Amiga multi-tasking....Can't do anything else when copying files...

[mingle]

Hi,

This is a fairly fundamental question, I guess...

When I'm copying a large number of files from one HD partition to another, or from my external CF card adapter, I can't do anything else - apart from resize windows or drag the Workbench screen down.

I've never really noticed it before - admittedly I've never really copied many files around previously.

I have a Blizzard 030 accelerator, 32MB of fast RAM and I'm running KS/WB3.1 with the Executive task scheduler running as well...

Does this sound right, or is something amiss with my config?

Cheers,

Mike.

[motorollin]

This is normal. OS3.9 allows Workbench to multitask while doing file operations. 3.5 might too, but I have never used it.

--
moto

[jj]

I believe palin OS3.9 does not allow it either.  Pretty sure it was BB1 that brought this in

[Vulture]

You must have asyncwb running in your startup. Can't recall if it was 3.5BB2 or 3.9BB1 that introduced it, but - in any case - you should have 3.9BB2 installed for optimum experience so asyncwb would definitely be in there. I'm also not quite sure it is copied during installation, so you should check your installation disks/BB archives and find it and copy it yourself.

[Piru]

Lack of async operations in Workbench aside, using the internal IDE interface requires use of the CPU, and the filesystem process runs at priority 10.

If you really must be able to use some application or shell comfortably while such large copy is in progress, you can do it by raising the priority of the processes in question. Running them at priority 11 should help. Obviously this only works for the interactive processes, anything consuming tons of CPU time should not be adjusted.

BTW. Is 3.9 AsyncWB really stable? I remember talk of some nasty bugs in it.

[krize]

Works fine in Os3.9 for me.. Never experienced any crash when running copies..

[alexh]

As has already been said it's totally normal. File operations are blocking in AmigaOS.

I remember first seeing non blocking file I/O (on the Amiga) for WB alternative "Scalos" and thinking, way cool!

If you do not have a DMA capable SCSI card then it probably isn't worth looking into as the CPU will be performing the File I/O?

[meega]

There was Jazzbench many years ago - that was supposed to be fully multitasking. Or you could try "Run Copy ..." which should do the trick too (that might have been what Jazzbench did).

[motorollin]

Wow, Jazzbench! That brought back memories! At the time I couldn't really work out what it was supposed to be other than a Workbench disk with some tools included. Did it have some more fundamental changes than that?

Also, was it Jazzbench that had a sample from 2001 of Hal saying "I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't let you do that" as the error sound?

--
moto

[meega]

I have no idea, I never got it to work... when I came across it I was using an A500+ and I think Jazzbench was for earlier systems and just didn't like Kick2/ECS.

[darksun9210]

didn't jazzbench also allow/promise an 8 colour workbench in 1.3?

blimey, blast from the past...! :-D

[Crumb]

@mingle

Perhaps you could simply use DirectoryOpus4 or some other filemanager like FileMaster (this one allows multitasking, unlike DOpus4) http://aminet.net/package/util/dir/NewFilemaster

[JLF65]

Crumb wrote:
@mingle

Perhaps you could simply use DirectoryOpus4 or some other filemanager like FileMaster (this one allows multitasking, unlike DOpus4) http://aminet.net/package/util/dir/NewFilemaster

Bingo! Give the man a cigar.  :-D

Don't use WB for things like copying files. Use a real file manager... which means DOpus or the like. You'll be much happier.

[ncafferkey]

Piru wrote:
BTW. Is 3.9 AsyncWB really stable? I remember talk of some nasty bugs in it.

Yes, I remember having problems with it, but I can't remember the details. One quirky bug that I made a note of at the time was that if you tried to copy a hard link to another volume, it attempted to create a hard link spanning the volumes. But I think there might have been worse bugs too.

[stefcep2]

From memory you are using a compact flash card on the A1200 internal IDE bus?  Reading data from the compact flash card is VERY fast.  Writing to compact flash on your set up is VERY slow.  I think this is just the way compact flash works and also due to the IDE bus on the A1200 that locks up the CPU when writing.  I found that my original 40 meg hard drive writes faster than my compact flash!!!