New xp build ready soon!

[danfoshizzle]

Been working on a new xp build, its coming along well, just trying to get read/write cycles down as I think thats the key for a good build on the flash sticks.

EWF cannot be used as it patches our patched ntldr, so trying an ssd rw layer tonight will post reults!

Also looking into fbwf for more advanced users to use, its a little buggy but it looks as though it should work well, thats next on the test list lol

[danfoshizzle]

Ok the ssd layer seems to make file speeds improve, but its downside is windows boots slower.

[danfoshizzle]

holy cow! after 3 reboots joggler is flying!!

[Mevi]

awesome. I'll be one of the first to try it. A slow boot is not a problem as when it's running stable, it can stay switched on for days, maybe weeks with an automated overnight reboot if really needed. I still keep a Joggler running a soak test 24/7 on a USB stick. I'm testing stability and USB stick write cycle endurance.

Reducing write cycles is definitely the way forward... USB boot media is the biggest bottleneck for XP. I hadn't even considered incorporating XPe components into XP Pro, didn't know it was even do-able. Would FBWF need to be configured per Joggler, do you think?

[pete]

Great news Dan!

[danfoshizzle]

No, I should be able to enable fbwf in the install and have it working out of the box, but i do not think it will be needed with the ssd layer,

The ssd layer is acting as a filter for the system, no writes are executed straight away which improves speed and performance as writes are made to ram and then commited when the layer feels its time to do so, this sounds kinda scary as you would think it make you lose work etc, but surprisingly it works flawlessly, with the ssd layer enabled I am getting closer to the performance of an external hard drive on my 8gb micro ssd with its 99 pence adapter lol

And yes the removable media is our greatest drawback for the joggler, So finding a workaround is the best bet.

And re xpe components, yes some can be added but only certain ones, i may be able to reduce boot times by using minlogon, which reduces boot time and footprint on xp pro. But as with ewf and fbwf it has slight drawbacks, such as plug and play being buggy.

[danfoshizzle]

Also started work on squeezeplay for windows

[Mevi]

Your SSD layer sounds like it does what EWF does anyway, delaying disk writes in ram to commit to disk when it's worth doing. I think this will make a big difference to a slimmed down XP that has a small footprint and there's RAM to spare. Do you know if it will free up any RAM that it's used when done with it, or does it use a fixed amount of RAM?

My full-fat XP might need a bit of slimming - even more so now that I'm adding stuff and in danger of bloating it.

[danfoshizzle]

yeah i think it reallocates ram as and when needed, the actual layer itself came with no documentation, so its all a trial; and error basis lol

[danfoshizzle]

Ok so...

Startup and shutdown times are increased by quite alot, but it seems as though the ssd layer is making windows gui/read/write faster.

Another plus is that it should help prolong the life of our poor flash sticks.

Positives for ssd layer: faster windows and prolonging life of flash sticks

Negatives: slow down of startup and shutdown times, possibility of losing work if you suddenly lose power.

Should I include it as default?

Also will find out what it is and post the files, as I am sure mevi would like a tinker with it lol

[danfoshizzle]

Also mev, how did you configure those 3 brightness files on your desktop, its probably something simple that i ahve totally overlooked lol

[Mevi]

They are shortcuts, but I removed the shortcut arrow to make it look all nice and stuff.

Eric's screen brightness exe I put in program files and used the command line switches to either 1 or 100:

C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /c "C:\Progra~1\Backlight\JogglerBlCtrl.exe" 1
C:\WINDOWS\system32\cmd.exe /c "C:\Progra~1\Backlight\JogglerBlCtrl.exe" 100
"C:\Program Files\Nircmd\nircmd.exe" monitor off

The screen off shortcut links to nircmd.exe, which has a whole load of uses like volume control, screen capture, etc. all from the command line. I changed the icon to the lightbulb and they are all set to launch minimised. I suppose you could try running stuff as the user NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM, which should keep it hidden from sight to keep things tidy looking. The w32time scheduled task at 00:03 runs like that.

I use Nircmd for a lot of things. You can get it at the bottom of this page, below the instructions: http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/nircmd.html

I'm really like the sound of the SSD layer. I think the positives outweigh the negatives - got for it (yeah, I like to tinker too). I know I won't be doing anything mission critical on the Jogglers, hosting streaming media and perhaps a bit of freesat recording if I can get this cheapo Chinese satellite receiver working with XP. Definitely doesn't work on W7.

[danfoshizzle]

Found out what the installer is called mevi, its called flashfire: http://www.pcworld.com/downloads/file/f ... ption.html

The only link to a compiled version i could find

[Mevi]

I will try that today on a USB stick and see what happens on my current and work in progress builds. Thanks for finding that, Dan. This is great.

[jpearn]

I used to use Flashfire on my Aigo Mid for the 4GB SSD, worked well. He also wrote a newer version OpenFlashFire, which I think has been discontinued, but still around on the net

[Mevi]

Thank, jpearn. I had a quick google for a more recent version, but so far I've only found links to the developer's site which redirects to a university site. If anyone sees a more recent version than 0.99, let us know!!

Stress testing FlashFire on 2 jogglers now. I have one booting the work in progress build off HDD running Prime95 and passing the tests.

The other booting the current build (set to LITE) off USB stick with my soaktest web browsing, video playback automation 24/7.

Looking good so far - I a slight improvement on the HDD one, but the USB stick seems more responsive when launching applications.

[pete]

I'm in awe guys!

Its like nothing else I've ever seen before. Great stuff!!!!

[danfoshizzle]

Yeah flashfire is awesome on the new xp build, which I should be releasing in the next 24 hours

[manxam]

Like a child on a long car ride: Is it ready yet??

[danfoshizzle]

next day or so just testing it now lol, will tell you what i tell my nephew, go to sleep and when you wake it will be here lol