----------------------------------------------------------------- STACKER NOTE STACKER NOTE DOS DRIVE LIMITS AFTER UPGRADE (Applies to Stacker 4.0) STAC FAX 4007 (03-11-1994) ----------------------------------------------------------------- BACKGROUND In certain cases you may find that your drive size does not increase after upgrading to Stacker 4.0. This occurs when you are near the DOS limit for that drive. DOS's limits are related to the size of clusters used on the drive. The following table compares cluster size and drive size. Cluster Size (Allocation Unit) Largest Logical Drive Size 8KB 512MB 16KB 1GB (1024MB) 32KB 2GB (2048MB) Stacker 4.0's Setup tries to give your drive the advantage of increased compression when you upgrade. But that increased compression may require your drive to cross the boundary between one cluster size and the next. Because Stacker cannot dynamically change cluster size, your drive is limited to the largest drive possible for the current cluster size. Note StacFax 4505 discusses large compressed drives & cluster size. SOLUTION - Accept the current configuration. - Uncompress your drive and re-run Setup. - Shrink then grow the Stacker drive. Accept the current configuration If you prefer your current configuration, simply use your system as before. You will still benefit from Stacker's improved safety, the new Stacker Toolbox, and use of DPMS if you have DOS 6 or above. Uncompress your drive and re-run Setup Uncompress all your Stacker drives then run Stacker Setup again. This will allow Stacker to select the proper cluster size for your drive in relation to the data on the drive and the expected compression ratio. See your Stacker User's Guide for instructions on uncompressing your drive. Shrink then grow the Stacker drive 1. Go to the DOS prompt and change to the Stacker directory. Type STACKER . Look for a line something like this: Drive C was drive C at boot time [D:\STACVOL.DSK = 448.2MB] Note the size of the STACVOL file listed. 2. See chapter 4 of the Stacker User's Guide for instructions to make your Stacker drive smaller. You will be using the option to make more uncompressed space. When asked how much uncompressed space to add, use this formula: (Size of STACVOL file [noted above]) minus (Largest drive size allowed by cluster size) divided by (2.5) For example, if your STACVOL file is 448.2MB, and you have 16K clusters, you would add 38.6MB of uncompressed space. 448.2 - (1024/2.5) = 38.6. 3. After the resizing of the Stacker drive is complete, use the Stacker Toolbox to run the Stacker Optimizer, choosing Full- MaxSpace. 4. After the optimization is complete, again change your Stacker drive size. In this case, choose the option to increase your Stacker drive. Grow it to the maximum size offered. 5. You will have unused uncompressed space on your drive after you complete this procedure. If you wish, you may use the Stacker Toolbox to create an additional Stacker drive on that space. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1994 Stac Electronics