My ST_Data file also keeps growing. New results can be discarded (blank list), but somehow some old test results keep hanging around. Using the build-in Metastock utility: the starting screen does not report any existent tests (see attachment), although the counting nr. of each new test keeps increasing (234, 235 etc.) and the pie diagram shows the presence of a high % of the disk as being used for storing analysis results. Repairing the database with the MS acces repair tool or the tool of this forum (thanks) does not make the file substantially smaller (remains around 1 Gb) Which results in spoiling disk space as well as very long loading times (up to 5 minutes) of the systemtester in Metastock When I try to use the Metastock "discarding old results" tool with the "discard older then" field set at 600 days, there is no problem. (But also no results i.e. the ST_DATA file remains as large as it was). When I lower that number of days for the discarding old results field to 300 (probably some old data are originating from around this period) I first get errors : ..........increase the MaxLockPerFile nr. in the register. I had to raise the maxlockperfile nr. in steps to 400.000 to get rid of this error. But then I got the next error: insufficient temp. diskspace. (XP 1024 RAM, 6GB free diskspace and virtual memory raised up to 5 Gb.) The windows system monitor does not even comes near these memory numbers when Metastock produces this error. I have to say and report here that I find it very annoying that this problem is not straight forwardly solved by Equis although reported 3 times. This forum shows that it is a wide spread problem and I always regarded Equis is a company with good aftersales service. A bug fix should have been available a long time ago. Emails on this subject are answered with what seem to be "canned" sentences form a problem solution database. These answers often not even come close to any comprehention of the problem discribed. One Equis employee has to be praised because she at least took the effort to send me the repair RAR files. When I reported back that the problem still existed: never heard a word again. My guess is that when you delete a testsytem the results that are still present can't be removed any longer. Another possibility is that some rubbish remains behind if the system crashes the first time when the maxLocksPerFile. nr is exceeded because of a to large ST-DATA file. The standard registernr. for the MaxLocksPerFile nr. after Metastock installation is set at 185 (?). Who can help me to remove all remaining analysis results manually as discribed previously in this thread or with a fine utility as was published here previously and then removing all analysis results but not the formula? (PS when I use a clean St-Data file from a new installed version and replace the large file for this standard installation file, you loose all your own made systems but things are starting fine and fast. But sooner or later you get the same problem, also on other machines. So it must be a general Metastock bug)

IMPORTANT WARNING......... The ST_DATA cleaning utility mentioned before also removes all your favorites maps !!!!!!!!

Hi Hayseed, thanks for your information. I had tried your suggestion already many times. But just compacting and discarding unprofitable results did not shrink the database size below 1 Gig. Although these steps went error free, which could not be said from the discarding old results option only. The problem is solved for the moment with the method as described before. I will try to export the formula's ect. first next time. Although weirdly enough: my own formula's did survive the clean path this time, only my favorites folders didn't. I will keep monitoring the size of this file from now on with an eagle's eye! My trick box is fully loaded by now! By the way, you better run the cleaning tool in the system tester always twice (run and there after directly run again). The first pass leaves about 25% rubbisch in the files which is removed after the second run (???) It's a pity that every one has to struggle tot re-invent the same thing again and that Equis does not offer a permanent solution by means of a bug fix.

My results folder contains about 500 Mb. I suppose these are not the results from the systemtester routines but those from the explorer tests? These tests are to be removed from the explorer function quite easy.

The best way to resolve this issue is presented elsewhere on this forum but I will quote it here:

The large database growth is caused by really huge numbers of "zero sized order" error log records being added to the analysis events database. There it stores up to 10-20 millions of the same error log records for nothing I think.. The ST_DATABASE files grows up to 2 gig and opening the system tester is beginning to take 5 minutes at least. New tests will crash before completing because the database file gets to big. Removing explorations via the build in clean up utility does not work either because these old tests are copied before deleting using a lot o memory and/or making the file even bigger, pushing it over the lethal 2 gig size border.

I really hope that Equis fixes this boring bug which was already present in the versions 8, 9 and 10 and is still present in version 11, before the release of any version 12 or releases a patch !!!! The problem originates in testing systems with too many optimizations or too many systems on to many stocks in the same run (ie more then 2000 tests per run)


Step1 after closing the Metastockprogram.

Open the ST-database file in the equis metastock folder with MS Open acces.
(best is to make a copy of the file first.)

Step2
Open the events analysis table

Step3

Remove all zero sized order rows (click top left, hold shift and select max 500.000- 1.000.000 records per time if your computer has enough memory) press delete and acknowledge the action. (takes some time)

Repeat this step again and again until only one record is left.

Step 4.

select extra---> database help tool ---> compress and repair database

You will now sees that without deleting one result, that the database file shrinks from 2 GB to something like 2 MB

Step 5 close everything and restart Metastock

Sometimes you need extra rights to manipulate this file. In that case: copy the file to a location outside the program files folder. Perform the steps above en copy the repaired file over the old file in the program files folder.