Hi Folks,
Several recent posts identify problems with delays or interruptions in
CW and/or RTTY messages being sent while Write Log performs an
automatic file save. Try one or more of the following to reduce or
eliminate these problems:
1. Be sure your 'green PC' functions are set so that the hard drive
runs continuously. The background power saving functions of modern
notebooks do wonders to lengthen battery operation by reducing
power consumption - but you can live without them when operating
from AC power. The time to spin a hard drive up to speed is usually
greater than the time needed to write even a large file to disk.
2. When is the last time you defragmented the hard drive? If your
log file is being saved in many file segments, it will take longer
to write it.
3. Several things can 'speed up' a PC running Windows. Check the
following and reconfigure as necessary.
A. Remove any non-essential programs from your startup group.
Strive to exceed 90% on system resources when you look at it right
after booting without any applications running.
B. Add DRAM memory if possible. Yes, it may work with 16
or 32 MB but it will be noticeably faster with 64 MB or more.
C. Check your virtual memory (hard drive swap file) size.
A bigger number here reduces the amount of hard drive accesses
during application software operation. If you have multiple hard
drives or multiple partitions, be sure your swap file is on a drive
with LOTS of free space. Trying to run a PC with 10% or less
remaining space on the hard drive is likely to cause many problems.
D. Use the minimum required video resolution and color
density. 800 x 600 resolution and 256 colors will meet most needs.
Giant monitors may need 1024 x 768 but increasing the colors won't
be noticeable with most amateur radio software.
4. Consider doing manual saves when timing isn't critical. You
can do a CTRL-S to save the file from any window within Write Log
when CW or RTTY isn't being sent. If you forget, the reminder
screen will pop up before you risk very many QSOs anyway.
I haven't fully tested the software by resetting the computer without
saving the file however there are some features that save a 'scratch
pad' file between actual file saves. If you lose power or exit
Write Log without saving your last few QSO's, when you run the
program the next time you get a prompt about "There appears to be
some lost data - - Recover it? Y/N". This is a one-time chance to
save the information that was in memory when the program was last
closed.
If I read correctly, you can disable the AUTOSAVE feature by setting
the value to -1 in the writelog.ini file.
--
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Problems: owner-writelog@contesting.com
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