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[Reggie Freedman Bellsouth]

Windows...

I have had the problem of 'delay writes' often during the written/saved 
output to a text file to disk from filePro. Quickly opening the newly 
created file, I have found its full contents is not always all there. I have 
fixed this sometimes by, on Windows machines, drive write caching is enabled 
by default, turning it off. Boxes and drives are pretty fast these days. I 
have not observed a performance hit doing this. Also a battery backup should 
be used. Sometimes by adding one, I've solved random problems.

I find this delay isn't always happening and I think it has to do with 
Windows seemingly doing a 'brain pause' for a period of time during a disk 
read query or a write, displaying contents of a folder, opening a document, 
during a document save, etc. You can increase the 'name buffer size' to 16K, 
but I have not found this change fixed anything I could observe. I've seen 
delays on user systems versions of windows: XP, Vista and 7. Weird, I think. 
I have never observed a delay on or at a windows server box: 2000, 2003 or 
2008. I've considered using server software on my workstation computer. 
Seems to be much more 'trouble free' in use.

Another thing, keep the 'temp' folder to a low item count. A full (over, 
say, 2,000 items) temp folder I have seen a full temp folder really slow 
things down. A full 'temp' folder will cause delayed or none-write problems 
too. I do an auto script and delete all temp folder items over a few, say 
10, days old. Don't delete all as some recent / current date items may be a 
pending installation or other operation. I've had thousands of .tmp files 
build up in the often used system32 folder, which already has a high item 
count of windows stuff, slowing things down. A badly fragmented disk will 
cause an incomplete write problem or a delay.

If you're chasing a virus problem, empty the temp folder. Some antivirus 
software delete temp stuff too. I do an exception of the C:\fp folder and 
the C:\filePro folder within an antivirus software. Why, I've had antivirus 
software wipe out the rclerk.exe file, killing filePro reporting.

I change the environment (2 places each) temp= and tmp= to (have to create) 
C:\Temp, thus putting all temp files into this single easy to find, and to 
empty, folder. I add a C:\batch folder (needed for Vista, 7 and later) to 
hold all .bat, script and special needs files or programs. I add C:\batch; 
to the beginning of the environment path variable.

To turn write caching off, in explorer, right click your local disk, click 
the hardware tab, click and select the disk you are using, click the
properties button near the bottom, remove the check on the policies tab 
"Enable write caching on the device".

Some ideas to consider.

If MS just 'fixed what we have' and called it a new OS, I'd buy.

Reggie Freedman
Fort Lauderdale Florida
954 562-6727
www.DamnComputer.com