The Norton SpeedDisk utility, PC Tools Compress utility, or any disk
optimization utilities are not compatible with the MS-DOS FASTOPEN.EXE
utility.
Microsoft has confirmed that in order to avoid data corruption,
FASTOPEN.EXE should not be loaded when using a disk optimization or disk
compaction utility. This is usually done by disabling or removing the
FASTOPEN command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file and rebooting the
system before the disk optimizer is used.
FASTOPEN.EXE stores the locations of files and directories in memory,
making access to these files faster than normal. Disk optimizers like
Speed Disk and Compress move files around, changing the location of
the file. However, FASTOPEN.EXE does not realize that the file has
been moved, and if the file is accessed after the disk optimization,
the file is not properly read because FASTOPEN accesses the file's
old location. This can cause file and data corruption.
For more information on FASTOPEN.EXE and disk optimizers, query on the
following words:
FASTOPEN DISK OPTIMIZER
Symantec, manufacturer of Norton Utilitis, has released Norton Utilities
version 6.01, which prompts you to disable FASTOPEN.EXE to prevent you from
optimizing the disk with it in memory. Owners of Norton Utilities 6.0 may
call Norton technical support at (213) 319-2000 to obtain a free upgrade to
version 6.01.
Reference(s):
"Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and Reference," version 5.0, page 487