Storage Tools 1.7 Relased

[Ed Hansberry]

<a href="http://www.softwinter.com/storagetools.html">http://www.softwinter.com/storagetools.html</a><br /><br />Storage Tools 1.7 for the Pocket PC has been released. "The most comprehensive storage card management solution, StorageTools is the first product to offer defragmentation functionality for Pocket PC devices, providing dramatic speed improvements by resolving file fragmentations."<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/hansberry/2003/20030818-storagetools.png" /><br /><br />Just some of the features of version 1.7.<br />• Display detailed file system statistics<br />• Format storage cards with any file system type and any cluster size<br />• Verify file system integrity<br />• Repair file system errors<br />• Supports all Windows CE storage media: MMC/SD, compact flash, etc.<br />• Supports FAT and FAT32 file systems<br />• Defragment files and free space<br /><br />It is $14.95 and works on <i>all</i> Pocket PC devices and even the older Palm-sized PCs.

[nihilism]

OK,

So what's the deal. What fat system do memory cards use as standard...what would the advantages be of me tweaking the settings?
I'd like to have it because its an easy way to format my ppc sd cards, but I need some more advantage than that before I splash out for it...

[cdbeckman]

just thought I'd cherp in :iamwithstupid:

need to know the real advantages even though I really think it's probably worth it. Damn pocketpc keeps getting more expensive the more I love it.

*goes to corner and thinks about new covertec case in the mail happily, doing absolutely nothing other then thinking thank you very much*

[Marc Zimmermann]

I'd rather copy my storage card contents to the PC and copy it back to the card than do a defrag. Unlike on hard disks, flash cards have a limited number of write cycles before going bad. Running a defrag will certainly put some more strain on the card through repetetive read/write-operations than a simple copy does.

[felixdd]

I'm on the road, only having computers that has enough permissions to allow the user to format (at a lab right now). CF card bugs out -- copy everything out, fix errors (this time not even deleting everything fixed the card so had to format/fix errors) -- all good again.

Mostly you'd want to use FAT32 for formatting.

Cluster sizes help you find a happy medium between speed and space.

Pretty handy, although Marc is right about the defrag I think...never though of that.

What I'd like to know is what does this newer version has to offer? What improvements were made over the older one?

[The Half-Ling]

i tested this on my 5500 and it still isnt wm2003 compatable...

Oh well,
Jake

[cdbeckman]

:jawdrop: not pocket pc 2003 compatible? kill em. :armed: :snipersmile:

thanks for the warning, I almost got this sucker. And big thanks to marc, I never would have thought of that.

-Chris

[KAMware]

I installed it on my 2215 and it works just fine. So it is PPC 2003 compatible?! At least it is for me.
:D

[Vladpet01]

Hi guys, I am a newbie here and in the PPC world. :lol:
Hei Mark!!! Could you tell me what is the limit I can make write cycles in a CF? Is there any link about this subject, it means, about why flash memory has this limity?

Thanks a lot :lol:

PS. This is the best PPC site I have found in six months after I bougth my Axim.

[Godsongz]

PS. This is the best PPC site I have found in six months after I bougth my Axim.

Best site you're going to find too! :werenotworthy:

Unlike on hard disks, flash cards have a limited number of write cycles before going bad.

That thought sends a little shiver up the spine. Any documentation on this somewhere?

[Kati Compton]

That thought sends a little shiver up the spine. Any documentation on this somewhere?
Probably. But the number is in the 100s of thousands AFAIK.

Here's a couple sites that talk about it:

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Hardware/Q_20334462.html

http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/multi_page.asp?cid=6007

[Ed Hansberry]

That thought sends a little shiver up the spine. Any documentation on this somewhere?
Probably. But the number is in the 100s of thousands AFAIK.

Hardly. http://www.kingston.com/products/cf.asp shows 10^6 hrs, or about 1,100 years. 8O

That looks a bit high, but if you look at http://www.google.com/search?q=mtbf+write+compact+flash you won't see any CF cards that will die before you do.

[Kati Compton]

Probably. But the number is in the 100s of thousands AFAIK.

Hardly. http://www.kingston.com/products/cf.asp shows 10^6 hrs, or about 1,100 years. 8O

That looks a bit high, but if you look at http://www.google.com/search?q=mtbf+write+compact+flash you won't see any CF cards that will die before you do.

On the first link you gave, I see:

Endurance: 300,000 cycles per logical sector
Plus, CF at least spreads out the writes, so that if you're just writing and erasing small files, the beginning area isn't hit repeatedly. So it can effectively last much longer than 300,000 writes.

Note that the # of reads shouldn't really matter...

PS - I got 114 years when I did the 10^6 calculation... ;)

[dma1965]

The defrag on this program takes FOREVER to do. On my 512mb SD card I started a defrag before going to bed and 8 hours later it was only 3/4 done. Nice feature, but you would have to be quite patient to make this work for you.