On MS-DOS® systems, the primary tuning parameter in the system is the size of the disk cache. Recent versions of MS-DOS and Windows® have reduced the need for you to tweak this parameter because they adapt a bit to the memory size of the machine. Still, few users of those systems can resist the temptation to display their computer prowess by tuning the cache size.
As we shall see shortly, the Windows NT cache adapts itself automatically to memory size and pressure in the computer and has few tuning controls. In this chapter we'll explore how the file system cache works on Windows NT and show how you can determine if it is the primary focus of system activity.