Hack 55 Fix the Windows 95 File-Caching Bug

Implement this hack to fix the "Typical Role of This Computer" bug in Windows 95.

Windows 95/98/Me provide a bit of disk performance control through the "typical role" settings system parameter accessible through the Hard Disk tab of the My Computer/Properties dialog, shown in Figure 5-17. This setting does not control the amount of memory allocated for disk caching by VCACHE; instead it sets aside a specific amount of RAM to hold look-up references about most recently used files and folders.

The number of folders and files tracked, and the amount of memory for storing the folder and file references, varies depending on the "typical role" setting, as listed in Table 5-5.

Table 5-5. "Typical role" and its caching allocations for Windows 95/98/Me
Role	Number of accessed folders cached	Number of accessed files cached	RAM used
Desktop	32	677	10 KB
Mobile/Docking	16	337	5 KB
Network Server	64	2,729	40 KB

The "typical role" settings for Windows 95 are incorrect according to Microsoft (http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;138012). The values for folders and files are reversed for Mobile and Network settings. Only the Desktop role is correct. If the Desktop setting seems right to you, leave the settings alone. If Mobile or Network settings appeal to you, then you need to correct or modify the values stored in the Windows Registry by following these steps:

Start the Windows Registry editor by selecting Start and then Run. Type in REGEDIT and then click OK.
In the left pane of the Registry Editor double-click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
Double-click Software, then double-click Windows, then double-click CurrentVersion.
Click once on the FS_Templates listing.
Notice two data entries in the right pane, one named NameCache and the other PathCache. If the "typical role" for this computer is Network (more folder and file lookup caching), enter the values shown under Network. If it's Mobile (less memory used), enter the values shown under Mobile:
```
Network 

NameCache    a9 0a 00 00

PathCache    40 00 00 00

   

Mobile

NameCache    51 01 00 00

PathCache    10 00 00 00
```
When you are finished, close the Registry Editor and then restart your computer for the new values to take effect.

If later you select the Desktop role, these values will be changed correctly for that role, but if you select Mobile or Network again, the values will be changed to the improper settings you had before.

Hack 55 Fix the Windows 95 File-Caching Bug

Figure 5-17. Disk performance controls in Windows 9x-Me

Table 5-5. "Typical role" and its caching allocations for Windows 95/98/Me