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       STACKER NOTE                                         STACKER NOTE
                       TROUBLESHOOTING STACKER RAM DISKS
                  (Applies to Stacker 3.1 for Windows & DOS)
       STAC FAX 31407  (09/07/93)
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       BACKGROUND
       
       This document addresses the most common errors associated with
       compressing ram disks using Stacker 3.1.  This is the companion
       to document 31406, "Compressing a Ram Disk."
       
       ERRORS
           Creating the ram disk
           Positioning the ram disk
           Compressing the ram disk
           PC-Kwik RAM disks
           386MAX RAM disks
            
       Creating the ram disk
       
       Stacker cannot create a ram disk, but it can compress one.  You
       must use a ram disk utility to create the ram disk before
       attempting to compress it.  Stacker requires that such a disk be
       created using 512-byte sectors.  Consult your ram disk utility's
       user guide for installation requirements for creating such a ram
       disk.  If you experience difficulty with this step, then contact
       the manufacturer of the ram disk utility for technical support.
       
       Positioning the ram disk
       
       The most common error associated with positioning a ram disk is
       that drive letter assignments may change and affect other
       programs that have been configured for specific drive letters.
       
        1. Error:  (at boot time)  Warning:  Located a Windows
           permanent swap file on a disk to be swapped, but  could not
           find the Windows file, SPART.PAR, pointing to it.  Press any
           key to continue...
                                    and/or
           
           (when starting Windows)  Corrupt Swap-File Warning  The
           permanent swap file is corrupt...
           
           Background:  The ram disk device driver was added to the
           CONFIG.SYS file before the STACHIGH.SYS driver, displacing
           the drive on which the Windows permanent swap file resides.
           
           Solution:  Move the ram disk device driver after the
           STACHIGH.SYS driver in the CONFIG.SYS file, and follow the
           procedure "Using CREATE," in document 31406, "Compressing a
           Ram Disk," instead.
            
       Compressing the ram disk
       
        1. Error:  (At boot time)  SCREATE - 3.10, (C) 1991-93 Stac
           Electronics, Carlsbad CA
           X:\STACVOL.DSK <-- Cannot create, disk full or bad
           drive/file name.
           Press any key to continue...
           
           Background:  SCREATE.SYS is pointing to an invalid drive.
           SCREATE may be loading prematurely, or it is referencing the
           incorrect drive letter for the ram drive.
           
           Solution:  Reboot the computer and note the startup
           messages.  The ram disk utility should indicate its drive
           letter before SCREATE.SYS loads.  Ensure that SCREATE.SYS is
           processing the correct drive letter and that it follows the
           ram disk device driver in the CONFIG.SYS FILE.
           
           If any portion of the ram disk utility executes from the
           AUTOEXEC.BAT file, then you cannot use SCREATE.SYS to
           compress the ram disk.  Follow the procedure "Using CREATE"
           in document 31406 "Compressing a Ram Disk," instead.
            
        
       PC-Kwik RAM disks
       
        1. Error:  (when running CHKDSK to verify the integrity of the
           ram disk)  First allocation unit is invalid, entry
           truncated.
        
           Background:  The ram disk device driver was added to the
           CONFIG.SYS file before the STACHIGH.SYS driver.
           
           Solution:  Move the ram disk device driver after the
           STACHIGH.SYS driver in the CONFIG.SYS file, and follow the
           procedure "Using CREATE," in document 31406, "Compressing a
           Ram Disk," instead.
        
        2. Error:  (At boot time)  You must install PC-Kwik cache
           before using PC-Kwik RAM Disk.  CREATE ERROR #027:  Drive is
           write protected or other error.  Please insert a non-write
           protected disk and try again.
           
           Background:  CREATE is executing in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file
           before PC-Kwik's ram disk is enabled.
           
           Solution:  Modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that PC-Kwik's
           ram disk is enabled before Stacker's CREATE command.  See
           "Using CREATE," in document 31406, "Compressing a Ram Disk."
            
       386MAX RAM disks
       
        1. Error:  At boot time, 386DISK reports that it successfully
           creates a ram disk and displays its drive letter.  However,
           the ram disk is actually a different drive letter, causing
           Stacker commands CREATE and SCREATE to fail.
        
           Background:  The ram disk device driver was loaded high
           using the EMM386 MAXIMIZE program.  It must be loaded into
           conventional memory to function properly.
           
           Solution:  Remove the EMM386 "386load.sys" commands from the
           ram disk device driver in your CONFIG.SYS file.  For
           example, the 386MAX ram disk utility loaded high looks
           something like this: (on one line)
        
                 device=c:\386MAX\386load.sys size=6016 flexframe
                       prog=c:\386MAX\386disk.sys 128 512 16 /xms
        
           Corrected, it looks something like this:
        
                 device=c:\386MAX\386disk.sys 128 512 16 /xms
        
           This has the effect of loading the ram disk device driver
           into conventional memory.  Ram disk device drivers are
           typically 1 kilobyte in size or less, so this solution has
           minimal impact on the amount of available conventional
           memory.  Note:  you must repeat this procedure every time
           you run 386MAX's QUICK MAXIMIZE because it automatically
           loads the ram disk device driver high.  An alternate
           solution is to run 386MAX's FULL MAXIMIZE instead, and to
           choose loading the ram disk device driver into conventional
           memory.
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       Copyright 1993, Stac Electronics