Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!ucsd!ucsdhub!hp-sdd!ncr-sd!ncrlnk!ncrwic!mlawless From: mlawless@ncrwic.Wichita.NCR.COM (Mike Lawless) Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms Subject: Re: Just how smart is "SmartDrive"? Message-ID: <4755@ncrwic.Wichita.NCR.COM> Date: 10 Feb 89 21:52:53 GMT References: <7229@june.cs.washington.edu> Reply-To: mlawless@ncrwic.UUCP (Mike Lawless) Organization: NCR Corporation, Wichita, Kansas Lines: 40 In article <7229@june.cs.washington.edu> roper@june.cs.washington.edu (Michael > >The recent question about Windows and expanded memory prompts >this question about Windows and its disk cacher, SmartDrive. >Since SmartDrive took a beating in the recent review of such >programs in PC Magazine, I am considering dumping it for some- >thing that does a better job. But I recently added 1M of ex- >panded memory and SmartDrive's claim to fame is its unique >ability to relinquish expanded memory to Windows when asked. >It recovers the memory when Windows releases it. > >Does this really work? First of all, don't believe everything you read in Microsoft's manuals. They tell you that other cache managers won't work so don't even try. But I had $100 invested in a well-regarded cache program that I wanted to keep using because of its nice features (more about that below), so I tried it and it worked fine, even on a clone. It took some doing to get it to coexist with HIMEM.SYS, but that is a different story. My cache, Super PC-Kwik, received a glowing review from PC World, for its ability to speed up disk writes as well as reads, by doing a delayed write- through from the cache to the disk as a background process. But the reason I really like it is because a companion print buffer is set up to share the same block of memory allocated to the cache; memory is reallocated from the cache for print buffering on demand, and released back to the cache when the buffered data has been printed. This reallocation uses the same least- recently used algorithm as the regular cache management. Thus, for the same block of (expensive) memory, I get two performance enhancements. And, it can use extended or expanded memory. So if you have a 286-based machine with 1 meg of memory and no way to use the "extra" 384K, use it for cache/printing. Disclaimer: I have no connection with Multisoft (the vendor for Super PC-Kwik and the spooler), other than being a satisfied customer. -- Mike Lawless, NCR E&M Wichita, Box 20 (316) 636-8666 (NCR: 654-8666) 3718 N. Rock Road, Wichita, KS 67226 Mike.Lawless@Wichita.NCR.COM {ece-csc,hubcap,gould,rtech}!ncrcae!ncrwic!Mike.Lawless {sdcsvax,cbatt,dcdwest,nosc.ARPA}!ncr-sd!ncrwic!Mike.Lawless