MS-DOS User's Guide Addendum
This file, the Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide Addendum, briefly describes
features new to MS-DOS 6.22 and explains how to use Microsoft DriveSpace
integrated compression.
If this version of MS-DOS is not yet set up on your computer, see the
chapter "Getting Started" in the Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide for
information about how to use the Setup program.
Table of Contents
-A- New Features of MS-DOS 6.22.
-B- Freeing Disk Space by Using DriveSpace.
-C- Getting Help.
-D- Setting Up DriveSpace.
-E- Using Express Setup.
-F- Using Custom Setup.
-G- If you chose to compress an existing drive.
-H- If you chose to create a new compressed drive.
-I- Understanding Disk Compression.
-J- Compressed Volume Files and Host Drives.
-K- How DriveSpace Calculates Free Space on a Compressed Drive.
-L- Using DriveSpace to Manage Compressed Drives.
-M- Compressing Additional Drives.
-N- Compressing an Existing Drive.
-O- Creating a New Compressed Drive.
-P- Using DriveSpace with Floppy Disks.
-Q- Compressing a Floppy Disk.
-R- Using a Compressed Floppy Disk.
-S- Using Compressed Floppy Disks Without Automounting.
-T- Getting Information About Compressed Drives.
-U- Understanding DriveSpace and Memory.
-V- Getting More Information About DriveSpace.
-W- Troubleshooting DriveSpace.
-A- New Features of MS-DOS 6.22
MS-DOS 6.22 includes Microsoft DriveSpace, integrated disk compression that
increases your available disk space by compressing files.
DriveSpace appears similar to DoubleSpace, which was included with
some earlier versions of MS-DOS; however, DriveSpace stores compressed
information in a different format. For more information about DriveSpace,
see the following section.
(If you are currently using DoubleSpace, see <DBLSPACE> for
information about using DoubleSpace with MS-DOS 6.22.)
MS-DOS 6.22 DriveSpace also includes several new safety and convenience
features that were not in MS-DOS 6 DoubleSpace. For more information,
see WHATSNEW.
For information about other new features of MS-DOS, see the "Welcome"
chapter of the the Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide or see WHATSNEW.
-B- Freeing Disk Space by Using DriveSpace
DriveSpace frees space on hard and floppy disks by compressing the data that
is on them. DriveSpace is easy to set up and use.
For instructions on setting up DriveSpace, see "Setting Up DriveSpace"
later in this file. After you set up DriveSpace, your disk will have
50 to 100 percent more free space.
After you set up DriveSpace, you can maintain your compressed drives
by using the full-screen DriveSpace maintenance program or by typing
commands at the MS-DOS command prompt. For information about using
the DriveSpace program to manage compressed drives, see
"Using DriveSpace to Manage Compressed Drives" later in this file.
For more information about managing compressed drives from
the MS-DOS command prompt, see <DRVSPACE>. For information
about checking a compressed drive for disk errors, see <SCANDISK>.
You can also use DriveSpace to compress floppy disks, removable-media
drives, or additional hard disk drives. For more information, see
"Compressing Additional Drives" later in this file.
The rest of this file explains how to set up and use DriveSpace.
-C- Getting Help
DriveSpace includes extensive online help for commands, dialog boxes, and
procedures.
To get help while running DriveSpace:
* Press F1 when a DriveSpace screen, dialog box, or error message appears.
To get help about the <DRVSPACE> command:
* Type HELP DRVSPACE at the command prompt.
-D- Setting Up DriveSpace
When you run DriveSpace for the first time, the DriveSpace Setup program
starts. DriveSpace Setup compresses the data on the drive you select. After
DriveSpace Setup is complete, your disk will have 50 to 100 percent more
free space than it did before.
Note: After you run DriveSpace Setup, you cannot use the Uninstall program
to restore your previous version of DOS. Do not set up DriveSpace
if you want to be able to use the Uninstall program.
During DriveSpace Setup, you can select either Express Setup or Custom
Setup. To compress the existing files on drive C and have DriveSpace
determine the compression settings for you, choose Express Setup.
To compress a hard disk drive other than drive C, or to use the empty space
on an existing drive to create a new compressed drive, choose Custom Setup.
When you use Custom Setup, you can determine compression settings yourself.
For more information about running Custom Setup, see "Using Custom Setup"
later in this file. The following sections explain each setup method.
-E- Using Express Setup
Express Setup is the easiest way to install DriveSpace. It compresses the
existing files on drive C. (To compress the files on a drive other than C,
use Custom Setup. For more information, see the following section.)
Note: Before you run Express Setup, you should back up the files
on drive C. For information about using Microsoft Backup, see the
chapter "Managing Your System" in the Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide.
To install DriveSpace by using Express Setup:
1. Quit all running programs (including Windows). If you use a network,
start the network software and connect to any drives you usually use.
2. Type DRVSPACE at the command prompt. The Welcome screen appears.
3. To continue DriveSpace, press ENTER.
DriveSpace displays a screen that prompts you to choose between Express
and Custom Setup.
4. Choose Express Setup by pressing ENTER.
DriveSpace displays a confirmation screen that estimates the amount of
time it will take to compress drive C.
5. To compress drive C, press C.
DriveSpace checks drive C for disk errors, and then defragments and
compresses drive C. This process can take from several minutes to several
hours, depending on the speed of your hard disk and processor and the
amount of data your hard disk contains. Because DriveSpace checks and
rechecks the validity of the data as it compresses your files, the process
is very safe. In fact, if the compression process is accidentally
interrupted (for example, by a power outage), DriveSpace will recover and
continue without losing any data. During the compression process, DriveSpace
Setup restarts your computer twice.
When DriveSpace Setup is complete, it displays a screen that shows
how long the compression process took and how much free space your
new drive contains.
To quit DriveSpace after it has compressed drive C, press ENTER.
After you set up DriveSpace, your computer's drives will be configured
differently:
* Drive C will be compressed and will contain more free space than it
did before. You will use drive C just as you did before you set up
DriveSpace.
* Your computer will have a new drive that is not compressed. This drive
is used to store files that must remain uncompressed. For example, the
Windows permanent swap file does not work properly when it is
compressed; if your Windows permanent swap file was previously located
on drive C, DriveSpace moves it to the new uncompressed drive.
DriveSpace also uses the new uncompressed drive to store important system
files such as IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, DRVSPACE.BIN, DRVSPACE.INI,
and DRVSPACE.000.
If you try to list the files on this drive, it will probably appear empty.
This is because most of the files it contains have the Hidden attribute;
many also have the Read-Only attribute. To view the files, type DIR /A at
the command prompt.
CAUTION: Do not tamper with the hidden files on the new drive.
If you change or delete
these files, you might lose all the files on drive C.
For information about adjusting the configuration of your compressed drive,
see "Using DriveSpace to Manage Compressed Drives" later in this file. For
information about compressing additional drives, see "Compressing Additional
Drives" later in this file. For information about compressing floppy disks,
see "Using DriveSpace with Floppy Disks" later in this file.
-F- Using Custom Setup
Custom Setup gives you more control over the compression process than
Express Setup does. You should use Custom Setup:
* To compress the data on a hard disk other than drive C.
* If you don't want to compress existing data.
Compressing existing data can take a long time. If you don't
want to compress your existing data, you can have DriveSpace
use some of the free space on an existing drive to create a new
compressed drive. This method does not compress existing data
and is much faster.
* To determine compression settings yourself.
Depending on whether you are compressing an existing drive
or creating a new one, you can specify the drive letter for the
new drive, the estimated compression ratio, and the amount
of space to leave uncompressed.
Note: Before you use Custom Setup to compress an existing drive, you
should back up the files on that drive. For information about
using Microsoft Backup, see the chapter "Managing Your System"
in the Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide.
To install DriveSpace by using Custom Setup
1. Quit all running programs (including Windows). If you use a network,
start the network software and connect to any drives you usually use.
2. Type DRVSPACE at the command prompt. The Welcome screen appears.
3. To continue DriveSpace, press ENTER.
DriveSpace displays a screen that prompts you to choose between Express and
Custom Setup.
4. Select Custom Setup by pressing the DOWN ARROW key, and then press ENTER.
DriveSpace displays a screen in which you can choose between compressing
an existing drive and creating a new compressed drive. For information
about choosing a compression method, press F1.
5. Select the compression method you want by pressing the UP ARROW or DOWN
ARROW key, and then press ENTER.
If your computer has more than one hard disk drive, DriveSpace displays a
list of drives. If you chose to compress an existing drive, select the
drive you want to compress, and then press ENTER. If you are creating a
new compressed drive, select the drive that contains the free space
DriveSpace should use to create the new drive, and then press ENTER.
DriveSpace displays a screen that shows the default compression settings.
6. If necessary, change the compression settings to suit your needs. To
change a setting, press the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW key until the setting
is highlighted, and then press ENTER to display alternatives. For
information about compression settings, press F1.
7. When all the settings are correct, press ENTER to continue DriveSpace.
DriveSpace displays a confirmation screen that estimates the amount of
time it will take to compress the drive or free space you selected.
8. To begin the compression process, press C.
DriveSpace checks the specified drive for disk errors, and then carries out
the compression process with the settings you specified. This process can
take from several minutes to several hours, depending on the speed of your
hard disk and processor, the amount of data your hard disk contains, and
whether you chose to compress existing data or create a new compressed
drive. Because DriveSpace checks and rechecks the validity of the data as
it compresses existing files, the process is very safe. In fact, if the
compression process is accidentally interrupted (for example, by a power
outage), DriveSpace will recover and continue without losing any data.
During the compression process, DriveSpace Setup restarts your computer
twice.
When DriveSpace Setup is complete, it displays a screen that shows how long
the compression process took and how much space your new drive contains.
To quit DriveSpace after it has compressed the drive or free space you
selected, press ENTER.
After you set up DriveSpace, your computer's drives will be configured
differently. The results differ depending on whether you chose to compress
an existing drive or create a new compressed drive.
-G- If you chose to compress an existing drive
If you chose "Compress an existing drive" during Custom Setup:
* The drive you selected will be compressed and will contain more free
space than it did before. You will use the compressed drive just as you
did before you set up DriveSpace.
* Your computer will have a new drive that is not compressed. This drive
is used to store files that must remain uncompressed. For example,
the Windows permanent swap file does not work properly when it is
compressed; if your Windows permanent swap file was previously located
on the drive you compressed, DriveSpace moves it to the new uncompressed
drive.
DriveSpace also uses the new uncompressed drive to store important system
files such as DRVSPACE.000. If you compressed drive C, the new uncompressed
drive will also contain the IO.SYS, MSDOS.SYS, DRVSPACE.BIN and DRVSPACE.INI
files. If you try to list the files on this drive, it will probably appear
empty. This is because most of the files it contains have the Hidden
attribute; many also have the Read-Only attribute. To view the files, type
DIR /A at the command prompt.
CAUTION: Do not tamper with the hidden files on the new drive.
If you change or delete these files, you might lose
the files on your compressed drive.
-H- If you chose to create a new compressed drive
If you chose "Create a new compressed drive" during Custom Setup:
* Your computer will have a new compressed drive that is currently empty.
Although the new drive does use some disk space, it makes up for it by
providing more free space than it uses.
* The drive that contained the free space you used to create the new
compressed drive will contain less free space than it did before. This
space is now being used by your new compressed drive, which is stored
in a hidden file with a filename such as DRVSPACE.001.
For information about adjusting the configuration of your compressed drive,
see "Using DriveSpace to Manage Compressed Drives" later in this file. For
information about compressing additional drives, see "Compressing Additional
Drives" later in this file. For information about compressing floppy disks,
see "Using DriveSpace with Floppy Disks" later in this file.
-I- Understanding Disk Compression
You don't need to know anything about disk compression to run DriveSpace
Setup: just type DRVSPACE at the command prompt, follow the instructions on
your screen, and DriveSpace takes care of the rest.
However, if you want to adjust or modify your DriveSpace configuration,
you need to understand some disk-compression concepts and terms. This
section explains the terms you will encounter when you use DriveSpace to
manage or modify your compressed drives.
-J- Compressed Volume Files and Host Drives
A compressed drive is not a real disk drive, although it appears that way to
most programs. Instead, a compressed drive exists on your hard disk as a
compressed volume file (CVF).
A CVF is a file with Read-Only, Hidden, and System attributes that contains
a compressed drive. Each CVF is located on an uncompressed drive, which is
referred to as the CVF's host drive. A CVF is stored in the root directory
of its host drive and has a filename such as DRVSPACE.000.
Most CVFs can store more data than the space they use on their host drives;
for example, a typical CVF might use 10 MB of space on its host drive but
contain 20 MB of compressed data. DriveSpace assigns a drive letter to the
CVF so that you can use it as a disk drive and can access the files it
contains.
CAUTION: Do not tamper with a CVF. If you do, you might lose all the files
on your compressed drive.
-K- How DriveSpace Calculates Free Space on a Compressed Drive
On an uncompressed drive, free space indicates how much additional data you
can store on that drive. For example, if a drive has 2 megabytes (MB) of
free space, you can expect to fit 2 MB of data on it. However, the free
space on a compressed drive is only an estimate of how much data you can fit
on that drive.
When you store a file on a compressed drive, DriveSpace compresses the
file so that it takes up as little space as possible. Some files can
be compressed more tightly than others; for example, a bitmap file can
be compressed much more than a program file. DriveSpace cannot detect
the compressibility of files you haven't stored yet, so it can only
estimate a compressed drive's free space.
DriveSpace estimates a drive's free space by using the estimated compression
ratio, which you can set to specify the compressibility of the files you
plan to store. For example, if the estimated compression ratio is set to
3 to 1, DriveSpace calculates the drive's free space based on the assumption
that the files you will store will be compressible at a 3-to-1 ratio --
that is, that each file can be compressed to one-third its original size.
Usually, the best compression estimate to use is the actual compression
ratio for the files already stored on the drive. From time to time, you
might want to reset the estimated compression ratio of each drive
to match that drive's actual compression ratio. To do this for all your
compressed drives, type DRVSPACE /RATIO /ALL at the command prompt.
You might want to change the estimated compression ratio if it differs
greatly from the actual compressibility of the files you plan to store.
For example, if you plan to store extremely compressible files, such as
bitmap files, you might want to specify a higher estimated compression
ratio. Or, if you plan to store files that will not compress much further,
you might specify a lower ratio.
Note: Changing a drive's estimated compression ratio does not affect how
much DriveSpace actually compresses the files on that drive; it
changes only the way DriveSpace estimates the free space on the
compressed drive.
-L- Using DriveSpace to Manage Compressed Drives
Generally, you work with a compressed drive just as you would with an
uncompressed drive. For example, saving, copying, and deleting files works
the same way on both a compressed and an uncompressed drive. However, there
are some tasks that you carry out only on compressed drives; for example,
you can change the size of a compressed drive, but not that of an
uncompressed drive. To maintain or modify compressed drives or to create
additional compressed drives, use the DriveSpace maintenance program, which
provides a full-screen interface with easy-to-use menu commands.
You can also manage compressed drives from the MS-DOS command prompt
by using switches with the DRVSPACE command. For more information,
see <DRVSPACE>.
To start the DriveSpace program:
* Type DRVSPACE at the command prompt.
The main DriveSpace screen appears. This screen lists your existing
compressed drives. You can work with these drives, compress additional
drives, or create new compressed drives. From this screen, you can carry
out the following tasks:
* Work with a compressed drive. To do this, select the drive by clicking
it with your mouse or by pressing the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW key until
the drive you want is selected. Then, choose the command you want from
the Drive or Tools menu. (For a description of the commands on these
menus, see the tables later in this section.)
* Compress an existing drive. To do this, choose the Existing Drive
command from the Compress menu. Use this command to compress files on
a hard disk drive or floppy disk. For more information, see "Compressing
Additional Drives" later in this file.
* Add a new compressed drive. You can create a new compressed drive by
using free space on an existing drive; to do this, choose the Create New
Drive command from the Compress menu. For more information, see
"Compressing Additional Drives" later in this file. (You can also add a
compressed drive by mounting an unmounted compressed volume file. For
more information, see "Creating a New Compressed Drive" later in this
file.)
The Drive menu includes commands you can use to work with the selected
drive. The following list describes the commands on the Drive menu.
Info
Displays information about the selected drive. When you choose this
command, the Compressed Drive Information dialog box appears
and displays information about the drive's free and used space,
the name of its CVF, its actual and estimated compression ratios,
and other information. You can also display the Compressed Drive
Information dialog box by double-clicking the name of the drive or
by pressing ENTER when the drive is selected. For more information,
press F1 when the Compressed Drive Information dialog box is on
your screen.
Change Size
Enlarges or reduces the size of the selected drive. Unlike an
uncompressed drive, you can change the size of a compressed drive.
You might want to enlarge a compressed drive if its host drive
contains a lot of free space. You might want to reduce the size of a
compressed drive if you need more free space on the host drive. For
more information, choose the Change Size command, and then press F1.
Change Ratio
Changes the estimated compression ratio of the selected drive.
DriveSpace uses this ratio to estimate how much free space
the compressed drive contains. You might want to change the
estimated compression ratio if you plan to store new files with a
compression ratio that differs greatly from the current ratio. For
more information, choose the Change Ratio command and then
press F1.
Mount
Establishes a connection between a compressed volume file and a
drive letter, so you can use the files the CVF contains. DriveSpace
usually mounts CVFs automatically. You need to mount a CVF only
if you previously unmounted it, or if the CVF is located on a floppy
disk and you turned off the Enable Automounting option. For more
information, choose the Mount command, and then press F1. For
more information about using DriveSpace with floppy disks, see
"Using DriveSpace with Floppy Disks" later in this file.
Unmount
Breaks the connection between the selected drive's CVF and its
drive letter. Unmounting a drive makes it temporarily inaccessible.
For more information, choose Index from the Help menu, and then
select the topic "Unmounting a Compressed Drive."
Format
Formats the selected compressed drive. Like formatting an
uncompressed drive, formatting a compressed drive deletes all
the files it contains. For more information, choose the Index
command from the Help menu, and then select the topic
"Formatting." For more information about using compressed
floppy disks, see "Using DriveSpace with Floppy Disks" later in
this file.
Delete
Deletes the selected compressed drive and the associated CVF.
Deleting a compressed drive erases it and all the files it contains.
For more information, choose the Index command from the Help
menu, and then select the topic "Deleting a Compressed Drive."
Exit
Quits the DriveSpace program. (MS-DOS continues to provide
access to your compressed drives after you quit DriveSpace.)
The Compress menu contains commands you can use to create additional
compressed drives or to compress floppy disks. For information about
compressing additional drives, see the following section, "Compressing
Additional Drives." For information about compressing and working with
floppy disks, see "Using DriveSpace with Floppy Disks" later in this file.
The Tools menu includes commands you can use to maintain compressed
drives. The following list describes the commands on the Tools menu.
Defragment
Defragments the selected compressed drive. Defragmenting a
compressed drive consolidates the free space on it. If you are
planning to reduce the size of a compressed drive, you should first
use the Defragment command to consolidate the drive's free
space. You might also need to use the Defragment command if
your compressed drive is running out of disk space. For more
information, choose the Defragment command, and then press F1.
Uncompress
Uncompresses a drive that was compressed by using DriveSpace.
When you uncompress the last mounted drive, DriveSpace also
removes DRVSPACE.BIN from memory. (DRVSPACE.BIN is
the portion of MS-DOS that provides access to compressed
drives. It uses about 50K of memory.)
Options
Displays the DriveSpace Options dialog box, in which you
can enable or disable the DoubleGuard and Automount features.
The Options dialog also enables you to change other settings. For
more information, choose the Options command, and then press
F1 when the DriveSpace Options dialog box is on your screen.
-M- Compressing Additional Drives
DriveSpace provides two ways to add compressed drives. You can:
* Compress an existing hard disk drive or floppy disk.
* Create a new, empty compressed drive by using free space on an
existing drive.
The rest of this section explains each method.
-N- Compressing an Existing Drive
You can use DriveSpace to compress the files on existing hard disk drives,
floppy disks, or other removable media. Compressing an existing drive makes
more space available on that drive.
Note: Before you compress an existing drive, you should back up the files
on that drive. For information about using Microsoft Backup, see the
chapter "Managing Your System" in the Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide.
To compress an existing drive:
1. In the main DriveSpace screen, choose the Existing Drive command from
the Compress menu. (If you are compressing a floppy disk or other
removable media, make sure it is formatted and is in the drive before
you choose the Existing Drive command.)
DriveSpace scans your computer and then displays a list of drives that
can be compressed. (The list does not include drives that are too full
to be compressed, compressed drives, network drives, CD-ROM drives,
Interlnk drives, or paths that have been associated with a drive letter
by using the SUBST command. For more information, press F1 when this
list is displayed.)
2. Select the drive you want to compress by pressing the UP ARROW or DOWN
ARROW key, and then press ENTER.
A screen appears, giving you the opportunity to change the settings
DriveSpace will use to compress the drive.
3. Change the settings as needed. For more information about changing
settings, press F1.
4. When you have finished changing settings, press ENTER.
DriveSpace displays a confirmation screen stating that it is ready to
compress the drive.
5. To compress the drive, press C.
DriveSpace checks the specified drive for disk errors, defragments and
compresses it, and then restarts your computer so your new drive
configuration can take effect.
-O- Creating a New Compressed Drive
If your hard disk drive contains a lot of uncompressed space, you might want
to convert that unused space into a new compressed drive. The new drive will
provide more storage capacity than the amount of space it uses.
To convert free space into a new compressed drive:
1. From the main DriveSpace screen, choose the Create New Drive command
from the Compress menu.
DriveSpace scans your computer and then displays a list of uncompressed
drives that contain free space. (The list does not include uncompressed
drives that are too full to be compressed, network drives, CD-ROM drives,
Interlnk drives, or paths that have been associated with a drive letter
by using the <SUBST> command.) The list shows the free space on each
uncompressed drive and how large the new compressed drive will be.
2. Select the drive that contains the space you want to use, and then press
ENTER. A screen appears, giving you the opportunity to change the
settings DriveSpace will use when it creates the new compressed drive.
3. Change the settings as needed. For more information about changing
settings, press F1.
4. When you have finished changing settings, press ENTER. A confirmation
screen appears.
5. To create the new compressed drive, press C.
DriveSpace creates the new compressed drive, and then updates the list of
drives on the main DriveSpace screen to include the new compressed drive.
-P- Using DriveSpace with Floppy Disks
You can use DriveSpace to increase the storage capacity of floppy disks.
After compressing a floppy disk, you can use it to store data or to
transfer data from one computer to another.
Note: To use a compressed floppy disk to transfer data from one computer
to another, both computers must be using DriveSpace.
-Q- Compressing a Floppy Disk
Compressing a floppy disk is similar to compressing a hard disk drive. You
can compress a floppy disk that is completely empty or one that contains
files. (However, you cannot create a new compressed drive on a floppy disk.)
Note: Make sure the floppy disk is formatted and has at least .65 MB of
free space. DriveSpace cannot compress a 360K disk, an unformatted
disk, or a disk that is completely full.
To compress a floppy disk:
1. Insert a formatted disk in a floppy disk drive.
2. In the main DriveSpace screen, choose the Existing Drive command from the
Compress menu.
DriveSpace scans your computer and then displays a list of drives that
can be compressed. (If the list does not include the floppy disk you just
inserted, make sure the disk is formatted and has at least .65 MB of free
space.)
3. Select the drive that contains the floppy disk you want to compress by
pressing the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW key, and then press ENTER.
DriveSpace displays a confirmation screen stating that it is ready to
compress the drive you selected.
4. To compress the floppy disk, press C.
DriveSpace checks the floppy disk for errors. Then it defragments,
compresses, and mounts the floppy disk, and updates the list of drives
on the main DriveSpace screen to include the newly compressed disk.
After DriveSpace finishes compressing the floppy disk:
* The floppy disk will contain more free space than it did before. You
use the floppy disk just as you did before you compressed it, except
that if you change floppy disks or restart your computer, you must
remount the floppy disk. For more information about using a compressed
floppy disk, see the following section.
* Your computer will have a new drive letter. This new drive letter
represents the compressed floppy disk's host drive, which contains the
floppy disk's CVF. Both the new drive letter and the original drive
letter are associated with the same physical floppy disk drive. For
more information, see "Understanding Disk Compression" earlier in this
file.
-R- Using a Compressed Floppy Disk
In general, you use a compressed floppy disk just as you would an
uncompressed floppy disk.
By default, DriveSpace automatically mounts a compressed floppy disk when
you try to use that disk. This makes it possible to use the disk as if it
were an uncompressed floppy disk. (However, if you turn off the Enable
Automounting option in the Options dialog box, you must mount compressed
floppy disks yourself. For more information, see the following section.)
To gain access to the contents of a compressed floppy disk, insert the
floppy disk in the drive, and then use a command such as the DIR command
(for example, if the disk is in drive A, type DIR A:).
-S- Using Compressed Floppy Disks Without Automounting
If you rarely use compressed floppy disks, you might want to disable the
Automounting feature. When Automounting is enabled, it uses about 4K of
memory.
To disable Automounting, choose DriveSpace Options from the Tools menu, and
then clear the Enable Automounting check box.
Note: Before it is mounted, a compressed floppy disk appears nearly full.
If you have turned off the Enable Automounting option and you
change to the floppy disk drive and carry out the DIR command,
MS-DOS usually lists one file: a text file named READTHIS.TXT,
which briefly explains how to mount the floppy disk. The DIR command
usually reports that the floppy disk contains almost no free
space, since most of the space is used by the CVF. The CVF is a file
with Hidden, Read-Only, and System attributes named DRVSPACE.000.
When Automounting is disabled, you can still use compressed floppy disks,
but you must mount them yourself. You can do this either from the main
DriveSpace screen or at the MS-DOS command prompt.
To mount a compressed floppy disk from the main DriveSpace screen:
1. Insert the compressed floppy disk in a drive.
2. In the main DriveSpace screen, choose the Mount command from the
Drive menu.
DriveSpace searches your computer for unmounted CVFs and lists the ones it
finds.
3. Select the CVF that is located on your compressed floppy disk by using
the UP ARROW or DOWN ARROW key, and then press ENTER.
4. DriveSpace mounts the CVF and then updates the list of compressed
drives on the main DriveSpace screen to include the newly mounted
floppy disk.
The compressed floppy disk remains mounted, and the files on it remain
available, until you change floppy disks or restart your computer.
To mount a compressed floppy disk at the MS-DOS command prompt:
1. Insert the compressed floppy disk in a drive.
2. At the command prompt, type DRVSPACE /MOUNT and the letter of the drive
the floppy disk is in. For example, to mount the compressed floppy disk
in drive A, you would type DRVSPACE /MOUNT A:.
The compressed floppy disk remains mounted until you change floppy disks or
restart your computer.
If you want, you can include the DRVSPACE /MOUNT command in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. For example, if you usually keep a compressed
floppy disk in drive B and want to mount it each time you
start your computer, you could add the command DRVSPACE /MOUNT B:
to your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. For more information about
your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, see the chapter "Configuring Your System"
in the Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide.
-T- Getting Information About Compressed Drives
You can display information about your compressed drives in several ways:
* In DriveSpace, choose the Info command from the Drive menu to display
detailed information about a compressed drive. For more information,
press F1 while the Compressed Drive Information dialog box is on your
screen. (You can also display detailed information about a drive by
typing DRVSPACE /INFO at the command prompt; for more information about
this command, see <DRVSPACE /INFO>.)
* At the MS-DOS command prompt, change to the compressed drive you want
information about, and then type DIR /C. MS-DOS lists the files in the
current directory and displays the actual compression ratio for each
file. It also shows the average compression ratio for the entire list
of files. (If the compressed drive is empty, DIR /C does not display
compression information.) For more information, type HELP DIR at the
command prompt.
* At the MS-DOS command prompt, type DRVSPACE /LIST to see a list of your
computer's drives and their compression status. This command lists and
briefly describes all your computer's drives (except network drives).
Use this command to get a more complete picture of your computer's drive
configuration.
* If you use Windows, choose DriveSpace Info from the Tools menu in File
Manager. For more information, press F1 while the DriveSpace Info dialog
box is on your screen.
-U- Understanding DriveSpace and Memory
When you start your computer, MS-DOS loads DRVSPACE.BIN into memory.
DRVSPACE.BIN is the part of MS-DOS that provides access to your compressed
drives. It requires about 50K of memory. MS-DOS loads DRVSPACE.BIN, along
with other operating system functions, before carrying out the commands in
your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. Initially, DRVSPACE.BIN loads at
the top of conventional memory. By default, MS-DOS moves DRVSPACE.BIN to
the bottom of conventional memory after carrying out the commands in the
CONFIG.SYS file.
You can use the DRVSPACE.SYS device driver to move DRVSPACE.BIN to a
specific area of memory. (The DRVSPACE.SYS device driver does not provide
access to compressed drives; it simply determines the final location in
memory of DRVSPACE.BIN.) (DriveSpace Setup automatically adds a DEVICE
command for the DRVSPACE.SYS device driver to your CONFIG.SYS file.)
There are two reasons you might want to use DRVSPACE.SYS to move
DRVSPACE.BIN from the top of conventional memory:
* To avoid conflicts with programs that require access to the top of
conventional memory.
A few programs require access to the top of conventional memory and
do not work properly if DRVSPACE.BIN is located there.
* To free conventional memory.
If your computer has extended memory, DRVSPACE.SYS can move part of
DRVSPACE.BIN to the high memory area (HMA). (By default, MS-DOS
Setup and DriveSpace Setup configure your computer this way.) In
addition, if you have an 80386 or higher computer with extended
memory, you can run the MemMaker program to move the rest of
DRVSPACE.BIN to the upper memory area. (For instructions on how to
run MemMaker, see the chapter "Making More Memory Available" in the
Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide.)
For more information about DRVSPACE.SYS and DRVSPACE.BIN, See
DRVSPACE.SYS
-V- Getting More Information About DriveSpace
For tips on using DriveSpace and answers to common questions about
DriveSpace, type HELP DRVTIPS at the command prompt.
For information about using the DRVSPACE command, see <DRVSPACE>.
For information about using the DriveSpace program, press F1 while the
DriveSpace program is running.
For technical information about DriveSpace, including information about
writing programs that use MRCI (Microsoft Real-Time Compression Interface),
obtain the Microsoft MS-DOS Resource Kit. For details, see the coupon in
the back of your Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide.
-W- Troubleshooting DriveSpace
If you encounter problems while running DriveSpace, or if you encounter
problems with your compressed drives, see DriveSpace section 7.
If you encounter disk errors on a compressed drive, run the ScanDisk
program on that drive. For more information about ScanDisk, type
help SCANDISK at the command prompt.
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