SMARTDrive 4.0: Third-Party Disk Partitioning Software

• Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

SMARTDrive (SMARTDRV.EXE) version 4.0, which comes with Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1, is compatible with third-party disk partitioning and compression software such as Disk Manager, SpeedStor, SuperStor, and Stacker.

MORE INFORMATION

SMARTDrive VERSION 4.0 COMPATIBILITY

Stacker

SMARTDrive has built-in detection for STAC Electronics' Stacker version 2.0. As a result, SMARTDrive does not cache a stacked drive and receives the following message:

   Unable to use a disk cache on the specified drive

SMARTDrive may be confused when a drive is swapped with the Stacker SSWAP command. Microsoft recommends loading SMARTDrive in the AUTOEXEC.BAT after all Stacker operations (such as SSWAP) have been performed.

SuperStor

SMARTDrive must be loaded after all SuperStor software. SMARTDrive must be specifically told NOT to cache SuperStor drives unless version 2.04 or later of the SuperStor driver is being used.

You can specifically disable caching on all SuperStor drives, as follows

   c:\windows\smartdrv.exe d- e-

SMARTDrive is not compatible with SuperStor's Create Mountable Drive, Mount, and Dismount commands. Do not use these commands if SMARTDrive is loaded.

Caching a SuperStor-compressed drive with SMARTDrive 4.0 results in read-write errors from the SuperStor drive if the SuperStor driver is earlier that version 2.04.

SuperStor 1.3 is not compatible with SMARTDrive version 4.0. SuperStor version 2.0 should work with SMARTDrive; however, it is advisable to disable caching for the SuperStor partitions.

According to SuperStor, using version 2.04 with SMARTDrive 4.0 results in the correct drives being cached (that is, the uncompressed drive will be cached and the compressed drive will be not cached).

Note: The information about SuperStor version 2.x has been provided by SuperStor, and has not been tested or confirmed by Microsoft.

SpeedStor

If SMARTDrive produces errors reading or writing to a Storage Dimensions' SpeedStor drive, then modify the SSTOR.SYS line in the CONFIG.SYS file:

   DEVICE=C:\SSTOR.SYS /VIRTUAL

Disk Manager (DMDRVR.BIN)

DMDRVR.BIN must be the first line in the CONFIG.SYS file (before HIMEM.SYS or other memory managers). If DMDRVR.SYS is located in the CONFIG.SYS file instead of DMDRVR.BIN, then it will be necessary to upgrade. The upgrade is available from either ONTRACK Computer Systems or on the retail MS-DOS 5.0 Upgrade.

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