How to Use Msinfo32.exe to Optimize CD-ROM Cache Settings

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To use the Microsoft System Information utility to optimize CD-ROM performance in Windows, follow these steps:

1. Insert the CD-ROM for one of the programs listed at the beginning of this article into the CD-ROM drive. Press and hold down the SHIFT key as you insert the CD-ROM to prevent the program from starting automatically.
2. Locate the Msinfo32.exe file on the CD-ROM and copy it to the desktop.
3. On the desktop, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
4. On the Performance tab, click File System.
5. On the CD-ROM tab, move the Supplemental cache size slider all the way to the left (the Small position).
6. In the Optimize access pattern for box, click No Read-Ahead.
7. Click OK, and then click Close.
8. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Yes.
9. On the desktop, double-click the Msinfo32.exe file.
10. Under System Info, click CD-ROM, and then note the following values:
    • Data Transfer Rate
      
      NOTE: To comply with the Multimedia Personal Computer Level 2 (MPC2) specification, this value must be at least 300.0 KB/s. The Data Transfer Rate must be 600.0 KB/s or faster if you want to run a program that requires a quad-speed CD-ROM drive.
      
      
    • CPU Util @ 300KB/s
      
      NOTE: To comply with the MPC2 specification, this value must be no higher than 60 percent. For best performance, this value should be no higher than 30 percent, and a value less than 10 percent is ideal.
      
      
    • Data Transfer Integrity
      
      NOTE: This value should always be Tested OK.
11. Click Refresh (!) on the toolbar, and then note the new values. Repeat this step four times, and then calculate and record the average values for Data Transfer Rate and CPU Util @ 300KB/s. If the value for Data Transfer Integrity is not Tested OK after any test, record the configuration as "Data Suspect," and then proceed to the next step.
12. Quit the Microsoft System Information tool.
13. Repeat steps 3-12 for each Supplemental cache size slider position.
14. Repeat steps 3-8 to change the value in the Optimize access pattern for box to match the actual CD-ROM drive speed.
15. Repeat steps 3-12 for each Supplemental cache size slider position.
    
    NOTE: Do not change the value in the Optimize access pattern for box that you set in step 14.
16. Use your notes to determine which configuration achieves the best CD-ROM performance with no loss of data integrity. This is the optimal configuration of the CD-ROM drive.
17. Repeat steps 3-8 to change the position of the Supplemental cache size slider and the value in the Optimize access pattern for box to match the optimal configuration of the CD-ROM drive.

In most cases, you can optimize CD-ROM performance in Windows 95 by moving the Supplemental cache size slider all the way to the right (the Large position) and then clicking the actual CD-ROM drive speed in the Optimize access pattern for box. However, in some cases you may achieve better results with reduced cache settings. The following table shows how different combinations of CD-ROM cache settings typically affect CD-ROM drive performance:

   Supplemental
   Cache Size     No Read-Ahead         Actual CD-ROM speed
   --------------------------------------------------------

   Small          Data Transfer Rate:   Data Transfer Rate:
                  Slowest               Slower

                  CPU Util @ 300KB/s:   CPU Util @ 300KB/s:
                  Heaviest              Lighter

   Large          Data Transfer Rate:   Data Transfer Rate:
                  Faster                Fastest

                  CPU Util @ 300KB/s:   CPU Util @ 300KB/s:
                  Heavier               Lightest
				

NOTE: In the Optimize access pattern for box, click only No Read-Ahead or the setting that matches the speed of the CD-ROM drive. If you click a setting that is faster than the speed of the CD-ROM drive, you may experience one or more of the following problems:

• Performance of the CD-ROM drive decreases significantly.
  
  
• Media files on CD-ROM skip or stutter when you play them.
  
  
• You receive an "Error reading file" or "Cannot read from drive" error message when you attempt to open a file on a CD-ROM.
  
  
• The computer stops responding (hangs) when you attempt to open a file on a CD-ROM.