Large ramdrive in Windows 98

[Sfor]

All hardware based ramdisk solutions have to be slower then software ones. The speed of the IO operations is limited by the construction of the IO buses, while the RAM controller and modules will always be faster. Still, it is visible, the NT based ramdisk is faster, than the DOS based one.

But, I would like to test if the ramdisk would be faster than the Windows 98 file caching system. Right now I'm using the file cache setting of 800000. The script copies the file to the nul device, before launching video player. As the result, the whole file gets loaded to the file cache, and there are no hard drive operations during playback. I'm also curious, if the ramdrives are cached by the Windows. If so, there are no point in using ramdrives, in my case.

[TELVM]

(Thought best to push this old thread that starting a new one)

How about the Cenatek RAMDisk9xME 1.5? Any experience with this in W98?

http://www.brothersoft.com/ramdisk9xme-82623.html

I use its Dataram descendant in W7 and it works like a charm.

If we got less than 1GB of RAM (768MB in my case), there are any advantages or disadvantages in using a XMS or non-XMS ramdisk with W98?

[dencorso]

Yes. a XMS ramdrive will wind up using memory from the System Arena, which is limited to 1 GiB and is also used by the DOS boxes, VCache and all the OS Ring-0 components (drivers, VxDs and the kernel proper, and some hardware like the graphics aperture of AGP video cards... so, at the end of the day, one'll not be able to use much more than about 350 MiB for the ramdisk, else crashes follow.

A Non-XMS ramdisk does not use memory from the System Arena nor anywhere inside the memory managed by windos, and can be as large as 3.5 GiB, without any problems.

[RetroWish]

Hi There.

In my "unpatched" system, I have found that any practical combination of (Vcache + RAMdisk) is ok provided the sum total of the two sizes does not exceed 768 MB. Currently, I am using a 256 MB Vcache and a 512 MB RAMdisk. I hope this helps.

[rloew]

Hi There.

In my "unpatched" system, I have found that any practical combination of (Vcache + RAMdisk) is ok provided the sum total of the two sizes does not exceed 768 MB. Currently, I am using a 256 MB Vcache and a 512 MB RAMdisk. I hope this helps.

That would be about right with a XMS RAM Disk, "patched" or "unpatched". Each uses System Arena space. The actual limit varies depending upon the Graphics Drivers used.

[TELVM]

Thanks gentlemen. It has been over a decade since last time I fiddled with Win98 and I'm extremely rusty, if I ask something particularly obvious/stupid please indulge me .

So for Win98 we've got ...

XMS ramdisks:

- Ramdrive.sys

- XMSDSK 1.9I

- Srdisk

? Cenatek Win9xMe 1.5 ?

Non-XMS ramdisks:

- RLOEW's

Anything else?

Maybe some old version of the Gavotte could work in Win98?

What I have in mind is testing to select a fast ramdisk for speeding up a bit a 1999-vintage computer I'm restoring.

[Fredledingue]

I'm using a 128 Mb Ramdisk for ages now.

I can't compare the speeds, because HDD are so fast, but anyway it makes sens to put all temporary datas and make all useless operation requiring to write on disk on a ramdisk in order to spare HDD resource availability and longevity.

The more you use the Ramdisk the longer your HDD will last. Here again I have no scientific comparison to support that but it's logical.

There are so many actions that put garbage on your HDD that it makes sens to put all of them on a temporary Ramdisk.

I set all the "temp" files and folders on the Ramdisk.

I'm also using the Ramdisk for the IE cache (temporary internet files).

As for reading videos, it's certainly a little bit faster than HDD but I doubt it would make a noticeable difference unless your HDD is old. At 5200 rpm, it should make no difference unless the HDD is busy doing something else, which is also a good reason to use a Ramdisk.

The other problem with Ramdisk is that it's erased everytime you turn off the computer. So any video to be played off the Ramdisk, will have to be copied first from the HDD to the Ramdisk. And this will take a lot of time.

Unless it's a video meant to be replayed many times during a single session, this is not an efficient solution.

One can imagine using Ramdisk to loop-play adds on screen in a shop, or to replay endlessly your favorite music (meditation mantra would be perfect for that usage -LOL-)

Some members here use the Ramdisk as a location for the swap files (which fills when the ram memory is full).

This useful only when the physical memory available exceeds what is supported by Windows 98, even patched, and when the Ramdisk is large enough for that purpose.

Idealy, one could think of a setup where all files and temp files which has to be constantly rewritten by the system itself (eg: user.dat) are located on a Ramdrive.

Not running windows off the Ramdisk, but copying and using all files to be often modified there.

That way you could work with drive C on iddle mode.

Imagine the disk usage saving!

But I don't know if it's possible. Nice testing experience here!

Edited February 28, 2012 by Fredledingue

[dencorso]

Among the traditional XMS ramdisks, XMSDSK 1.9I by Franck Uberto rulez! Forget any others.

The Gavotte works only under the NT-Family OSes, there's no version compatible with Win 9x/ME.

RLoew's non-XMS ramdisk (link) is the only one of its kind, and it's not free, but if you can afford it's cost, it surely is the way to go.

In a machine having 3 GiB of RAM, it'll allow you to use a 2 GiB ramdisk with 1 GiB RAM left for Windows. It's great!

[TELVM]

Thanks Fredledingue. I'm well aware of the advantages of ramdisks, also been using them for years.

And I agree with you, its main handicap (volatility) we can turn into virtue by using the ramdisk as automatic and merciless garbage disintegrator every shutdown. In addition to temp files, browser cache and other stuff, I also move the entire Firefox profile into ramdisk. This speeds up even more the browsing experience, and spares the SSD a lot of writing in the modern comp.

Seems it is possible to run Win98 off a ramdisk, this looks like a success story: My link

Thanks for the good advice Dencorso, I'll follow it and try XMSDSK 1.9I . There exists any early version of Crystaldiskmark, or similar benchmarking stuff, that runs in Win98?

There is another thing I would like to comment with you, if you don't mind. Next weekend I'm taking posession of a 1999-vintage comp I'll try to restore running Win98SE. It's going to be a lot of fun, but also I know I'm very rusty with both the hardware and the software of those times. There are some hurdles I've foreseen (32GB HDD limit, 768GB of RAM) and surely there will be more.

So I was thinking of opening a thread on the subject here in MSFN-Win95/98/Me, where maybe you the much more experienced people could give advice one step at a time, if that wouldn't be asking too much. Would it be appropriate to start such a thread? If so, where exactly? Maybe in the '9x member projects' section?

[dencorso]

Thanks for the good advice Dencorso, I'll follow it and try XMSDSK 1.9I . There exists any early version of Crystaldiskmark, or similar benchmarking stuff, that runs in Win98?

You bet! CrystalDiskMark22_9x

There is another thing I would like to comment with you, if you don't mind. Next weekend I'm taking posession of a 1999-vintage comp I'll try to restore running Win98SE. It's going to be a lot of fun, but also I know I'm very rusty with both the hardware and the software of those times. There are some hurdles I've foreseen (32GB HDD limit, 768GB of RAM) and surely there will be more.

So I was thinking of opening a thread on the subject here in MSFN-Win95/98/Me, where maybe you the much more experienced people could give advice one step at a time, if that wouldn't be asking too much. Would it be appropriate to start such a thread? If so, where exactly? Maybe in the '9x member projects' section?

Sure. In the Members Projects Section, all right. And start by giving a detailed description of the hardware, including make and model of the motherboard, so we can hunt it's manual somewhere and add a link to it, for the convenience of all interested in participating in the thread. Let me suggest a title: "Resurrecting a 1999-Vintage Win98SE Machine". Do get yourself a disk imaging solution, to preserve images of every major step, it makes life much easier: either the free Partition Saving or the inexpensive Norton Ghost 2003 (which you'll find over on e-Bay or similar places).

[TELVM]

Wow, thanks a lot Dencorso ! How easily one feels at home and amongst friends in this forum . So let it be written the title of the thread, I'll start it once I get the archaeological jewel and precisely catalog its innards. We'll talk again on the mobo manual then.

In the meantime I'll have a look at the programs you recommend and will keep exploring this forum, tons of great info here around .

BTW, a sister of mine is currently living in Rio (Ipanema), could it be you are neighbours?

[jumper]

For years, I've been using John Lajoie's RamDisk98 v0.5, the forerunner to Cenatek Win9xMe 1.5.

When programming, I redirect all project intermediate files to ramdisk, greatly speeding the build process.

From the readme.txt file:

    RamDisk98 is a Windows port driver that emulates as fully as possible the low-level 
functionality of a hard disk (up to 2GB!) or a 1.44MB or 2.88MB floppy drive.  The 
boot sector of the disk is complete enough to permit the disk to be made bootable with 
the sys command. RamDisk98 is the only RAM disk driver for Windows that allows 
you to create a bootable disk image in RAM (that I know of anyway). RamDisk98 also 
supports much larger disks than Microsoft's ramdrive.sys (which is limited to 32MB). 
The RamDisk98 drive can also be compressed using Windows  DriveSpace.  For 
RAM disks configured as hard disks, RamDisk98 can be configured to allow the user 
to select the drive letter. 
    In addition, RamDisk98 can be configured to automatically load a disk image at 
startup and save the image to disk at shutdown.  This allows the RAM disk to function 
almost exactly like a hard disk - no data is lost when the power is turned off!  In 
addition, it makes RamDisk98 an ideal tool for creating disk images for bootable CD-
ROMs.
...
    The RAM disk driver core in RamDisk98 is based upon the source code provided 
with Walter Oney's excellent book Systems Programming for Windows 95 from 
Microsoft Press. What I did was to pick up where he left off by trying to improve the 
boot sector initialization of the disk (and fix a few of Walter's bugs) to properly emulate 
a hard disk or a 1.44MB or 2.88MB floppy drive.

[submix8c]

Next weekend I'm taking posession of a 1999-vintage comp... There are some hurdles I've foreseen (32GB HDD limit, 768GB of RAM)

Patched BIOS' for older PC's to overcome HDD limitations. If the MoBo is one of them, you can use the patched. I have on a couple and they work fine. Mind you, always be safe and back up your original.

[herbalist]

For years, I've been using John Lajoie's RamDisk98 v0.5, the forerunner to Cenatek Win9xMe 1.5.

Would you have a link to that version? Only one I can find is the newer version.

[jumper]

For years, I've been using John Lajoie's RamDisk98 v0.5, the forerunner to Cenatek Win9xMe 1.5.

Would you have a link to that version? Only one I can find is the newer version.

Search for "rdsk98v5.zip"