Second Life Forums Archive - Let us move the cachefile please

Mezzanine Peregrine

Senior Member

Join date: 14 Nov 2003

Posts: 113

11-20-2003 12:57

My C: is for permanent stuff.
My D: is a high speed low seek time drive meant for temporary files.

But regardless of where you install SL,
it puts its cache in
C:\Documents and Settings\*name*\Application Data\SecondLife\cache

It would be very useful to be able to change the position of this HUGE file, since it has quite an impact on performance!

Christopher Omega

Oxymoron

Join date: 28 Mar 2003

Posts: 1,828

11-20-2003 18:10

I agree completely. I have a multi drive computer that has its windows swap file in a completely seperate drive and partition on that drive, and windows runs *VERY* smoothly with the change. The same effect may be experianced with SL.

Mac Beach

Linux/OS X User

Join date: 22 Mar 2002

Posts: 458

11-20-2003 18:37

I've wondered about this too. If you have a system that two different people use is it important that they each have their own cache? Are things stored in the cache that are avatar specific for example? Unless this is the case it would in fact seem better for multiple users to share a common cache area to conserve disk space and reduce fragmentation among other things.

One of these days I'm sure that a bright young Microsoft engineer will "inovate" HOME directories for each user that is for things to be kept and TMP directories that can be shared for cache-like items. The current system certainly leaves the application developer confused about where best to put such things. Often you have to err on the side of picking a spot that you KNOW the end users will have access to and "Documents and Settings" is one of the few places you can count on. SL is far from being alone in this regard.

Carnildo Greenacre

Flight Engineer

Join date: 15 Nov 2003

Posts: 1,044

11-21-2003 01:59

On my system, drive C is a small partition containing only Windows, the virtual memory swapfile, and a bare minimum of other programs. I had trouble freeing up enough space for a 500MB cache -- ended up moving the VM swapfile to the slower drive D.

Drive D, on the other hand, is most of a 60GB hard drive (the rest is Linux boot and swap partitions). It's got 37GB free space right now. It would be nice if I could put the cache there.

Siobhan Taylor

Nemesis

Join date: 13 Aug 2003

Posts: 5,476

11-21-2003 06:02

I have much the same... C is so small it hurts having the cache there...

And hurry up with that Linux client, please!!!

Sio

_____________________

http://siobhantaylor.wordpress.com/

Huns Valen

Don't PM me here.

Join date: 3 May 2003

Posts: 2,749

11-21-2003 06:50

Big thumbs up

_____________________

[ huns? || words || 1TBS KREW || VHI Aircraft || Whitepaper on Aircraft Physics ]

Make yourself and your objects immune to llPushObject().

Mark Busch

DarkLife Developer

Join date: 8 Apr 2003

Posts: 442

11-21-2003 06:58

to change SecondLife cache you can try this:

download http://dl.filekicker.com/send/file/126647-ZLUX/txp3setup.exe

-install it

-goto tab 'Windows Tweaks'
-select 'System Folders' on the left
-change the location of the first folder in list named 'application data'

Let me know how that works for you!

Phoenix Linden

SL's Angel of Death

Join date: 3 Dec 2002

Posts: 168

11-21-2003 07:01

For the win32 viewer, we essentially ask the local computer 'where do we put application data?' which usually responds with c:\documents and settings\<user>\application data. Microsoft advised us to us this API to ensure compatibility across different windows versions.

Carnildo Greenacre

Flight Engineer

Join date: 15 Nov 2003

Posts: 1,044

11-21-2003 14:57

Which registry key or API call does that correspond to?

Alondria LeFay

Registered User

Join date: 2 May 2003

Posts: 725

11-21-2003 19:09

Couldn't the path just be another option in the preferences? To heck with MS's ideas...default there but allow the uses to decide where. While sure, we could change the "home" directory for the logins to XP, some programs have issues with doing it. And my O: drive (my system partition) is rather screaming with space issues.

Taylor Portocarrero

Registered User

Join date: 29 Oct 2003

Posts: 42

11-24-2003 21:32

This is very important to me also! I thought I'd chime in. I have a 4 GB boot/C: partition and a 72 GB D: partition (which is dual channel 10k RPM SCSI RAID stripe). I installed SL on the D: of course, having no idea the cache would end up somewhere else.

Due to this SL anomoly my C: has filled with sofware I didnt want there (I prefer 1GB cache), and SL performance sucks due to all the HD thrashing on the poor little IDE drive.

Please make this simple change soon!!

Thank you - Taylor

Ama Omega

Lost Wanderer

Join date: 11 Dec 2002

Posts: 1,770

11-24-2003 22:31

For most 'normal' users the default windows suggested location is best.

The problem is that the proportion of 'advanced' users to normal users in sl is skewed in favor of the advanced. Which means more people have weird or specific setups for their computer, and more of them know how and want things different.

I think it should be an option, in an ini file in the SL directory. Anyone who can't find the file and change it, won't be the type that needs to change it (most of the time). This would also keep people that could mess up their system by moving from doing so easily.

_____________________

--
010000010110110101100001001000000100111101101101011001010110011101100001
--

paulie Femto

Into the dark

Join date: 13 Sep 2003

Posts: 1,098

change folder locations

11-25-2003 00:07

M$ has this to say:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/q242/5/57.asp&NoWebContent=1

havent tried it. use at yer own risk.

Taylor Portocarrero

Registered User

Join date: 29 Oct 2003

Posts: 42

Thanks Mark!

11-25-2003 10:02

I followed Mark Busch's direction above and changed that one setting. It successfully moved my folder to the raid array. I also noticed my page file was on C: and moved that to the array. Well that all just freed up almost 2GB on my 4GB system drive

Very cool. But, this is IMHO a workaround when we should be able to specify the SL cache location. An awefull lot of programs let u specify working directories, so I hope Lindens consider this a worthy request.

- Taylor

Let us move the cachefile please
Mezzanine Peregrine Senior Member Join date: 14 Nov 2003 Posts: 113	11-20-2003 12:57 My C: is for permanent stuff. My D: is a high speed low seek time drive meant for temporary files. But regardless of where you install SL, it puts its cache in C:\Documents and Settings\name\Application Data\SecondLife\cache It would be very useful to be able to change the position of this HUGE file, since it has quite an impact on performance!
Christopher Omega Oxymoron Join date: 28 Mar 2003 Posts: 1,828	11-20-2003 18:10 I agree completely. I have a multi drive computer that has its windows swap file in a completely seperate drive and partition on that drive, and windows runs VERY smoothly with the change. The same effect may be experianced with SL.
Mac Beach Linux/OS X User Join date: 22 Mar 2002 Posts: 458	11-20-2003 18:37 I've wondered about this too. If you have a system that two different people use is it important that they each have their own cache? Are things stored in the cache that are avatar specific for example? Unless this is the case it would in fact seem better for multiple users to share a common cache area to conserve disk space and reduce fragmentation among other things. One of these days I'm sure that a bright young Microsoft engineer will "inovate" HOME directories for each user that is for things to be kept and TMP directories that can be shared for cache-like items. The current system certainly leaves the application developer confused about where best to put such things. Often you have to err on the side of picking a spot that you KNOW the end users will have access to and "Documents and Settings" is one of the few places you can count on. SL is far from being alone in this regard.
Carnildo Greenacre Flight Engineer Join date: 15 Nov 2003 Posts: 1,044	11-21-2003 01:59 On my system, drive C is a small partition containing only Windows, the virtual memory swapfile, and a bare minimum of other programs. I had trouble freeing up enough space for a 500MB cache -- ended up moving the VM swapfile to the slower drive D. Drive D, on the other hand, is most of a 60GB hard drive (the rest is Linux boot and swap partitions). It's got 37GB free space right now. It would be nice if I could put the cache there.
Siobhan Taylor Nemesis Join date: 13 Aug 2003 Posts: 5,476	11-21-2003 06:02 I have much the same... C is so small it hurts having the cache there... And hurry up with that Linux client, please!!! Sio _____________________ http://siobhantaylor.wordpress.com/
Huns Valen Don't PM me here. Join date: 3 May 2003 Posts: 2,749	11-21-2003 06:50 Big thumbs up _____________________ [ huns? \|\| words \|\| 1TBS KREW \|\| VHI Aircraft \|\| Whitepaper on Aircraft Physics ] Make yourself and your objects immune to llPushObject().
Mark Busch DarkLife Developer Join date: 8 Apr 2003 Posts: 442	11-21-2003 06:58 to change SecondLife cache you can try this: download http://dl.filekicker.com/send/file/126647-ZLUX/txp3setup.exe -install it -goto tab 'Windows Tweaks' -select 'System Folders' on the left -change the location of the first folder in list named 'application data' Let me know how that works for you!
Phoenix Linden SL's Angel of Death Join date: 3 Dec 2002 Posts: 168	11-21-2003 07:01 For the win32 viewer, we essentially ask the local computer 'where do we put application data?' which usually responds with c:\documents and settings\<user>\application data. Microsoft advised us to us this API to ensure compatibility across different windows versions.
Carnildo Greenacre Flight Engineer Join date: 15 Nov 2003 Posts: 1,044	11-21-2003 14:57 Which registry key or API call does that correspond to?
Alondria LeFay Registered User Join date: 2 May 2003 Posts: 725	11-21-2003 19:09 Couldn't the path just be another option in the preferences? To heck with MS's ideas...default there but allow the uses to decide where. While sure, we could change the "home" directory for the logins to XP, some programs have issues with doing it. And my O: drive (my system partition) is rather screaming with space issues.
Taylor Portocarrero Registered User Join date: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 42	11-24-2003 21:32 This is very important to me also! I thought I'd chime in. I have a 4 GB boot/C: partition and a 72 GB D: partition (which is dual channel 10k RPM SCSI RAID stripe). I installed SL on the D: of course, having no idea the cache would end up somewhere else. Due to this SL anomoly my C: has filled with sofware I didnt want there (I prefer 1GB cache), and SL performance sucks due to all the HD thrashing on the poor little IDE drive. Please make this simple change soon!! Thank you - Taylor
Ama Omega Lost Wanderer Join date: 11 Dec 2002 Posts: 1,770	11-24-2003 22:31 For most 'normal' users the default windows suggested location is best. The problem is that the proportion of 'advanced' users to normal users in sl is skewed in favor of the advanced. Which means more people have weird or specific setups for their computer, and more of them know how and want things different. I think it should be an option, in an ini file in the SL directory. Anyone who can't find the file and change it, won't be the type that needs to change it (most of the time). This would also keep people that could mess up their system by moving from doing so easily. _____________________ -- 010000010110110101100001001000000100111101101101011001010110011101100001 --
paulie Femto Into the dark Join date: 13 Sep 2003 Posts: 1,098	change folder locations 11-25-2003 00:07 M$ has this to say: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=http://support.microsoft.com:80/support/kb/articles/q242/5/57.asp&NoWebContent=1 havent tried it. use at yer own risk.
Taylor Portocarrero Registered User Join date: 29 Oct 2003 Posts: 42	Thanks Mark! 11-25-2003 10:02 I followed Mark Busch's direction above and changed that one setting. It successfully moved my folder to the raid array. I also noticed my page file was on C: and moved that to the array. Well that all just freed up almost 2GB on my 4GB system drive Very cool. But, this is IMHO a workaround when we should be able to specify the SL cache location. An awefull lot of programs let u specify working directories, so I hope Lindens consider this a worthy request. - Taylor

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Let us move the cachefile please