This book is all about Stac Electronics' miraculous disk doubling utility, Stacker. This program is incredible. I'm glad I have the opportunity to spout off about it for the next 176-or-so pages. Few PC utilities impress me, so when I'm excited about something, it really shows.
In addition to spouting off about Stacker, I also will be showing off here. This book gives me the chance to share dozens of tips and secrets I've learned about this amazing program. This is information you won't find anywhere else -- not in the manual or even in the technical notes. So, even if you think you're a wizard and Stacker is a cinch to work with (which it is), there's something to be gained here.
If you're just starting out, then this book won't frighten or intimidate you. Everything is discussed in a calm, friendly manner. There's plenty of humor and light anecdotes. When something technical is discussed, you're given plenty of warning and a chance to cover your eyes.
The object of this book is to get you up and running with Stacker without the panic. Forget buying a new hard drive. Forget the hassle, the upgrade, and changing all your software. Stacker makes everything easy. This book makes using Stacker easy. Soon, you will kiss your hard disk troubles good-bye.
This book assumes that you have a DOS computer and that you've been using it for at least a small amount of time. You should be familiar with typing at the DOS prompt and where the Enter key is on the keyboard. When you do need to type something in, this book shows it to you as follows:
C:\STACKER> STACKERIn this example, you would type in STACKER at the DOS prompt, then press Enter. The DOS prompt is shown as C:\STACKER>, although it might appear as something else, usually something similar, on your computer screen.
Special notes and information are presented in this format. This allows you to quickly locate important tips, plus side notes on using Stacker.
This book, like the Stacker software, has gone through a revision. Stacker is in its third version as this book -- a second edition -- goes to press. A lot of exciting new elements exist in both products that you didn't have before.
Up front, this book contains more information about using Stacker on your PC. I've beefed up the sections on using QEMM, 386MAX and other memory managers with Stacker. More setup scenarios have been added, and there are even more examples and illustrations than the first edition.
Stacker itself does some things that many Stacker users have been clamoring for: You can now un-Stack hard drives, really grow and shrink Stacker drives -- even increase un-compressed space on the host drive, and automatically mount Stacker floppies.
Stacker is no more Windows-friendly. It has a handy Windows tool, the Stackometer, which you'll read about in detail in chapter 8. Stacker also offers "gateways" from Windows to the command-line Stacker utilities.
This book has kept pace with all the changes in the Stacker software, and it still offers more detailed information, advice and tips than you'll find in Stacker's documentation alone.
When this book refers to DOS, it's referring to MS-DOS, the Microsoft Disk Operating System. Other variations on that theme also are covered: PC-DOS from IBM, Compaq DOS, Tandy DOS, etc. They're all brand-name versions of the same operation system. The subtle nuances between them don't affect this book or Stacker directly -- with a sole exception: what I call RAMDRIVE.SYS in this book will be called VDISK.SYS under IBM and Compaq DOS.
Stacker works with DOS versions 3.0 and higher, so this book has been written to approach all those DOS versions (3.0 through the current version) in the same manner. However, to get the greatest benefit from Stacker, I recommend updating to the latest version of DOS. (Do this before you install Stacker.)
As this book goes to press, the current version of DOS is 5.0 though if there were a future version of DOS -- and I'm not saying I know anything before it happens, but just in case -- this book will work with it as well. The current version of Stacker is 3.00.
Please note that this book does not cover using Stacker with DR DOS. If you're a DR DOS user, then special compatibility issues exist that are not covered here. (You took that risk when you decided to go with DR DOS instead of the standard.)
Also, this book does not cover using the OS/2 version of Stacker.
You can start reading this book at any point. If you're new to the concept of disks and disk terminology is alien to you, I recommend starting with chapter 1, ``About disks and data storage.''
Users who need to upgrade their computers with the Stacker hardware -- the Stacker co-processor -- should read chapter 2, ``Stacker's hardware half.''
If you want to install the program, start with chapter 3, ``Configuring Stacker for your system.'' A follow-up discussion is offered in chapter 4, ``Taking stock of installation.''
If you have Windows and want to use Stacker with it, then turn to chapter 8, ``Using Stacker with Windows.''
Advanced users might first want to check out chapter 9, ``Using Stacker's utilities.'' If you're curious about Stacker or are frustrated or have a few questions, chapter 10 offers ``Questions and answers'' for all levels of Stacker users.
The following section are chapter-by-chapter breakdowns of the entire book.
Chapter 1: ``About disks and data storage'' Chapter 1 offers a fun and entertaining look at disks in a PC and all the weird terms associated with them. If PC terminology has you muddled, this chapter will clear up the waters.
Chapter 2: ``Stacker's hardware half'' Chapter 2 deals with the Stacker co-processor, the hardware that boosts Stacker's performance. The first part of the chapter discusses what the hardware is and what it does for you (which are important issues if you're considering the hardware as an upgrade). The second part of the chapter discusses the upgrade procedure itself.
Chapter 3: ``Configuring Stacker for your system'' Chapter 3 covers installation of the Stacker software, which involves using it to stack one of your hard drives. Detailed information on what to do before and after installation is provided.
Chapter 4: ``Taking stock of installation'' In chapter 4, you'll review installation with a ``postmortem'' discussion of what the SETUP program did. This is optional reading, although you might find it interesting what Stacker does to make installation so painless. The second part of this chapter deals with important memory management issues.
Chapter 5: ``Adding more Stacker drives'' Chapter 5 is where you learn how to create more Stacker drives on your PC, as well as how to stack floppy disks and RAM drives. As a personal bit of advice, about the most powerful thing that Stacker can do for you is to stack your RAM drives.
Chapter 6: ``Working with your Stacker drive'' Hard disk management issues are covered in chapter 6. This chapter goes over the differences between your system before and after Stacker. Using third-party utilities and information on general disk housekeeping is also covered.
Chapter 7: ``Altering your Stacker drive'' This chapter describes how to change your Stacker drive after it's been setup. The issue of password-protection is covered, along with growing or shrinking a Stacker drive, un-Stacking and removing Stacker drives.
Chapter 8: ``Using Stacker with Windows'' This chapter covers issues specific using Stacker in the Windows environment. It also introduces the Stacker Windows-only utilities, Stackometer, Setup and Tuner.
Chapter 9: ``Using Stacker's utilities'' Stacker's 16 core utility programs are covered in this chapter, along with the 14 bonus programs that you'll find in your STACKER subdirectory. Please note that this chapter isn't a rewrite of the documentation. Special tips are offered here, including my favorite: creating an 11Mb Stacker floppy disk.
Chapter 10: ``Questions and answers'' Chapter 10 starts with a question-and-answer section containing two dozen or so common questions and concerns about Stacker. This section is followed by a section on troubleshooting and information on dialing up Stac Electronics' BBS for technical support.
Stacker and laptops go well together. Because laptop makers try to make them lighter by putting in smaller hard drives, what better way to upgrade your system than to use Stacker? Also, Stacker provides extra benefits by allowing you to double the size of your RAM drives. A stacked RAM drive holds twice as much information without taking up as much RAM. When the power is low, nothing beats it.
Stacker is very laptop-friendly. Everything that applies to a desktop system here also applies to a laptop. My personal suggestion is to stack your hard drive, as covered in chapter 3, then refer to chapter 5 for information on creating and using Stacker RAM drives.
At first, I was a Stacker skeptic. After installing it on my laptop, on my test desktop system, and on my main system, however, I'm a true believer. This program will amaze you. I'm more than happy to pass along my tips and secrets for helping you get more from Stacker and your hard drive.