Windows disables write-cacheing on boot drive

[James W. Long]

Dear Ace:

I am looking for the following,

When I change from a non-disk-write-cached state, to a write-cached state,
W2KADV DC changes it back to non-disk-write-cached state again.
this happens ever time I reboot.

->my second drive IS write cached and stays that way.<-

I want the boot drive cached...period. I ran a PDC / BCD and a LAN
for 5 years, I know the risk and am fully willing and able
to live with it.

So I need the way to make it stay the way I set it,
Permanently.

I'm not buying a UPS just to make write cacheing operate.

I even thought about setting up UPS settings and hotwiring
com1 so Windows thinks there is one. Dunno if this
actually works...

microsoft says I can run an app called dskcache.exe
to give me a software cache. I dont want that either,
I want the one _natively_ built into windows.

I have even modified the registry but the parameters
get changed back every reboot.

microsoft says they fixed this with service pack 3.
Mine isnt.

microsoft says I have to have these drivers updated,
and mine already match these version #, as I am running
service pack 4.

Date Time Version Size File name
-------------------------------------------------------
15-Jan-2003 19:42 5.0.2195.6655 34,832 Classpnp.sys
15-Jan-2003 19:43 5.0.2195.6655 30,768 Disk.sys


ms also says I should get the latest service pack.
I am running service pack 4.
I am wondering if I could solve all this by
just reappling it? I installed with it slipstreamed into
the install cd.


How do I override this windows policy?


Thank you,
James W. Long

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

Dear Ace:

I am looking for the following,

When I change from a non-disk-write-cached state, to a write-cached
state, W2KADV DC changes it back to non-disk-write-cached state again.
this happens ever time I reboot.

->my second drive IS write cached and stays that way.<-

I want the boot drive cached...period. I ran a PDC / BCD and a LAN
for 5 years, I know the risk and am fully willing and able
to live with it.

So I need the way to make it stay the way I set it,
Permanently.

I'm not buying a UPS just to make write cacheing operate.

I even thought about setting up UPS settings and hotwiring
com1 so Windows thinks there is one. Dunno if this
actually works...

microsoft says I can run an app called dskcache.exe
to give me a software cache. I dont want that either,
I want the one _natively_ built into windows.

I have even modified the registry but the parameters
get changed back every reboot.

microsoft says they fixed this with service pack 3.
Mine isnt.

microsoft says I have to have these drivers updated,
and mine already match these version #, as I am running
service pack 4.

Date Time Version Size File name
-------------------------------------------------------
15-Jan-2003 19:42 5.0.2195.6655 34,832 Classpnp.sys
15-Jan-2003 19:43 5.0.2195.6655 30,768 Disk.sys


ms also says I should get the latest service pack.
I am running service pack 4.
I am wondering if I could solve all this by
just reappling it? I installed with it slipstreamed into
the install cd.


How do I override this windows policy?


Thank you,
James W. Long

The reason why it re-enables is because AD's database is on the system
drive.

Where did you read this stuff? Do you have a link?

See this article for the ramifications of enabling this on a DC:
321543 - Slow Network Performance After You Promote a Windows 2000-Based
Server to a Domain Controller:
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=321543

--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies to the newsgroup so all can benefit.
This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties and confers no
rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2000, MCSE+I, MCSA, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Active Directory

HAM AND EGGS: A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a
pig. --
=================================

 

[James W. Long]

Dear Ace.

I know this is not really the right forum
but you guys know ALOT

no offense intended,
I read all that completely and then some.
I am fully aware of the ramifications,
I take full responsibility for this action.

I still want to do it with the native cache

I need to overide its disable so it stays cached.

Any way?

Thanks, James


"Ace Fekay [MVP]"

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

Dear Ace.

I know this is not really the right forum
but you guys know ALOT

no offense intended,
I read all that completely and then some.
I am fully aware of the ramifications,
I take full responsibility for this action.

I still want to do it with the native cache

I need to overide its disable so it stays cached.

Any way?

Thanks, James

No offense, no problem.

Did you read that article? There's a link on how to disable it.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;259716

In regards to SP3, I guess you were talking about:
290757 - Write Caching Settings for Hard Disk May Not Persist After You
Restart Your Computer:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;290757

Did you install SP4? You said you did it thru the reg? What article did you
follow for that? Please do post any other relevant articles you've read or
followed. Saves time in case I don't have it and double up on researching
it.


--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies ONLY to the Microsoft public newsgroup so all
can benefit. This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties and
confers no rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2000, MCSE+I, MCSA, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Active Directory

HAM AND EGGS: A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a
pig. --
=================================

 

[James W. Long]

Dear Ace:
<inline>

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ace Fekay [MVP]"
<PleaseSubstituteMyActualFirstName&[email protected]>
Newsgroups: microsoft.public.win2000.dns
Sent: Tuesday, June 29, 2004 11:35 PM
Subject: Re: Windows disables write-cacheing on boot drive

In

No offense, no problem.

Did you read that article? There's a link on how to disable it.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;259716

Sorry for the redudancy here but I did alot of homework
before I posted here again on that. my fault.

Yes I read that. That just tell how to change it.
It only works for the current session.
The problem is, next boot, windows disables the write cache again.
it does not stay set because windows detects the system is
NOT power protected and resets it.
I have repeated the sequence and found the same to be true each time.

In regards to SP3, I guess you were talking about:
290757 - Write Caching Settings for Hard Disk May Not Persist After You
Restart Your Computer:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;290757

yes I read that too. that is an old article re sp3 driver versions.
The same article exists relative to sp4 disk drivers where the versions
are newer. I read that too. My two drivers are the same version
ms expects for sp4, the latest available. I verified this on my system
drive.
(disk.sys, and classpnp.sys)

Did you install SP4?

Yes. I slipstreamed it into my install manually beforeI upgraded.
I created a new boot cd which was sliptreamed and upgraded from that.

You said you did it thru the reg?
What article did you
follow for that?

None- I found "CacheIsPowerProtected" and "UserWriteCache"
settings in the registry a number of times and set them all to 1.
I am adept with regedit and regedit32. I have been lurking around
in the registry for years. Anyway, these were all reset again upon
the next boot. So the system is able to detect the non-presence
of a ups and reset this stuff.

Here was a little fun.
I configured a ups (I DONT HAVE ONE) which caused the
system to shutdown because presumably it either could not
detect it or communicate with it. I considered hotwiring com1:
to make it appear as if a device was present. Know anything about that?
I am adept at rs232. thought I might wire 6, and 8 to 20 (CTS and RTS to
DTR)
and 2 to 3 and 3 to 2 or something. like a looback plug. what do you think?
Anyway I didn't persue that far yet. I had to go to safe mode to undo
the ups configuration, because it kept shutting me down. NP, I understand
why. I'm a bit
of a hardware guru too.

Please do post any other relevant articles you've read or
followed. Saves time in case I don't have it and double up on researching
it.

Sorry,
I read everything there is to read on it in ms kb.of course they wouldnt
tell
you how do do THAT.
I'm still looking for the place that might give me an indication how to fake
it out,
or the chage a startup parameter, environment variable, setting, hack, tweak
crack, nudge, bump, or fix that makes it work.
LOL!
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

Sorry for the redudancy here but I did alot of homework
before I posted here again on that. my fault.

Yes I read that. That just tell how to change it.
It only works for the current session.
The problem is, next boot, windows disables the write cache again.
it does not stay set because windows detects the system is
NOT power protected and resets it.
I have repeated the sequence and found the same to be true each time.


yes I read that too. that is an old article re sp3 driver versions.
The same article exists relative to sp4 disk drivers where the
versions
are newer. I read that too. My two drivers are the same version
ms expects for sp4, the latest available. I verified this on my
system drive.
(disk.sys, and classpnp.sys)


Yes. I slipstreamed it into my install manually beforeI upgraded.
I created a new boot cd which was sliptreamed and upgraded from that.


None- I found "CacheIsPowerProtected" and "UserWriteCache"
settings in the registry a number of times and set them all to 1.
I am adept with regedit and regedit32. I have been lurking around
in the registry for years. Anyway, these were all reset again upon
the next boot. So the system is able to detect the non-presence
of a ups and reset this stuff.

Here was a little fun.
I configured a ups (I DONT HAVE ONE) which caused the
system to shutdown because presumably it either could not
detect it or communicate with it. I considered hotwiring com1:
to make it appear as if a device was present. Know anything about
that?
I am adept at rs232. thought I might wire 6, and 8 to 20 (CTS and RTS
to DTR)
and 2 to 3 and 3 to 2 or something. like a looback plug. what do you
think? Anyway I didn't persue that far yet. I had to go to safe mode
to undo
the ups configuration, because it kept shutting me down. NP, I
understand why. I'm a bit
of a hardware guru too.




Sorry,
I read everything there is to read on it in ms kb.of course they
wouldnt tell
you how do do THAT.
I'm still looking for the place that might give me an indication how
to fake it out,
or the chage a startup parameter, environment variable, setting,
hack, tweak crack, nudge, bump, or fix that makes it work.
LOL!
(e-mail address removed)

So you like to tinker. Good. But do me a favor, before you ask any more
questions, please do tell what articles you've read, links you've been to,
etc. I'm actually sitting here researching this for you only to hear...
'yes, I've read that too". Know what I mean?

Anyway. I'm a bit stuck for time at the moment, heading to work. But I'm
sure there's something out there to hotwire a com port!

btw- I just bought an APC UPS 700 for $45.00 with the SmartUPs. That would
actually work fine with what you want to do. I can understand if that's out
of budget.





--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies ONLY to the Microsoft public newsgroup so all
can benefit. This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties and
confers no rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2000, MCSE+I, MCSA, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Active Directory

HAM AND EGGS: A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a
pig. --
=================================

 

[James W. Long]

So you like to tinker. Good. But do me a favor, before you ask any more
questions, please do tell what articles you've read, links you've been to,
etc. I'm actually sitting here researching this for you only to hear...
'yes, I've read that too". Know what I mean?

Sorry again, thats all I've read and found. nothing else new yet
I spent last nite defragging so I havent touched the outer world except to
talk to you.

Anyway. I'm a bit stuck for time at the moment, heading to work. But I'm
sure there's something out there to hotwire a com port!

I already have some of those db9's and db25's around,
hehee wouldnt that just be the bomb if All It Took was 3 bits of wire???
LMAO

btw- I just bought an APC UPS 700 for $45.00 with the SmartUPs. That would
actually work fine with what you want to do. I can understand if that's out
of budget.

Now THAT'S a deal! Retail?

James

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

So you like to tinker. Good. But do me a favor, before you ask any
more questions, please do tell what articles you've read, links
you've been to, etc. I'm actually sitting here researching this for
you only to hear... 'yes, I've read that too". Know what I mean?

Sorry again, thats all I've read and found. nothing else new yet
I spent last nite defragging so I havent touched the outer world
except to talk to you.

Anyway. I'm a bit stuck for time at the moment, heading to work. But
I'm sure there's something out there to hotwire a com port!

I already have some of those db9's and db25's around,
hehee wouldnt that just be the bomb if All It Took was 3 bits of
wire??? LMAO[/QUOTE]

Probably, IIRC, 2 is transmit, 3 is receive and 7 is ground. I guess if you
can put a 20 ohm (not sure what you need here, just a guess) resistor across
3 and 7, maybe you can get it to work. But of course, at your own risk!

Now THAT'S a deal! Retail?

Yep! Not too long ago. Got a few of them at Staples. Check places like
pricewatch.com, edealsinfo.com, gotapex.com, slickdeals.net, even eBay! I
saw a 256 US jump drive for $25.00 !! Back in Feb, 2004, Lowes had a screwup
with an ad for a $700 dishwasher for $96.00. Guess what? I ordered one and
got it! When I went to pick it up, they said, "So you're one of the ones
that got this at that price. You don't know how lucky you are". They had to
honor it since I ordered it and paid thru their site and it took my order
and charged my card. LOL I tried to go on a couple hours later after I
ordered it just to see if it was still available and it was changed back. So
sometimes you have to watch for this stuff.


--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies ONLY to the Microsoft public newsgroup so all
can benefit. This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties and
confers no rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2000, MCSE+I, MCSA, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Active Directory

HAM AND EGGS: A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a
pig. --
=================================

 

[Guest]

Hi Ace:

I just stumbled onto this thread because of the same problem I found on SBS 2003. I'm setting up a test machine, but got frustrated with the surprising slow performance because of the write-cache being disabled, and having the write-cache settings reset upon each reboot. Since SBS consolidates many services on one physical box i.e. file & print, email, database, etc., disabling write-caching has more adverse impact than just AD.

In situations where you want to keep the environment as simple as possible, it's difficult to expect an UPS signal cable to be available in the environment, even with an UPS available. Small businesses will most likely buy a server either mail-order or from a local computer store, and buy the "dumb" UPS available in the store because it's cheap and effective. Without manual intervention (i.e. enabling write-caching), these environments will suffer from poor system performance.

Technically, we can move the boot partition to its own physical disk and manage write caching separately, but again, that adds to the complexity of the environment, and it is not likely to be found on OEM SBS-Preinstalled environments.

Now that the Write-Cache settings is under a "Policies" tab, does it imply it is being managed through a GPO? I can't seem to find any settings to set this parameter.

Thanks!

---K

In

Sorry again, thats all I've read and found. nothing else new yet
I spent last nite defragging so I havent touched the outer world
except to talk to you.


I already have some of those db9's and db25's around,
hehee wouldnt that just be the bomb if All It Took was 3 bits of
wire??? LMAO

Probably, IIRC, 2 is transmit, 3 is receive and 7 is ground. I guess if you
can put a 20 ohm (not sure what you need here, just a guess) resistor across
3 and 7, maybe you can get it to work. But of course, at your own risk!

Now THAT'S a deal! Retail?

Yep! Not too long ago. Got a few of them at Staples. Check places like
pricewatch.com, edealsinfo.com, gotapex.com, slickdeals.net, even eBay! I
saw a 256 US jump drive for $25.00 !! Back in Feb, 2004, Lowes had a screwup
with an ad for a $700 dishwasher for $96.00. Guess what? I ordered one and
got it! When I went to pick it up, they said, "So you're one of the ones
that got this at that price. You don't know how lucky you are". They had to
honor it since I ordered it and paid thru their site and it took my order
and charged my card. LOL I tried to go on a couple hours later after I
ordered it just to see if it was still available and it was changed back. So
sometimes you have to watch for this stuff.


--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies ONLY to the Microsoft public newsgroup so all
can benefit. This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties and
confers no rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2000, MCSE+I, MCSA, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Active Directory

HAM AND EGGS: A day's work for a chicken; A lifetime commitment for a
pig. --
=================================
[/QUOTE]

 

[Ace Fekay [MVP]]

In

Hi Ace:

I just stumbled onto this thread because of the same problem I found
on SBS 2003. I'm setting up a test machine, but got frustrated with
the surprising slow performance because of the write-cache being
disabled, and having the write-cache settings reset upon each reboot.
Since SBS consolidates many services on one physical box i.e. file &
print, email, database, etc., disabling write-caching has more
adverse impact than just AD.

In situations where you want to keep the environment as simple as
possible, it's difficult to expect an UPS signal cable to be
available in the environment, even with an UPS available. Small
businesses will most likely buy a server either mail-order or from a
local computer store, and buy the "dumb" UPS available in the store
because it's cheap and effective. Without manual intervention (i.e.
enabling write-caching), these environments will suffer from poor
system performance.

Technically, we can move the boot partition to its own physical disk
and manage write caching separately, but again, that adds to the
complexity of the environment, and it is not likely to be found on
OEM SBS-Preinstalled environments.

Now that the Write-Cache settings is under a "Policies" tab, does it
imply it is being managed through a GPO? I can't seem to find any
settings to set this parameter.

Thanks!

---K

Hi K,

As far as I know, it is not a GPO setting. In Win2k there are about 700
settings, in W2k3, there's about 800. I'm not familiar with each and
everyone but can say I'm familiar with their functional grouping. You are
already doing it the best way I can think of by resettig it at boot time.
What I mayy suggest, if you can find the registry entry, you can create a
..reg file to run as a startup file or set that entry in a GPO as a registry
entry.



--
Regards,
Ace

Please direct all replies ONLY to the Microsoft public newsgroups
so all can benefit.

This posting is provided "AS-IS" with no warranties or guarantees
and confers no rights.

Ace Fekay, MCSE 2003 & 2000, MCSA 2003 & 2000, MCSE+I, MCT, MVP
Microsoft Windows MVP - Windows Server - Directory Services

Security Is Like An Onion, It Has Layers
HAM AND EGGS: A day's work for a chicken;
A lifetime commitment for a pig.