SMARTDRV.SYS Incompatible with Some Disk Managing Programs (78524)
The information in this article applies to:
- Microsoft MS-DOS operating system 5.0
This article was previously published under Q78524 SUMMARY
SMARTDRV.SYS does not work with third-party disk managers that alter
the disk geometry.
MORE INFORMATION
SMARTDRV.SYS disk caching works at the INT 13h level. To work at that
level, SMARTDRV.SYS needs to know the disk's geometry (the number of
heads, sectors per track, number of cylinders, and so on).
SMARTDRV.SYS determines these parameters at boot time when
SMARTDRV.SYS is loaded from the CONFIG.SYS file.
Some third-party disk managers alter the disk geometry to better use
the hard disk. The altered geometry conflicts with SMARTDRV.SYS, which
expects the original disk geometry. In addition, third-party disk
managers usually assign a normal disk geometry to one portion of the
hard disk and a different geometry to another portion.
SMARTDRV.SYS attempts to detect third-party disk managers. If one is
detected, SMARTDRV.SYS does not run. SMARTDRV.SYS looks at the
partition table in the master boot record (MBR) and looks for a known
set of partition identifiers to scan for the incompatible third party
disk managers.
SMARTDRV.SYS works with third-party disk managers that do not alter
the geometry of the disk.
| Modification Type: | Major | Last Reviewed: | 11/26/1999 |
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| Keywords: | KB78524 |
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