[AccessD] Trouble with the Compact and Repair function

Edward Zuris edzedz at comcast.net
Sun Jun 23 18:13:38 CDT 2013


 Thanks Jim,

 I have done some more testing.

 Yes, this problem is only on the new computer.

 All the test results have been on a local drive of the computer
 with the Compact and Repair problem.

 Everything is inside one big MDB file, thus the Code, SQL and Data
 are all together in the same database container / MDB file.

 The system has 16 gigabytes of main memory besides a 1 terabyte HDD.

 The paging file is current set to 64000, thus that shouldn't be causing
 any kind of memory restrictions.

 While viewing with Task Manager, the MsAccess.exe memory usages climbs
 up to 44500k, then drops down to 39500k, then climbs up to 42000k then
 to 44800K, then back down to 39000k, every two or three seconds.  About
 every two three minutes the CPU time will jump up to 1, or 2, or even
 to 5, then down to zero.  Sometime the memory usage would jump up to
 49000k then down to 41000K while the CPU time usage stays at zero.

 IAStorDataMgrSvc.exe (*32) CPU time changes constantly between 0 and 1.

 IAStorIco.exe also changes CPU times.

 So I looked at IAStorDataMgrSvc.exe

 Please see ->   http://communities.intel.com/thread/16881

 Using the ASRock Extreeme6 Motherboard it seems that AHCI mode only
 mode you have when using the 6gb SATA III port, connected to a Western
 Digital 'Black' 1-terabyte WD1002FAEX HDD.

 Strangely however the Device manager calls it an -> ATA WDC WD1002faex-0
 SCSI Disk Device.

 So in theory, since WD1002FAEX uses AHCI mode, the IAStorDataMgrSvc
 could have an impact.

 Though the Ms-Access timing does not seem to be effected one way or
 the other if IAStorDataMgrSvc was enabled, or disabled.
 
 What made a big impact was turning on the Caching policies on for this
 disk device, while leaving the option to disable Window cache flushing off.

 While doing a long complex update query went from  3 min 48 seconds,
 down to  1 min 27 seconds.    A very big improvement.

 However,  there wasn't any change to the  Compact and Repair problem
 which uses up about 35 minutes wall time while waiting for it to finish.

 It seems if an application grabs more than 195 megabytes of disk space
 the PC OS (Win7) slows the application down in an effort to prevent any
 more disk space allocation.

 I even turned off the AVG whatever protection to see if that were
 the cause, but there wasn't  any change to the bad behavior of the
 very slow Compact and Repair problem.

 So any more ideas to try ?

 Thanks.


-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Jim Dettman
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 3:58 PM
To: 'Access Developers discussion and problem solving'
Subject: Re: [AccessD] Trouble with the Compact and Repair function

Ed,

 Try the compact and repair again on the new computer and monitor the amount
of free physical memory in task manager.

 I would not think your running out on a new computer, but you never know.
If you are, then the OS may thrash back and forth to disk because of paging.

Jim. 

-----Original Message-----
From: accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com
[mailto:accessd-bounces at databaseadvisors.com] On Behalf Of Edward Zuris
Sent: Friday, June 21, 2013 04:44 PM
To: accessd at databaseadvisors.com
Subject: [AccessD] Trouble with the Compact and Repair function

 

 Dear Access Developers Forum,

 

 I having a problem with the Compact and Repair function.

 

 Please bear/endure with me on this long explanation of the problem.

 

 Currently there are two computer systems, side by side with each other, on
my desk.

 

 One is a new computer, and the other is the older computer.

 

 Both computer systems are using Windows-7 Pro 64-bit OS.

 

 Both have Office 2003 Pro, (32-bit), installed on them.

 

 During December 2011 when I was switching over Windows-7, there were
problems

 when using the larger MDB files.  

 

 The December 2011 version compatibility wizard said to use the
compatibility tab from

 properties sub-menu for MsAccess.exe,   Then set the compatibility mode to
'XP Service

 Pack 2' and the privilege level to 'Administrator'.

 

 This cleared up the issue of using very large Access 2003 MDB files.

 

 That compatibility setting is currently on both computer.

 

 The older computer, using an Intel Dual-CPU extreme chip from 2005 that can
do a

 compact and repair of a 1005 megabyte MDB down to 600 megabyte in about 4-5
minutes.

 

 Windows-7 controls the speed of the extreme CPU chip according to demand
from 3.2

 gigahertz up to 3.7 gigahertz.  When doing a Ms-Access 2003 Compact and
Repair the

 Task Manager on the older system has the task CPU times changing all the
time,

 showing that work is being done.

 

 The new computer system, which is an Intel i5-3750, quad-core 3.4GHz
(3.8GHz Turbo),

 things are up and running.   There is an increase in speed for many things.

 

 However,  when it comes to doing Compact and Repair things are not so good.

 

 For the first 15-20 seconds the Task Manager results are the same as with
the older

 computer system.  It was noticed when the temp database, DB1.mdb, grows
past 160

 megabytes the new computer system starts to slow down to a craw.  

 

 Then Task Manager on the new system shows the task CPU time to be at zero
most the

 time though at times it might jump up to 3, or 4, for a second then back to
zero for

 many minutes at a time.

 

 My guess is that it seems something is choking the system from expanding
huge

 temp Access MDB files rapidly.  

 

 I saw something like this on Digital VMS mini-computers during the late
1980's.

 Back then the fix was to adjust an VMS OS parameter to grab larger chunks
of disk

 space when expanding files.   Trading disk space for speed.

 

 When installing the ASRock Extreme6 motherboard, a whole lot of software
came with it.

 One group of items were a number of Intel software things to enhance speed
for the disk

 drive.  Is that a clue, or just a red herring ?

 

 In a test, I let the new computer system run the 'Compact and Repair'
function to 

 see if it ever would finish.   It did after 35 minutes.   Way too long!

 

 So, any ideas on how to get around this problem ?

 

 Thanks.

 

 Sincerely,

 Ed Zuris.

 edzedz at comcast.net

 

 

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