SUMMARY
The following message may appear when you start Windows 3.0:
Corrupt Swap File Warning
Your swap file is corrupt; see chapter 13, "Optimizing Windows,"
in the Microsoft Windows User's guide for instructions about
re-creating the file.
Press any key to continue.
This message can occur for various reasons. This article discusses two
basic system configurations under which the message may be displayed.
The first configuration considered is a non-network machine with a
standalone installation of Windows on its own hard disk. The second
system configuration presented here concerns one or more networked
machines that are using a shared installation of Windows that is run
from the network.
NOTE: Following the discussion of the error message in these two
situations, this article describes the creation and functionality of
both the temporary and permanent swap files for Windows 3.0.
MORE INFORMATION
Non-Network Installation of Windows
If a standalone installation of Windows exists on the hard disk of an
individual machine or workstation, then the "Corrupt Swap File
Warning" error message may appear for the following reasons:
- The SPART.PAR or 386SPART.PAR file is corrupted on your hard disk.
To correct this problem, start Windows in real mode and create the
swap file again.
- You have deleted the 386SPART.PAR file from the hard disk. To
correct this problem, re-create the permanent swap file by running
SWAPFILE.EXE from Windows in real mode. If you WANT to delete the
permanent swap file, run SWAPFILE.EXE (in real mode Windows) and
choose Delete Permanent Swap File, or delete the file SPART.PAR
from the Windows directory.
- You have changed the attribute of the 386SPART.PAR file to
read-only. To correct this problem, use File Manager or the MS-DOS
ATTRIB command to change the attribute of the 386SPART.PAR file to
read/write. You could also re-create the permanent swap file by
running SWAPFILE.EXE from Windows in real mode.
- You have renamed or moved the file(s). To correct this problem,
rename or move the file(s) back to its original location. You can
also re-create the permanent swap file by running SWAPFILE.EXE from
Windows in real mode.
Network Installation of Windows
A machine that uses a shared copy of Windows installed on a server
may, at the same time, have a local permanent swap file located on the
workstation's own hard drive. The "Corrupt Swap File Warning" error
message may appear in this system configuration under the following
conditions:
- You create a permanent swap file of a certain size on the local
hard drive, and Windows 3.0 is installed on a network drive.
- You log onto the network from a second workstation that also has a
permanent swap file on its hard disk. The swap file is not the same
size as the first one, or the swap file does not have the exact
same starting and ending sectors as the one on the original
workstation.
- The second workstation does not have a hard disk.
A permanent swap file should not be used with a network installation
of Windows. Only the temporary swap file should be used. Windows 3.0
was not designed to be used over a network on multiple workstations
with the permanent swap file. Even though it is not recommended to do
so, Windows will start and operate correctly after the error message
occurs. However, it may run slower until you are logged onto the
network from the original workstation.
Temporary Swap File
When first installed, Windows defaults to a temporary swap file
(WIN386.SWP) that will be created in the same directory as the
SYSTEM.INI file.
To have Windows create the temporary swap file on the local hard disk,
use the
pagingdrive= statement in the
SYSTEM.INI file after the [386enh] heading. The temporary swap file
will be created in the root directory of this drive.
If the "pagingdrive=" statement is set to a drive that does not exist,
then Windows will default back to creating the temporary swap file in
the same directory as the SYSTEM.INI file. In a network installation,
where you log on from different workstations, this is the preferred
method for handling the swap file.
Please refer to the readme file SYSINI3.TXT for more information on
"pagingdrive=". For more information on temporary swap files, please
refer to pages 526 to 529 in the "Microsoft Windows User's Guide" for
version 3.0.
Permanent Swap File
To further increase the performance of Windows, you can choose to
create a permanent swap file. A permanent swap file gives the
following advantages:
- Permanent swap files use contiguous space on the hard disk and can
be read off the hard disk faster than files that are noncontiguous
(such as temporary swap files).
- Windows can access the permanent swap file directly and bypass
MS-DOS, whereas Windows has to go through MS-DOS to use temporary
swap files (which is a slower method).
There are two files involved in a permanent swap file: 386SPART.PAR
and SPART.PAR. 386SPART.PAR is the swap file and will be located in
the root directory of the drive. SPART.PAR is a "pointer" file that
tells Windows on which drive the swap file is located. It also tells
Windows on which sector the swap file begins and on which sector the
swap file ends.
NOTE: Because the permanent swap file 386SPART.PAR is always located
in the root directory of the drive, it is recommended that a permanent
swap file NEVER be created on a network drive. If two users create
permanent swap files on the same drive, they end up trying to use the
same swap file, corrupting each others installation.
To confirm that Windows is using a permanent swap file, run Windows
Setup from the Main group. If you are using a permanent swap file,
Windows Setup will show the location and size of the file in the
Network line. A screen from Windows Setup might appear as follows:
Display: VGA
Keyboard: Enhanced 101 or 102 key US and Non US
Mouse: Microsoft, or IBM PS/2
Network: Microsoft Network (or 100% compatible)
--------------------------------------------------------
Swap file: Permanent (5184K bytes on Drive E:)
Please refer to pages 520-526 of the "Microsoft Windows User's Guide"
version 3.0 for more information on permanent swap files.
Please refer to pages 526-529 of the "Microsoft Windows User's Guide"
version 3.0 for more information on temporary swap files.