TITLE: Stacker Conversion Issues DOCUMENT ID: TID14946 DOCUMENT REVISION: 1 DATE: 05MAY94 ALERT STATUS: Yellow README FOR: NA NOVELL PRODUCT and VERSION: Novell DOS 7 ABSTRACT: NA --------------------------------------------------------------------- DISCLAIMER: THE ORIGIN OF THIS INFORMATION MAY BE INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL TO NOVELL. NOVELL MAKES EVERY EFFORT WITHIN ITS MEANS TO VERIFY THIS INFORMATION. HOWEVER, THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS FOR YOUR INFORMATION ONLY. NOVELL MAKES NO EXPLICIT OR IMPLIED CLAIMS TO THE VALIDITY OF THIS INFORMATION. --------------------------------------------------------------------- ISSUE: Stacker Conversion Issues: ================================================ DOUBLESPACE and SUPERSTOR Drives Drives that have been compressed using Doublespace or SuperStor are supported by Novell DOS 7. However, to gain the full benefit of reduced memory consumption and more robust disk compression, Novell recommends converting your Doublespace or SuperStor drives to Stacker. You can use the conversion option in the Novell DOS 7 SETUP program. Run SETUP after you install Novell DOS 7. For performance reasons, this conversion operates initially on the container file format only. Conversion of actual data to Stacker format is performed subsequently whenever any existing SuperStor or Doublespace compressed data is written back to the disk. If you run the DISKOPT program on a drive that is partially converted, the disk optimizer automatically performs a complete Stacker conversion by compressing all remaining data. Refer to the Novell DOS 7 User Guide or DOSBook for information about DISKOPT and its options. Before Stacking any fixed disk, be sure to have a backup and disable all TSRs, such as disk cache and virus detection software. ------------------------------------------------------- INSTALLING ON A MS DOS 6.0 MACHINE THAT IS DOUBLESPACED 1. Boot the machine, then insert the installation disk. Do not boot from the installation disks. 2. Be sure to have a complete backup and run CHKDSK before proceeding. 3. Place the Novell Dos 7 INSTALLATION disk in the diskette drive. (For this example, we will use drive letter A:. If your install disks are in the B: drive, then substitute B for that drive letter in these instructions) 4. Type A: INSTALL 5. Then continue with a normal install. Follow the instructions on the screen. 6. If your boot drive (C Drive) is DoubleSpaced, System files will be copied to your startup drive. Example: A machine with one hard drive that is completely DoubleSpaced may have H: as a startup drive. 7. When install is complete, you can reboot your machine. Be advised that your machine is still using DoubleSpace. To convert DoubleSpace to Stacker, see instructions in this file. ------------------------------------------------ CONVERTING DOUBLESPACED DRIVES TO STACKER DRIVES 1. Novell DOS 7 must be installed on your machine. Be sure to have a complete backup of your drive before proceeding. 2. Disable all TSRs, such as disk cache and virus detection utilities. 3. Boot your machine. 4. At the C: prompt, type: SETUP 5. Select DISK COMPRESSION and press . 6. When given the option to reboot the machine to disable TSRs, Novell strongly recommends that you choose this option. After reboot you will see the message: SETUP HAS DETECTED ONE OR MORE DOUBLESPACE DRIVES ON YOUR SYSTEM. IF YOU WISH, THESE CAN BE CONVERTED TO STACKER DRIVES. THIS IS A REASONABLY FAST PROCEDURE WHICH SHOULDN'T TAKE MORE THAN A FEW MINUTES. 7. Select the CONVERT COMPRESSED DRIVE(S) TO STACKER option. Then you will see the message: SETUP WILL NOW START THE STACKER CONVERSION PROCESS 8. Select OK. When conversion is completed, your computer will reboot. You will then see the message: CHKDSK WILL NOW BE RUN TO VERIFY THE INTEGRITY OF THE DOUBLESPACE DRIVE(S). 9. At this point, select CONTINUE. After CHKDSK has completed, you will see the following prompt: PERFORM A SAFETY CHECK OF THE DOUBLESPACE DRIVE(S)? 10. Select YES. After completion of the safety check, you will see the following prompt: STACKER IS READY TO CONVERT YOUR DOUBLESPACE DRIVE(S). 11. Choose CONTINUE. The next message displayed will be: CONVERSION TIME WAS " " STACKER WILL NOW RESTART YOUR COMPUTER. 12. Choose CONTINUE. Your machine is now converted; however, it is not necessarily fully RESTACKED. Full RESTACKING can take place as you access data (on the fly) or by running DISKOPT on your machine's STACKED drive(s). If you wish to perform an immediate RESTACK, then disable all TSRs, reboot your mac --------------------------------------------------------------------- Any trademarks referenced in this document are the property of their respective owners. Consult your product manuals for complete trademark information. ---------------------------------------------------------------------