VCACHE fix attempt

[Sound Lover]

Dencorso, thanks for removing the live link from my post.

My bad!

jp

[Hu$tle]

... and it can be easily slipstreamed into Windows installation CD.

This canNOT be slipstreamed, I just tried it and the Vcache.vxd didn't copy.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

I can confirm that since using maximum MaxFileCache on my 1GB RAM win98SE PC, the following have been noticed:

* Faster operation (intuitive feel)

* Hardly any disk caching activity when using firefox and other memory "keen" apps

* No shut-down problems (sometimes had these)

[vcache]

MaxFileCache=522240

MaxPhysPage=40000

[386Enh]

...

MaxPhysPage=40000

I use the following values:

[vcache]

MinFileCache=4096

MaxFileCache=393216

ChunkSize=2048

NameCache=4096

DirectoryCache=96

Are there any objections in using these settings? I don't understand how there can so many different setting for 1GB of ram. There should only be one ultimate setting. Edited September 19, 2012 by PROBLEMCHYLD

[rloew]

I can confirm that since using maximum MaxFileCache on my 1GB RAM win98SE PC, the following have been noticed:

* Faster operation (intuitive feel)

* Hardly any disk caching activity when using firefox and other memory "keen" apps

* No shut-down problems (sometimes had these)

[vcache]

MaxFileCache=522240

MaxPhysPage=40000

[386Enh]

...

MaxPhysPage=40000

I use the following values:

[vcache]

MinFileCache=4096

MaxFileCache=393216

ChunkSize=2048

NameCache=4096

DirectoryCache=96

Are there any objections in using these settings? I don't understand how there can so many different setting for 1GB of ram. There should only be one ultimate setting.

Not true.

The optimum setting depends upon how you use your system and what Graphics Card(s) are present.

For general work, you want the highest setting that leaves room for all the DOS Boxes you might want.

If you do a lot of transfers to USB Keys or cards, you probably want a low setting.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

Not true.

The optimum setting depends upon how you use your system and what Graphics Card(s) are present.

For general work, you want the highest setting that leaves room for all the DOS Boxes you might want.

If you do a lot of transfers to USB Keys or cards, you probably want a low setting.

I have been reading all of these 1GB+ topics and they all have me going in circles. The reason I asked because SP adds System.ini,386enh,,"MaxPhysPage=40000" and if there is no general/default setting, then it can be removed in the next release.

[rloew]

Not true.

The optimum setting depends upon how you use your system and what Graphics Card(s) are present.

For general work, you want the highest setting that leaves room for all the DOS Boxes you might want.

If you do a lot of transfers to USB Keys or cards, you probably want a low setting.

I have been reading all of these 1GB+ topics and they all have me going in circles. The reason I asked because SP adds System.ini,386enh,,"MaxPhysPage=40000" and if there is no general/default setting, then it can be removed in the next release.

I noticed the setting. That combined with your VMM.VXD update, breaks my RAM Limitation Patch. Since you did not add the setting to SYSTEM.CB, my Computer crashed when I went into Safe Mode after installing the SP.

Since Windows 98 will not boot if the setting is not there or the RAM Limitation Patch is used, there is no need for you to set it. In addition, many people set it a little higher, closer to the actual limit around ~1150MB. The actual limit can vary a few MB depending upon configuration.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

Since Windows 98 will not boot if the setting is not there or the RAM Limitation Patch is used, there is no need for you to set it. In addition, many people set it a little higher, closer to the actual limit around ~1150MB. The actual limit can vary a few MB depending upon configuration.

So I need to either remove it or add the same value to SYSTEM.CB?

[rloew]

Since Windows 98 will not boot if the setting is not there or the RAM Limitation Patch is used, there is no need for you to set it. In addition, many people set it a little higher, closer to the actual limit around ~1150MB. The actual limit can vary a few MB depending upon configuration.

So I need to either remove it or add the same value to SYSTEM.CB?

True.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

True.

So what is the ideal solution?

[rloew]

True.

So what is the ideal solution?

As I said, there is no need to add it as it would already be there, if needed.

Adding it in the SP would only be of value if someone added RAM AFTER installing the SP, or used some other RAM suppression method so he could install the SP.

Looking at Dencorso's >1GB Thread, many people pushed their MaxPhysPage to "48000". A few went a little higher but that may cause problems on different systems.

[erpdude8]

I recently took the liberty to make an experimental VCACHE fix for Win98 Gold - First edition.

And I also modified the existing vcache.vxd file for Win98 2nd edition so that the Update Information Tool (QFEcheck.exe) and the WinME explorer shell program from the 98SE2ME pack (when installing 98se2me with option 3 selected) will correctly identify the VXD file as version 4.10.0.2223.

attached in my new post are the updated vcache.vxd files in english [version 4.10.2184 dated 9/21/2012 for Win98 FE and 4.10.2223 dated 9/20/2012 for Win98 SE]

vcache98.zip

sometime next month, I may release a VCACHE fix for Win95 SR2.x versions B & C.

Edited October 12, 2012 by erpdude8

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

I tried to do it myself but I wasn't successful. Thanks It will be added in 3.9.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

Not true.

The optimum setting depends upon how you use your system and what Graphics Card(s) are present.

For general work, you want the highest setting that leaves room for all the DOS Boxes you might want.

If you do a lot of transfers to USB Keys or cards, you probably want a low setting.

So this would not be considered a universal setting regardless of the amount of ram?

In ALL cases the only stable setting when system was not affected by "not enought memory" was:

Maxfilecache=32768

Minfilecache=32768

[dencorso]

So this would not be considered a universal setting regardless of the amount of ram?

In ALL cases the only stable setting when system was not affected by "not enought memory" was:

Maxfilecache=32768

Minfilecache=32768

No. There's really no reason to set such small values for the general case. Offler's results from that time, just as mine own as well, suffered from the fact we were both using XMSDSK, which also takes RAM out of the same pool of addresses as the VCache and the DOS Boxes do.

My take is: Xeno86's fixed VCache is *all* one needs, for 1 GiB RAM or less. Due to how Xeno86 wrote the patch, if there's no MaxFileCache directive, it'll limit the VCache to 384 MiB, which is really good enough for most purposes. But if a MaxFileCache directive is present, Xeno86's fixed VCache will accept it, even if it's more than 384 MiB.

[PROBLEMCHYLD]

No. There's really no reason to set such small values for the general case. Offler's results from that time, just as mine own as well, suffered from the fact we were both using XMSDSK, which also takes RAM out of the same pool of addresses as the VCache and the DOS Boxes do.

My take is: Xeno86's fixed VCache is *all* one needs, for 1 GiB RAM or less. Due to how Xeno86 wrote the patch, if there's no MaxFileCache directive, it'll limit the VCache to 384 MiB, which is really good enough for most purposes. But if a MaxFileCache directive is present, Xeno86's fixed VCache will accept it, even if it's more than 384 MiB.

So the best setting, is no setting. Thanks, I can see the light now, it was dimmed, but its bright now