CompuServe Messages

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 offers you the option of caching to hard disk, which in many cases is just as fast as caching to RAMdisk. In addition, since Microsoft RAMdrive.sys will cause errors alocating more than 4 Meg., keep in mind that you'll have to search out additional utilities to make other products work with big amounts of RAM, let alone the fact that if you don't have the RAM, RAM prices are going UP! Speedway sets itself apart from the competition in one very distinct area. It is a 'file' cache. I agree with Tom that in some cases file I/O can cause a delay while loading the cache, but this only happens once. Every subsequent use of the cache, the data is already there. What will it cost you to use Speedcache+? If you have the RAM and a third party RAMdrive, $129.00 retail. If you don't have the RAM, this amount is going to add up fast. I recommend Speedway for a number of reasons. 1) If you can't afford the RAM, you have the option to cache to hard disk (saving your RAM for Windows or other tasks), 2) you can use Speedway in conjunction with a cache you already have. Many SuperPCK users have gotten excellent results, as I know many Norton users have as well, and 3) cost is significantly less than Speedcache +. An update for Speedway will soon be avilable which will do background reads and partial file caching. Reese.