Topic Split from Clean FSX & Accel Install

[truck911]

Nick I linger on your every word

[NickN]

I assume you know how to use a professional RAID solution and set it up correctly?

Are you aware you must disable NCQ (caching), and -enable- write cache for the array in the BIOS or web interface which also means you must have the system on either the BBU designed for the 3ware card (purchase separate) and the tower on a UPS. The UPS will suffice but if you do not have a UPS or have the card on a BBU, enabling write cache can be dangerous. Even with a UPS if Windows crashes you stand to lose the data and the array if you do not have the 3ware Battery Backup Module installed.

You must also DISABLE the monitor and data protection features and set the array to PERFORMACE so the journal system is not checking the data every millisecond

If you do not know how to set up a professional RAID card I suggest you get into the docs and start reading. It is not Plug and go.........

I do not have time to post in detail right now but to answer your question, no those benchmarks are not right. On good drives you should easily see 200MB/s read and write speeds. I assume this is the 3ware 9650SE-4LPML form your post.

Did you check with 3ware to make sure you have the most up to date firmware and drivers installed?

If there is no stutters and there is an improvement then moving the drives off the motherboard and placing them on a real controller sounds like its doing the job.

You said there were no stutters and there is an improvement, what were you expecting?

HDTach is NOT a professional test solution, its a crap kids benchmark tester

ATTO Disk Benchmark is what you want and it must be set up right to check the array. You can not just hit the button and run the test.

I cannot upload images right now of the benchmark test and interface screen but will when I can

And by the way, a RAID card has nothing to do with 3DMark and will not change anything in that area.

The RAID card was to get the load off the CPU and allow the fastest file loads possible

[NickN]

I want something clearly understood

[NickN]

here are the controller settings:



Remember, you must have a UPS and/or the 3Ware BBU installed to enable write cache or if the power goes out with the system on you will lose the array. Even if you have a UPS and do not have the BBU module, if Windows crashes you -may- lose the array.





And with ATTO Mark this is what you should get when testing 2MB, 8MB and 32MB file calls












My FSX RAID array is formatted to 64K clusters and I do not use it for anything other than FSX. The OS is on its own array formatted at the Windows default of 4K or the OS will not boot.



If I posted the benchmarks for the solid state HDD array it would make you throw up.

[NickN]

FSX Acceleration F/A 18 Panel Manual and Controls available here:

http://www.fsdreamteam.com/forum/http:/ ... .php?f=4.0



I wish to remind everyone to check Phil Taylor's blog periodically for updates.. Many questions can be answered in that blog!

http://blogs.msdn.com/ptaylor/

[Doug Kearney]

Nick-

The clean install defrag steps with O&O are quite clear with respect to drive C, containing XP. What about drives D, E, etc. Do you do the Space defrags for them before proceeding to the offline defrag for C? Or do you finish C entirely and then move on to the rest. I presume there's no need for an offline defrag for the rest because they don't have an OS on them. Just double-checking how to handle the rest of the drives and in what sequence as related to the steps prescribed for the C drive. Thanks.

Doug

[NickN]

On first install or first use of O&O, repeat all steps for every drive being used in the system

The only thing you do not need to do is run the idleprocess task command line. that is only run for a defrag of the Windows drive during monthly cleanup

[Doug Kearney]

Thanks, Nick, got it. Full drill for each drive on initial setup, and I'll finish the sequence for C before moving to D and so forth.
Doug

[NickN]

DO NOT USE THIS LIST ANYMOREhttp://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1163028653/0#5

[NickN]

LAST: MAKE SURE THE STARTUP SYSTEM IS CLEAN... GET RID OF PROGRAMS STARTING WITH WINDOWS YOU DONT NEED. YOU SHOULD HAVE RIGHT AROUND 30 PROCESSES RUNNING AT BOOT.. COULD BE A FEW MORE... LESS IS BETTER BUT IF YOU HAVE 38 OR MORE.. YOU HAVE TOO MANY

LOCATE, ATTACK AND DESTROY ALL ITEMS NON ESSENTIAL TO BOOT AND OPERATE.. IN EXAMPLE: MS MESSENGER CAN BE KILLED AT STARTUP. YOU CAN BOOT IT AS NEEDED, NOT WITH WINDOWS




===========================================


O&O DEFRAG

NOTE; IF YOU HAVE MORE THAN ONE HARD DRIVE IN THE SYSTEM YOU MUST PERFORM THE SAME DEFRAG RUNS ON EACH DRIVE EXACTLY AS I OUTLINE BELOW.



If you do use version 10 of O&O Defrag, do DO NOT run the SPACE defrag past the first 2 defrag passes and never again... just the first runs... (you will see the list below) after that only run the COMPLETE\NAME defrag as I outline below

I recommend version 8.5... if you are on XPx64 you need the X64 version of O&O Defrag.

X64 version here:

http://www.b3ta.cr3ation.co.uk/data/exe ... l64enu.exe

X32 vesrsion here

http://www.b3ta.cr3ation.co.uk/data/exe/oodefragpro.exe



NEXT:
Boot O&O Defrag. The first time it is run a wizard will appear, just get rid of it and if possible, select to not have it run again (there may be a checkbox for that in the wizard that appears) Once you get rid of the wizard, do the following

Go to:
FILE MENU/OPTIONS: GENERAL TAB:
UNCHECK Create Reports

OFFLINE DEFRAG TAB:
LEAVE THIS ALONE FOR NOW but we will change it later.

TUNING TAB:
Bullet in

[NickN]

ANNOUNCEMENT



For those of you who are using O&O with my list, you know the benefits of following that list and the use of O&O Defrag as I laid out


After discussions with O&O engineering and management O&O has now recognized the v10 issues and the are working with Microsoft to correct the problem

Until then, O&O has agreed to offer a special for everyone... this special will allow you to have BOTH VERSION 8.5 now and upgrade to VERSION 10 when the issue is resolved...

THATS v10 FOR FREE with the purchase of v8.0 v8.5 (or 8.6)

Our nice colleagues from sales thought it'd be a pity to downgrade and bundled a "two (version 10 AND version 8 licenses) for the price of one" package for you. You can purchase it here till 07/31/08: https://shop.oo-software.com/36/uurl-a3oe99wzfr. You can use version 10 on another machine or give it away for Easter.  

And yes - 8.5 and 8.6 have the same functionality, though 8.6 is Vista compatible and 8.5 is not.

Have a nice day!
Leia


---
Note: I am employed by O&O Software GmbH, Berlin in their customer support department. We manufacture O&O Defrag, and our opinion is therefore of course biased.

I suggest you may wish to take advanatge of the offer



NOTE: VISTA users MUST use version 10   or   v8.6.

VISTA CAN NOT USE version 8.5. If you contact O&O they MAY allow you to get 8.6  in a special download from them because they now recognize the SPACE defrag probelm with version 10.

O&O v8.6 works EXACTLY like 8.5 and does not have the SPACE-NAME defrag problem v10 displays.

[NickN]

USING VISTA AND WINDOWS XP x32 WITH MORE THAN 2 GIGS OF SYSTEM MEMORY

If you have FSX SP2, the exe file is already 2G+ aware

If you have XP or VISTA x32 and more than 2GB you need to MARK the OS for that use or it will ignore the sticks and never use them

x64 operating systems do not need the following changes


For XP:

disable hidden files and folder, then on the root C:\ you will find a file named: boot.ini

Open it in notepad and add the follwoing to the end of the OS boot line:


/3GB/Userva=2560

multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows XP Professsional" /fastdetect /3GB /Userva=2560 <---- add it here


save and close the file

reboot

to set that back to default, simply remove the edit


If you are using XP SP2 and are running a dual, quad, OR a single core Intel HYPERTHREAD processor, make sure this update is applied
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/deta ... laylang=en



For Vista:
WINDOWS VISTA ONLY:

[NickN]

HOW TO TUNE FSX SP2 WITH YOUR SYSTEM


http://www.simviation.com/cgi-bin/yabb2 ... 73302/0#14



NOTE: You guys on mobility graphics cards -and- older cards, thats not going to help you very much but you can try it... please get a real video card and processor

[NickN]

Thats fine as long as its in the string

[truck911]

Thats fine as long as its in the string

Deletd my question by mistake.