This is a system utility that allows you to set aside a portion of the memory inside your Macintosh computer. It is then used as a file storage device such as a floppy disk or a SCSI hard drive.
The reason for using such a mechanism is to gain the very high speed file access that a RAMdisk affords you, or simply to have more on line file storage.
You must take care, however, to avoid storing new or changing information on the RAMdisk. The data is stored only in electronic memory, and will disappear when you restart the Mac.
Remember that the memory you set aside for a RAMdisk is NOT available for program execution. Thus programs may cease to function, due to insufficient memory. If this occurs, you need to make your RAMdisk SMALLER.
Under some circumstances, selecting a large RAMdisk may cause the sytem to fail at Startup. If this occures, restart the machine and hold down the Shift key untill the finder is active. Return to this control panel and make the RAMdisk size smaller.
• Controls -
All options described below take effect the next time you Restart the Mac.
[X] Show startup icon
Selecting this option simply displays the program’s icon at the bottom of the screen during startup.
[X] Create (or Use with) RAMdisk
This controls the basic function of the program to create a RAMdisk. Use the ( Setup… ) button to specify the size of the RAMdisk, along with other options. (Use the Shift key at Startup to disable this option.) This control is labeled "Use with" if a RAMdisk has already been created by some other utility. In this case the existing RAMdisk is used - all controls are avaliable, but you can't use this init to set the size.
[X] Copy to RAMdisk
This indicates that you wish to copy the selected files and folders onto the RAMdisk. Use the ( Selections… ) button to select the desired Files and Folders.
[X] Switch to RAMdisk
Selecting this option allows you to execute from the System Folder on the RAMdisk. This only occures if the System and Finder files were copied to the RAMdisk. (Use the Shift key at end of file copy to disable this option.)
[X] Enter MultiFinder
To run MultiFinder on the RAMdisk, start under the Finder, copy all files and then use this option to begin MultiFinder execution.
[X] Eject Floppies
Eject any floppy disk used as a source for a file after the copy process.
[X] Arm Restart button
This Crash Saver option allows you to recover from some system crashes. Should the dreaded “BOMB” dialog appear, this option enables the ( Restart ) button in order to return to the Finder.
[X] Arm Interrupt switch
This Crash Saver option allows you to use the programmers interrupt switch in order to return to the Finder.
NOTE: Use of the Crash Saver options are not guaranteed. Since the application went awry, the Mac's memory (or your RAMdisk) may no longer be valid. If you use this feature and continue from a crash, proceed with caution. If all is not well, fully restart your Mac.
