Hi, this is not one of my special fields, but I think that EWF thing from XP Embedded might be useful. 🙂

https://flylib.com/books/en/3.234.1.73/1/

Note that the link is a bit older and that SD-IDE converters may do report the SD card as "fixed" already.

Maybe just configure the swap/paging file to be located on a different (non-SD) drive? That would prevent most of the wear and tear, I reckon.

If one has a different (non-SD) drive, then one can just run WinXP from that drive. The thing is that IDE hard drives are becoming scarce, which is why CF/SD cards (with the appropriate IDE adapters) are a popular solution for retro PCs.

I've been using an IDE --> SD card adapter (Sandisk 64GB Extreme) in a Tualatin based Slot 1 setup, seems fine and speedy here, I've a mechanical 120GB drive for game installs. The consolation is that if it becomes unstable it's only a few bucks to replace.

I think it's not worth any concern at this point. SD cards are easily replaceable and with such high capacity it won't die fast anyway.

The thing is that IDE hard drives are becoming scarce

They aren't and won't be for any foreseeable future. At least when it comes to high capacity drives (20+ Gb).

Maybe just configure the swap/paging file to be located on a different (non-SD) drive?

Which would kill the benefit of having storage device for OS with nearly instant access time.

Jo22, thank you for link. Very interesting info. I have to try it.

And I think not swapping main problem, but NTFS logging and etc. An another hand I can really easily replace card after signs of death.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2020-10-06, 03:04:

The thing is that IDE hard drives are becoming scarce

They aren't and won't be for any foreseeable future. At least when it comes to high capacity drives (20+ Gb).

Ha, I read that and jumped over to eBay in a panic to make sure IDE hard drives are still cheap and plentiful. They are! With so many other vintage components becoming rare and stupid expensive, it's nice to know that one's still a reliable commodity.

it's nice to know that one's still a reliable commodity.

With how cheap and available SSDs, SDs and Compact Flashes now, obtaining old HDDs is redundant anyway.

True, and those things can be super useful. But there's also a beauty to the simplicity-through-complexity of old spinning disks... plug and play in the truest sense of the word. No fiddling required. Plus they provide the whirring and clicking which is an essential part of the experience for some. Adds to the novelty of an old machine in a day when flash memory is so ubiquitous.

it's nice to have these options

I wonder if, not so many years from now, there would be 1TB of ram on a computer such that you can have a whole XP machine emulated - HDD included - in a 100gb portion of ram ! I can imagine it happening

gerry wrote on 2020-10-28, 09:46:

it's nice to have these options

I wonder if, not so many years from now, there would be 1TB of ram on a computer such that you can have a whole XP machine emulated - HDD included - in a 100gb portion of ram ! I can imagine it happening

There are already single CPU server boards that take 1.5 TB. A quick search on my preferred retail site for new stuff showed up the Asus Z11PA (LGA 3647).

Now you have got me wondering where I'm going to get the money for that build. At £1919 for one 128 GB DDR4 stick, I think I need to rob a bank 😀

I wonder if, not so many years from now, there would be 1TB of ram on a computer such that you can have a whole XP machine emulated

You already can "emulate" Win XP at blazing speeds with last gen NVME SSD. Running it fully into RAM subjectively won't feel any faster.

Does XP recognise NVME? I thought even 7 needs workarounds

We're talking about VM. Apparently you can use NVME at least on Windows XP x64, but there's a possibility that it's highly unreliable. There's also possibility that some M2-to-PCI-E controllers could translate NVMe to AHCI, similar to M2-SATA adapters, but without SATA interface restrictions.

EDIT:
Oh, also it's possible that NVME will be added later to XP by enthusiasts, since OS source code was already leaked.

i would not use a SDCard, get a 120Gb SSD and a Converter, it would have better useability.
No stalls etc.

The Serpent Rider wrote on 2020-10-28, 17:22:

We're talking about VM. Apparently you can use NVME at least on Windows XP x64, but there's a possibility that it's highly unreliable. There's also possibility that some M2-to-PCI-E controllers could translate NVMe to AHCI, similar to M2-SATA adapters, but without SATA interface restrictions.

EDIT:
Oh, also it's possible that NVME will be added later to XP by enthusiasts, since OS source code was already leaked.

That's handy. I've bookmarked that link, thanks.