Speed Doubler 8 includes one control panel (Speed Doubler™ 8) and one extension (Speed Doubler™ 8 extension).
The Speed Doubler 8 installer automatically sets the disk cache size in the Memory control panel to approximately 1/16th the amount of physical RAM currently installed; if the cache size is already larger than 1/16th the amount of physical RAM, no adjustment is made. You can adjust the size of the disk cache at any time by using the disk cache setting in the Memory control panel (you will need to restart your Macintosh for changes to the disk cache size to take effect).
Speed Doubler 8 List Server: Users with an electronic mail address can subscribe to the Speed Doubler 8 List Server to receive -- by electronic mail -- current information about Speed Doubler 8, including notification of new updates. To subscribe, send email to:
majordomo@connectix.com
with 'subscribe speed-doubler-list' in the body of the message. You may also subscribe on the Web at:
You can disable Speed Doubler 8 by holding down the SHIFT key at boot immediately *after* the "Welcome to MacOS" screen appears. You may release the SHIFT key after Speed Doubler 8’s icon appears with an “X” through it.
Speed Doubler 8 consists of six main features: Faster File Copying, Faster Disk Performance, Faster Emulation (on PowerPC's only), Keyboard Power, Hot Keys and Copy Agent (on MacOS 8 or later). If you suspect a problem with Speed Doubler 8, try isolating the problem by turning off individual features in the Speed Doubler 8 control panel.
Holding down the CONTROL key in MacOS™ 7 or the SHIFT key in MacOS 8 while initiating a copy will disable Speed Doubler 8’s Faster File Copying for that one copy session, reverting to a normal Finder copy. If you are having a problem copying files with Speed Doubler 8, try disabling Speed Doubler 8 (as described above) to see if the Finder exhibits similar problems.
If you are using RAM Doubler™, you must use RAM Doubler™ 2 version 2.0.2 or later. If you have an earlier version of RAM Doubler 2, you may use the included updater to update to version 2.0.2. If you have RAM Doubler version 1.x, contact Connectix to find out how to upgrade to RAM Doubler 2.
Speed Doubler 8 requires MacOS 7.5.5 or later. For more information about updating to MacOS 7.5.5, visit the Apple Web page at:
http://www.info.apple.com/
In order to take advantage of Speed Doubler 8’s Faster Network Copy Protocol, you must have Open Transport 1.1.2 or later installed. Open Transport 1.1.2 is available from the following location:
Although clicking the "Select Folder" button allows you to choose a folder, nothing will be installed in that selected folder; rather, items from a full install will be placed in the System Folder and upon the Desktop appropriately. If a "Custom Install" is performed, items will be placed only in the areas appropriate to them (Extension and Control Panel into System Folder, Desktop Pictures to the Desktop).
The Faster Emulation feature is designed only for the Power Macintosh®. It is compatible with the PowerPC 601, 603, and 604 processors. Faster Emulation is disabled on machines booting with a 680x0 processor.
Alchemy -- sound editing music software by Passport Designs -- is not compatible with Speed Doubler 8's Faster Emulation feature, or any dynamic recompiling emulator. Passport Designs is aware of the problem and is working on a solution.
Sassafras Keyserver users should use version 4.0.3.3 or later. Call Sassafras for an update or download an updater from:
ftp.sassafras.com
pub/keyaccess/keyaccess4033.sit.hqx
Nisus Writer users should use version 3.0.6 or later.
Users of Akimbo Systems' FullWrite should use version 2.0.4 or later.
Thunder 7 users should use version 1.5.4 or later. Thunder 7 is now a Casady & Greene product sold as Spell Catcher™.
Momentum Port Juggler users should use version 3.0 or later.
GDT PowerPrint users should use version 3.0 or later.
LaCie Silverlining (drive formatting software) users should use version 5.6.1 or later.
Users of the game Onslaught should update to version 1.0.5 or later.
Users of the shareware extension "Click, there it is" should use version 1.0.6 or later.
Exodus (UNIX software) users should use version 1.0.2 or later.
*Important* From Ziff-Davis' MacBench 4.0 Read Me file: "The Mac OS has a bug with IDE drives and virtual memory. The effect of this bug is that the disk tests don't run reliably -- and may hang -- on some Alchemy-based Mac OS systems with IDE startup volumes and virtual memory turned on." MacBench 4.0 users should be aware of this problem (which happens with both Apple's Virtual Memory and Connectix RAM Doubler™) when attempting to benchmark their systems.
Faster Disk Performance uses the amount of memory allocated to the disk cache in the Memory control panel. The amount is set automatically during Speed Doubler 8 installation and can be adjusted at any time through the disk cache setting in the Memory control panel.
Photoshop Users: Faster Disk Performance is "Photoshop Aware". This means that this feature understands the disk caching mechanisms used by Photoshop and will let Photoshop handle its caching when appropriate, regardless of the size of the disk cache. Adobe currently suggests setting your disk cache to 32k when using Photoshop. If you are using the Faster Disk Performance feature we recommend you ignore this suggestion and leave your cache at the setting created during Speed Doubler 8 installation, or at the very least 128Kb.
Stacker and/or the Stacker Removable Extension allocates an amount of memory equal to the size of the disk cache setting in the Memory control panel. As a result, system memory requirements increase accordingly; for example a configuration with a 1024Kb disk cache allocation and Stacker installed sees a memory of usage of 2048Kb.
Users of APS PowerTools and Casablanca Works Drive7 should disable these drivers' caching functions (use the 'disable driver cache' setting in those products) and leave 'disable System cache' unchecked in these control panels. Otherwise, drive performance decreases with both Faster Disk Performance and driver caching enabled.
Users of "sAVe the Disk", a freeware extension for the Centris/Quadra 660AV and 840AV should upgrade to version 1.5 or later.
Speed Doubler 8’s Faster File Copying requires AppleScript to be installed. AppleScript is installed by default on all supported versions of MacOS.
Speed Doubler 8’s Faster Network Copy Protocol is not compatible with previous versions of Speed Doubler 2. Files transfers to and from computers Speed Doubler 2 installed will not be accelerated by the Faster Network Copy Protocol.
Faster File Copying will not take place if there is insufficient free memory for the application to start running.
Faster File Copying and Speed Erase are not activated by actions initiated via contextual menus (e.g. Duplicate, Empty Trash, etc.). We are investigating a solution for this in a future release.
Faster File Copying and Speed Erase are not activated by actions initiated by AppleScript.
As with Finder, user wishing to copy (or Smart Replace or Synchronize) folders on the Desktop should remember that drag-and-dropping a like-named folder to or from the Desktop and the same volume on which it is located results in a move not a copy. In the case of a move, the dialog “An Item named <folder-name> already exists in this location” will not contain the Smart Replace and Synchronize buttons. To make a move into a copy, simply hold down the OPTION key while dragging the folder.
Some minor cosmetic display problems have been noted with the IXMICRO Twin Turbo Graphics/Video Accelerator card and version 4.0.2 of the Twin Turbo software installed. Specifically, two errant pixels appear at the start of text in the copy window. The problems are not apparent when the card's video acceleration is disabled.
Some cosmetic display problems have been noted when the Kaleidoscope shareware product is installed.
Files compressed with AutoDoubler, Now Compress, Now QuickFiler (part of Now Utilities), and SpaceSaver are decompressed when copied.
Faster File Copying will automatically be turned off in the Speed Doubler 8 control panel if another copy-enhancing product -- such as Symantec's Copy Doubler -- is installed. In this case, you must remove or deactivate these other copy-enhancers before you can turn on Faster File Copying.
Faster File Copying may crash when transferring files to or from a server when Asanté NetDoubler™ 1.5ß2 and AppleShare Client 3.7 or later is installed. To workaround this problem, disable NetDoubler or bypass Faster File Copying using the procedure described in the TROUBLESHOOTING TIPS section. Connectix and Asanté are working to resolve this issue.
Copying files into a System Folder is always performed by the Finder, as various types of file may have to be auto-routed to specific folders in the System Folder.
You can bypass Faster File Copying and Speed Erase by holding down the CONTROL key in MacOS 7 or the SHIFT key in MacOS 8 when copying, duplicating, or emptying the Trash. In these cases, the Finder will complete the task.
Under MacOS 7, the help menu is represented by an icon. You can use Keyboard Power to access this menu directly by pressing the Keyboard Power modifiers and the question mark ('?') key. Using Keyboard Power's default modifiers settings, this key combination is CONTROL+SHIFT+?.
Under either MacOS 8 or MacOS 7 with Appearance Manager installed and when "System-wide platinum appearance" is disabled in the Appearance control panel, the help menu is represented by an icon in applications which are not Appearance Manager-savvy. You can use Keyboard Power to directly access the help menu in these applications using the same method described above.
When using Keyboard Power arrow keys in a WYSIWYG menu, the cursor may lock up. When using Keyboard Power with Now Menus 4.0/4.0.1, Keyboard Power may not select the proper items on menus which are long enough to be scrolled. You may still use Keyboard Power with WYSIWYG menus or Now Menus. To avoid conflicts do not use Keyboard Power in a WYSIWYG menu or in a Now Menu that is long enough to be scrolled.
Extensions (for example: Kiwi PowerWindows, WordFinder+, etc.) that add their own menus in the menu bar should load after the Speed Doubler 8 control panel in order to be accessed by Keyboard Power.
Keyboard Power’s underlines do not appear in menus when SmoothType 1.3.1 or earlier is installed and the current system font is not Chicago, Geneva or Monaco.
In order to open files under MacOS 7, Speed Doubler 8’s Hot Keys requires that AppleScript and Finder Scripting Extension are installed. AppleScript and Finder Scripting Extension are installed by default on all supported versions of MacOS 7.
In Netscape Communicator when “By default, use HTML in messages” is disabled, using a hot key to type some text may result in some missing letters. To avoid this problem, either enable “By default, use HTML in messages” or choose a hot key that does not use the COMMAND key.
Hot Keys intercepts key strokes before an application has a chance to process them. If you create a hot key and assign it a key combination that is used by an application, Hot Keys will intercept those key strokes and perform the assigned action. The application will never see the keystroke. For example, you create a hot key to type the current date and assign it COMMAND-D. The Finder uses COMMAND-D as an alternative to selecting Duplicate from the File menu. When you type COMMAND-D in the Finder, nothing will appear to happen since Hot Keys intercepts the keystroke and attempts to type the current date. For this reason, you should avoid choose key combinations which are used by other applications.
Copy Agent is available only under MacOS 8 or later.
If a source or destination of the scheduled copy is on a server, the server’s volume must be mounted on the desktop before you can add it to the scheduled copy. Likewise, the volume must be mounted on the desktop when the scheduled copy runs.
