Alfredo writes,
> A friend of mine sent me this URL for a PC World column:
>
> http://www.cnn.com/TECH/computing/9811/06/stop.idg/
>
>
> How does it relate to YOUR own experiences?
There are several things at play here - and after scanning the article, I
thought I would put forward some of the reasons why Win 9x (and now, NT 4.x
and soon, Windows 2000) implemented shutdown procedures:
1. Win9x and NT cache disk writes in physical and virtual memory - to
improve performance (much like the 3000 does). If one just "turns off" the
PC running these OSes, they run the risk of not having their data written to
disk.
2. Because of the way the cache works (and yes, this could be worked on a
bit - and has been reported to Microsoft as something that should be
addressed by the core beta testers), a "partial write" could be in process
and thus, cause file corruption.
3. The "scolding" on bootup, if an unexpected reboot occurs was placed
there because the majority of people *do not* follow the shutdown
procedures. The wording again, has been reported to Microsoft as something
that should be modified to include both, a reminder to shut down properly,
as well as the possibility that a reboot was necessary... in either case,
the mandatory Scandisk is performed at boot time to ensure that the disk is
not corrupted, and if it is, fixes the problems.
On one hand, it's a pain in the rearend - on the other hand, it is
necessary. If folks would follow the Start/Shutdown procedure, then they're
disk writes are properly flushed from the cache and committed to disk.
(Hence the "waiting while the system whirs" during the procedure - guess
what it's doing?)
Also occurring during this period of time is the shutdown of "services" (NT
has services for almost everything - 9x has drivers, soon to become services
when Win2000 hits.) The orderly shutdown permits the proper closure of the
registry and thus, avoids registry corruption.
Yes, there is a way to get around the "mandatory Scandisk" at bootup.
First, take off the hidden/system/read only flags from MSDOS.SYS in the root
directory, then using your favorite editor, change the file to look like
this:
;SYS
[Paths]
WinDir=C:\WINDOWS
WinBootDir=C:\WINDOWS
HostWinBootDrv=C
UninstallDir=C:\
[Options]
BootMulti=1
BootGUI=1
DoubleBuffer=1
AutoScan=0
WinVer=4.10.1998
Note the "AutoScan" option. If set to 1, then Scandisk automatically runs.
Change it to zero, and it will not run. (You used to be able to change it
to 3 to prompt you - I haven't checked to see if this works or not)
Also note that there are lines after these options. DO NOT MODIFY OR DELETE
THESE LINES. Also ensure that the 1 is changed to 0 and that no extra
characters are placed in the file, or the whole file is FUBARed.
AGAIN - THIS IS NOT RECOMMENDED. It is recommended that AutoScan be left at
"1". Your disk will thank you. If you change it - and you start losing
data on your disk - please do not report it to the ClubWin
(http://www.clubwin.com) Windows Assistance Site, to Microsoft, or to me.
You will get no sympathies from any of us. It is undocumented, as far as I
know.
Best Regards,
Joe
==========================================================
Joe Geiser, Senior Partner, CSI Business Solutions, LLC
** Your Client-Server and Internetworking Specialists **
Phone: +1 (215) 945.8100 Fax: +1 (215) 943.8408
*New* Toll-Free (US/Canada): (877) 945-8100
http://www.csillc.com
==========================================================
HP Channel Partner Allaire Alliance Partner
Microsoft ClubWin - Team One
|
