Stac Unveils Stacker 3.0 for Windows and DOS

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       STACKER NOTE                                         STACKER NOTE

                      Stac Unveils Stacker 3.0 for Windows and DOS

                                            

       STAC FAX 1103  (10/26/92)

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       Stac Unveils Stacker for Windows and DOS. New Release Provides  Tools  for

       Monitoring and Tuning Performance Enhancements.

       

       

       CARLSBAD,  Calif.,  October 26, 1992 - Stac Electronics (NASDAQ:STAC),  the

       leading  supplier  of high performance data compression  for  IBM  PCs  and

       compatibles, today announced the availability of Stacker  3.0  for  Windows 

       and DOS. This new version, which  installs  from Windows or DOS, enhances 

       Stacker's disk doubling capabilities with increased performance, data 

       security and new tools that enable users to  monitor  and tune  the 

       compression and performance of their systems.  "Stacker has  been designed  

       for  the Windows user who isn't necessarily out of  disk  space," said  

       Gary  Clow,  Stac's  president  and  chief  executive  officer.   "By 

       installing  Stacker from the start, Windows users get the benefit of  using

       our  new  monitoring tools that function like the gauges on a car dashboard

       to keep tabs on the disk drive."

       

       Monitoring Gives Insights into Drive Performance:  Stackometer 

       Windows users can monitor their systems with the new Stackometer, a set  of

       real-time gauges showing disk capacity, compression ratio and fragmentation

       levels.   The  Stackometer  can display any  or  all  of  a  user's  drives

       simultaneously, providing useful feedback at a glance. DOS  users  can  get

       information  on  their systems with a new tool that gives drive  statistics

       based on the compression ratios of various file types.

       

       Flexible Setup for Less Technical and Advanced Users Alike

       "Stacker  for  Windows  and DOS caters to the needs  of  a  full  range  of

       users,"said Anne Galdos, Stacker product manager.  "We've made installation

       much  easier for less technical users who simply want to double their  disk

       capacity, and we provide the tools and functionality for advanced users who

       want to customize and maximize system performance."  Stacker now offers  an

       Express Setup that Stacks a system with minimal user interaction.  This can

       be  accomplished from either Windows or DOS.  In addition, Stacker provides

       comprehensive,  context-sensitive on-line help in  both  Windows  and  DOS.

       Stacker's  Custom  Setup  offers  the  more  experienced  user  a  host  of

       configuration  options for maximum control These options  include  expected

       compression   ratio,  cluster  size,  EMS  support,  and   path   statement

       modification.  Custom Setup also provides users the ability to  tune  their

       systems from maximum speed or maximum compression.

       

       Tuning:  Customizing Compression for Optimal Performance

       Stacker  now allows users to maximize the performance of their  systems  by

       tuning  the  speed  and compression ratio.  The default setting  gives  the

       fastest  performance and uses the least amount of memory.  By changing  the

       settings, users can opt for more compression - up to 10 percent - with  and

       only  a small decrease in speed.  This means that on a 200 MB drive,  users

       can  gain  up  to  40  MB  of  additional  space.   In  a  typical  Windows

       environment,  this might mean being able to add two new  applications.   In

       addition,  users of faster machines may wish to maximize their systems  for

       compression,   since  for  them  the  speed  tradeoff  is  likely   to   be

       imperceptible.

       

       

       Password Protection

       Users   can  password-protect  Stacked  drives  for  either  read-only   or

       read/write access.  This feature offers security for all files on a Stacked

       drive.  By choosing read-only, users can allow others to read files but not

       to  alter the data.  Read/write access allows users full access to the data

       providing they know the password.

       

       Read and Write Stacked Floppies on Any System:  Stacker Anywhere™

       Stacker  for  Windows and DOS allows users to both read and  write  Stacked

       floppies,  Bernoulli disks, Syquest cartridges, Flopticals or any removable

       media  on  any  PC, even one where Stacker is not installed.  With  Stacker

       Anywhere, data can truly be shared across all PCs easily and transparently.

       

       Support for 2 Gigabyte Disk Drives

       Stacker for Windows and DOS now supports Stacked drives up to 1 gigabyte in

       size,  yielding  2 gigabyte Stacker drives.  Previous versions  of  Stacker

       were limited to 512 megabytes per Stacker drive.

       

       Faster and More Flexible Stacker Optimizer

       Stacker's  disk  optimizer  has  been improved  to  provide  a  substantial

       increase in speed.  In addition, the optimizer has been enhanced, providing

       visual representation of the defragmentation process on screen, similar  to

       popular disk utility products. A new quick defragmentation option has  been

       added to speed the process even further.

       

       UnStack

       With  Stacker  for Windows and DOS, users now have the ability  to  UnStack

       compressed disks. Designed primarily for corporate software evaluators, the

       UnStack command automatically returns the system to its original state.

       

       Transparency

       Stac  has  made several enhancements to make Stacker's operation even  more

       seamless  than  before.   Stacker Setup recognizes Windows  permanent  swap

       files  and  handles them automatically.  The Automount feature  means  that

       Stacked   removable  drives  are  immediately  ready  to   use.    Improved

       synchronization  means  Stacker detects changes to a user's  configuration,

       and automatically updates system files.

       

       Compatibility

       As  with  all  Stacker products, Stacker for Windows and DOS is  compatible

       with all standard disk drives, utilities, applications, memory managers and

       caching programs.

       

       Price and Availability

       Stacker  for Windows and DOS will begin shipping October 30.  The suggested

       retail  price  is  $149.  An upgrade release is available  at  a  suggested

       retail price of $49.95 through retail channels and direct from the company.

       The  upgrade release requires that an earlier Stacker version be previously

       installed.   Stacker  for Windows and DOS version 3.0 is  fully  compatible

       with all Stacker hardware.

       

       The Company

       Stac   Electronics  is  the  leading  supplier  of  high-performance   data

       compression  product for IBM PCs and compatibles.  The company's  products,

       implemented  in software and silicon, are sold direct form the company  and

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       Copyright 1992, Stac Electronics