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From: nelson@sgi.com (Nelson Bolyard)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Smartdrv.sys hangs machine
Summary: Use HyperDisk shareware instead of smartdrv.sys
Keywords: disk cache
Message-ID: <1991Mar28.221706.19100@odin.corp.sgi.com>
Date: 28 Mar 91 22:17:06 GMT
References: <106958@unix.cis.pitt.edu> <1991Mar26.175131.26779@sbcs.sunysb.edu>
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Organization: Silicon Graphics, Inc.
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In article <1991Mar26.175131.26779@sbcs.sunysb.edu> altman@sbpmt.cs.sunysb.edu 
(Jeff Altman) writes, quoting some unknown README.TXT file that claims (quote)"
>SMARTDrive will not run if your hard disk was partitioned using 
>one of the following utilities:
>
>  *  Disk Manager (Ontrack Computer Systems)
>  *  SpeedStor (Storage Dimensions)
>  *  Vfeature Deluxe (Golden Bow Systems)
>
>If your hard disk was partitioned using one of these utilities,
>SMARTDrive will not start. Instead, it displays the following 
>message:
>
>  Incompatible disk partition detected.
>
>SMARTDrive does this in order to protect your hard disk from 
>possible damage. Hard disks partitioned using these three 
>utilities are often incompatible with SMARTDrive; running 
>SMARTDrive on such a hard disk could destroy the data on that disk.
>--
>- Jeff (jaltman@ccmail.sunysb.edu)

I don't know what README.TXT file you're referring to, but none of the
README files I have say that.  What's more, my personal experience with
SMARTDRV.SYS (the version that came with WIN 3.0) disproves the claim made
in your README.  I have an ESDI drive, with diskmgr.  Smartdrv did start up
with my diskmgr, did not detect an incompatible disk partition, and did all
sorts of heinous things to my disk before I stopped it.  Fortunately, in my
case, I was able to fix things up by reinstallaing the damaged files from
the original product disks, and did not have to resort to restoring from
backups.

But I now have a disk cache driver that works just fine on my machine with
the diskmgr driver and Win 3.0, even in 386Enh mode.  It's a piece of
shareware called HyperDisk (hydk420.zip). It can cache floppies as well as
hard drives, and comes with different drivers to work with different
hardware/software combinations (e.g. a version to work with QEMM 5.1x, a
version for himem.sys, etc.). It can operate in write-through mode (like
smartdrv) or in delayed write-back cache mode.  I use it in write-thru
mode, so I don't have to worry about power outages.

I've been using it daily for about 2 weeks now, and am quite pleased, and
will be sending in my check very soon.  I've dedicated 1 of my 8 megabytes
of RAM to the disk cache, and it makes a BIG difference in speed and
reduced disk access (and reduced disk wear-and-tear).

The shareware version bugs you to pay for it every time it starts up, and
as I understand it, will stop working on Dec 31, 1991.  The registered
version supposedly doesn't nag you for money, and won't stop working in
December.

I *think* I got this file from cica.  If not, I could FTP it there upon
request.

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Nelson Bolyard      nelson@sgi.COM      {decwrl,sun}!sgi!whizzer!nelson
Disclaimer: Views expressed herein do not represent the views of my employer.
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