Re: Scrambled Files

["Timothy Olson" TLO@xxxxxxxx]

We used to have scrambled files occasionally in 3.55+. It occurred with large files (over 400K), but was also related to the amount of memory one's machine had available (i.e., getting more memory alleviated and/or solved the problem). However, the scrambling usually occurred (or was apparent) upon *opening* the file, not upon saving it. If one ABorted the scrambled file without saving, the scrambling was not saved. In this case, however, most of the apparent scrambling was machine language, not text from other files.

The inclusion of "some other file" makes me wonder if it has to do with a temp file. You
mention that you're using a floppy. One thing I recall about Xy3 is that temp files were stored in
the current location. So if you were working with large files, such that a memory overflow is being
written to a temp file, if you were to switch directories, Xy3 wouldn't be able to locate the temp
file and thus scramble the text you're working with. Or, in the case of a floppy, if there is'nt
enough room on the floppy for the temp file that would cause some interesting errors. Also with
floppies the disk access is much slower than with a hard drive, so that may be a factor (just a wild
guess on that one).

Don't know if this info helps or not, but thought I'd mention it.

--Timothy Olson
TLO@xxxxxxxx
(630) 784-5327


>>> WooF  11/26/01 09:25PM >>>
O XyWrite eXperts:

I have a recurring probl,e. I use XyWrite 3.57 almost entirely
for writing and editing text. Being cautious, I save everything
on two removable disks. Every so often, I find that the contents
of one disk get scrambled -- that is, when I call a file by its
proper file name, I get not that file, but a chunk of some other
file.

Briefly: I call a text file from one of the floppy disks. I work
on thatt file, saving to that floppy from time to time. When
done, I give the command "sa b:" (rather than just "sa". (Without
the quote marks, of course.) Program replies that the file exists
and do I want to overwrite. I tell the program "y" and it saves.
Then I swap disks and go through that procedure again. Usually,
this works; sometimes, it scrambles the contents of that disk.

Any suggestions? (I'm on a dos machine with DOS 5.1.)

George Scithers of owlswick@xxxxxxxx