*************************************************** Important Notice: We disable 32 bit disk access *************************************************** WINDOWS 3.11 for workgroup may experience problem when enabled with both 32-bit Disk and File Access. The current advw32.386 disables 32 bit disk access. If you have WINDOWS for WorkGroup, enable only 32-bit File Accesss. The 32-bit File Access alone offers a bigger performance improvement than 32-bit Disk Access alone. *************************************************** Introduction to 32-bit Disk/File Access *************************************************** "ADVW32.386" is a WINDOWS Virtual Device Driver for 32-bit Disk/File Access. It Supports: - 32-bit Disk Access ( in windows 3.1 ) - 32-bit File Access ( in windows for workgroup ) It is faster than BIOS for following reasons: - less switching between real and protected mode. - supports overlapped i/o Basically you need two drivers to use 32-bit Disk/File Access. - advw32.386, loaded in system.ini file - advaspi.sys loaded in config.sys file If a disk drive is not controlled by BIOS INT 13 ,WINDOWS will not use 32-bit Disk or File Access on the drive. If the drive associates than one drive letter, all the drive letters under that disk drive will not use 32-bit Disk/File Access. ************************************************ Note for WIN ASPI ************************************************ If you are using WIN ASPI ( WINASPI.DLL ) you must also have advw32.386 loaded in system.ini file and advaspi.sys loaded in config.sys file You may enable or disable 32-bit Disk/File Access, it will not affect WIN ASPI operation. ************************************************ Note for Power Saver Feature ************************************************ Power Saver automatically turns off your disk drive power to conserve energy. To enable it you have to create following section in your windows system.ini [AdvSCSI] PowerSaverOn=1 PowerSaveTimeOutMinutes=10 Description of setting: PowerSaverOn: set it to one (1) to enable PowerSaver set it to zero (0) to disable PowerSaver default is disabled if either "[ AdvScsi ]" section or "PowerSaverOn" line not found PowerSaveTimeOutMinutes: Number of time in minutes to turn off power if device remain inactive Minimum value is 1, maximum value is 127 default is 10 minutes if PowerSaverOn is 1 and timeout value not specified ************************************************ How to enable 32-Bit Disk/File Access Support ************************************************ 1. Open control panel ( usually in "main" window ) 2. Double click "386 Enhanced" icon 3. Click "Virtual Memory..." dialog box, you will see - if 32-Bit Disk Access is enabled - if 32-Bit File Access is enabled for each driver letter 4. if 32 Bit Disk/File Access is not enabled click "Change>>" dialog box - enable "Use 32-Bit Disk Access" - enable "Use 32-Bit File Access" "Cache Size" is normally set to 4MB ( 4096 KB ) by Windows when 32-bit File Access is enabled * If you do not have Windows For Workgroups, you will not see information about "32 Bit File Access" * you must also have "ifshlp.sys" loaded in your DOS "config.sys" file to make 32-Bit File Access available. "ifshlp.sys" is included in Windows for Workgroups directory *************************************************************** How to disable 32-Bit Disk/File Access Support *************************************************************** 1. Open Control Panel 2. Double click "386 Enhanced" icon 3. Click "Virtual Memory" dialog box, 4. Click "Change>>" dialog box, 5. Disable 32-Bit Disk/File Access box ****************************************************************** What is added and changed in Windows "system.ini" file With 32-bit Disk/File Access ****************************************************************** for 32-bit Disk Access: in section [386enh] 32BitDiskAccess=on for 32-bit File Access: in section [386enh] device=vfat.386 usually it also make section [vcache] "minifilecache" bigger in section [vcache] minfilecache=4096 If you have IDE disk drive in section [386enh] device=*wdctrl For AdvanSys SCSI Host Adapter: in section [386enh] device=c:\windows\system\advw32.386 You must make sure int 13 vxd is loaded in section [386enh] device=*int13 *************************************************************** Q&A *************************************************************** Q: What is the benefit of using 32-Bit File Access A: If you are running Windows for Workgroups, you should take advantage 32-Bit File Access. We have seen a big performance gain in using 32-Bit File Access. To enable 32-Bit Disk/File Access, you must have 32-Bit fast disk Vxd driver "advw32.386" and a matching DOS ASPI. Our new installation program will automatically install the correct driver for you. Q: What precaution should I take when enable 32-Bit Disk/File Access ? A: MicroSoft advised: "always backup all your files before enabling 32 bit Disk/File Access" Q: I cannot get Windows to use 32-Bit Disk/File Access on my Advansys SCSI host adapter, what's wrong ? A: 32-Bit Disk/File Access only supports drives under BIOS control ( that is INT 13h drives ). This does NOT include drives under the control of advdisk.sys. AdvanSys SCSI host adapters allow you to have up to 8 SCSI drives under BIOS control. You must also use a permanent swap file when you want to use 32-Bit File Access. the reason is temporary swap is opened before 32-Bit driver is initialized and 32-Bit File Access cannot enable when there is open file. If you are using permanent swap file but 32 Bit File Access still would not enable, it maybe the result of some real mode TSR or a 3rd-party VxD or Even an virus program ! Q: When I start Windows, it prints a warning message saying "The Microsoft Windows 32-bit disk driver (WDCTRL) cannot be loaded on this computer because of..." What's wrong ? A: If you do not have an IDE disk drive, then you can delete the line "device=*wdctrl" under [386enh] section of your "system.ini" file. If you do have an IDE disk drive, it may be there are open file(s) when the driver initializing. There normally should not be any open files at the time when 32-bit File Access is initializing. If there are open files, they are probably the result of some real mode TSR or a 3rd-party VxD or Even an virus program ! Example: NuMega's WIN ICE Debugger ( a Vxd driver ) has open file before windows starts. How to reach AdvanSys --------------------- By mail: AdvanSys 1150 Ringwood Court San Jose, CA 95131 Phone: 408-383-9400 FAX: 408-383-9612 Tech Support: 800-525-7440 BBS: 408-383-9540 (9600 baud, 8 bits, 1 stop, no parity) Interactive FAX: 408-383-9753