----------------------------------------------------------------- STACKER NOTE STACKER NOTE WINDOWS PERMANENT SWAP FILES & STACKER 4.0 (Applies to Stacker 4.0) STAC FAX 4202 (03-03-1994) ----------------------------------------------------------------- BACKGROUND A Windows Permanent Swap File (WPSF) must exist on an uncompressed portion of a hard disk because it requires physically contiguous space. In previous versions of Stacker this requirement was managed by placing the WPSF on the uncompressed "host" drive that also contained the STACVOL file. Stacker 4.0 allows you increased flexibility in where you place your WPSF. You may still put it on the uncompressed drive, or you may reserve space for it on your Stacker drive. SOLUTION Review issues concerning placement of the WPSF. Setup the WPSF using the Windows Control Panel. Review issues concerning placement of the WPSF The WPSF is always an uncompressed file. Since you can place it on either your Stacker drive or your uncompressed drive, you should be aware of how this effects your disk space and space reporting. 1. If you place the WPSF on the uncompressed drive, there must be sufficient space on that drive to accept the file size you have selected. If there is not enough space, you will need to change the Stacker Drive size. See Chapter 4 of the Stacker User's Guide for detailed instructions. Remember, you will be making the Stacker Drive smaller, and concurrently growing uncompressed space. 2. If you choose to place your WPSF on the Stacker Drive, Stacker must reserve the amount of space that you choose for the file. That space must be left uncompressed, because the WPSF must obey its basic rule that it resides on a physically contiguous area of the disk. When the WPSF is using reserved uncompressed space on the Stacker drive, that space is not available to store compressed data. Creating a 10 MB WPSF on a compressed drive leaves about 25 MB less for compressed data. 3. Stacker will take the presence of the WPSF into account when it reports your available disk space. The Stacker Toolbox in Windows reports your disk space, both used and free. When you select the "Details" button, the disk space details will be displayed. One of the program types displayed is "Precompressed". The WPSF is included in this statistic. 4. Do not attempt to place a WPSF on a compressed RAM drive. You will get an error when writing to disk. Setup the WPSF using the Windows Control Panel Note that the Stacker Help in Windows also describes this procedure. 1. Open the Windows Control Panel and select the Virtual Memory icon. 2. Select the Change button. The Virtual Memory dialog box will display the settings you can change. 3. Select the desired drive to hold the swap file. 4. Choose permanent as the type. 5. Select the New Size you desire. 6. Choose OK to allow Windows to make the changes, then follow the on-screen instructions. If you have a CD-ROM drive, and you have no disks in the drive, you may get a "drive not ready" error message when executing this procedure. Selecting OK or Cancel will allow you to proceed. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1994 Stac Electronics