>I think we're all generally impressed with Windows' cacheing, though we know very little of its details. But I also worry about things like this one. In particular I worry that MS may use totally different I/O mechanisms for products like SQL Server versus regular run-of-the-mill products. If this is anywhere near the case then we could be heading for trouble.

I'm not impressed with Windows caching ... (Load up System Monitor on Windows ME sometime and watch the pitifull memory management).

And, to answer your question, yes, SQL Server basically manages its files "without much use of the operating systems". Also, SQL Server opens files with the FILE_FLAG_WRITE_THROUGH flag, which instructs the OS to acknowledge "when the hardware reports that the bits are actually on disk".

Sounds like a cheap change to VFP.

>I'm getting one strong feeling though, and that is that our MS software engineers amy have gone too far already in the quest for speed in the "regular user" platforms.
>And an implosion amy be on the way.

I doubt whether too many MS OS software engineers (who might be quite adept at writing drivers and channel programs) know much about "business transactions".