Zoomer PDA Technical Information

Palm Technical Notes

Source: Palm Computing

PCMCIA Memory Note

File structure on the PCMCIA flash memory card can affect performance.

You may build parallel folder structures on your PCMCIA card, for example C:\GEOWORKS\WORLD\Main in order to be able to see/launch executable programs from the PCMCIA card in the Launcher Main menu. This makes it easy to put new applications on your PDA without worrying about how much space is available on your B: drive, or to have to go into the file manager and open your programs on the C: drive each time you want to launch them.

The cost of this, however, is that the operating system will search the C: drive structure first every time an application is launched. This slows launching a noticeable amount, varying with the amount stored on the PCMCIA card.

PCMCIA cards which are only used for storage, and do not have a parallel file structure to the one on the PDA are NOT automatically accessed, and so do not cause any delay in operations.

!! Warning: If you are launching an application which uses program libraries on the PCMCIA memory card, removing the memory card while the program is running may cause your PDA to crash.

Generally, for best performance, keep programs and libraries on the B:[internal] drive, and use your C: card for data files and backup.

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brian@grot.com 6/28/95

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