Microsoft KB Archive/29489

MACH 20 README.DOC: Speeding Up Disk Access with SMARTDrive PSS ID Number: Q29489 Article last modified on 11-22-1994 PSS database name: HARDWARE

1.00 MS-DOS

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The following information is from the MACH 20 README.DOC file for version 1.0.

Speeding Up Disk Access with SMARTDrive
The MACH 20 Memory Plus Installation disk includes a program called SMARTDrive. SMARTDrive is a disk-caching program for computers that have a hard disk and expanded or extended memory. You can use SMARTDrive in conjunction with the expanded memory on Memory Plus to reduce the amount of time your computer spends reading data from your hard disk. SMARTDrive is ideal for you if you work with many applications and files at once. It is especially useful when running multiple applications that require swapping–copying applications to and from the hard disk to make room for all applications in memory.

How SMARTDrive Works
SMARTDrive reduces the amount of time it takes applications to read information from your hard disk. To do this, SMARTDrive saves information read from or written to your hard disk in expanded memory on Memory Plus. SMARTDrive then supplies this information directly from memory whenever an application makes a request to read the information from your hard disk, a relatively time-consuming process. SMARTDrive always copies new or modified information to the hard disk as well as to Memory Plus memory, so there is no danger of losing information when you turn off your computer.

Replacing Other Memory-Disk Programs
You should use SMARTDrive as a replacement for any memory-disk program (such as VDISK) or any disk-caching program (such as Vcache or LIGHTNING). If you are already using a memory-disk or disk-caching program, you must modify your CONFIG.SYS file to remove any command lines associated with that program. See the documentation provided with the program for information about its CONFIG.SYS command lines.

KBCategory: kbref kbhw KBSubcategory: Additional reference words: noupd 1.00 readme

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================================================================ Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1994.