diff --git a/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/include/DataRecordGroup.hh b/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/include/DataRecordGroup.hh
index 2da2c306..c3d47d3b 100644
--- a/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/include/DataRecordGroup.hh
+++ b/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/include/DataRecordGroup.hh
@@ -45,6 +45,7 @@ namespace Trick {
     class DataRecordBuffer {
         public:
             char *buffer;       /* ** generic holding buffer for data */
+            char *curr_buffer;  /* ** current position in the buffer */
             char *last_value;   /* ** holding buffer for last value, used for DR_Changes_step */
             REF2 * ref ;        /* ** size/address/units information of variable */
             bool ref_searched ; /* ** reference information has been searched */
diff --git a/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DRAscii.cpp b/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DRAscii.cpp
index 0e88257e..b96ca73f 100644
--- a/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DRAscii.cpp
+++ b/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DRAscii.cpp
@@ -57,6 +57,13 @@ int Trick::DRAscii::format_specific_init() {
     /* Calculate a "worst case" for space used for 1 record. */
     writer_buff = (char *)calloc(1 , record_size * rec_buffer.size()) ;
 
+    /* This loop touches all of the memory locations in the allocation forcing the
+       system to actually do the allocation */
+    for ( jj= 0 ; jj < record_size * rec_buffer.size() ; jj += 1024 ) {
+        writer_buff[jj] = 1 ;
+    }
+    writer_buff[record_size * rec_buffer.size() - 1] = 1 ;
+
     out_stream.open(file_name.c_str(), std::fstream::out | std::fstream::app ) ;
     if ( !out_stream || !out_stream.good() ) {
         message_publish(MSG_ERROR, "Can't open Data Record file %s.\n", file_name.c_str()) ;
diff --git a/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DRBinary.cpp b/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DRBinary.cpp
index cf1345eb..3f78786b 100644
--- a/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DRBinary.cpp
+++ b/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DRBinary.cpp
@@ -64,6 +64,13 @@ int Trick::DRBinary::format_specific_init() {
     /* Calculate a "worst case" for space used for 1 record. */
     writer_buff = (char *)calloc(1 , record_size * rec_buffer.size()) ;
 
+    /* This loop touches all of the memory locations in the allocation forcing the
+       system to actually do the allocation */
+    for ( jj= 0 ; jj < record_size * rec_buffer.size() ; jj += 1024 ) {
+        writer_buff[jj] = 1 ;
+    }
+    writer_buff[record_size * rec_buffer.size() - 1] = 1 ;
+
     /* start header information in trk file */
     if ((fp = creat(file_name.c_str(), S_IRUSR | S_IWUSR | S_IRGRP | S_IWGRP | S_IROTH | S_IWOTH)) == -1) {
         record = false ;
diff --git a/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DataRecordGroup.cpp b/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DataRecordGroup.cpp
index 566122a0..405dfb27 100644
--- a/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DataRecordGroup.cpp
+++ b/trick_source/sim_services/DataRecord/src/DataRecordGroup.cpp
@@ -542,10 +542,33 @@ int Trick::DataRecordGroup::data_record(double in_time) {
             buffer_offset = buffer_num % max_num ;
             for (jj = 0; jj < rec_buffer.size() ; jj++) {
                 drb = rec_buffer[jj] ;
-                if ( drb->ref->pointer_present == 1 ) {
-                    drb->ref->address = follow_address_path(drb->ref) ;
+                REF2 * ref = drb->ref ;
+                if ( ref->pointer_present == 1 ) {
+                    ref->address = follow_address_path(ref) ;
+                }
+                int param_size = ref->attr->size ;
+                if ( buffer_offset == 0 ) {
+                   drb->curr_buffer = drb->buffer ;
+                } else {
+                   drb->curr_buffer += param_size ;
+                }
+                switch ( param_size ) {
+                    case 8:
+                        *(int64_t *)drb->curr_buffer = *(int64_t *)ref->address ;
+                        break ;
+                    case 4:
+                        *(int32_t *)drb->curr_buffer = *(int32_t *)ref->address ;
+                        break ;
+                    case 2:
+                        *(int16_t *)drb->curr_buffer = *(int16_t *)ref->address ;
+                        break ;
+                    case 1:
+                        *(int8_t *)drb->curr_buffer = *(int8_t *)ref->address ;
+                        break ;
+                    default:
+                        memcpy( drb->curr_buffer , ref->address , param_size ) ;
+                        break ;
                 }
-                memcpy( drb->buffer + (buffer_offset * drb->ref->attr->size) , drb->ref->address , drb->ref->attr->size ) ;
             }
             buffer_num++ ;
         }