MB> I've got 20MB of memory in this system, and all it runs 
 MB> is Binkley and TimEd, with Squish doing the tossing, so 
 MB> I've not run into any real memory problems

Ok, then you shouldn't hit issues from lack of real memory using the 16 bit
version of Squish....

 PK> You would probaly gain quite a bit in a few areas
 PK> by using a .SQD message base, it will not only perform better, but
 PK> consume less disk space and also help with the directory entry
 PK> issue. 

You should go to squish format, which sqconv will let you do and keep your
current message base.....

 MB> Disk space is also not a real issue, as there is a 
 MB> 2.5GB drive in this system, with really not much else 
 MB> running on it. Performance would be the big gain.

 PK> If I recall correctly, the Squish API holds the message base index
 PK> in memory, so its probably more of a memory limitiation than
 PK> anything else. I have heard of people with 50,000+ message stored
 PK> in one Squish area, but I have not done that myself...

 MB> The area currently has 4001 messages (highest message 
 MB> number 27052) consuming 7.446 MB of space on an 80 MB 
 MB> logical drive with 40 MB free.

4K messages times .5K minimum block size is 2Mb.....  I assume your 7.446
Mb is from a directory listing which *hides* the disk space wasted because
you are using one file per message.  For 4K messages that's only about 256
bytes per message, so only about 1Mb of additional space....  Ah....  but
it isn't 1/2K blocks....  On 80 Mb FAT partition, I believe it is 4K or 8K
blocks....  At 8K blocks, you will average 4K wasted space per file, times
4K files, which means you are wasting about 16Mb of disk space on that 80
Mb partition....  Squish would not waste that much of the partition.....

 PK> Yup, when it comes to online communications, reliabilty is a pretty
 PK> important factor.

Ok....  Use sqconv to renumber each message area after you have made a
backup copy of that message area.....  [sqconv is part of the squish
package of tools, and can convert from *.msg or squish type message bases
to *.msg or squish type message bases.....]

 MB> I'm often only in town from fairly late Friday night to 
 MB> early Monday morning for weeks at a time, so I don't 
 MB> have time to mess with things much.

Ah.....  Now that becomes the issue....

Take care.....

Bob Jones, 1:343/41

--- Maximus/2 3.01