This is an archive of CompuServe forum messages from 1985 to 1995, as saved in transcripts by John Foust.
Search Results (100 messages)
An open Multimedia ????
Message #43960
Here's an open question to all interested parties. Suppose a company offered a multimedia stand for the PC that offered much higher quality stereo reproduction (i.e. full frequency spectrum) for 16 bit sound boards that integrated the 'speaker' solution into a stand that sat under the PC and offered a…
If I can help you further, let me know. Reese.
I think Robin has a good idea and compiling these messages could bring lots of good information to users who want to know more about Speedway. Other than the configuration advice in the LIB, there are plans afoot to provide direct vendor support for Speedway short term. More about that…
Yep. The only hesitation I make is that there are a lot of hard disk caches that are tough to recommend. QCache is PCKwik BTW. Reese.
Well, The two work together by caching the CDROM files to hard disk and then using PCKWIK to cache the hard drive. For most users, having enough RAM to build a decent size RAMdisk is difficult. For me, even 2-3 Meg. is more than I want to give to cache…
Bob, Thanks for the vote of confidence. I'll be happy to help you. Reese.
Tom, I would suggest you contact PCKWIK for their response to CDROM caching. PCKWIK does not support any CDROM caching even in version 5.0. They do however work very well in conjunction with CD Speedway. Reese. PS. If you are referring to the Windows User review of Speedcache where they…
Bob, are you sure you don't mean Hyperdisk? Hyperdisk is a product from our previous developer Roger Cross. Hyperdisk is what FAST! was in 1989-1990. We dumped the product for new development in FAST!. The reason I don't like Smartdrv.exe or Smartdrv.sys is that you won't get FAT table caching…
See my reply to Robin, Bob. Sorry for the neglect. Reese.
Sorry, The answer is no…you won't have to reload the cache when switching disks. My apologies….was moving a bit fast this morning. Reese.
#CD-ROM cache questions
Message #41532
Sounds to me as though your application is divided into data files and indexes; where the indexes are the smaller files. By caching the index data, I think you will be surprised at the performance improvements. As I have mentioned in the past, we used a law application called CD…
Jack, PMI, but I need to clarify a number of statements you made concerning caching which is incorrect. The difference in caches that work with Superstor and Stacker vs. do not have little to do whether they are written for the product. More likely it has to do with what…
It might, if not for our patented technology for how we read the information. Where you have large files, you might consider using Speedway to cache to hard disk and use a good disk cache to speed things even faster. Reese.
Hopefully, you have found compatibility with your CDROM drivers. We have had numerous reports from the field regarding in-compatibility with Lightning and CDROM drivers. However, on the performance side, as I mentioned earlier; CD Speedway is the only CDROM product to use integrated file caching for read-ahead. There's been a…
That's where we disagree. My point is that since it is a file cache, large files can be cached to hard disk or RAM and get very good results. Or, you can set Speedway to ignore large files and cache small ones only. Let me give you an example. Let's…
Yes. Speedcache + has been reported on the forum from time to time. It is published by Future Systems Solutions (no relation to Future Computer Systems (the makers of FAST!). Retail is $129.95, but I've seen it for less. A few points on performance attributes compared to our product CD…
CD-ROM cache under DOS
Message #37400
Egghead Discount, Electronics Boutique, Software Etc., Price Club, Tech Data Resellers, others. If you want to buy direct, contact TIGER Software at 1-800-88-TIGER. Prices for the product range. Retail is $99 … street average is $ 79.00 Reese. PS. Let me know if you need more assistance.
A good solution would be to set up your node with CD Speedway in a cache to local hard disk if available, otherwise set up a RAMdrive and cache the CDROM files there. Info on speedway is available in CDROM libs under the key: Speedway or cache. If you need…
Speedway will work very well with PCKWIK. If you look in the LIB 1 or 4 (I'm not sure where its at) there is a configuration write up on Speedway which discusses using it with hard disk caches. Try browsing on the KEY: Speedway. The driver requires 19K, but will…
CDSpeedway hangs w/ Net
Message #31585
Robin, Check your box for an update to the patch. It DOES fix the problem. Reese.
Speedway / Lantastic
Message #31584
There is a new patch available for CD Speedway and Lantastic which will cure the problems that some users are having. I can send it to those who would like it. Reese.
#31444-
#speedway no loading high
Message #31583
Well, the first thing I would check is that MSD.EXE or some other utility shows that you have UMB space still available. It's possible that Speedway was the program chosen by OPTIMIZE to sit low allowing other utilities to be loaded high. An include statement in QEMM will give you…
#31441-
CDSpeedway hangs w/ Net
Message #31582
Gary, Lantastic is the first choice of the users I have talked to. Perhaps a new thread would be the best choice to get a response with a querry to all… BTW, there is a patch for CD Speedway and Lantastic that you will need if you decide to go…
Thanks Rich….
Phil, Try LIB1 or LIB4. I believe some of the files may have been moved by the SYSOP but am not sure. I haven't checked them in a while. Reese.
Tony, Check the lib for information on CD Speedway from BLOC Publishing. Reese.
#30430-
#cd-rom cache
Message #30586
Phil, Check the lib for more information on Speedway and FAST!. The point on MSCDEX was that it will work with any hardware driver which is compatible with MSCDEX…it is not software dependent. CD Speedway is the first patent pending 'file' cache. It loads files to the cache area and…
nudge,nudge…wink,wink….say no more! Reese.
Yes, in a DOS window. Reese.
Larry, I think it is in IBMSYS. However, you may want to use the IBM file finder to be sure. I think it's either LIB 3 or 4. Reese.
Earlier I mentioned Nifty James, a product which I stated was 'public domain'. This was an error…it is a shareware product and before my 'faux paus' is taken literally my apologies to the author Mike. I still believe that it is THE BEST ramdrive available bar none. Reese.
Dan, Average street price is around $ 79.00. It's retail price is $ 99.00. Reese.
[Continued] (continued from part one) As mentioned earlier, if a user already has a hard disk cache, then adding a new one seems an issue. We don't believe that the people running SuperPCK, FAST!, Hyperdisk, PC Cache, and others should have to replace a product that may work fine for…
Tom, Thanks for your clarification…I think it would be a benefit for more users to jump in with the salient issues. Our technology is moving forward, as I'm sure our competitors are. The (2) biggest things that users of Speedway have asked for has been and is being addressed. 1)…
Daniel, One of the things to take into account when looking for a CD-ROM cache is how much memory you can dedicate to that cache. I believe Tom was using 8 Meg. of memory for his cache. Personally, I don't have that kind of memory to give up. CD Speedway…
My opinion of the best way to get better UMB management is to invest in a product like 386MAX or QEMM. They take advantage of areas of UMB which EMM386 does not. You may want to try excluding some of EMM386, for example MONOCHROME monitor support if you don't need…
CD Speedway
Message #29039
Dennis, Speedway requires a patch fix for LANTASTIC compatibility. If you will let me know where to send it, I will take care of the issue. Reese.
cdrom cache
Message #29038
Craig, Long time no hear…. More to the point, Development is feverishly working on the release I mentioned to you. We have expressed regret that it is taking so long, however, we have accomplished many additional features into the new product which will ensure our lead in the CD-ROM caching…
Steve, One of the most interesting concepts behind Speedway vs. it's competitors is that it can be cached to the hard disk. Being a "file" caching device, Speedway needs to fit the whole file in cache, or the file will be ignored. Not much of a problem for 256K files,…
Brian, Check your e-mail for the technical explanation as to why TSR's can't do this. I've put the work-around in your box. P.S. The error message is a small bug. As you might have seen, Speedway certainly does work under WINDOWS 3.1…however, the MSCDEX not installed is fixed and will…
David, You may order by e-mailing us an order. We'll take care of the customs forms, etc, and let you know in advance what the charges for duties are. Reese.
Jerry, Speedway is new technology. It differs dramatically from hard disk caches in that it's patent pending technology is "file" caching. Because complete files are loaded to the cache, rather than sector or track info (as in hard disk caches i.e. Smartdrv) chances are good that even first accesses are…
Brian, What specifically is the error. I can load it easily by defining a PIF. For more info, e-mail me your PIF info, and I'll look at it for you. Reese.
You can purchase Speedway through any number of different resellers. TIGER Software is the largest direct marketer of the product. We can also sell it to you with an order placed to e-mail. Depending on where you are in the world, Speedway is available at Egghead, Electronics Boutique, Software Etc.…
Yes Bob, I do have some ideas…but before I respond, please e-mail me copies of your config.sys and autoexec.bat files. Give me info as to your computer brand, memory, etc. Thanks in advance, Reese.
Les, I don't know why the people at BLOC told you Speedway won't work. If you still have it, let me know your configuration, and I'll get it working for you. Reese. We are the developers of CD Speedway.
Thanks Tom…I think it's also important to note from your tests that you are lucky enough to have 8+ megs. of RAM for caching. Most of us lowly users with 4 Meg. or less need the hard disk caching option. As you found in your tests, performance is pretty close…
Thanks again for your responses. Being that Speedway is NEW patent pending technology in caching, we're exploring lot's of new ground for the new release. Reese.
Tom, Try the following: Build a config. file using the configuration editor as follows: BP:H:\ C:8000 BUF:8 F:64 S:OFF The only real change is the number of buffers for Speedway. Using 8 buffers will improve the time it takes for files to be copied to the cache. Since you do…
Ramon, Thanks for your comments. My position on read ahead is that since Speedway pulls the entire file into cache, chances are more than the CPU requested will remain there and 'may' be used. Hard disk read-ahead offers limited benefit except on sequential track/sector benchmarks like coretest or sysinfo. I…
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