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New XIDE driver (15.5.2015) from Jack (Announce)

posted by RayeR Homepage, CZ, 27.05.2015, 11:14

Hi,
there's a new faster IDE driver called XIDE from Jack, forwarding the info:

Johnson Lam has posted a new 15-May-2015 DRIVERS.ZIP file, in his "drop
box" website at --

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/15785527/dos/file/drivers.zip

The new XIDE, XIDE-X and XIDE-P drivers replace the old UIDE/UHDD/UDVD2
drivers. The "X" drivers are "closed source" -- I shall NOT offer any
more source files, after Rugxulo's very UNFRIENDLY post about me and my
work on BTTR, for which he had NO excuse and should be condemned!

XIDE is nearly identical to the old UIDE. XIDE-X is faster, as it has
a buffer to improve cache binary-search speed and also "overlaps" cache
tasks with disk UltraDMA. XIDE-X does require 788 bytes more memory,
all of which goes in "free HMA" by loading with a /H switch. With /H,
both XIDE and XIDE-X use only 880 bytes of upper/DOS memory. Both can
set caches of up to 4-Gigabytes in XMS memory.

XIDE-P is the fastest of all! It uses "Protected Caching", as in UIDE
drivers from 2007-2012, and puts its binary-search table in the HMA, or
in upper/DOS memory. This is faster on protected-mode systems, due to
70% fewer XMS accesses which require a slow Int 15h "trap" in protected
mode. XIDE-P also "overlaps" disk UltraDMA with caching tasks. The
driver permits only 1-Gigabyte caches, due to the memory needed for its
search table (36K total for a 1-GB cache). But XIDE-P gives 2% faster
speed in real-mode, also up to 10% faster speed in protected-mode using
JEMM386/EMM386, etc. Yes, it is 10% faster than XIDE or the old UIDE!

If you use a DOS system that has little "free HMA" (V7.0+ MS-DOS etc.),
XIDE-P still offers a 400-MB cache, using 17,216 bytes of upper memory,
by omitting its /H switch and using a CONFIG.SYS command similar to:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRIVERS\XIDE-P.SYS /S400

Larger or smaller caches with XIDE-P do take more or less upper-memory.

If you use FreeDOS, you should be able to set about a 350-MB cache with
XIDE-P for merely 944 bytes of upper-memory, by loading XIDE-P from the
AUTOEXEC.BAT file. This requires "BUFFERS=10" in the CONFIG.SYS file,
using FreeDOS "DEVLOAD", and an AUTOEXEC command similar to:

DEVLOAD /H C:\DRIVERS\XIDE-P.SYS /S350 /H

FreeDOS does not offer "free HMA" before AUTOEXEC runs, so the above is
needed to load XIDE-P (or any of the caching drivers) in its HMA, which
saves memory. I have only V1.0 FreeDOS, from Lucho's old 2008 "boot"
diskette. V1.1 FreeDOS may offer more or less "free HMA" and may need
to be tested, with these drivers.

Do download the latest 15-May-2015 drivers from Johnson Lam's "dropbox"
and try them on your systems. I am very proud of the new XIDE-P, with
its 10% higher speed (I never thought such a gain was possible!), and I
hope the drivers can help you, in your DOS work!

Best wishes,

Jack R. Ellis

---
DOS gives me freedom to unlimited HW access.

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