Disk Manager? A Microsoft article I read suggested that it doesn't, and
//]I have noticed that it's operation is intermittent.
I too have had problems running SMARTDRV.SYS with my disk
managing software (Vfeature by Golden Bow Systems) when
partitioning over 32mb.
I spent months pulling hair on this one; I got 2 replies...
Microsoft:
"...(SMARTDRV.SYS) caches only nonremovable hard drives
that operate on the IBM ROM INT 13H interface using
drive numbers starting at 80H...
...all logical partitioning schemes that operate above
the INT 13H interface will not work..."
Golden Bow System:
"...SMARTDRV.SYS _assumes_ a sector size of 512
bytes..." I note: Partitions >32mb require an increased
sector size to comply with the current FAT structure
(DOS 3.x).
SMARTDRV.SYS's usage of extended memory (I use Windows/386) is
variable: Windows/386 can dynamically 'borrow' some extended
memory from SMARTDRV.SYS; so that makes SMARTDRV.SYS a very
attractive option, eventhough performance tests show it's second
class to many other superior cache programs.
But with SMARTDRV's bad temper, I turned to PC-Cache: say hello
to another set of problems! My Priam V185 has 1166 cylinders and
7 heads; in my Phoenix BIOS device table, the maximum number of
cylinders of any type with 7 heads is 1024, so that's the type I
select in my setup. Vfeature's documentation indicates that it
doesn't really care what the setup says anyway.
Now, maybe this is just a coincidence, but using PC-Cache on
anything that lands on a cylinder number > 1024 freezes my
system. So maybe Vfeature doesn't care about the device table,
but here's PC-Cache 'apparently' having a peak at my device table
and having a stroke. I can't explain the freeze any other way.
_________________________
I don't fully understand the internals of what is going on here,
but I hope this helps a bit.
Oh, and by the way, Microsoft suggests that SMARTDRV.SYS 'should'
work with partitions >32mb under DOS 4.01; I haven't dared try
this yet...
---
~ EZ-Reader 1.21 ~ Windows/386...faut l'faire!
* QNet 1.04a1: DAT-A-REA - St-Bruno,Quebec (514)441-3229hadgraft@civeng.monash.edu.au (Roger Hadgraft) (11/16/89)
In article <89111504064846@masnet.uucp>, peter.gowdy@canremote.uucp (PETER GOWDY) writes: > Does anyone know how to make Smartdrive work on a hard disk setup by > Disk Manager? A Microsoft article I read suggested that it doesn't, and > I have noticed that it's operation is intermittent. > > Any comments are appreciated. > I run 2 hard disk with Disk Manager and have SmartDrv loaded. I haven't noticed any problems. Perhaps I'm missing something. What problems have you had? -- 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. |
claude.vidal@canremote.uucp (CLAUDE VIDAL) (11/19/89)
//]]SMARTDRV.SYS's usage of extended memory (I use Windows/386) is //]]variable: Windows/386 can dynamically 'borrow' some extended //]]memory from SMARTDRV.SYS; so that makes SMARTDRV.SYS a very //]]attractive option, eventhough performance tests show it's second //]]class to many other superior cache programs. //] //]Actually, Claude, Windows can only "borrow" memory back from Smartdrive //]if Smartdrive is loaded in expanded memory.... Of course, you're right; it's just I can't see as many benefits in loading SMARTDRV.SYS in extended as in expanded, so I assume everyone would load it in expanded; specially given this interaction between Windows and SMARTDRV.SYS //]........................................... Under Windows/386, there is //]no dynamic interaction at all. (If you don't see a Smartdrive entry //]when you check the About... box in the MS-DOS Executive, there's no //]interaction)... Although I haven't tested SMARTDRV.SYS on my 386 (I wish I COULD test the damn thing!), I don't recall the documentation restricting this interaction to only 286's...unless I misunderstand your comment. _____________________ By the way, you seem somewhat involved with Windows; which version do you run? On what equipment? What Windows applications do you run (shareware and commercial)? --- ~ EZ-Reader 1.21 ~ Windows/386...faut l'faire! * QNet 1.04a1: DAT-A-REA - St-Bruno,Quebec (514)441-3229
claude.vidal@canremote.uucp (CLAUDE VIDAL) (11/19/89)
//]]Although I haven't tested SMARTDRV.SYS on my 386 (I wish I COULD //]]test the damn thing!), I don't recall the documentation //]]restricting this interaction to only 286's...unless I //]]misunderstand your comment. //] //]The reason there is no interaction between Smartdriv and Windows/386 is //]simple really: Smartdriv must be loaded into paged expanded memory at //]boot-up time for Windows to recognize it, but Windows/386 ignores and //]cannot manage any expanded memory that it hasn't created itself... Said this way, makes lots of sense...but there's still something haunting me in the back of my mind about this...I'll dig in further (shit! there goes the paint job I was supposed to do today) //]With the exception of a handful of GEM applications, all the //]applications and most utilities I run, run under Windows. I use //]Windows/386 2.17... You're not the first to mention 2.17; I'm at 2.1; I wonder what the maintenance was between our 2 versions? I know some had to do with video/printer drivers, but what else? Do you know? //]................. Before I'll start using Windows/386 as a total //]environment, it will have to allow use of high memory and install its //]memory management system at boot-up via a device driver. Maybe 3.0 will //]allow this... There are many things I'm hoping for too, the most important of which are decent memory management, tweakable task scheduling (time slices) and STABILITY! I still crash the system once every 1-2 weeks. //]I already have Pub-Tech's File Organizer. What about you? Command Post, Excel, Am (lightly, Write does the job most of the time), Page Maker, Corel Draw, Active Life, a few utilities (finder, browser) --- ~ EZ-Reader 1.21 ~ Windows/386...faut l'faire! * QNet 1.04a1: DAT-A-REA - St-Bruno,Quebec (514)441-3229
peter.gowdy@canremote.uucp (PETER GOWDY) (11/24/89)
Claude, Thanks for your comments. I may go to DOS partitions so that I can get my Smartdrive working properly. It sounds as though you've been through the wringer on this, so I might just accept this problem for a while, or until MS fixes it. Again, thanks for you input. Peter Gowdy, Toronto Usenet: peter.gowdy@canremote.uucp --- * Via ProDoor 3.1R
claude.vidal@canremote.uucp (CLAUDE VIDAL) (11/25/89)
//]I'd don't think there is an official upgrade from 2.1; I reinstalled //]with the run-time build files from Designer 2.0 (dated Sept. 89), and //]now I'm told it's version 2.17. I don't notice any difference From what I know, the '7' in 2.17 indicates the seventh minor revision, usually new or corrected printer/display drivers; but occasionally, Microsoft will slip in there a correction for a bug that occurs only in rare circumstances. //]Pubtech's File Organizer, though, comes with a very good editor (no kb //]limits, macros and so on)... worth looking into, even if you don't care //]for icons and trashcans etc... Shareware? --- ~ EZ-Reader 1.21 ~ Windows/386...faut l'faire! * QNet 1.04a1: DAT-A-REA - St-Bruno,Quebec (514)441-3229
david.christensen@canremote.uucp (DAVID CHRISTENSEN) (11/30/89)
CV>Oh, and by the way, Microsoft suggests that SMARTDRV.SYS 'should'
CV>work with partitions >32mb under DOS 4.01; I haven't dared try
CV>this yet...
Its not worth the trouble, try and use Compaq 3.31, same features,
less buggy.
...dC...
---
~ DeLuxe 1.11a17 #648 ~~~~ Happy Holidays! ~~~~
Sound of Musicpeter.gowdy@canremote.uucp (PETER GOWDY) (12/01/89)
David, Does your note regarding Compaq DOS 3.31 mean that Smartdrive will work under Disk Manager? ===== Peter Gowdy ===== ===== Toronto ===== --- * Via ProDoor 3.1R
rommel@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de (Kai-Uwe Rommel) (12/06/89)
In article <89120107514975@masnet.uucp> peter.gowdy@canremote.uucp (PETER GOWDY) writes: >David, >Does your note regarding Compaq DOS 3.31 mean that Smartdrive will work >under Disk Manager? >===== Peter Gowdy ===== I tested Compaq DOS 3.31 and found it to be the best choice of today's DOS versions. It has real 4.0 big partitions (>32MB) without the 4.0 overhead (always having SHARE loaded). The partitions are fully compatible with DOS 4.0 and SMARTDRV (at least 2.10 and above) works well with them. Also, Compaq DOS 3.31 needs less memory than 4.0 (about 12k). If you do not need the DOS shell (who needs it ? :-), it is the best choice. Kai Uwe Rommel, Munich