Microsoft KB Archive/158596

= Mac Encarta 97: Readme.txt: Performance =

Article ID: 158596

Article Last Modified on 7/23/2007

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Encarta Encyclopedia 97 for Macintosh

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This article was previously published under Q158596



SUMMARY
The following article contains the Performance section of the Microsoft Encarta 97 Encyclopedia Readme.txt file and details suggestions on how to optimize Encarta's performance.



MORE INFORMATION
Readme File

If Encarta seems to be running slowly or its audio and video clips are choppy or interrupted, there are a number of things which may help:

If less than 6,144K of memory are free when you launch Encarta, you may still notice some performance problems. Check the Memory Use section for tips on freeing memory in the Read Me file on the CD ROM.

For more information, query on the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE ID: Q158595

TITLE: Mac Encarta 97: Read Me: Memory Use

INCREASE THE PREFERRED SIZE FOR ENCARTA'S MEMORY ALLOCATION.

By default, it's set to a suggested memory size of 6,144K. If you have more than 8 MB of installed RAM, you can increase the amount of memory the program requests by quitting the application, clicking the Encarta 97 Encyclopedia application icon, choosing Get Info from the File menu, and then changing the preferred size in the section labeled "Memory Requirements".

If you are using Virtual Memory to expand available memory to more than double your physical RAM capacity, you may find that Encarta runs slowly. For optimal performance, reduce Virtual Memory to its lowest possible level. For more details on Virtual Memory, check the MEMORY USE section.

ENABLE THE MODERN MEMORY MANAGER.

On Power Macintosh computers, the Modern Memory Manager offers better performance than the old 68K Memory Manager because it runs in the native PowerPC environment and has been optimized to improve heap management. To turn on the Modern Memory Manager, open the Memory control panel, switch the Modern Memory Manager radio button to On, and then restart your computer.

INCREASE THE SIZE OF YOUR DISK CACHE.

In the Memory control panel, you can set aside a portion of your RAM to store recently used information read from your CD-ROM drive or hard disk. A larger cache can improve performance considerably because RAM is much faster than CD-ROMs and hard disks.

NOTE: On systems earlier than 7.5, setting your cache any higher than 512K will cause degraded performance. On System 7.5 and later, Apple recommends setting your Disk Cache to 32K per MB of  installed RAM for optimal performance.

TURN OFF FILE SHARING.

File Sharing turns your Macintosh into a file server, letting you share folders and files on your hard disk with other people on the network. Maintaining File Sharing, however, takes considerable memory and processing power and you may notice degraded performance when running Encarta Encyclopedia. To disable File Sharing, open the Sharing Setup control panel and click the "Stop" button for File Sharing. The button name should change to "Start".

UPGRADE TO THE LATEST SYSTEM SOFTWARE RELEASE.

There have been several reliability and performance enhancements added since System 7.5.3 that improve virtual memory performance, particularly on launch and when switching between applications. If  you already own System 7.5.3, these updates are available for download at no charge from the following Apple sites:

http://www.apple.com/ http://www.info.apple.com/swupdates/

Encarta is designed to work properly on a double-speed CD-ROM drive. A triple-speed or faster CD-ROM drive will provide even better performance in some areas. If your CD-ROM drive has a sustained transfer rate of less than 300K/sec, it may not be able to supply audio and video information to the Macintosh at the speed required. This problem cannot be fixed short of upgrading to a faster CD-ROM drive. If you suspect a problem with your drive, ensure that it is properly terminated and that its software is properly installed. For details on SCSI termination, see your Macintosh or CD-ROM drive documentation, or contact your Apple dealer.

A dirty or scratched CD can cause your drive to perform poorly or unpredictably. Make sure the bottom surface of the Encarta 97 discs are clean and undamaged.

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