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- HyperDisk SpeedKit User's Manual
-
- by
-
- HyperWare
-
-
- "Extreme PC Performance"
-
-
- HyperDisk
- HyperKey
- HyperScreen
-
-
- Version 4.65
-
-
-
-
-
-
- Program and Document Copyright 1987-1993 by Roger Cross. All Rights Reserved.
-
- HyperWare, HyperDisk, HyperKey, HyperScreen, Touch Shifting, and SpeedKit are
- trademarks of Roger Cross.
-
- MS-DOS is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
- Microsoft Windows is copyrighted by Microsoft Corporation.
- Qualitas and 386MAX are trademarks of Qualitas, Inc.
- SpeedStor is a trademark of Storage Dimensions.
- Disk Manager is a trademark of Ontrack Computer Systems, Inc.
-
- Other programs and/or equipment mentioned herein are trademarks or registered
- trademarks of their respective publishers and or
- manufacturers.
-
-
-
-
-
- Quick Installation
-
-
- If you are familiar with IBM PCs and the configuration of your machine, follow
- these steps for quick installation of SpeedKit:
-
- 1. Back up your system.
-
- 2. Exit from all DOS enhancement products or extender software packages, such as
- Microsoft Windows, Quarterdeck's DESQview, Double DOS, PCMOS, etc.
-
- 3. Place a backup of the SpeedKit floppy in drive A (or drive B), and at the
- command prompt type:
-
- A: [ENTER]
- INSTALL [ENTER]
-
- 4. The installer will ask you to choose among various options.
-
- 5. When you are asked to set the parameters for each product, you can simply
- accept the default conditions specified by the installation procedure. If
- you want to change the option settings, we recommend that you first read the
- "Options" sections for HyperDisk, HyperKey, and HyperScreen.
-
- For more detailed information about the installation procedure, see Part 1,
- "Installation."
-
-
-
-
- What's In SpeedKit?
-
- HyperDisk SpeedKit comprises three PC speed-up utilities * HyperDisk, HyperKey,
- and HyperScreen * that dramatically increase the efficiency of your personal
- computer. You can use them together or separately to completely customize your
- PC to fit your personal work style.
-
- HyperDisk
-
- HyperDisk is the most efficient disk caching utility available for your personal
- computer system. HyperDisk can improve hard disk system performance by up to
- 1000 percent, while simultaneously prolonging the lifetime of your drive by
- reducing the wear and tear caused by frequent and redundant access.
-
- How Caching Works
-
- In recent years, caching has become a common buzzword in the PC industry. The
- concept of caching, however, has been around for a long time and is quite
- simple. Caching is simply keeping often-used items accessible. Consider, for
- example, the way you use items in your kitchen. You probably use some items
- every day, others less frequently, and some only a few times each year. You
- probably store the frequently used items in the most accessible place.
-
- Disk caching is simply keeping often-read items readily accessible in your
- computer's Random Access Memory, or RAM. Accessing information from RAM is far
- faster than accessing it from disk memory. A disk cache maintains a history of
- data usage, and when the buffer is full, the oldest or least-used data in RAM is
- replaced with new data. You never run out of space because it is automatically
- reused to hold your most recent requests.
-
- How HyperDisk Works
-
- When your application issues a disk read operation, HyperDisk intercepts the
- request, copies the data from the disk to its buffer memory, and then passes the
- data on to the requesting application. HyperDisk copies all subsequent requests
- for the same data from its buffer memory to the requesting application.
-
- When your application issues a disk write operation, HyperDisk compares the new
- data to the data already in the cache memory. If it is the same data, the
- time-consuming disk update is bypassed. HyperDisk copies only active data (data
- you are actually using) to the buffer, thus providing much more efficient use of
- your machine's RAM.
-
- HyperKey
-
- HyperKey is a powerful keyboard enhancement package that allows each user to
- customize all keyboard functions including the type-ahead buffer size, key
- repeat rate, length of delay before a key begins repeating, keyboard clicking
- sounds, and Touch Shifting for one-finger typing. By adjusting these functions
- you can enter data at your own rate.
-
- HyperScreen
-
- HyperScreen is a video enhancement tool that gives you the most power and
- versatility from your existing video hardware. HyperScreen's state-of-the-art
- software provides automatic screen blanking to keep images from burning into
- your display terminal, manual screen blanking at the touch of a key to maintain
- the confidentiality of your on- screen documents, and video basic input/output
- system (BIOS) speedup to increase display speed in all text modes.
-
-
-
-
- Part 1: Installation
-
-
- The following procedures give step-by-step instructions for installing the three
- components of SpeedKit. System Requirements To install SpeedKit, you will need:
-
- * IBM PC, XT, AT, PS/2, etc.; Compaq Portable, DeskPro, etc.; or any other 100
- percent IBM-compatible machine.
-
- * Microsoft's MS-DOS operating system version 2.xx through 7.xx; or 100 percent
- compatible operating system, such as Digital Research's DR-DOS.
-
-
-
- Installation Procedure
-
- It is a good idea to back up your hard disk before installing any new program,
- including the utilities in SpeedKit. This is especially true if you have a
- particularly complex or nonstandard system.
-
- Caution: Do not install SpeedKit while operating under one of the DOS
- enhancement or extender software packages, such as Microsoft Windows or
- Quarterdeck's DESQview. HyperDisk is compatible with these systems but must be
- installed before these systems are executed. SpeedKit operates by intercepting
- a variety of system interrupts (8, 9, 10, 13, 15, 19, 21, and 28) and
- redirecting their actions accordingly. DOS enhancement packages often change
- the system interrupts on a per task basis and create a situation in which
- SpeedKit cannot maintain a coherent image of the system's devices.
-
- To install SpeedKit from a floppy disk to your hard disk, place a the SpeedKit
- floppy in drive A (or drive B). After you have exited from all DOS enhancers,
- at the command prompt type:
-
- A: [ENTER]
- INSTALL [ENTER]
-
- if you are installing from a downloaded version, unzip all of the files into
- a directory and just type:
-
- INSTALL [ENTER]
-
-
-
- Installing HyperDisk
-
- Warning: If you have Golden Bow's VFEATURE Deluxe, do not install HyperDisk.
- VFEATURE is a noncompatible INT13h device driver.
-
- The installer will ask you which parts of the SpeedKit you wish to install.
- The default is for Disk, Key, Screen and the support files. You may toggle on
- or off the parts that you wish to install. You can then also choose which
- directory to install the files to. Once you have chosen what and where to
- install press [F10] to continue. You will then be asked about the various
- options for each of the pieces being installed. Normally the default options
- will be the optimum with the one exception of Stagged Writes for HyperDisk.
- You should read more about stagged writes in this manual. The default is for
- HyperDisk to not use stagged writes. To turn on this feature enter the S
- parameter when prompted for HyperDisk options.
-
- Once the installer has prompted you for your choices, it will install the
- proper files and make the necessary changes to your CONFIG.SYS and
- AUTOEXEC.BAT files. Once completed you will need to reboot your machine for
- the changes to take effect. Backup copies of your AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS
- files will be made with the extension .SPK.
-
-
-
- Setting SpeedKit Options
-
- The operation of all SpeedKit products can be customized by using command-line
- parameters. These parameters can be used on the line that installs the utility
- into memory, whether in CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT. You can also use the same
- parameters once the product is running by typing them on the command line with
- the program name. Parameters can be upper- or lower-case except where noted.
- If you specify more than one parameter, separate parameters with a space,
- slash, or dash.
-
- Sample Device Driver Parameter Specifications
-
- The following example illustrates the use of device driver parameter
- specifications in the CONFIG.SYS file. This example assumes you are installing
- SpeedKit products manually and not with the installer. The example shown is
- for HyperKey:
-
- DEVICE=HYPERKEY.EXE D:250 R:25 B:-
-
- With this set of parameters, the following conditions apply:
- * The delay to repeat time is 250 milliseconds;
- * The minimum repeat delay is 25 milliseconds;
- * No type-ahead buffering.
-
- Sample TSR Parameter Specifications
-
- The following example illustrates the use of TSR parameter specifications in the
- AUTOEXEC.BAT file or from the command line:
-
- C:\>HYPERKEY D:300 R:35 B:-
-
- With this set of parameters, the following conditions apply:
- * The delay to repeat time is 300 milliseconds;
- * The minimum repeat delay is 35 milliseconds;
- * No type-ahead buffering.
-
-
-
-
- Part 2: HyperDisk
-
-
- What is HyperDisk?
-
- HyperDisk is the most efficient disk performance utility for your personal
- computer system. HyperDisk can dramatically improve the performance of your
- hard disk and increase its lifetime by reducing the wear and tear caused by
- frequent access.
-
- HyperDisk improves disk performance by using a small amount of RAM to store the
- data you use most often, a process known as buffering. Conventional RAM
- requirements vary from 0K to 35K, depending on the model and size of cache
- selected, your DOS version, and the available memory of your PC system.
-
- HyperDisk maintains a history of data usage, and when the buffer is full and
- space is needed to store new data, the oldest data in the buffer is replaced.
- Replacing the oldest data with new data improves performance because in many
- cases data is reused frequently.
-
- Many users are familiar with RAM disks as a way to use memory more efficiently.
- HyperDisk is similar to a RAM disk but is superior in several ways. Both a RAM
- disk and HyperDisk transfer data to and from RAM. However, if you use a RAM
- disk you must first copy all the needed files to the RAM disk and then copy
- them back to the hard disk after processing has finished. You must put the
- entire file in RAM, even if you are only using part of the file. If you need
- additional files, you must stop what you're doing and copy the necessary files
- to the RAM disk. If the RAM disk becomes full, you must decide which files to
- copy back to your hard disk and then delete those files from the RAM disk. If
- you need more files for a given task than the RAM disk can hold, you cannot use
- the RAM disk. If the power fails or your computer crashes, or if you forget to
- copy the data back to your disk or diskette, all your work in the RAM will be
- lost.
-
- With HyperDisk you can bypass all the shortcomings of a RAM disk. HyperDisk is
- fully automatic. If the cache memory is full when an application issues a new
- disk request, HyperDisk will make space available to hold this new data.
- HyperDisk continually updates your disk with changes you have made. The
- updating is done in the background at times when your computer is idle, to
- avoid interrupting your work. HyperDisk automatically writes all new data to
- disk, even if you soft-reboot with the [CTRL][ALT][DEL] key combination, so no
- updates are lost. When you change diskettes, HyperDisk automatically updates
- the cache for the new diskette and beeps to let you know it recognizes the new
- diskette.
-
- You can set HyperDisk options to delay immediate updating of the disks and
- diskettes, a process that provides much greater disk and diskette efficiency.
- Delaying or staging the update allows HyperDisk to sort data for the most
- efficient updating. In this way, HyperDisk minimizes the number of disk
- rotations and head movements required to update the disk, thus prolonging the
- lifetime of your drive.
-
- Additionally, for AT, PS/2, 80386, 80486, and some XT-class computers, updates
- are performed in the background asynchronously (Advanced Update Mode), so that
- you don't have to wait while the data is being written to the disk or diskette
- drives.
-
-
-
- HyperDisk Models
-
- You can choose among several HyperDisk models to find the best match for your
- system. Which HyperDisk model to install depends on the memory available in
- your system and the type of microprocessor you have.
-
- HYPERDKX.EXE (Extended Model)
-
- Use the Extended Model if your system uses one of the 80386-based Expanded
- Memory Specification (EMS) emulators such as the Qualitas 386Max, Quarterdeck's
- QEMM, Compaq's EMM, etc. The Extended Model uses the memory above 1 MB as cache
- memory. Normally, you should use either the Advanced 286 or 386 models, which
- are compatible with EMS emulator products, but most of the Advanced Model
- support is not available while operating under these EMS emulators. Therefore,
- you can save a small amount of conventional memory by using the smaller code
- size provided by the Extended Model. (Technical note: This model supports two
- transfer protocols, XMS and INT 15h-87h. XMS is the default mode.) For more
- information on this model, see Appendix E, "Technical Notes on HyperDisk
- HYPERDKX.EXE."
-
- HYPERDKE.EXE (Expanded Model)
-
- Use the Expanded Model if you use Intel Above Board (LIM EMS), AST Research's
- EEMM products, or 100 percent compatible products for cache memory. The
- Expanded Model uses bank-switched memory like that provided by LIM EMS, EEMM
- products, and their 100 percent compatibles. You can finally put this memory in
- your computer to work, speeding up all your programs all the time, instead of
- having only a few special applications customized to use LIM EMS. You can
- install up to 8 MB of expanded memory for LIM EMS 3.2 and up to 32 MB for LIM
- EMS 4.0 and EEMM 3.2.
-
- HYPERDKC.EXE (Conventional Model)
-
- Use the Conventional Model if you do not have extended or expanded memory. The
- Conventional Model uses the memory between 0K and 640K. This is also the memory
- used by DOS and your programs. The best compromise (with the Conventional Model
- only) is achieved with a cache size between 128K to about 256K. The default
- size is 128K.
-
- HYPER286.EXE (Advanced 286 Model)
-
- Use the Advanced 286 Model if you have an 80286-based computer with extended
- memory. The Advanced 286 Model uses proprietary extended memory management for
- RAM transfers. This model provides the fastest possible transfers but still
- allows other programs to interrupt when needed. If you experience compatibility
- problems, use the HYPERDKX.EXE, the Extended Model.
-
- HYPER386.EXE (Advanced 386 Model)
-
- Use the Advanced 386 Model if you have an 80386- or 80486-based computer. The
- Advanced 386 Model is the same as the Advanced 286 Model but is optimized for
- 80386 and 80486 machines. If you experience compatibility problems, use
- HYPERDKX.EXE, the Extended Model.
-
-
-
- HYPERDK.EXE (Batch File Model)
-
- Use this model in batch files. The purpose of this file is to change the
- options for a model of HyperDisk already installed on your computer. Include
- this program name in any batch file rather than the above program names. For
- example, if you start your computer with HyperDisk enabled but at some point
- you want to disable the cache, you can do so in a batch file by adding the
- command:
-
- HYPERDK D
-
- The D disables the cache and is explained further in "Basic Options" later in
- this section.
-
- HYPERSTB.EXE (Manual Installation Model)
-
- Use this model for manual installations. This program allows you to install and
- later uninstall HyperDisk easily and without conflict with other resident
- programs. Install HYPERSTB.EXE in either your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT file
- (normally in the same place as the HyperDisk INSTALL statement). Later, either
- near the end of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file or from the command line, you can install
- HyperDisk. The function of this model is to reserve the resources needed for
- HyperDisk, preventing conflicts with other resident programs installed later.
- HYPERSTB.EXE requires only about 400 bytes. No parameters are needed in the
- following example:
-
- DEVICE=C:\HYPERSTB.EXE
-
-
-
- HyperDisk Common Options
-
- Although most users readily install and use SpeedKit without setting any
- options at all, you can improve your system's performance by specifying various
- parameters. We strongly recommend that you read this section before specifying
- any installation options, so that you know how the options will affect your
- system's operation.
-
- Several of the following functions have hotkey commands, which are listed after
- the option name. When you use the hotkey commands, the speaker will beep once
- to acknowledge completion of the command. If the caching process is disabled by
- the hotkeys, the speaker will beep again. In other words, if the command is
- accepted and you hear one beep, caching is enabled. If you hear two beeps,
- caching is disabled.
-
- The following options can be used to tune the behavior of HyperDisk. Remember
- that the default values for all options are the optimal settings for most
- systems, except for the Staged Write functions. The default for each parameter
- is listed at the end of the description, if applicable. Lowercase, italic nn
- following a parameter is a placeholder for a number that you provide.
-
-
-
- Basic Options
-
- E * ENABLE/UPDATE HYPERDISK * [CTRL][ALT]E
- Enables caching of the selected drive types. If caching is already enabled, any
- modified data will be written to update the disk/diskette. Default setting.
-
- D * DISABLE HYPERDISK * [CTRL][ALT]D
- Disables caching of all drive types. You can enable caching later using hotkeys
- or at the command line. It may be appropriate to use this hotkey command before
- loading a program from a copy-protected disk. However, several copy-protected
- programs have been tested, and no problems are known.
-
- Note: Always disable HyperDisk when you run disk diagnostics or other system
- tests, or any program that directly accesses the disk and/or diskette adapter
- hardware.
-
- H * HARD DRIVES ONLY
- Caches only hard (fixed media) drives.
-
- F * FLOPPY DRIVE CACHING
- Caches all drive types. Default setting.
-
- S * STAGED WRITE HARD * [CTRL][ALT]S
- Delays writing hard-drive data changes until the computer is idle, then writes
- all changes to disk.
-
- With HyperDisk's Staged Write enabled, you should always press [CTRL][ALT]E to
- update your disk before either turning off your computer or pressing the RESET
- button, if one is provided. This precaution will ensure that HyperDisk has
- copied all data to your disk. HyperDisk will beep once to inform you that the
- cache is making any needed disk updates. If any updates are pending, they will
- be copied to disk immediately. After your disk access light goes out, feel free
- to turn power off.
-
- When HyperDisk accepts data to be written to the disk, it stores that data in a
- buffer. Later, when the system is idle (no disk, keyboard, or mouse activity),
- the modified data is written to the disk. This feature increases your
- computer's performance, since disks are updated only when your computer is not
- being used for other tasks. For removable media such as floppy disks, wait
- until the diskette has completely updated before removing it. If you remove the
- diskette before the update is complete, HyperDisk will interrupt your current
- foreground process, beep three times, and indicate that an error has occurred.
- Simply replace the diskette in the drive and press R for Retry.
-
-
-
- Warning: Staged Write is not for everyone. Never turn power off or press RESET
- without first disabling HyperDisk! Do NOT use the Staged Write feature if:
-
- * all users of a shared computer are not familiar with the HyperDisk Staged
- Write feature. With Staged Write enabled, your disks will not be updated
- immediately, which might cause confusion for a user not familiar with Staged
- Write. Select Staged Write only after all users are aware of how it changes
- the behavior of the computer.
-
- * the computer crashes frequently because of poor software and/or hardware.
-
- * bad weather or an overloaded power network cause the power system to fail
- frequently or unpredictably. Most users in this category should purchase an
- Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). For more information on UPS, see
- Appendix G, "Uninterruptible Power Supply Support."
-
- * new software is being tested or developed that may crash the system.
-
- * you use a software package that does not support the warm-boot
- [CTRL][ALT][DEL] function correctly. Qualitas' 386Max version 4.04 or
- earlier and several other public domain programs fail this test.
- Additionally, if you use any software to reboot your PC automatically,
- disable HyperDisk before running the reboot program.
-
- You can easily disable or enable the Staged Write features with the keyboard
- hotkey commands. HyperDisk has separate controls for hard and floppy drives.
- When in doubt, use the Write Through functions instead of Staged Write.
-
-
- A * STAGED WRITE FLOPPY * [CTRL][ALT]A
- Same as Staged Write Hard, for floppy drives.
-
- W * WRITE THROUGH HARD * [CTRL][ALT]W
- Writes all data through to the hard disk immediately, rather than waiting for
- the Timer Delay or Background Update functions. HyperDisk performance will be
- somewhat less efficient than with Staged Write enabled, since HyperDisk must
- write data to the disk immediately, instead of waiting until the system is idle
- or the cache is full. Default setting.
-
- Note: Always select Write Through Hard when you test or install new programs,
- debug programs of uncertain integrity, or perform any operation that may crash
- your computer.
-
- Q * WRITE THROUGH FLOPPY * [CTRL][ALT]Q
- Same as Write Through Hard, for floppy drives. See the note above for Write
- Through Hard. Default setting.
-
- XF:file * EXECUTE COMMAND FILE
- Directs the program to carry out the commands contained in the designated file
- where file is a standard DOS path and filename. You can use this function to
- store common procedures or personalized options. Create a file that contains
- the command line and parameters desired for a specific user or application. The
- command file can contain multiple lines, and comments should be delimited by a
- semicolon. The following example is for HyperDisk:
-
- C:\>>HYPERDKC XF:C:\ANYFILE.EXT
-
- Example of ANYFILE.EXT format:
-
- EH:0 ;comment: enable only first hard drive
- OT OC ;comment: disable tone and change line
- XB:9 ;comment: update disk every 1/2 second
-
- Windows users can use the parameter XF:CON to be prompted for console
- input/output. Use this option for Windows program information file (PIF)
- default command-line parameters.
-
-
-
- Display Options
-
-
- OR * OVERRIDE REPORT
- Disables the output report that is normally generated whenever you run a
- SpeedKit product from the command line. This option is useful if you are
- running from batch files and do not want the report to fill the screen.
- Specifying OR:- will disable the installation report delay, but the report
- itself will still be displayed.
-
- OX * DISABLE REPORT
- Displays report unless Override Report is applied. OX or OX:+ disables report
- panel; OX:- restores report panel display. OR:- can be used to override the OX
- setting. Default is to display report.
-
- OK * OVERRIDE DISPLAY METHOD
- Selects the display method. SpeedKit products normally display data directly by
- means of the video BIOS. OK or OK:+ forces I/O directly to the video BIOS,
- while OK:- forces DOS I/O. Alternatively, the standard output device can be
- redirected to any device or file. Default is direct to video BIOS.
-
- In the following example, HyperDisk will display the report by means of DOS
- standard output device:
-
- C:\>HYPERDK OK:-
-
- In the following example, output from HyperKey is redirected to console (CON)
- device:
-
- C:\>HYPERKEY >>CON
-
- OK:nn * OVERRIDE COLORS/ATTRIBUTES Selects the colors/attributes for the
- current display. Color displays provide 16 foreground colors to be applied on
- either 8 (CGA) or 16 (EGA/VGA) background colors. Monochrome displays provide a
- variety of display attributes. Some allow two or more intensities, underlining,
- blinking, etc. For CGA displays, there are 120 useful combinations; EGA/VGA
- displays, 240. Monochrome displays vary and are generally less than CGA. You
- can enter a value for nn in either decimal or hexadecimal formats. The first
- example below is a decimal example with HyperDisk; the second is a hexadecimal
- example with HyperScreen:
-
- C:\>HYPERDK OK:30
- C:\>HYPERSCR OK:X1E
-
- Both of the above examples select yellow on a blue background. Alternatively,
- you can select the colors manually by specifying (using HyperKey as an
- example):
-
- C:\>HYPERKEY OK:0
-
- OKC:nn * OVERRIDE COLORS ONLY
- Same as OK:nn, except only color display attributes are affected. Useful for
- systems with both monochrome and color displays.
-
- OKM:nn * OVERRIDE ATTRIBUTES ONLY
- Same as OK:nn, except only monochrome display attributes are affected.
-
-
-
- I:nn * FLUSH INDICATOR
- Selects a beep indicator tone whenever HyperDisk is updating the modified data
- to disk. This feature is useful if you have a system that does not have a drive
- indicator light. Experiment with tone frequencies by specifying nn in hertz
- (Hz). Also see the P:nn parameter. Default is disabled (I:0).
-
- P:nn * FLUSH INDICATOR PERIOD
- Specifies how frequently the Flush Indicator should sound. Units nn are in
- seconds. For example, specifying P:5 will set beeps every 5 seconds during the
- update flush operation.
-
- R * RESET HYPERDISK HIT
- Resets the HyperDisk cache hit percentage after the report is displayed.
-
- OT * OVERRIDE TONE
- Disables the acknowledgment tone. OT or OT:+ disables the tone; OT:- restores
- the tone. Default is tone enabled.
-
- KT * DISABLE FLOPPY CHANGE TONE
- KT or KT:+ disables the tone sounded when a floppy disk media change is
- detected; KT:- enables the tone. Default is tone enabled.
-
-
-
- Memory-Related Options
-
-
- C:nn[:nn] * CACHE SIZE
- Sets size of memory (in kilobytes) to install initially for use by the
- HyperDisk cache. For example, a value of 2048 for nn means 2 MB. You can vary
- the cache size after installation using the XC, XD, or XA options, but the size
- cannot be larger than the initial value set at installation with the C:nn
- option. Use the second [:nn] to set the cache size while Windows is active. You
- can add it instead of the CW:nn, CB:nn, or CP:nn parameters described later.
- Example: C:2048:1024 sets a 2 MB cache size when Windows is not being used and
- a 1 MB cache size whenever Windows is active. Default value for the 286
- Advanced, 386 Advanced, Extended, and Expanded models is all the remaining
- memory. Default value for the Conventional Model is 128K.
-
- CW:nn * WINDOWS CACHE SIZE
- Sets size of cache memory (in kilobytes) while Windows is active. For example,
- a value of 1024 means 1 MB.
-
- CB:nn * ALTERNATE WINDOWS 3.0+ SIZING METHOD
- Sets the minimum base free memory for use with Windows. Default is 512K.
-
- CP:nn * PERCENT FREE MEMORY
- Sets the percentage of free memory HyperDisk can use while Windows is active.
- Default is 35 percent.
-
- Windows example
-
- Assume all of the following: Your machine has 6098K of extended memory.
- HyperDisk under DOS uses 4096K (C:4096). When Windows starts up, HyperDisk
- frees the 4096K and requests the total free memory size, now 6098K. HyperDisk
- then subtracts the base free memory size (default of 512K, set using the CB:nn
- parameter) for a result of 5585K and takes 35 percent to obtain 1954K as the
- new HyperDisk cache size. The actual cache memory will be rounded down to the
- nearest whole-number multiple of cache buffers.
-
- XS * SHADOW RAM LOADER
- Loads program in Shadow RAM memory. If you have a Chips & Technologies NEAT 210
- or 300 Series chip set*based computer or use an XMS-type product that supports
- upper memory blocks (UMBs) such as 386Max 4.30+, the SpeedKit program will load
- in this special memory using none of the lower 640K of conventional memory.
- This option is automatically inactive if loaded high with an external loader,
- such as DeviceHigh, LOADhi, LOADhigh, etc.
-
- Note: For Chips & Technologies computers, load high occurs in the
- E000:0000-FFFF memory area. Therefore, other programs, adapters, ROMS, or
- expanded memory specification (EMS) memory banks must not use this area.
-
- XSL * SPLIT SHADOW RAM LOADING
- Load High memory load. Loads code and data tables high and leaves I/O transfer
- buffer in low memory. If you have trouble loading HyperDisk high, try this
- option. Automatically inactive if loaded high with an external loader, such as
- DeviceHigh, LOADhi, LOADhigh, etc.
-
-
-
- XC:nn * RESIZE CACHE BUFFER
- Resizes the cache buffers to nn K. You cannot specify more cache memory than
- was originally installed. XC without a numeric parameter will restore the cache
- to its startup value.
-
- XD:nn * DELETE CACHE BUFFERS
- Deletes nn K of memory from the current cache buffer. Use this parameter in
- conjunction with XA or XC to adjust the cache buffer size for the best use of
- your system memory.
-
- Note: If you are using the Conventional Model, to obtain the best
- configuration of your system memory allocation map, install with the XD
- parameter selected. Also, specify the largest cache size (C:nn) you
- will need at any time. For example, in your CONFIG.SYS file, add:
-
- DEVICE=HYPERDKC.EXE C:128 XD S A V
-
- After the system has booted and all your device drivers and TSRs are
- installed, include in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
-
- HYPERDKC XC
-
- This procedure installs HyperDisk before any other TSR. XD without a
- parameter will allocate no memory to the cache buffers.
-
- XA:nn * ADD CACHE BUFFERS
- Adds nn K of memory to the current cache buffer. You cannot specify more memory
- than was originally installed. Use XA in conjunction with XD:nn to adjust the
- cache buffer size for the best use of your system memory.
-
- XU * UNINSTALL CACHE
- Attempts to uninstall HyperDisk from memory. After writing any pending updates
- to the disk, HyperDisk will release the cache buffers, restore the system
- interrupt vectors as they were before HyperDisk was installed, and release the
- memory used by the program code and tables. If you load into memory other
- device drivers and/or TSRs that use the same vectors as HyperDisk, the
- uninstall operation will fail. Only the cache buffers will be released, and the
- cache will be disabled. For best results, install HYPERSTB.EXE in the
- CONFIG.SYS file, and load your HyperDisk model in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
-
-
-
- Keyboard Command Options
-
- KW * KEY WAIT TIME
- Selects wait for key after No Parameter status panel. KW or KW:+ enables a
- pause after the status panel. KW:- disables the wait for a key. Alternatively,
- you can select a time delay by specifying KW:nn, where nn is the number of
- seconds to wait before continuing automatically. Default is to wait for a
- keystroke if no parameters are specified.
-
- K * HOTKEY ENABLE
- Enables or disables the use of HyperDisk's hotkeys. K or K:+ enables the hotkey
- functions. K:- disables the hotkeys. Default is enabled.
-
- K:aclr * HOTKEY SHIFT STATES
- Alters HyperDisk's hotkey shift states. Normally, you must press [ALT] and
- [CTRL] before you select a hotkey letter. However, you can use any combination
- of [ALT] , [CTRL], [LEFTSHIFT], and [RIGHTSHIFT]. Specify only the first letter
- of the shift key name. For example, to select [CTRL] and [LEFTSHIFT], specify
- K:cl. Default is [CTRL][ALT].
-
-
- Windows Support Option
-
- KA * FLUSH CACHE AT WINDOWS EXIT
- KA or KA:+ will force a flush of all cache buffers when you issue an Exit
- command from the Program Manager in Windows. This option is useful if you want
- to have all of the modified cache buffers written to disk before the exiting of
- Windows is completed. KA:- disables this option. KA:- is the default.
-
-
- Write Verification Options
-
- V * VERIFY READ
- Verifies the disk and/or diskette after each disk and/or diskette write. This
- option replaces the DOS Verify command. Using the DOS Verify command is not
- recommended while HyperDisk's Verify Read is enabled.
-
- N * NO VERIFY
- Does not verify the disk and/or diskette after each write. If HyperDisk's
- Verify Read is disabled, use DOS VERIFY=ON. Default setting.
-
- VF * VERIFY FLOPPY WRITE OPERATION
- VF or VF:+ enables Verify operations for diskettes only. VF:- disables the
- verify after write operation. V, V:+, and V:- affect both drive types. Default
- is disabled.
-
- VH * VERIFY HARD WRITE OPERATION
- VH or VH:+ enables hard disk Verify operations. VH:- disables the verify after
- write operation. V, V:+, and V:- affect both drive types. Default is disabled.
-
-
-
- HyperDisk Technical Options
-
- These are parameters that can be used to access various technical HyperDisk
- functions. These parameters should not be used unless they are specifically
- needed. If you are not sure about how these parameters will affect your system,
- do not use them.
-
- Advanced Drive-Support Options
- EH:n:... * ENABLE SPECIFIC HARD DRIVES
- Enables only specified hard drives. n refers to the physical drive number
- starting with zero. You can specify as many drives as needed, each delimited by
- a colon.
-
- EF:n:... * ENABLE SPECIFIC FLOPPY DRIVES
- Same as EH:n, for floppy drives.
-
- DH:n:... * DISABLE SPECIFIC HARD DRIVES
- Disables specified hard drives. n refers to the physical drive number starting
- with zero. You can specify as many drives as needed, each delimited by a colon.
-
- DF:n:... * DISABLE SPECIFIC FLOPPY DRIVES
- Same as DH:n, for floppy drives.
-
- H:dd:ss:hh:ff * HARD DRIVE FORCE PARAMETERS
- In the case of translation-type drives where HyperDisk is unable to figure out
- what type of physical parameters need to be cached with your hard drive the H:
- parameter can be used to tell HyperDisk the configuration of your drive. Be
- very careful when using this parameter and make sure to test without Staged
- Writes to verify that HyperDisk can properly cache the drive.
-
- * dd drive number (e.g., 0 for first physical hard drive, 1 for second, etc.)
- * ss number of sectors per track
- * hh number of heads
- * ff first track to start caching on (almost always 0)
-
-
-
- Advanced Tuning Options
-
- T:nn * TIMER DELAY
- Specifies the computer idle time before writing the modified HyperDisk cache
- data to disk, when using Staged Write. You can specify a value of zero for a
- 1/2 second delay. Units nn are in seconds. Default is 1 second.
-
- M:nn * MEDIA CHECK RATE
- Specifies the time period for floppy diskette media verification. Removable
- media devices (floppies) are checked periodically to confirm that the media in
- the drive still matches the media image in the cache. Units nn are in seconds.
- Default is 3 seconds.
-
- Z:nn * SECTORS PER BUFFER
- Specifies the number of sectors per cache buffer. A track is mapped to one or
- more buffers. This value is autoselected by default. Z:0 specifies full-track
- caching. You can respecify this parameter after installation, but for the
- extended memory models, you cannot increase the sectors per buffer beyond that
- specified at installation. If you want to experiment, install with full-track
- buffering. Generally the autoselected value will provide the best overall
- performance.
-
- XP:nn * BACKGROUND UPDATE PERCENT
- Specifies an upper limit on the percentage of modified buffers before updating
- the disk and diskette on every access. The oldest data (LRU data) will be
- updated on each cache access until the modified buffer percentage falls below
- nn. Default is 75 percent.
-
- XW * CHECK REDUNDANT WRITE
- Checks for redundant disk/diskette write operation. This function compares the
- write data to the current image held in cache memory. If they are identical,
- the update operation is not performed. Only diskette drives that support media
- change signaling benefit from this option (720K, 1.2M, 1.44M, etc.). XW or XW:+
- enables redundancy checking; XW:- disables. Default is enabled.
-
- Note: HYPERDKX.EXE, the Extended Model, does not support this function.
-
- XWH * CHECK REDUNDANT HARD WRITE
- Same as XW, except affects hard disk drives only.
-
- XWF * CHECK REDUNDANT FLOPPY WRITE
- Same as XW, except affects diskette drives only.
-
- NR * NO READ AHEAD
- Disables read-ahead operations. Improves error handling for some controllers
- that time- out when reading over bad sectors. Useful for debugging. Default is
- read ahead.
-
- OB:nn * BYPASS SECTOR SIZE
- Fine tunes performance when using a small (32K) to medium (384K) cache size.
- Normally, HyperDisk disables this value. Specify nn in sectors, ranging from 0
- to 128, to restrict the maximum-sized block to be stored in the cache. For
- example, if you set OB:10, all transfer requests greater than 10 sectors will
- be passed on to the system BIOS and will not be stored in the cache. This
- option is useful if you are moving a large amount of data through a small
- cache, which would immediately be flooded with new data before the previous
- data could be reused. Setting OB:0 will disable this option. Default is
- disabled.
-
-
-
- Advanced Update Options
-
- XB:nn * BACKGROUND UPDATE TIME
- Specifies an upper limit on the age of the oldest modified buffer. After nn
- system timer ticks (55 milliseconds per tick), the oldest modified buffer is
- updated to disk. The Background Update functions are most useful in systems
- that are seldom idle, such as network servers. Default is disabled (XB:0).
-
- XI * ENABLE ADVANCED UPDATE
- Enables asynchronous update of the disk and diskette modifications for AT,
- PS/2, and some XT-class computers. XI or XI:+ enables function; XI:- disables.
- Default is enabled.
-
- XIH * ENABLE ADVANCED HARD DISK UPDATE
- Same as XI, except affects hard disk drives only.
-
- XIF * ENABLE ADVANCED FLOPPY UPDATE
- Same as XI, except affects diskette drives only.
-
-
-
- Advanced Memory Options
-
- VI * QEMM STEALTH SUPPORT
- VI or VI:+ enables virtual interrupts; VI:- disables virtual interrupts.
- Default is enabled.
-
- G:n * ADVANCED A20 GATE TYPE
- Installation only. In order for HyperDisk to access extended memory in the most
- effective way, a system address control signal, the A20 gate, must be
- controlled. The IBM AT used the 8042 keyboard processor for this task, but this
- method proved to be very slow. Consequently, several computer manufacturers
- (including IBM when it introduced the PS/2 line) developed other methods to
- control the A20 gate signal. Normally, HyperDisk will automatically search your
- system to determine the A20 gate control method. If HyperDisk cannot recognize
- your system, which might cause your system to hang, you can set this parameter
- to tell HyperDisk what type of computer you have. If you encounter such
- problems, first try method G:2 (FastA20). If this method fails, use G:0 to
- disable the search and use the system BIOS transfer routines, or switch to the
- Extended Model, HYPERDKX.EXE. See the following table to determine which method
- to use for your system.
-
- Chose if your system uses
-
- G:1 Standard AT-8042 method
- G:2 Fast A20-8042 (this method is usable on most machines)
- G:3 PS/2 series chip set
- G:4 Dell 300 series and others
- G:5 Chips & Technologies NEAT (212) chip set
- G:6 QuadramXT
- G:7 Inboard 386/PC
- G:8 AT Micro-Channel Model 6
- G:9 HP Vectra
-
- Methods are searched automatically from high (9) to low (0). See the READTHIS
- file for any additions.
-
- OG * OVERRIDE A20 GATE EXIT (only for systems 2 and 9, above)
- Specifies that HyperDisk should only open the A20 Gate when it is being used.
- OG:+ selects open A20 on demand, close on exit; OG:- selects open on demand,
- leave open. If your application wraps 1 MB you should select OG:+. This
- parameter is used with CP/M applications. Default is to leave A20 Gate open.
-
- XM * XMS MEMORY ALLOCATION MODE
- Requests HyperDisk to use the Extended Memory Manager for allocating extended
- memory buffers. If your system uses HIMEM.SYS (an XMS of Lotus-Intel-Microsoft-
- AST), HyperDisk automatically allocates and deallocates memory using XMS.
-
- XML * XMS MEMORY BLOCK LOCKING
- XML or XML:+ locks XMS memory block; XML:- unlocks XMS memory block. Some XMS
- providers and/or applications alter HyperDisk's XMS memory block if it is
- unlocked. DR-DOS 6.0's EMM386 and an early Lotus 123R3 release revealed this
- problem. Locking the block prevents these bugs in other software from
- destroying the cache memory block. Default is to lock XMS blocks.
-
- XT, XTR, XTP * XMS MEMORY TRANSFER MODE
- Requests HyperDisk to use the Extended Memory Manager (XMS) allocation and
- memory transfer method. See the XM parameter, above. Recommended for AT&T PCs.
- XT selects XMS transfer mode in both real and protected mode. XTR selects XMS
- transfer mode in real mode. XTP selects XMS transfer mode in protected mode.
- See the following table for examples:
-
-
-
- If you use install
-
- Microsoft HIMEM.SYS (to avoid problems) HYPERDK XTR:-
- XTP:+
- Windows enhanced mode, no DOS HYPERDKX XT:+
- Windows real/enhanced mode, or DOS HYPER386 XTR:-
- XTP:+
- 386Max all extended models HYPERDKX XT:- or
- HYPER386 XT:-
-
-
- U * EXPANDED MEMORY BUFFERING
- If you are using an EMS emulator that does not support direct memory access
- (DMA) to the EMS memory page frame or if you are using a product that accesses
- the EMS memory asynchronously (some networking products, print spoolers, etc.),
- do not change the default configuration.
-
- However, if you are sure that no other products access EMS asynchronously and
- do not want to use the Advance Update mode (XI), you can save some conventional
- memory (normally 8.5K) by disabling this option (U:-). Default is enabled; set
- at initial installation only.
-
- UI * EMS FAR CALL FOR DESQVIEW
- UI or UI:+ forces EMS far call to use interrupt 67h, which works better when
- using DESQview with your system. To restore the original far-call method,
- specify UI:-. Default is disabled.
-
- OD * DMA BOUNDARY TEST OVERRIDE
- Disables DMA boundary testing.
-
-
-
- Diagnostic/Override Options
-
-
- OC * MEDIA CHANGE SIGNAL
- Disables the diskette drive media change signal test. All diskette drives,
- other than 160/320/360K types, support a media change detection function.
- Basically, a signal from the drive indicates that the media latch has been
- opened or the diskette has been removed from the drive. By default, HyperDisk
- uses this signal to detect when a diskette has been changed. Use this option if
- you suspect that your diskette drive has an unreliable media change signal. OC
- or OC:+ will disable Media Change Signal testing; OC:- enables it. Default is
- enabled.
-
- OH:nn * HOTKEY VECTOR METHOD
- Provides direct control of the Hotkey Vector Method. If your machine is an
- AT-type machine, you can select either interrupt 09h or 15h. Interrupt 15h is
- compatible with foreign keyboard support. If your application has conflicting
- key assignments, you can disable HyperDisk hotkeys by selecting K:-.
-
- KD * UPDATE MODIFIED BUFFER ON DOS DISK RESET
- KD or KD:+ will not update modified buffers when a DOS disk reset, INT 21h, 0Dh
- is called; KD:- enables update. Default is update disabled.
-
- Y * DIAGNOSTIC DUMP
- Creates a diagnostic file on the current disk and directory of the resident
- HyperDisk program memory. The function aids in problem determination.
-
- YD * DISPLAY SYSTEM ACCESS COUNTS
- Displays total system read/write requests, saved accesses (cached sectors), and
- disk accesses in a diagnostic report.
-
-
-
- Part 3: HyperKey
-
-
- What is HyperKey?
-
- HyperKey is a powerful keyboard enhancement package that dramatically improves
- the speed and performance of your PC keyboard. With HyperKey you can customize
- all keyboard functions including the type-ahead buffer size, key repeat rate,
- length of delay before a key begins repeating, keyboard clicking sounds, and
- Touch Shifting for one- finger typing.
-
- Your PC has a basic input/output system (BIOS) that normally controls your
- keyboard functions. The BIOS provides little support for many windowing- and
- scrolling-type applications common in PC systems. Both the delay to repeat
- (Typematic Delay) and the period of repeat (Typematic Rate) are slow and
- cumbersome. Although the PC BIOS provides a type-ahead feature, it is only 15
- keystrokes. The BIOS type-ahead buffering can be both an advantage and a
- disadvantage. If you are waiting for a slow program, you can enter data before
- you are prompted, saving time when the program needs your input. However, when
- you are scrolling or repeating a keystroke, the BIOS type ahead can cause you
- to overshoot your target.
-
- HyperKey addresses all of these problems. You can set the Typematic Delay and
- Typematic Period to any value. HyperKey type-ahead buffering provides 128
- keystrokes and does not fill with repeated keys as the PC BIOS does. The
- Typematic Period is paced to match your application's needs and will never get
- ahead of your application.
-
-
-
- HyperKey Options
-
- The defaults for each parameter are listed at the end of their description, if
- applicable. Lowercase, italic nn following a parameter is a place holder for a
- number that you provide.
-
- D:nn * TYPEMATIC DELAY
- Sets the delay time before a key repeats itself, starting from when you hold
- down the key until repetition begins. Units are in milliseconds (1/1,000 of a
- second). Recommended starting value is 350; decrease it as you become
- accustomed to a more responsive keyboard. Default is 300.
-
- R:nn * TYPEMATIC PERIOD
- Sets the minimum time between repeats of a key after the initial Typematic
- Delay. Smaller values repeat keys faster; larger values repeat more slowly.
- Units are in milliseconds. Start with a value of 30. Default is 30.
-
- P:nn * TYPEMATIC PITCH
- Decreases the Typematic Period automatically after each repeated key. The value
- nn is subtracted from the repeat period after each repeated key, causing
- repeats to speed up the longer you hold down the key. Units are in microseconds
- (1/1,000,000 of a second). Default is 500.
-
- S:nn * TYPEMATIC SPAN
- Sets the number of repeat characters the Typematic Pitch control will affect.
- For example, if you select a Typematic Pitch of 500 and a Typematic Span of 10,
- each of the first 10 repeated keys will repeat faster than the previous one by
- 500 microseconds (1/2 millisecond), then remain constant for all keys
- thereafter. Default is zero (disabled).
-
-
-
- H:nn * SPAN HOLDOFF
- Delays the initial effects of the Typematic Span function. The repeat period
- will remain constant for nn characters before the Span functions begin to
- decrease the period, or in other words increase the rate of repeats. For
- example, if you have set the span to 30 and the pitch to 500 and now want the
- first five characters to repeat without increasing the rate, set the Span
- Holdoff to five. Default is zero.
-
- B * EXTENDED BUFFERING
- Enables HyperKey's type-ahead buffer. B or B:+ to enable; B:- to disable.
- Default is enabled.
-
- Note: If after installing other enhancement products two or more keys are
- delivered for each key you strike, disable this option.
-
- B:nn * EXTENDED BUFFER SIZE
- Specifies the size of the extended keystroke during installation. Values for nn
- range from 16 to 4096. Two bytes of memory are required for each keystroke.
- Default is 128.
-
- I * KEYBOARD LOCK INDICATORS
- Changes the keyboard lock indicators, such as [CAPSLOCK] and [NUMLOCK]. Use the
- first letter of the key indicator name; UPPERCASE sets the key active,
- lowercase clears the indicator. Indicators are: [CAPSLOCK], [NUMLOCK],
- [SCROLLLOCK], and [INSERT] state. In the following examples, the first sets all
- indicators active, the second sets [CAPSLOCK], clears [NUMLOCK]:
-
- C:\>HYPERKEY -ICNSI
- C:\>HYPERKEY -ICn
-
- Some computers do not accept indicator changes by device drivers; therefore you
- may need to run HyperKey during AUTOEXEC.BAT initialization to change the
- indicators after booting the machine. Default is no changes to key indicator
- states.
-
- A * ACTIVE
- Enables all HyperKey functions. A or A:+ to enable; A:- to disable. If you
- discover one of your programs is incompatible with HyperKey, you can disable
- HyperKey while you are using that program. Default is enabled.
-
-
-
- C * CLICK ON MAKE
- Issues a click when a new key is struck. C or C:+ to enable clicks; C:- to
- disable. Default is disabled.
-
- C:nn * CLICK PITCH
- Sets the pitch of the click. This function depends on machine speed. Experiment
- to create the sound you find most pleasing. Default is 100.
-
- CR * CLICK ON REPEATS
- Issues a click on all keys, new and repeated. CR or CR:+ to enable; C:- to
- disable. Default is disabled.
-
- L:nn * CLICK PERIOD
- Sets length of time the click sounds. This parameter also depends on machine
- speed. Experiment to find a pleasing value. Default is 32.
-
- T * TOUCH SHIFTING
- Sets Touch-Shifting mode active. Makes it possible to enter a shifted key
- combination (one that requires you to hold down two or more keys at a time) by
- pressing only one keystroke at a time. For example, to enter [CTRL][F1], simply
- press [CTRL] and release, then press [F1] and release. Touch Shifting is very
- useful for 101- and 102-key keyboards. T or T:+ to enable; T:- to disable.
- Default is disabled.
-
- U * UNINSTALL
- Uninstalls the TSR-type model, if it was previously installed. If HyperKey can
- be removed from memory, all memory used will be released. You cannot uninstall
- the device-driver version. If it's not possible to uninstall, you will receive
- a message that the uninstall failed. You might consider disabling all functions
- instead by using the Active option. The following example disables HyperKey:
-
- C:\>HYPERKEY A:-
-
- XS * SHADOW RAM LOADER
- Loads program in Shadow RAM memory. If you have a Chips & Technologies NEAT 210
- or 300 Series chip set*based computer or use an XMS-type product that supports
- UMBs such as 386Max 4.30+, the SpeedKit program will load in this special
- memory using none of the lower 640K of conventional memory. This option is
- automatically inactive if loaded high with an external loader, such as
- DeviceHigh, LOADhi, LOADhigh, etc.
-
- Note: For Chips & Technologies computers, load high occurs in the
- E000:0000-FFFF memory area. Therefore, other programs, adapters, ROMS, and EMS
- memory banks must not use this area.
-
-
-
- XF:file * EXECUTE COMMAND FILE
- Directs the program to carry out the commands contained in the designated file
- where file is a standard DOS path and filename. You can use this function to
- store common procedures or personalized options. Create a file that contains
- the command line and parameters desired for a specific user or application. The
- command file can contain multiple lines, and comments should be delimited by a
- semicolon. The following example is for HyperDisk:
-
- C:\>>HYPERDKC XF:C:\ANYFILE.EXT
-
- Example of ANYFILE.EXT format:
-
- EH:0 ;comment: enable only first hard drive
- OT OC ;comment: disable tone and change line
- XB:9 ;comment: update disk every 1/2 second
-
- Windows users can use the parameter XF:CON to be prompted for console
- input/output. Use this option for Windows PIF default command line parameters.
-
- KW * KEY WAIT TIME
- Selects wait for key after No Parameter status panel. KW or KW:+ enables a
- pause after the status panel. KW:- disables the wait for a key. Alternatively,
- you can select a time delay by specifying KW:nn, where nn is the number of
- seconds to wait before continuing automatically. Default is to wait for a
- keystroke if no parameters are specified.
-
- OR * OVERRIDE REPORT
- Disables the output report that is normally generated whenever you run a
- SpeedKit product from the command line. This option is useful if you are
- running from batch files and do not want the report to fill the screen.
- Specifying OR:- will disable the installation report delay, but the report
- itself will still be displayed.
-
- OX * DISABLE REPORT
- Displays report unless Override Report is applied. OX or OX:+ disables report
- panel; OX:- restores report panel display. OR:- can be used to override the OX
- setting. Default is to display report.
-
- OK * OVERRIDE DISPLAY METHOD
- Selects the display method. SpeedKit products normally display data directly by
- means of the video BIOS. OK or OK:+ forces I/O directly to the video BIOS,
- while OK:- forces DOS I/O. Alternatively, the standard output device can be
- redirected to any device or file. Default is direct to video BIOS.
-
- In the following example, HyperDisk will display the report by means of DOS
- standard output device:
-
- C:\>HYPERDK OK:-
-
- In the following example, output from HyperKey is redirected to console (CON)
- device:
-
- C:\>HYPERKEY >>CON
-
-
-
- OK:nn * OVERRIDE COLORS/ATTRIBUTES
- Selects the colors/attributes for the current display. Color displays provide
- 16 foreground colors to be applied on either 8 (CGA) or 16 (EGA/VGA) background
- colors. Monochrome displays provide a variety of display attributes. Some allow
- two or more intensities, underlining, blinking, etc. For CGA displays, there
- are 120 useful combinations; EGA/VGA displays, 240. Monochrome displays vary
- and are generally less than CGA. You can enter a value for nn in either decimal
- or hexadecimal formats. The first example below is a decimal example with
- HyperDisk; the second is a hexadecimal example with HyperScreen:
-
- C:\>HYPERDK OK:30
- C:\>HYPERSCR OK:X1E
-
- Both of the above examples select yellow on a blue background. Alternatively,
- you can select the colors manually by specifying (using HyperKey as an
- example):
-
- C:\>HYPERKEY OK:0
-
- OKC:nn * OVERRIDE COLORS ONLY
- Same as OK:nn, except only color display attributes are affected. Useful for
- systems with both monochrome and color displays.
-
- OKM:nn * OVERRIDE ATTRIBUTES ONLY
- Same as OK:nn, except only monochrome display attributes are affected.
-
-
-
- Part 4: HyperScreen
-
-
- What is HyperScreen?
-
- HyperScreen is a video enhancement tool that gives you the most power and
- versatility from your existing video hardware. With state-of-the-art software,
- it provides manual and automatic screen blanking and video BIOS speedup.
-
- The automatic screen blanking function shuts off your video display after a
- preset time to prevent a persistent image from burning into the display's
- phosphors. Phosphors are the light emitting substances that make the electronic
- image visible. If a fixed image is displayed continuously, the phosphors
- deteriorate, producing a burned screen. Although monochrome displays are most
- often affected by burning, color displays can lose brightness and contrast if
- an image is displayed too long.
-
- With HyperScreen's manual blanking function you can quickly blank any
- information displayed on the screen. This feature protects sensitive data from
- exposure to unexpected visitors. By specifying parameters, you can choose which
- key activates this feature and the number of times it must be pressed to blank
- the screen.
-
- The Fast BIOS feature increases the speed of your display by replacing
- inefficient portions of video BIOS code. This option speeds all text mode
- displays in DOS or any text-based programs, but it does not speed up graphics
- displays or direct display access applications. These functions are based on
- the individual software packages rather than the BIOS code on the video card.
-
-
- HyperScreen Options
-
- The defaults for each parameter are listed at the end of their description, if
- applicable. Lowercase, italic nn following a parameter is a place holder for a
- number that you provide.
-
- A * GLOBAL HYPERSCREEN ENABLE
- Enables all HyperScreen functions. A or A:+ to enable; A:- to disable. Default
- is enabled.
-
- F * ENABLE FAST BIOS
- Enables the Fast BIOS routines for speeding up all mode operations. F or F:+ to
- enable; F:- to disable. Default is enabled.
-
- B * ENABLE BLANKER
- Enables the screen blanking function. B or B:+ to enable; B:- to disable.
- Default is enabled.
-
- B:nn * SET BLANKING TIME
- Sets the inactivity timer, where nn is the number of minutes that the keyboard
- has not been used. After nn minutes expire without a keystroke, HyperScreen
- will blank the screen. B:0 disables the timer. Default is 10 minutes.
-
- K * ANY KEY DEBLANKING
- With this option enabled, you can strike any key to restore the display after
- HyperScreen has blanked it. With some software, Microsoft Windows for example,
- only the SHIFT and LOCK keys will restore the display. However, if you want to
- specify a single key to use for restoring the display, disable this option (K-)
- and use the Hotkey Selection option. Default is K:+, any key deblanking.
-
-
-
- K:nn * HOTKEY TAP COUNT
- Specifies the number of successive times the hotkey must be pressed (tapped) to
- manually blank or restore the screen. The timing of the taps is important; they
- should be spaced no more than about 1/2 second apart. Normally, this is easy to
- do. If the Any Key Deblanking option is active, one tap will restore the
- screen. Default is three taps.
-
- K:s * HOTKEY SELECTION
- You can select any of the hotkeys listed below for manual screen blanking and
- restoring. Substitute for s the hotkey you want to use. For example, K:A
- selects [ALT] as your manual screen blanking and restoring hotkey. Default is
- [CTRL].
-
- Use to choose blanking, restoring hotkey
-
- K:L [LEFTSHIFT]
- K:R [RIGHTSHIFT]
- K:C [CTRL]
- K:A [ALT]
- K:S [SCROLLLOCK]
- K:N [NUMLOCK]
- K:P [CAPSLOCK]
-
-
- U * UNINSTALL
- Uninstalls the TSR-type model, if it was previously installed. If HyperScreen
- can be removed from memory, all memory used will be released. You cannot
- uninstall the device-driver version. If it isn't possible to uninstall, you
- will receive a message that the uninstall failed. You might consider disabling
- all functions instead. The following example disables HyperScreen:
-
- C:\>HYPERSCR A:-
-
- XS * SHADOW RAM LOADER
- Loads program in Shadow RAM memory. If you have a Chips & Technologies NEAT 210
- or 300 Series chip set*based computer or use an XMS-type product that supports
- UMBs such as 386Max 4.30+, the SpeedKit program will load in this special
- memory using none of the lower 640K of conventional memory. This option is
- automatically inactive if loaded high with an external loader, such as
- DeviceHigh, LOADhi, LOADhigh, etc.
-
- Note: For Chips & Technologies computers, load high occurs in the
- E000:0000-FFFF memory area. Therefore, this area must not be used by other
- programs, adapters, ROMS, or EMS memory banks.
-
-
-
- XF:file * EXECUTE COMMAND FILE
- Directs the program to carry out the commands contained in the designated file
- where file is a standard DOS path and filename. You can use this function to
- store common procedures or personalized options. Create a file that contains
- the command line and parameters desired for a specific user or application. The
- command file can contain multiple lines, and comments should be delimited by a
- semicolon. The following example is for HyperDisk:
-
- C:\>>HYPERDKC XF:C:\ANYFILE.EXT
-
- Example of ANYFILE.EXT format:
-
- EH:0 ;comment: enable only first hard drive
- OT OC ;comment: disable tone and change line
- XB:9 ;comment: update disk every 1/2 second
-
- Windows users can use the parameter XF:CON to be prompted for console
- input/output. Use this option for Windows PIF default command line
- parameters.
-
- OR * OVERRIDE REPORT
- Disables the output report that is normally generated whenever you run a
- SpeedKit product from the command line. This option is useful if you are
- running from batch files and do not want the report to fill the screen.
- Specifying OR:- will disable the installation report delay, but the report
- itself will still be displayed.
-
- OK * OVERRIDE DISPLAY METHOD
- Selects the display method. SpeedKit products normally display data directly by
- means of the video BIOS. OK or OK:+ forces I/O directly to the video BIOS,
- while OK:- forces DOS I/O. Alternatively, the standard output device can be
- redirected to any device or file. Default is direct to video BIOS.
-
- In the following example, HyperDisk will display the report by means of DOS
- standard output device:
-
- C:\>HYPERDK OK:-
-
- In the following example, output from HyperKey is redirected to console (CON)
- device:
-
- C:\>HYPERKEY >>CON
-
-
-
- OK:nn * OVERRIDE COLORS/ATTRIBUTES
- Selects the colors/attributes for the current display. Color displays provide
- 16 foreground colors to be applied on either 8 (CGA) or 16 (EGA/VGA) background
- colors. Monochrome displays provide a variety of display attributes. Some allow
- two or more intensities, underlining, blinking, etc. For CGA displays, there
- are 120 useful combinations; EGA/VGA displays, 240. Monochrome displays vary
- and are generally less than CGA. You can enter a value for nn in either decimal
- or hexadecimal formats. The first example below is a decimal example with
- HyperDisk; the second is a hexadecimal example with HyperScreen:
-
- C:\>HYPERDK OK:30
- C:\>HYPERSCR OK:X1E
-
- Both of the above examples select yellow on a blue background. Alternatively,
- you can select the colors manually by specifying (using HyperKey as an
- example):
-
- C:\>HYPERKEY OK:0
-
- OKC:nn * OVERRIDE COLORS ONLY
- Same as OK:nn, except only color display attributes are affected. Useful for
- systems with both monochrome and color displays.
-
- OKM:nn * OVERRIDE ATTRIBUTES ONLY
- Same as OK:nn, except only monochrome display attributes are affected.
-
-
-
- Part 5: Error Messages
-
-
-
- General Error Messages
-
- The following error messages are common to all SpeedKit components:
-
- Already Installed!
- SpeedKit product has already been installed. The program type and version of
- the resident program are displayed, followed by the error message.
-
- Invalid Parameter: UNKNOWN
- An invalid command-line parameter was specified. Verify your command-line
- parameters against the definitions in the "Options" sections for HyperDisk,
- HyperKey, and HyperScreen. Inserting a delimiter (/,:,-, etc.) between
- parameters will ensure that only the invalid character is chopped; other valid
- parameters will be installed.
-
- Incorrect DOS Version
- SpeedKit requires DOS version 2.0 or later. SpeedKit product was not loaded.
-
-
-
- HyperDisk Error Messages
-
- Following is a list of HyperDisk error messages:
-
- Extended Memory Not Supported (INT 15h)
- HyperDisk could not find the extended memory BIOS software (INT 15h). Your
- computer does not support INT 15h extended memory functions. You should use
- either the Expanded Model or the Conventional Model instead.
-
- No Extended Available
- HyperDisk could not find any free memory in the extended memory manager. You
- should free some extended memory from other uses, or try the Expanded Model or
- the Conventional Model.
-
- Insufficient Extended Memory
- HyperDisk could not find enough free memory in the extended memory manager. A
- minimum of 128K is required to use HyperDisk.
-
- Expanded Memory Manager Not Found
- HyperDisk could not find the EMS memory manager software. Either you omitted
- the EMS device driver statement in your CONFIG.SYS file or you placed the
- HyperDisk device driver statement before the EMS device driver statement in
- your CONFIG.SYS file.
-
- No Expanded Memory Available
- HyperDisk could not find any memory in the EMS memory manager.
-
- Insufficient Expanded Memory
- HyperDisk could not find enough free memory in the EMS memory manager. A
- minimum of 128K is required to use HyperDisk.
-
- Insufficient Conventional Memory
- HyperDisk could not find enough free memory in the DOS memory manager.
- HyperDisk requires at least 400K free before installation begins. A minimum of
- 144K is required by HyperDisk when installing with a 128K cache size (the
- default size).
-
-
-
- HyperDisk Error RShft: Retry=LShft Skip=Ctrl Abort=Alt?
- This message supports responses by both keystrokes and shift state hotkeys.
- Shift state hotkeys allow entry of commands even when the foreground
- application has taken normal keyboard control (i.e., Microsoft Windows,
- SmartCom, etc.). The error message is preceded by three beeps. The following
- table lists hotkeys and keystrokes you can use to choose a command:
-
- To choose press
-
- Retry R or [RIGHTSHIFT][LEFTSHIFT]
- Skip S or [RIGHTSHIFT][CTRL]
- Abort A or [RIGHTSHIFT][ALT]
-
-
- If you don't enter a response within four seconds, a Retry is automatically
- entered for you. See the following error message for the meanings of Retry,
- Skip, and Abort.
-
- Error [drive]#:n: - [error message]: Retry, Skip or Abort
- An error was detected during a disk write operation. The error code will be
- either an extended memory, EMS, or BIOS error.
-
- * Retry: pressing R will retry the same disk request.
- * Skip: pressing S will skip this disk write and continue with the next write.
- * Abort: pressing A will remove the active drive data from the HyperDisk buffers
- without updating the disk. Use this response only for floppies you are
- going to discard because of defective and unacceptable media. This
- response is not the same as multiple Skips.
-
- If the error code is ABxx then xx is the EMS error code in hexadecimal (see
- your EMS manual error definitions). For an EMS error (ABxx), the EMS software
- has been corrupted, and the Retry option most likely will continue to fail.
-
- If the error code is EDxx then xx is the extended memory error code in
- hexadecimal (see the IBM-AT Technical Reference [1502243] BIOS Listing,
- Section: BIOS 1, Error Code Definitions). For an extended memory error, the
- memory has been corrupted and the Retry option most likely will continue to
- fail.
-
- If the error is a disk BIOS error on a diskette drive, the error condition
- usually indicates that the diskette latch is open. If this is the case, replace
- the diskette and/or close the diskette latch before giving the Retry response.
-
-
-
- Part 6: Troubleshooting
-
-
- Introduction to Troubleshooting
-
- If you are having problems with any of the SpeedKit products, first read
- through this section. If you continue to have problems after reading this
- section, please have the following information ready before calling technical
- support:
-
- * Computer manufacturer and type;
- * Amount of memory;
- * Size and type of hard disk;
- * DOS version;
- * Copy of CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files;
- * HyperDisk version number and serial number, both of which can be found on
- your diskette.
-
- We prefer that you be at the machine you are having problems with when you call
- technical support. A technician can be reached at (415) 882-1740 during normal
- business hours, Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time. Often, a
- technician is on duty after business hours as well and will answer your
- questions if available. If a technician is not available, you can leave a
- message on our bulletin board, (415) 882-1735, or in our CompuServe Forum,
- PCVENB Conference #13.
-
-
- Troubleshooting Tips
-
- If you are unable to boot your machine because HyperDisk causes system crashes,
- try pressing [CTRL][ALT][LEFTSHIFT] to boot your machine without loading
- HyperDisk.
-
- If you want to test to see if HyperDisk is causing your problem, try booting
- your machine with HyperDisk installed but disabled, using the [CTRL][ALT]D key
- combination. If you continue to have the same problem, it is probably being
- caused by something other than HyperDisk.
-
- If your problem persists, try turning off your machine, wait 30 seconds, and
- try again.
-
-
- Copy Protection
-
- Some products that use copy-protected media may require that the caching
- function be disabled during the media verification period. Press [CTRL][ALT]D
- to disable HyperDisk and [CTRL][ALT]E to enable it.
-
-
-
- Commonly Asked Questions
-
- Can I run HyperDisk with another disk cache?
- NO! You must always run only a single software cache. You are going to have
- problems if you run two programs that are performing the same function
- simultaneously. Never run two caches at the same time, regardless of which ones
- they are.
-
- The only exception is caching controllers. HyperDisk has been tested with many
- hard disk controllers with built-in caches, and the combination works just
- fine. But never run two software caches together; it will only lead to problems
- with your hard disk.
-
- HyperDisk automatically prevents conflicting configurations by detecting other
- disk- caching software, such as SmartDrive or PC-Kwik, and stopping
- installation.
-
-
- Do I have to remove SmartDrive when using HyperDisk?
- Yes. SmartDrive is a disk cache, and you cannot run two software disk caches at
- the same time without causing problems.
-
-
- Is it okay to use FASTOPEN?
- No. We don't recommend ever running FASTOPEN. FASTOPEN is a special type of
- program that caches file structures. It has proven to be very unreliable and
- only marginally enhances system performance. FASTOPEN was designed to be used
- without a disk cache before Microsoft included SmartDrive with DOS. Most recent
- versions of FASTOPEN work with SmartDrive but continue to cause problems with
- third party caches, such as HyperDisk.
-
-
- Why don't I notice any difference between HyperDisk and SmartDrive?
- Make sure that HyperDisk's Staged Write options are turned on. This is the most
- noticeable difference when comparing HyperDisk to other caches.
-
-
- HyperKey isn't working in Windows. What's wrong?
- Because of the way Windows works there is no way for HyperKey to function under
- Windows. We are working on a version specifically for Windows, but currently
- you cannot benefit from HyperKey while running Windows.
-
-
-
- Hotkey Controls
-
- Use the following hotkey combinations to speed your processing with SpeedKit
- utilities.
-
- ABORT INSTALLATION * [CTRL][ALT][LEFTSHIFT]
- Suspends installation of HyperDisk. When booting your computer, but before
- HyperDisk loads, you can suspend the installation by holding down
- [CTRL][ALT][LEFTSHIFT] . You will be prompted to choose whether to continue or
- stop installation.
-
- WARM-BOOT * [CTRL][ALT][DEL]
- Warm-boots the computer system. HyperDisk first writes any modified data to
- disk. If the disk requires updating, you will hear two tones and HyperDisk will
- begin writing to your disk. After the updates are complete, press
- [CTRL][ALT][DEL] again, and the system will warm-boot.
-
- If you have other TSRs that also monitor[CTRL][ALT][DEL], they may restart the
- computer without allowing HyperDisk to update your disk. If so, first disable
- caching by using[CTRL][ALT]D and then warm-boot the computer.
-
- If you are unsure of the behavior of other resident programs, you can test your
- system by copying files to a test floppy diskette. First, activate HyperDisk's
- Staged Write feature by pressing[CTRL][ALT]A. Insert a newly formatted disk in
- drive A and copy a large number of files to it by typing copy *.* A:.
-
- When your screen indicates that the copying is finished (or has failed because
- of insufficient disk space), immediately issue the warm-boot command,
- [CTRL][ALT][DEL]. If you hear two tones and your system begins to write to the
- floppy, you can issue warm-boots without fear of losing any data.
-
- If your system immediately restarts, you will have lost data being copied to
- drive A. Your disk integrity will be in question while using the other TSRs
- together with HyperDisk's Staged Write options and issuing the [CTRL][ALT][DEL]
- warm-boot key combination.
-
- Possible remedies are to:
- * remove the other offending TSR;
- * always disable HyperDisk before you warm-boot; or
- * use the Write Through feature in your installation of HyperDisk, which is
- the default setting and requires no extra parameters.
-
- FORCE UPDATE BEFORE PROGRAM LOADS * [CTRL][ALT]F
- Updates all changes to disk/diskette before running the next program load
- request. Provided for development and testing systems.
-
- RESUME STANDARD UPDATE * [CTRL][ALT]R
- Resumes normal update conditions. Provided for development and testing systems.
-
- MANUAL DISKETTE CHANGE * [CTRL][ALT]C
- Changes diskette media indication. If two diskettes have identical file
- allocation tables, HyperDisk cannot detect that the diskette has changed. Use
- this command to force HyperDisk to recognize the new diskette.
-
-
-
- Appendix A: Compatibility Notes
-
-
- Borland's Reflex Package
- Reflex provides an asynchronous update mode for disks and diskettes. You must
- disable this function with the command line switch -a before operating it with
- HyperDisk. Because of special considerations necessary for DESQview operation,
- Reflex and HyperDisk are incompatible if the Asynchronous option of Reflex is
- selected.
-
- Borland SuperKey
- When using HyperWare products with Borland SuperKey you must set the SuperKey
- B:- parameter.
-
- Everex EverDisk Hard Disk Integration Package
- Hyperdisk has no known operating problems in this environment.
-
- OnTrack Disk Manager, Storage Dimensions SpeedStor Disk Integration Packages
- Currently Hyperdisk directly supports hard drives formatted with Disk Manager
- and SpeedStor. If you have a hard drive using DOS 3.3 or later then you must
- use Disk Manager version 3.1 or SpeedStor version 5.14. If you use older
- versions of these products then you might run into compatibility problems with
- HyperDisk.
-
- Stacker, SuperStor Hard Disk Integration Packages
- No special action is required to support compressed disk volumes using these
- packages. HyperDisk can be loaded either before or after these drivers. You do
- not need to exclude any logical volumes from being cached.
-
-
-
- Appendix B: HyperDisk Limitations
-
-
- HyperDisk supports disk and diskette drives accessed by BIOS INT 13h services.
- Up to 20 drives can be cached, 10 hard disks and 10 floppies. To be cached,
- disk and diskette media must be formatted as 512 bytes per sector with 8 to 63
- sectors per track.
-
- HyperDisk supports hard drives with up to 256 heads and 1,024 cylinders
- maximum, or 64 heads maximum and 4,096 cylinders, accessible with special
- software such as SpeedStor, Disk Manager, or AMI/OMTI BIOS-compatible
- controllers.
-
- Supported floppy diskette systems include: 5.25-inch single and double sided,
- double- and high-density formats (8, 9, and 15 sectors per track); 3.5-inch
- drives single and double sided, double- and high-density formats (9 and 18
- sectors per track).
-
- HyperDisk supports partitioned hard disk systems (multiple logical drives per
- physical drive) and should be installed after the device driver provided by the
- disk supplier. PC- DOS versions 3.30 and later directly support multiple
- logical drives. No additional device drivers are required.
-
- If a diskette is removed from a drive and placed in another PC where it is
- changed slightly * but no change occurs in the file allocation table * and then
- returned to the first PC, HyperDisk may not detect the media change and fail to
- update the buffers to reflect the new changes. Therefore, if you remove, alter,
- and replace a diskette, take notice if HyperDisk issues a media change tone. If
- you don't hear a tone, use the hotkey combination [CTRL][ALT]C to change the
- media indication manually and force HyperDisk to recognize the new diskette.
- For more information see Manual Diskette Change in "Hotkey Controls," in Part
- 6.
-
-
-
- Appendix C: HyperDisk Notes for Windows Users
-
-
- HyperDisk 4.32 and later revisions have been made with specific enhancements to
- provide optimum performance under Windows. Generally you will not have to
- change any of the parameters in HyperDisk for Windows to function at optimal
- speed. There are two tips that you should be aware of when using HyperDisk with
- Windows.
-
- 1. Make sure to use the Staged Write features.
- Windows is a large and complex environment, which requires that a lot of
- temporary data be stored to disk. By having Staged Write turned on, most of
- this temporary disk writing can be eliminated, since the data will be
- redundant and will write to the area of the disk that falls into the cache
- buffer.
-
- 2. Beware of Windows memory requirements.
- Windows is a memory intensive environment. You should always leave at least
- 50 percent of your total system memory available for Windows and its
- applications. For example, on an 8 MB machine, never use more than 3.5 MB (8
- MB - 640K for DOS / 2 = 3.5 MB) for the disk cache or any other programs
- such as print spoolers or RAM disks. If you notice sluggish performance
- under Windows verify that you are not using all of the extended memory for
- the disk cache.
-
-
-
- Appendix D: Manual Installation
-
-
- Warning: If you have Golden Bow's VFEATURE Deluxe, do not install HyperDisk.
- VFEATURE is a noncompatible INT13h device driver.
-
- 1. Copy all files with an .EXE extension from the diskette to your hard disk.
- Place the files in the root directory or in any subdirectory.
-
- 2. Make sure no other disk caching software is installed. HyperDisk works fine
- with hardware cache controllers, but it may conflict with other software
- caches. The following table lists the most popular software caching products
- and the associated program names that might be called from either
- AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files.
-
- Caching product Program name
-
- Super PC Kwik SUPERPCK, PCKWIK.SYS
- Flash FLASH
- Speed Cache SCPLUS, SC
- Vcache CACHE, CACHE-AT, CACHE-EM,VKETTE
- SmartDrive SMARTDRV.SYS, SMARTDRV.EXE
- PC Cache PCACHE
- FAST! FAST???.EXE
- NetWare Cache NLCACHE
- Lantastic LANCACHE
-
-
- If any of these programs are installed, you must remove them before
- attempting to install HyperDisk. Running two or more caching programs
- simultaneously may result in the loss of or damage to your data and program
- files.
-
- 3. Choose whether to install HyperDisk as a device driver or as a TSR. We
- recommend installing as a device driver unless you want to uninstall
- HyperDisk later in your session. If you will want to uninstall HyperDisk,
- use the TSR method.
-
- As a device driver, HyperDisk should be installed after any special disk
- device drivers, such as:
-
-
- Disk device driver Program name
-
- Disk Manager DMDRVR.BIN
- SpeedStor HARDRIVE.SYS, SSTOR.SYS
- DOS DRIVER.SYS
-
-
- Each SpeedKit product can be installed as a DOS device driver or as a TSR
- program. Most commonly, they are installed as device drivers, but for some
- near- compatibles it may be necessary to install them after a TSR that makes
- your system keyboard IBM compatible. If you choose the device-driver method,
- you must include the installation specification in your CONFIG.SYS file. Use
- an editor to update the CONFIG.SYS file on your boot drive root directory.
-
-
-
- The device-driver definition is normally installed immediately after an
- extended or expanded memory manager, but before any other device-driver
- definition. Install them in this order: HyperDisk, HyperKey, and finally
- HyperScreen. If you placed the SpeedKit files in a subdirectory, you should
- specify a fully qualified path in the DEVICE = statement.
-
- If you choose the TSR method, you also can run HYPER???.EXE at the command
- prompt. Alternatively, you can place the HYPER???.EXE specification in your
- AUTOEXEC.BAT file on your root directory.
-
- The following example of lines in the CONFIG.SYS file installs the Expanded
- Memory Model of HyperDisk with a 512K EMS cache, Staged Write enabled for
- the hard drives only, and Verify Read enabled for all disk writes; installs
- HyperKey with a Typematic Delay of 180 milliseconds and a repeat rate of 18
- milliseconds and disables the installation report; and installs HyperScreen
- with a blanking and restoring hotkey of x. Each product is installed as a
- device driver, and the files are placed in the TOOLS subdirectory of drive
- C:
-
- DEVICE=EMS40.SYS {for EMS driver }
- DEVICE=C:\HYPERDKE.EXE /C:512 /S /Q /V
- DEVICE=C:\HYPERKEY.EXE /R:18 /D:180 /OR
- DEVICE=C:\HYPERSCR.EXE /K:L /K:-
-
-
- 4. If you are using the TSR installation method, place all SpeedKit products at
- the beginning of the AUTOEXEC.BAT file:
-
- C:\HYPERDKE.EXE /C:512 /S /Q /V
- C:\HYPERKEY.EXE /R:18 /D:180 /OR
- C:\HYPERSCR.EXE /K:L /K:-
-
- 5. Reboot your machine to complete the installation of SpeedKit.
-
- Note: Install HIMEM.SYS (or QEMM 5.10) before HyperDisk. Install HyperDisk
- before Windows. HYPERDKX.EXE should be used with QEMM 5.11.
-
-
-
- Appendix E: Technical Notes on HyperDisk
-
-
- HYPERDKX.EXE
-
-
- Extended memory is only available in 80286 (IBM-AT), 80386, and 80486
- computers. This memory is above 1 MB and is normally not accessible from MS-DOS
- real mode applications. HyperDisk uses special BIOS functions (INT 15h,
- extended memory block move) to access this memory.
-
- If your system uses QEMM, 386Max, EMM386, HIMEM.SYS, etc., the following two
- warnings do not apply. If you are not using one of the better-known extended
- memory managers, the extended memory BIOS functions have some side effects that
- you should be aware of:
-
- * Interrupts may be lost. Interrupt processing is suspended while the extended
- memory is being accessed. High-speed communications programs are the most
- likely to encounter problems. Should you require both caching and high-speed
- interrupt processing simultaneously, switch to the Advanced 286/386 Model,
- the Expanded Model, or the Conventional Model.
-
- * Pfix and Pfix-Plus (possibly others) may hang when using INT 15h extended
- memory block move functions with the Intel Inboard 386/AT. This problem is
- related to the PC-AT ROM BIOS. Test your system carefully. Intel's Inboard
- 386 Utility Software version 1.2 corrects this problem. Disable caching with
- [CTRL][ALT]D while these products are being used.
-
-
-
- Appendix F: More About Caches
-
-
- History of Caching
-
- Although the idea of caching is ancient, the science of caching is quite
- recent, with most of the fundamental work dating from the 1960s. The Belady
- replacement algorithm, published in 1967, provides the baseline by which all
- caching techniques can be measured and compared. This algorithm, known as The
- Greatest Forward Distance, is not realizable. Due to its noncausal nature it
- requires perfect knowledge of the future! Consequently, the Belady algorithm
- can only be applied to systems that have already completed operations or are
- perfectly cyclic in behavior, which is not very useful in a PC application
- environment. Once a realizable algorithm is implemented, Belady's algorithm can
- be applied to the request list or reference string history to assess how close
- to optimum the test algorithm performs. It is this comparison upon which the
- fundamental science of caching rests.
-
- Many caching algorithms have been published and compared to the Belady
- baseline. Leading are the Least Frequently Used (LFU) algorithms, followed
- closely by the Least Recently Used (LRU) algorithms. Differences in performance
- are less than 8 percent on the average. However, LFU algorithms are more
- complex to implement, and most systems perform better using LRU algorithms,
- since executing complex algorithms requires time and space. Common algorithms
- for central processing unit (CPU) instruction caches are Direct, Two-Way
- Associative, and Four-Way Associative. Programming systems that support overlay
- loading commonly use Least Recently Loaded (LRL) algorithms.
-
- HyperDisk uses a modified LRU algorithm, which is simple and executes quickly.
- Weak points in general LRU performance appear when data is retrieved from the
- disk in such a fashion that the data is replaced after being used only once.
- This type of behavior is termed overcommitment or thrashing. To avoid
- overcommitment, HyperDisk uses a proprietary combination of linear and random
- access predictors to identify the onset of the condition.
-
- For more information on caching in computing systems, see the journals of the
- Association for Computer Machinery or the Institute of Electrical and
- Electronics Engineers. Disk Controller Caches Many manufacturers now offer disk
- controllers that feature onboard caching functions. These controllers generally
- provide excellent performance. However, because of cost and space limitations,
- most controllers provide only a small buffer to hold data, typically less than
- 512K. In addition, access to the controller buffer is slower than access to
- normal system RAM. If your system is an 80386 or 80486 32-bit system, the
- I/O-channel speed is very slow when compared to system RAM. Another limitation
- of disk controllers is that the buffer memory is dedicated to the caching
- function and cannot be used in any other way.
-
- For maximum system performance when using a caching disk controller, we
- recommend a modest buffer size on the controller (16K to 128K). Install
- HyperDisk as you would with a normal controller, using either extended or
- expanded memory. The combination of HyperDisk and a caching controller is
- unbeatable.
-
-
-
- Other Caching Systems
-
- Caching techniques were invented long before the use of personal computers.
- Mainframe computer systems have been implementing caching techniques for some
- time, and now caching is available for PCs as well. There are many types of
- caches, all unique and different.
-
- Memory caches usually allow the use of slower memory chips on new high-speed
- machines. Many 80386 and 80486 computers on the market today implement a memory
- cache design. They place a small amount of high-speed memory in the system
- (usually 64K of static RAM) and then use that memory to cache up to 16 MB of
- slower dynamic RAM chips. This system allows the machine to use the full speed
- of the processor while maintaining a very economical memory system.
-
- CPU caches are implemented to allow the stacking of instructions waiting for
- the processor, thus increasing the speed of the system.
-
- Print spoolers are another type of cache. Print spoolers use memory or disk to
- cache the information being sent to the printer, freeing the machine to
- continue with other work.
-
- None of these types of caches is the same as a disk cache. Often computer users
- assume that if they have one type of cache in a system, they don't need any
- other. In fact, system performance is best when a cache is built into every
- area of the machine.
-
-
-
- Appendix G: Uninterruptible Power Supply Support
-
- UPS Monitor
-
- HyperDisk can monitor the status of any Uninterruptable Power Supply (UPS) that
- has a serial port. This is very useful for machines that are run unattended
- such as file servers and communiation workstations. By monitoring the UPS,
- HyperDisk can help prevent data loss by shutting down whenever the computer is
- not running on normal power. This helps prevent any data that would be in a
- "staged write" buffer from being lost by turning off staged writes whenever
- normal power is not being used.
-
- The UPS Monitoring function is very flexible and can monitor any I/O port
- for active signals. Multiple signals can be monitored as well as signals with
- different polarity.
-
- The UPS Monitoring function can work in conjuntion with other monitors such
- as the monitors built into Lantastic and Novell.
-
-
- Use the UP: parameter to set up the UPS Monitoring function.
-
- UP:{IoPort}:{IoPolarity}:{IoMask}:{CacheMask}[:{PollSeconds}[:{PollCount}]]
-
- Items in {} are required, item in [] optional.
-
-
- IoPort Input port address. This is the address of the port to be monitored.
- This number must be in Hexidecimal format.
-
-
- IoPolarity Inverts sense of input port bits. Normally the monitor looks for a
- "high" signal for a true occurance of a state. By switching the
- polarity, the monitor will look for a low occurance of the state.
- 0 does not change value
- 1 inverts bits sense
-
- IoMask Determines which bits to test for non-zero conditions.
- 0 drops bit from test
- 1 retains IoPort bit value.
- Non-Zero results indicates active UPS (AC power off)
- Zero results indicates inactive UPS (AC power on)
-
- CacheMask is a bit field
- 1 disables function if this bit occurs
- 0 no change to function if this bit occurs
-
- Bit BitName A one (1) will disable the corresponding function
-
- 0 StagedFloppy Stage Write floppy drive write operations
- 1 StagedHard Stage Write hard drive write operations
- 2 VerifyFloppy Verify floppy drive write operations
- 3 VerifyHard Verify hard drive write operations
- 4 Reserved0 Reserved always 0
- 5 Reserved1 Reserved always 0
- 6 FloppyEnable Enable floppy caching
- 7 CacheEnabled Enable all caching functions
-
-
-
- PollSeconds Sets the period in seconds to sample IoPort value. Every nn
- seconds the I/O port will be checked for changes in status.
-
- PollCount Sets the number of identical IoPort samples before changeing
- the cache state. This tells the monitor how many times it should
- wait after seeing a change in the state of the UPS before it should
- change the status of the cache. This helps keep the cache from
- changing states if the UPS just goes onto battery power for a
- moment such as during a brown out.
-
-
-
- IoMask Values for COM port based UPS monitoring system
-
- To set the IOMask values you must determine which pin on the I/O port you
- are going to use to monitor the UPS. Most of the UPS' use the Carrier
- Detect Pin on a PC serial port to monitor the UPS status.
-
- To calculate the IOPort address to use you must first determine which
- port you are going to be monitoring, then, calculate the offset to the
- port register that you will be using. In most cases you will be using a
- serial port at either COM1 or COM2 and monitoring the Modem Status Register.
- To monitor the Modem Status Register on COM1 you would calculate the following
- address:
-
- COM1 is generally located at 3F8.
- COM2 is generally located at 2F8.
- Modem Status Register is 6 Bytes from the port address.
- The IOPort address would be 3F8 (COM1) + 6 (MSR) = 3FE for COM1
- The IOPort address would be 2F8 (COM2) + 6 (MSR) = 2FE for COM2
-
-
- Below is a list of the common pins used to monitor UPS functions.
-
- 9-Pin Port 25-Pin Port Signal Name IoMask IoPolarity
-
- Pin 1 Pin-8 Carrier Detect 80 00
-
- Pin 6 Pin-6 Data Set Ready 20 00
-
- Pin 8 Pin-5 Clear To Send 10 00
-
- Pin 9 Pin-22 Ring Indicator 40 00
-
-
-
- To make your own cable for the American Power Conversion (APC) UPS follow the
- pin-out details below:
-
-
- APC 9 pin interface Computer 9 pin interface
-
- Cable end: Male (Pins) Cable end: Female (Sockets)
-
-
- Pin 2 - AC Power Fault------------------Pin 1 - Modem Data Carrier Detect
-
- Pin 4 - Signal Ground-------------------Pin 5 - Signal Ground
-
-
- Example:
-
- Monitor COM2, Modem Status port: Bit 7, Carrier Detect, normal polarity
- If power fails disable Staged Writes on both hard and floppy drives
- 30 second sample period, 3 matching samples indicates active/inactive UPS
-
- HYPERDK UP:2FE:0:80:3:30:3
-
-
-
-
- Appendix H: Product Information
-
-
- Limited Warranty
-
- In the event of notification of defects in material or workmanship of the
- diskette media or manual, within the warranty period of 45 days from the date
- of the purchase of the license fee, HyperWare will, at its option, replace the
- diskette or manual, or refund the license fee. If you need to report a defect,
- call the HyperWare Customer Service Department. The remedy for breach of this
- warranty shall be limited to replacement or refund and shall not encompass any
- other damages, including but not limited to loss of profit, and special,
- incidental, consequential, or other similar claims.
-
- HyperWare specifically disclaims all other warranties, expressed or implied,
- including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability and fitness
- for a particular purpose with respect to defects in the diskette and
- documentation, and the program license granted herein in particular, and
- without limiting operation of the program license with respect to any
- particular application, use, or purpose. In no event shall HyperWare be liable
- for any loss of profit or any other commercial damage, including but not
- limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages. This statement
- shall be construed, interpreted, and governed by the laws of the State of
- California.
-
-
- Product Return Policy
-
- You may return any HyperWare product as long as the seal of the distribution
- envelope has not been broken and the product is in a resaleable condition.
- Resaleable means the condition you would want to receive the product in if you
- just bought it new. Call our Customer Service Department for a Return
- Merchandise Authorization number before shipping the merchandise to us. No
- refunds will be given for merchandise returned with the envelope seal broken or
- if the diskette inside has been copied.
-
-
- Upgrade Policy
-
- You can get a free upgrade all HyperWare products from HyperWare's BBS for one
- year from the date of purchase of the license. Thereafter, an annual
- subscription fee entitles you to an unlimited number of upgrades from the BBS
- during the following 12 months. You can obtain a new manual and program
- diskette at any time for a minimal cost. Prices and terms are subject to change
- without notice. Please call for current information before ordering or
- subscribing.
-
- Ordering Information
-
- Call your local computer store or order directly from:
- HyperWare, 185 Berry Street, Suite 3502, San Francisco, CA 94107, USA
-
- PHONE: (415) 882-1740
- FAX: (415) 882-1733
- BBS: (415) 882-1735
-
- MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and COD cashier's check orders accepted.
-
-
-
- Technical Support
-
- Each SpeedKit product is meant to be installed as a set-it-and-forget-it
- utility. The benefit of the programs will be readily apparent in the day-to-day
- improvement of your system performance. We have taken every step to ensure the
- compatibility and reliability of our product. However, it is impossible to test
- every combination of hardware and software. For this reason, our technical
- support department is ready to assist you, at no charge, with any questions,
- comments, or installation problems.
-
- You can call for technical support for this product Monday through Friday, 9:00
- a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Pacific Time. Please be prepared to leave a name and number
- where you can be reached. Before calling, please read the sections of this
- manual pertaining to your question. We'll also need to know the version and
- serial numbers of the product about which you are calling.
-
-
-
- SpeedKit Options Quick Reference
-
- HyperDisk
-
-
- E ENABLE/UPDATE HYPERDISK V VERIFY READ
- D DISABLE HYPERDISK N NO VERIFY
- H HARD DRIVES ONLY VF VERIFY FLOPPY WRITE OPERATION
- F FLOPPY DRIVE CACHING VH VERIFY HARD WRITE OPERATION
- S STAGED WRITE HARD EH:n ENABLE SPECIFIC HARD DRIVES
- A STAGED WRITE FLOPPY EF:n ENABLE SPECIFIC FLOPPY DRIVES
- W WRITE THROUGH HARD DH:n DISABLE SPECIFIC HARD DRIVES
- Q WRITE THROUGH FLOPPY DF:n DISABLE SPECIFIC FLOPPY DRIVES
- XF:file EXECUTE COMMAND FILE H:dd:ss:hh:ff HARD DRIVE PARAMETERS
- OR OVERRIDE REPORT T:nn TIMER DELAY
- OX DISABLE REPORT M:nn MEDIA CHECK RATE
- OK OVERRIDE DISPLAY METHOD Z:nn SECTORS PER BUFFER
- OK:nn OVERRIDE COLORS/ATTRIBUTES XP:nn BACKGROUND UPDATE PERCENT
- OKC:nn OVERRIDE COLORS ONLY XW CHECK REDUNDANT WRITE
- OKM:nn OVERRIDE ATTRIBUTES ONLY XWH CHECK REDUNDANT HARD WRITE
- I:nn FLUSH INDICATOR XWF CHECK REDUNDANT FLOPPY WRITE
- P:nn FLUSH INDICATOR PERIOD NR NO READ AHEAD
- R RESET HYPERDISK HIT OB:nn BYPASS SECTOR SIZE
- OT OVERRIDE TONE XB:nn BACKGROUND UPDATE TIME
- KT DISABLE FLOPPY CHANGE TONE XI ENABLE ADVANCED UPDATE
- C:nn:[nn] CACHE SIZE XIH ENABLE ADVANCED HDISK UPDATE
- CW:nn WINDOWS CACHE SIZE XIF ENABLE ADVANCED FLOPPY UPDATE
- CB:nn ALTERNATE WIN 3.0 SIZING VI QEMM STEALTH SUPPORT
- CP:nn PERCENT FREE MEMORY G:n ADVANCED A20 GATE TYPE
- XS SHADOW RAM LOADER OG OVERRIDE A20 GATE EXIT
- XSL SPLIT SHADOW RAM LOADING XM XMS MEMORY ALLOCATION MODE
- XC:nn RESIZE CACHE BUFFER XML XMS MEMORY BLOCK LOCKING
- XD:nn DELETE CACHE BUFFERS XT, XTR, XTP XMS MEMORY TRANSFER MODE
- XA:nn ADD CACHE BUFFERS U EXPANDED MEMORY BUFFERING
- XU UNINSTALL CACHE UI EMS FAR CALL FOR DESQVIEW
- KW KEY WAIT TIME OD DMA BOUNDARY TEST OVERRIDE
- K HOTKEY ENABLE OC MEDIA CHANGE SIGNAL
- K:aclr HOTKEY SHIFT STATES OH:nn HOTKEY VECTOR METHOD
- KA FLUSH CACHE AT WINDOWS EXIT KD UPDATE MODIFIED BUFFER DSK RST
- YD DISPLAY SYSTEM ACCESS COUNTS Y DIAGNOSTIC DUMP
-
-
-
- HyperKey
-
-
- D:nn TYPEMATIC DELAY A ACTIVE
- R:nn TYPEMATIC PERIOD C CLICK ON MAKE
- P:nn TYPEMATIC PITCH C:nn CLICK PITCH
- S:nn TYPEMATIC SPAN CR CLICK ON REPEATS
- H:nn SPAN HOLDOFF L:nn CLICK PERIOD
- B EXTENDED BUFFERING T TOUCH SHIFTING
- B:nn EXTENDED BUFFER SIZE U UNINSTALL
- I KEYBOARD LOCK INDICATORS
-
-
-
- HyperScreen
-
-
- A GLOBAL HYPERSCREEN ENABLE K ANY KEY DEBLANKING
- F ENABLE FAST BIOS K:nn HOTKEY TAP COUNT
- B ENABLE BLANKER K:s HOTKEY SELECTION
- B:nn SET BLANKING TIME U UNINSTALL
-
-
-
- Hotkeys
-
-
- ABORT INSTALLATION [CTRL][LEFTSHIFT][ALT]
- STAGED WRITE FLOPPY DISKETTE [CTRL][ALT]A
- WARM-BOOT [CTRL][ALT][DEL]
- WRITE THROUGH HARD DISK [CTRL][ALT]W
- DISABLE HYPERDISK [CTRL][ALT]D
- WRITE THROUGH FLOPPY DISKETTE [CTRL][ALT]Q
- ENABLE/UPDATE HYPERDISK [CTRL][ALT]E
- FORCE UPDATE BEFORE PROGRAM LOADS [CTRL][ALT]F
- MANUAL DISKETTE CHANGE [CTRL][ALT]C
- RESUME STANDARD UPDATE [CTRL][ALT]R
- STAGED WRITE HARD DISK [CTRL][ALT]S
-