| Developer(s) | Microsoft,Digital Research,Novell |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1987, 37–38 years ago |
| Operating system | MS-DOS,DR DOS,SISNE plus |
| Type | Command |
In computing,FASTOPEN is aDOSterminate-and-stay-residentcommand, introduced inMS-DOS version 3.3,[1] that provides accelerated access to frequently-usedfiles and directories.[2] The command is also available inSISNE plus.[3]
The command works withhard disks, but not withdiskettes (probably for security when swapping) or with network drives (probably because such drives do not offer block-level access, only file-level access).
It is possible to specify for which drivesFASTOPEN should operate, how many files and directories should becached on each (10 by default, up to 999 total), how many regions for each drive should be cached and whether the cache should be located in conventional orexpanded memory.
If a diskdefragmenter tool is used, or ifWindows Explorer is to move files or directories, whileFASTOPEN is installed, it is necessary to reboot the computer afterwards, becauseFASTOPEN would remember the old position of files and directories, causing MS-DOS to display garbage if e.g. "DIR" was performed.
DR DOS 6.0 includes an implementation of theFASTOPEN command.[4]FASTOPEN is also part of theWindows XPMS-DOS subsystem to maintain MS-DOS and MS OS/2 version 1.x compatibility. It is not available onWindows XP 64-Bit Edition.[5]
The "fastopen" name has since been reused for various other "accelerating" software products.
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