É WANTED TO PASS ALONG SOME TIPS É'VE BEEN USING ON MY ÅÂÂÓ-128 TO 
MAKE IT RUN MORE SMOOTHLY. ÐERHAPS YOU'LL FIND SOME OF THIS USEFUL!
 
ŸÉ'VE ALWAYS PUT THE VAST MAJORITY OF EFFORT IN MAINTAINING A DECENTLY 
ŸARRANGED SYSTEM DISK (DRIVE #8). ÁS THIS DISK IS ACCESSED SO MUCH, 
ŸAND THE DRIVE WORKS SO HARD, É WANTED TO MAKE LIFE AS PAINLESS AS 
ŸPOSSIBLE AND HELP MY SYSTEM STAY UP AND RUNNING.
Ÿ 
œÆIRST, SINCE MOST É EXPECT USE A 1571 IN THE 1571 MODE, YOU'LL COME 
œOUT AHEAD BY SETTING UP YOUR DISK AS É HAVE. É NEVER LIKED THE IDEA 
œOF HAVING ANY FILE, MUCH LESS A ÒÅÌ FILE, SPLIT BETWEEN TWO SIDES OF 
œA DISK (1571, 1581, ÓÆÄ-1001, 8250), SO É'M CAREFUL IN HOW É COPY 
œFILES TO A FRESH DISK WHICH BECOMES MY NEW SYSTEM DISK. ÆOR ÒÅÌATIVE 
œFILES, É USE ÃÏÐÙ-ÁÌÌ-64 IN THE 64 MODE, ÁÆÔÅÒ É HAVE ACCESSED BOTH 
œOF MY 1571S IN THE 128 MODE (TO SET THEM TO 1571 MODE). ÉT'S A SLOW 
œCOPY PROCESS, BUT IT WORKS FLAWLESSLY.
œ 
–É FILL THE FIRST SIDE OF THE DISK WITH ANYTHING TO CONSUME THE FIRST 
–664 BLOCKS, MAKING THE FRONT SIDE FULL. ÔHEN, É COPY THE ÕÓÅÒ FILE 
–(BIG ÒÅÌ FILE) WITH ÃÏÐÙ-ÁÌÌ-64 SO THAT IT RESIDES TOTALLY ON THE 
–BACK SIDE OF THE DISK, BEGINNING AT TRACK 36. ÔHIS NOT ONLY SOLVES MY 
–'SPLIT FILE' PROBLEM, BUT GIVES ME A CONTIGUOUS FILE THAT REQUIRES 
–LESS READ/WRITE HEAD MOVEMENT.
– 
–ÎEXT, É ERASE ALL THE FILE(S) TAKING UP THE FRONT SIDE, COLLECT THE 
–DISK, AND THEN COPY FILES IN ORDER OF FREQUENCY OF ACCESS TO THE 
–FRONT SIDE, BEGINNING WITH CFG46.128. (ÆREQUENTLY ACCESSED FILES 
–INCLUDE ÍÓÇÉÎÄÅØ, ÌÁÓÔ ÃÁÌÌÅÒ, ÏÂ, ETC.) Á DRIVE WILL FIND THESE 
–FILES FASTER IF THEY'RE NEAR THE TOP OF THE DIRECTORY, AS WELL AS 
–REQUIRING LESS HEAD MOVEMENT IF THEY'RE IN CONTIGUOUS BLOCKS (WRITTEN 
–SO SECTORS ARE NEXT TO EACH OTHER). ×HEN IT COMES TO THE ÒÅÌ FILES 
–USED FOR ÄÌ DATABASES, É AGAIN USE ÃÏÐÙ-ÁÌÌ-64. (ÎOTE THAT É'VE NEVER 
–FOUND A RELIABLE ÒÅÌ FILE COPIER THAT RUNS IN 128 MODE.)
– 
–ÁFTER ALL THAT COPYING, É AGAIN COLLECT THE DISK, AND É'M PRETTY 
–WELL SET THERE.
– 
™ÎOTE THAT É PERSONALLY DO NOT LIKE HAVING THE DISK COLLECTED ÅÖÅÒÙ 
™ÎÉÇÈÔ, AND HAVE DISABLED THE MIDNIGHT COLLECTION ROUTINE. É MANUALLY 
™COLLECT (V0) THE DISK EVERY FEW DAYS. ÅVEN A 1541 ISN'T SO SLOPPY 
™THAT IT NEEDS VALIDATING DAILY (UNLESS YOU RUN WITH ONLY 2 OR 3 
™BLOCKS FREE). ÔHIS SAVES WEAR AND TEAR ON DISK ÁÎÄ DRIVE. É FIND THIS 
™METHOD CAUSES ME NO PROBLEMS AT ALL, AND É HAVE ÅMAIL AND TWO SMALL 
™MESSAGE BASES ON THE SAME 1571, TOO!
™ 
žÔHE CONTIGUOUS FILE METHOD WORKS EXCEPTIONALLY WELL FOR OTHER FILES 
žAS WELL, AND É DO THIS TO MY TEXT FILES. ÅMAIL AND MESSAGES WILL BE 
žHARDEST TO KEEP THIS WAY, AND PROBABLY WON'T BE WORTH THE EFFORT. ÁS 
žFOR DOWNLOADS, IT'S USABLE ONLY IF YOU HAVE FILES YOU KEEP UP FOR A 
žLONG TIME AND GET DOWNLOADED REGULARLY.
ž 
ŸÏNE OTHER THING É DO WHEN CREATING A NEW SYSTEM DISK IS DO A STANDARD 
ŸFORMAT ON IT, AND THEN RUN THE ÎÁÕÇÈÔÙ ÂÌÏØ-128 PROGRAM, TO VERIFY 
ŸCORRECT AND PRESENT SYNCS IN EVERY SECTOR. É DO THIS MAINLY TO CHECK 
ŸTHE DISK FOR CORRECT FORMATTING, AS É'VE NEVER HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE 
ŸDRIVE (SINCE É DO ELECTRONICS AND MAINTENANCE FOR A LIVING). ÁLSO 
ŸWORTH MENTIONING É USE ÖERBATIM ÍÄ2-Ä DISKETTES (AND ÎÏ, É DON'T OWN 
ŸSTOCK) AS É'VE FOUND THESE TO BE MOST RELIABLE AND COST-EFFECTIVE.
Ÿ 
œÉ HOPE THESE SUGGESTIONS HELP YOU OUT. ÁFTER 5 YEARS OF RUNNING 
œSYSTEMS USING ÓÆÄS, 1541S, 1571S, 1581S, 8050S & 8250S ON SOFTWARES 
œINCLUDING ÃÏÌÏÒ-64, ÉÖÏÒÙ, ÒÁÖÉÃÓ (ANYONE REMEMBER THAT?) AND NOW 
œÅÂÂÓ-128, É CAN ATTEST TO INCREASED EFFICIENCY AND REDUCED WEAR.
œ 
–ÈAPPY ÂÂÓ'ING FOR LOTS OF YEARS TO COME!
– 
ÁNDREW ×OODARD