Decreasing Startup Time of FoxPro for MS-DOS

• Microsoft FoxPro for MS-DOS, versions 2.0, 2.5 and 2.5a

SUMMARY

Even though the FoxPro code incorporates a number of changes designed to decrease the amount of time required to load FoxPro, some minor changes in the FoxPro configuration can decrease FoxPro startup time.

While tests of the changes below demonstrate that they can easily halve startup time, the actual effect varies depending on available memory, available disk space, and CPU speed. If FoxPro is being loaded on a network, the actual effect varies depending on network speed, network load, server speed, workstation available memory, workstation available disk space, and workstation CPU speed. In other words, "your mileage may vary."

MORE INFORMATION

Much of the startup time is spent searching the directories in the MS- DOS PATH environment variable to find FoxPro files. The following steps can be used to reduce startup time.

1. Move the FoxPro directory as close to the beginning of the MS-DOS PATH environment variable as possible. (See the MS-DOS user's guide for a discussion of the PATH.)

2. Place as few directories in the PATH environment variable as possible.

3. Specify the fully qualified path to the CONFIG.FP directory in the FOXPROCFG environment variable or in the -c parameter on the FoxPro command line. For example: FOXPRO -CC:\FOXPRO\CONFIG.FP. (See the MS-DOS user's guide for a discussion of environment variables.)

4. Specify the fully qualified path to the FOXUSER and FOXHELP files in the CONFIG.FP file, or disable these files as appropriate.

5. If FoxPro is being loaded on a network and the workstation has a local hard disk or RAM drive, it is possible to copy the overlay file to the local hard disk or RAM drive at startup by placing the following statement in the CONFIG.FP file:

         OVERLAY=<drive>\<directory> OVERWRITE
   

   (For example, OVERLAY=E:\TMP OVERWRITE, where E: is the drive letter for a RAM drive.)

   FoxPro copies the overlay file only when the local file does not exist or when the time stamp in the local file's file header does not match the time stamp in the network file's file header.

   NOTE: The overlay directory can be specified in the ADDUSER.PRG program. Refer to the FoxPro/LAN booklet for more information.

6. If FoxPro is being loaded on a network and the workstation has a local hard disk or a RAM drive, it is possible to put the program cache on the local hard disk or RAM drive by placing the following statement in the CONFIG.FP file:

         PROGWORK=<drive>\<directory>
   

   (For example, PROGWORK=E:\TMP, where E: is the drive letter for a RAM drive.)

7. Add the following to the CONFIG.FP file:

         _FOXGRAPH = ""
         _FOXDOC = ""
         _GENGRAPH = ""