with smartdrive it is the thing that it is not smart at all for long copys. The norton cache works better for that as it can be unloaded. Also smartdrv cant be unloaded otherwise than rebooting.
in fact I would recommend even the MSCDEX not include in the autoexec bat but to have as some batch file which to call out becouse you cant get it out from memory later (or can? 😉 ). So you have option to have more conventional memory but still choice to add CD drive later.
There are some things which is recommended still to have as option menu in config sys -- the items which you cant get rid off after
the system is booted but sometimes you need or not them! Example:
-------------------------------------------------------
[COMMON]
rem DEVICE=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
BREAK=OFF
DOS=HIGH,UMB
[MENU]
MENUITEM=XMSMAX, XMS MAX
MENUITEM=XMS, XMS
MENUITEM=XMSCD, XMS + CD, IFSHLP
MENUITEM=XMSSCSI, XMS + ASPIDISK
MENUITEM=EMS, EMSmaxupper + CD
MENUITEM=EMS2, EMS + CD
MENUITEM=EMSCD, EMSmaxupper + CD + IFSHLP + diskr (NOVELL, DISKR)
MENUDEFAULT=xmscd,5
------------------------------------------------ with total length 1500 bytes.
No additional menus after that. These are the only choices.
the rest below all that what follows is selfexplanatory, but I skip that. 😉 I have used that this way last 20 years.
The menus I use very intensively becouse some things need XMS and need as much as memory possible and no need for EMS, other things require EMS on occassion. Also NU6 utilities some things do not work always and just everything does not fill up in memory nor arent needed.
It is made in mind to use NFS shares in linux, on occassion trackers, demoscene things, EPROM programming, win3.x and some certain own sound
programming and utilities.
The rem before CTCM is just becouse not in every machine I have the SB, and I have the habit to move 4 different soundcards between machines.
Also I use the menus in Volkov Commander to switch on/off cache and shortcut calls for utilities.
quite many batch files are in use to generate playlists for inertia player and gravis ultrasound midi player and as shortcut access or fast move between different directories.
Note the short SET PATH variable here.
------------------------------------------autoexec.bat-----------------------------
rem SET CTCM=C:\CTCM
rem C:\CTCM\CTCM
@ECHO Off
SET PATH=C:\GUS;C:\DOS;D:\TASM5\BIN;D:\BIN;D:\SR8;c:\net;c:\dosnet;c:\win
PROMPT $P$G
SET TEMP=C:\TMP
SET ETCDIR=C:\DOSNET
SET WATTCP.CFG=C:\dosnet
cookie
ks 0 0
lock c: <y
---------------------------------------autoexec.bat ends------------------------
the trickery is here to have the SET PATH variable as short as possible is to have as many .BAT files possible in DOS directory which make the call to proper place which I have ca 50pcs. ACtually to have a short path file has had a good speedup to me in the past while using those 20ms HDDs with shorter program execution time.
Now look this:
S.BAT
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
@if %1==pr c:
@if %1==m3u dir /s/b /ON *.mp3 >>d:play.m3u
@if %1==dnleq c:\prog\dnleq %2 %3 %4 %5 %6 %7
@if %1==s cd k:\sound%2
@if %1==pr cd c:\prog%2
@if %1==ip c:\prog\iplay %2 %3 %4
@if %1==cp c:\prog\cp\cp %2 %3 %4
@if %1==st c:\prog\st321\st3 %2 %3 %4
@if %1==ft c:\prog\ft209\ft2 %2 %3 %4
@if %1==ft2 c:\prog\ft208\ft2 %2 %3 %4
@if %1==pm c:\gus\playmidi -v127 %2
@if %1==dmf c:\prog\xplay127 %2
@if %1==sct c:\prog\sclub -x -t -i %2
@if %1==scg c:\prog\sclub -x %2
@if %1==v c:\prog\velvet\vplay.exe %2
@if %1==sc c:\prog\sclub
@if %1==hsc c:\prog\playhsc %2
@if %1==al goto 3
@if %1==mp3tag c:\prog\mp3tag %2 %3 %4 %5
goto 4
:3
dir /B/S/L %2 >>c:\prog\play.lst
:4
-----------------------------------------------------------
and this:
NETT.BAT
----------------------------------------------------------
if %1==u goto 2
c:
cd \net
lh e100bpkt 0x62
goto 1
:2
c:
cd \net
e100bpkt -u
:1
---------------------------------------------------------