Smartdrv.exe

[ChangChiTheGraphics]

Hi,

When I was using Windows98 I had Smartdrv.exe in Autoexec.bat
which lets me create files in memory so that I could access them fast.

Now I am using WindowsXP, service pack2.
Is it possible to have the same features in XP? If so how do I do it?
Could someone help ?

Thank you,
ChangChiTheGraphics

 

[Nil]

When I was using Windows98 I had Smartdrv.exe in Autoexec.bat
which lets me create files in memory so that I could access them
fast.

Now I am using WindowsXP, service pack2.
Is it possible to have the same features in XP? If so how do I do
it? Could someone help ?

Smartdrv was a general memory caching utility. You had no control over
what was stored there and you couldn't create a file there. Maybe you
were thinking of RAM drives, where you could create a "disk drive" in
memory that had its own drive letter, and you could store whatever you
wanted there, until you shut the computer down, of course.

Google for "ramdisk xp" and you'll find some suggestions. Most of the
ones I saw were commercial or shareware.

 

[Thee Chicago Wolf [MVP]]

When I was using Windows98 I had Smartdrv.exe in Autoexec.bat

which lets me create files in memory so that I could access them fast.

Now I am using WindowsXP, service pack2.
Is it possible to have the same features in XP? If so how do I do it?
Could someone help ?

Thank you,
ChangChiTheGraphics

The caching in XP made smartdrv obsolete and unnecessary. Also, you
should be on SP3, not SP2.

- Thee Chicago Wolf [MVP]

 

[smlunatick]

Hi,

When I was using Windows98 I had  Smartdrv.exe in Autoexec.bat
which lets me create files in memory so that I could access them fast.

Now I am using WindowsXP, service pack2.
Is it possible to have the same features in XP? If so how do I do it?
Could someone help ?

Thank you,
ChangChiTheGraphics

Smartdrv was never a "RAM" disk. It was a "preemptive" automatic
memory "caching" system to speed up file access. Obsolete!

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Smartdrv was a general memory caching utility. You had no control over
what was stored there and you couldn't create a file there. Maybe you
were thinking of RAM drives, where you could create a "disk drive" in
memory that had its own drive letter, and you could store whatever you
wanted there, until you shut the computer down, of course.

Google for "ramdisk xp" and you'll find some suggestions. Most of the
ones I saw were commercial or shareware.

Although you *can* use a ramdisk, unless you have very special needs,
it's almost always a very bad mistake, and hurts your performance.

 

[ChangChiTheGraphics]

Hi Ken,

You say,
"Although you *can* use a ramdisk, unless you have very special needs,
it's almost always a very bad mistake, and hurts your performance. "

Is there another way to create a file and access it using the typical
functions
like: fopen, fread, etc

The value of using smartdrv in old days was that I could access the file
from RAM and therefore acess it fast using fopen, fread, fwrite, etc.

I am thinking that if smartdrv is not used now, there must be a better way
of doing the same thing. Only way I know now is that I create files on hard
disk and access them. This is a slow process, I believe.

I would appreciate your suggestions; How would you do it if you need to
create files and access them ?

Thank you, Ken
ChangChiTheGraphics

 

[ChangChiTheGraphics]

Hi, Nil

Is there another way to create a file and access it using the typical
functions like: fopen, fread, etc

The value of using smartdrv in old days was that I could access the file
from RAM and therefore acess it fast using fopen, fread, fwrite, etc.

I am thinking that if smartdrv is not used now, there must be a better way
of doing the same thing. Only way I know now is that I create files on hard
disk and access them. This is a slow process, I believe.

I would appreciate your suggestions; How would you do it if you need to
create files and access them ?

Thank you, Ken
ChangChiTheGraphics

 

[Nil]

The value of using smartdrv in old days was that I could access
the file from RAM and therefore acess it fast using fopen, fread,
fwrite, etc.

No, you couldn't. Smartdrive cached files as they were written to disk.
The file was in cache only fractions of seconds. You had no control
over it.

I would appreciate your suggestions; How would you do it if you
need to create files and access them ?

I would write them to disk. If speed was paramount, I would get a
faster hard disk or a solid state disk.

 

[Bob I]

Please read the section of
Why is there so little Free RAM?
here
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php