Microsoft KB Archive/105072

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

FastTips: MS-DOS 6.2 DoubleSpace Questions and Answers
Last reviewed: November 23, 1994

Article ID: Q105072

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft MS-DOS operating system versions 6.2, 6.22

IMPORTANT: Although the text in the following questions and answers specifically refers to MS-DOS 6.2 DoubleSpace, the information also applies to MS-DOS 6.22 DriveSpace. If you have MS-DOS 6.22, substitute DRVSPACE for any DBLSPACE commands.

1. Q. What new features does MS-DOS 6.2 DoubleSpace include?

A. Microsoft DoubleSpace has several new features that add an     increased layer of data protection and ease of use. For example:

- DoubleSpace installation procedure now calls ScanDisk, a new utility that detects, diagnoses, and repairs disk errors on       uncompressed drives and DoubleSpace-compressed drives.

- DoubleSpace now includes DoubleGuard safety checking, which protects against data corruption by verifying data integrity before writing to your disk.

- DoubleSpace automatically mounts compressed floppy disks and other compressed removable media even when Windows is       running.

- With MS-DOS 6.2, you can easily uncompress a DoubleSpace drive or even completely uninstall DoubleSpace from memory.

- You can bypass DoubleSpace when you start your computer to       make troubleshooting easier and also temporarily free memory for use by other applications.

For more information, type "help whatsnew" or "help dblspace" (without the quotation marks) at the MS-DOS command prompt and then press ENTER.

2. Q. I am currently using a third-party disk-compression software package and now want to convert to DoubleSpace. How can I do this?

A. If you use a third-party disk-compression program, you need to back up your program and data files, install MS-DOS 6.2, remove your third-party disk-compression software, compress your drives with DoubleSpace, and then restore your program and data files.

For more detailed information, order FastTips Technical Library item Q103949, titled "Converting to DoubleSpace from Third-Party      Disk Compression."

3. Q. I installed DoubleSpace and now each time I enter Microsoft Windows I receive the error "Corrupt Swapfile Warning." I have set up my permanent swap file many times, but I continue to     receive this error. How can I correct this problem?

A. In this case, the error "Corrupt Swapfile Warning" probably means your permanent swap file is being created on a DoubleSpace- compressed volume. Windows cannot create a permanent swap file on a compressed volume. To correct this problem, set the permanent swap file to an uncompressed drive, such as your host drive.

Windows cannot detect DoubleSpace-compressed drives because Windows' release predates the release of DoubleSpace.

4. Q. Because DoubleSpace has assigned drive F (or higher) for its own use, my Novell NetWare logon scripts no longer work. How can I     correct this problem?

A. The drive letter F (normally used by Novell NetWare) may be used by DoubleSpace. To work around this situation, you can either use a different drive letter for your login drive, or adjust DoubleSpace so that it uses a different drive letter for its host drive.

If your usual NetWare drive letter is unavailable, use one of     the following methods to change the DoubleSpace host drive letter:

- Ensure any C:\DOS\DBLSPACE.SYS commands are placed before any RAMDRIVE.SYS statements in your CONFIG.SYS file.

-or-

- Use the DBLSPACE /HOST command to change the host drive letter.

NOTE: You can usually avoid this problem by making sure your NetWare software is loaded before you run DoubleSpace to     compress your drives.

For specific instructions to correct this situation, order FastTips Technical Library item Q97565, titled "Novell Login     Drive Not Available After Installing DoubleSpace."

5. Q. I occasionally receive a red full-screen DoubleGuard error message and my computer stops responding (hangs). What is     causing these errors and how can I prevent them?

A. DoubleGuard ensures your data is safe by verifying data integrity before writing data to your disk. If DoubleGuard detects that the memory DoubleSpace is using has been corrupted by another program, it shuts down your computer immediately to     minimize damage to your data.

If you are consistently getting DoubleGuard errors when you run a particular application, the application is likely overwriting DoubleSpace information in memory. For more information and assistance in troubleshooting this problem, contact the application software vendor.

If there is no particular pattern to the DoubleGuard errors, you may have a conflict between device drivers and/or terminate-and- stay-resident (TSR) programs in your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. For more detailed information on troubleshooting your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, order FastTips Technical Library item Q68128, titled "Troubleshooting the CONFIG.SYS and     AUTOEXEC.BAT Files."