Improving disk performance

[pBS]

i'm a fan of portable apps, so i try to write my scripts to be run wherever they are...
[as long as the batch is in right dir, it works]
that way i can move gbpvr around and it doesn't affect them..
plus i keep all my gbpvr 'utils' in subdirs off gbpvr dir..so they go with gbpvr when copied..
[like vfd software, transcoders, codecs etc.]

trust me, you'll be glad you made them independent, windows is the most fragile thing on a computer...something will put a crack in it you can't find/undo, and only way will be a restore...which will be easy when it takes 5 mins, and gpbvr won't skip a beat..

has saved me from continually having to tweak and rebuild/resetup..
now my windows platform is locked down solid, i just tweak gbpvr...

[keith_leitch]

i'm a fan of portable apps, so i try to write my scripts to be run wherever they are...
[as long as the batch is in right dir, it works]

Philisophical difference: I'm obsessed with keeping all my scripts in one place. However, I SHOULD have set a path as an environment variable, and used that variable to refer to all script locations. Sloppiness just got away from me.

that way i can move gbpvr around and it doesn't affect them..
plus i keep all my gbpvr 'utils' in subdirs off gbpvr dir..so they go with gbpvr when copied..
[like vfd software, transcoders, codecs etc.]

This I have done, also (except for VLC...maybe I should put it there this time...but then there are more script changes to make. Hmmm...).

[keith_leitch]

I'm wondering if the swap file is better kept in partition 0, follwed by the system. At only 6MB, it would not cause that much more seeking to reach partition 1, and it would be available ASAP when needed.

Or, should the swap file be in Partition 0 of an entirely separate (little-used) disk?

[Reddwarf]

I'm wondering if the swap file is better kept in partition 0, follwed by the system. At only 6MB, it would not cause that much more seeking to reach partition 1, and it would be available ASAP when needed.

In my experience, that is a good idea. Keeping it on a separate disk, well, it probably costs more that you gain.

And another thing, keep the allocation unit small on the swap-partition, medium sized (like 2k) on the windows partition and on the recording partition you can use large allocation units. That way the filesystem breads more easily.

[keith_leitch]

In my experience, that is a good idea. Keeping it on a separate disk, well, it probably costs more that you gain.

Good advice about allocation units. What are the "costs" that concern you with a swap file on a separate volume? Do you mean that you would expect some overhead time to locate it?

[Reddwarf]

No, what I ment is just that you are wasting one sata/ide port to very little gain compared to having it as partition 0 on the windows disk.

[keith_leitch]

No, what I ment is just that you are wasting one sata/ide port to very little gain compared to having it as partition 0 on the windows disk.

Oh, but I'll have the drive installed, anyway. It's main purpose will be to maintain an image of the system and applications, and its secondary purpose will be to house the Live TV buffer. Does this change your opinion of whether I should put the swap file at the start of this one?

[keith_leitch]

I'm wondering if the swap file is better kept in partition 0, follwed by the system. At only 6MB, it would not cause that much more seeking to reach partition 1, and it would be available ASAP when needed.

Hmmm...doesn't seem easy to achieve. When I create a small partition first, it calls it C: which is where I need my system (due to scripts I have create). Even when I create another and delete the first, the second is still called E:. After every reboot, the lowest physical partition is C: again.

I suppose I could install to E:, then change drive letters later using disk management. I'm just not sure how Windows would react to that, and I don't really want to find out.

I will therefore put the swap file in the landing zone of the other disk.

[keith_leitch]

And another thing, keep the allocation unit small on the swap-partition, medium sized (like 2k) on the windows partition and on the recording partition you can use large allocation units. That way the filesystem breads more easily.

Where does one set file allocation units?

[ilovejedd]

Where does one set file allocation units?

You do it while formatting. For my recording partition, I usually format as NTFS with 64K allocation units.

The operating system drive, I just leave at default (4K).