Changing VCache Settings in Windows 95
One problem with Win95 is that by default the size of the
file cache is unrestricted. (NOTE: Don't worry about this for Windows98. They seem
to have cleared up this problem with Win98, finally). This means that all available
memory will eventually get filled up with file data, which will cause the virtual memory
system to start swapping out pages from executing applications. When something needs
to be executed from a page that has been swapped out, it takes time to pull it back in off
the disk. While this is happening, the CD recorder's buffer could drain completely.
The procedure is simple:
1.Open the file SYSTEM.INI with a text editor. This file is
usually C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI.
2.Find the section labeled "[vcache]".
3.Add the following lines *after* the "[vcache]"
line:
MinFileCache = 512
MaxFileCache = 4096
4.Save the changes to the file, and reboot.
The [vcache] change has reportedly cured severe buffer
underrun problems with some versions of CDRWin and removed popping noises during digital
audio extraction with Easy CD Creator. It's a good thing to do to any PC running
Win95. It's not clear whether this will help with Win98, but it doesn't seem to
hurt.
A common rule of thumb is to set maxfilecache
to 25% of your RAM, up to a maximum of 16MB. Because of (actual or perceived) bugs in
Win95, some people recommend setting minfilecache to the same value.
Credits: This is an edited version of a message
originally written by "PSX Pirate" on the PSX Copy Discussion Forum
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