QEMM 8.0 README FILE ==================== This file includes information on what's new in this release of QEMM, and tips to help you get the most out of the package. For that reason alone, it is worthwhile reading! It also contains last-minute information that did not make it into the manual and a few corrections to the manual. If you want to print this file for future reference, be sure you are in the QEMM directory and type "COPY README.TXT PRN:" at the DOS prompt. Alternatively, you may print this file from the Windows Notepad by clicking on File, then Print. This file may contain information that is NOT in QEMM Setup Help's Read Me sections. INSTALLATION AND COMPATIBILITY NOTES ==================================== QEMM TECHNOTES There are several helpful technical notes in the TECHNOTE subdirectory of the directory into which you installed QEMM. All of the QEMM technotes may be viewed by running QEMM Setup (QSETUP) either from DOS or from Windows; QEMM Setup incorporates a file viewer that allows you to read these notes easily. The Windows version of QEMM Setup features a Windows Help file that also incorporates versions of these notes. PRODUCTS.TEC contains a list of compatibility issues between QEMM and other hardware and software products. Please read this technote before beginning any troubleshooting. Other online documents, including QEMMUTIL.TEC, TESTPRGS.TEC, and QPI.TEC, describe utility programs and technical information for programmers and advanced users of QEMM. Still others provide background information, compatibility notes, or tips and tricks related to various types of hardware and software. SAVING DISK SPACE FOR WINDOWS-ONLY USERS If you work exclusively in Microsoft Windows, you can delete the contents of the QEMM\TECHNOTE subdirectory, at a savings of about 400K of disk space. All the QEMM technotes are also included in the Windows Help file, and can be read by selecting Technotes from the QEMM Setup Help menu. OPTIMIZE'S CONVENTIONAL MEMORY REQUIREMENTS It is possible to load so many TSRs and device drivers on your system that you may run out of memory during the OPTIMIZE process! Please refer to the technical note MAXMEM.TEC in your QEMM\TECHNOTE directory for suggestions on improving your pre-OPTIMIZE configuration. In cases where OPTIMIZE does not complete successfully, you may wish to try taking advantage of expanded memory by skipping the hardware detection phase as noted above. OPTIMIZE, DOS-UP AND BUFFERS In versions of MS-DOS up to 6.22, up to 48 DOS BUFFERS could be loaded into the High Memory Area (HMA) along with the DOS kernel. In DOS 7 (the version of DOS that accompanies Windows 95), it is possible for other parts of DOS to be loaded into the HMA, reducing the amount of space available for BUFFERS, and causing them to be loaded below the HMA. This may result in a conflict during the OPTIMIZE Software Detection phase, such that not enough memory is available to determine accurately the memory needed by DOS-Up to load BUFFERS above 640K. If you are using Windows 95 or the underlying version of DOS that accompanies it, and if you are using the DOS=LOW setting in CONFIG.SYS, Quarterdeck recommends that you set your BUFFERS= value to 30 or less. DOS-UP OPTIONS AND WINDOWS 95 If you are using real-mode Novell NetWare drivers in Microsoft Windows 95, Microsoft recommends that you set the LOADTOP=0 option in the MSDOS.SYS text file. (Note that Windows 95's text-based MSDOS.SYS is NOT the same as the MSDOS.SYS DOS component in previous versions of DOS.) If you choose Windows 95's default LOADTOP=1 setting to load the command processor at the top of conventional memory, you may experience corruption of the DOS environment, which includes values for PROMPT, PATH, and SET statements. This happens irrespective of the presence of Quarterdeck software. However, for similar reasons, if you are using Novell NetWare real-mode drivers with Windows 95, you should configure the DOS-Up option to load COMMAND.COM low, rather than high. DOS-UP, WINDOWS 95, AND PREVIOUS DOS VERSIONS If you wish to use DOS-Up and the Windows 95 feature that allows you to boot into your previous version of DOS, you should create a Windows 95 Boot Menu as described in the technical note W95BOOT.TEC, found in your QEMM\TECHNOTE directory, and a DOS 6 multiple-path CONFIG.SYS as described in your DOS 6 reference materials. On systems where the previous DOS version is DOS 5, however, the OPTIMIZE process run from DOS will not recognize multiple configurations, and will not create a DOS-UP.DAT file with multiple paths. The workaround for this problem is to begin OPTIMIZE in the DOS 5 environment, and to reboot into DOS 5 at every stage of the OPTIMIZE process. When OPTIMIZE is complete, copy your DOS-UP.DAT file to another name (e.g. DOS-UP-5.DAT). Then edit the DOS-UP.SYS line in your CONFIG.SYS file to specify DOS-UP-5.DAT as your DOS-UP configuration file: DEVICE=C:\QEMM\DOS-UP.SYS @C:\QEMM\DOS-UP-5.DAT QEMM'S STEALTH D*SPACE AND DRIVESPACE QEMM supports all versions of DoubleSpace or DriveSpace that accompany MS-DOS version 6.00 through 6.22. QEMM does not currently support the version of DriveSpace that comes with Windows 95 (or DOS 7), nor the DriveSpace that comes with the Microsoft Plus Pack. IF LESS MEMORY IS AVAILABLE WITH THIS VERSION Some customers may observe less conventional memory available with QEMM 8 than with previous versions. In many cases, this is because QEMM attempts automatically to EXCLUDE a byte in the F000 region, in order to support better Microsoft Windows' MaxBPS= SYSTEM.INI setting. If you have set MaxBPS set to a value greater than 200, QEMM's default behavior will likely be preferable to you. If you have MaxBPS set to a value of 200 or less, you might wish to try adding the SRBP:N parameter to the end of the QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS. QEMM's superior detection of Plug and Play BIOS and other forms of adapter RAM and ROM may cause QEMM to EXCLUDE automatically more address space than previous versions. This is safer than including these regions by default, but can result in less High RAM or less conventional memory than before, or can result in the EMS page frame being placed in conventional memory. The QEMM Analysis procedure, detailed in the manual, may allow you to reclaim this High RAM. You may also wish to check Manifest's Hints screen to confirm that Analysis will be helpful. Finally, QEMM may have increased extended memory overhead in this version on some systems, which may result in a net loss in available extended or expanded memory. There is no remedy for this situation. QEMM SETUP AND THE CONFIG VARIABLE MS-DOS 6 and PC DOS 6 support multiple paths of execution through CONFIG.SYS. DOS 6 can use the CONFIG environment variable and the GOTO %CONFIG% batch statement to support separate paths of execution in the AUTOEXEC.BAT that correspond to the different CONFIG.SYS configuration paths. When you use QEMM Setup to add a new path to your DOS 6 multiple configuration CONFIG.SYS file, QEMM Setup does not create an entirely new branch in the AUTOEXEC.BAT to correspond to your new CONFIG.SYS path. Instead, QEMM Setup makes sure that the new configuration path and the existing one that it was based on will execute the same commands in AUTOEXEC.BAT. If you want the new path to execute different AUTOEXEC.BAT commands than the path from which it was created, you must edit your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to create two separate branches to replace the common branch that QEMM Setup creates. See the DOS 6 manual for more information on the CONFIG variable. MS-DOS 6.22 AND MISSING LABELS IN AUTOEXEC.BAT If you have a command in AUTOEXEC.BAT in the form GOTO