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DRDOS6.TEC
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1993-06-08
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DR DOS 6 and QUARTERDECK PRODUCTS
This QEMM 7 technote is an abridged version of a technical
bulletin that is available through our standard support channels.
The information contained in this version pertains ONLY to QEMM
version 7.0. If you need information relating to earlier versions
of QEMM or if you are interested in a lengthier discussion of this
subject, you can obtain the unabridged version from the following
sources:
Quarterdeck Technical Support BBS: DRDOS6.TEC
CompuServe: DRDOS6.ZIP
Q/FAX: #215
Subject: A discussion of the use of Digital Research's DR DOS 6.0
operating system with Quarterdeck products.
DR DOS 6 is an operating system alternative to MS-DOS versions 5
and 6. It claims to be completely compatible with MS-DOS and to
offer enhancements to that operating system. Quarterdeck has had
no experiences that call into question its MS-DOS compatibility.
This technote only addresses the issue of compatibility with
Quarterdeck products.
QUARTERDECK EXPANDED MEMORY MANAGER (QEMM):
QEMM provides all the memory management capabilities of DR-DOS'
EMM386.SYS, while creating more High RAM through the use of its
Stealth ROM feature. QEMM's OPTIMIZE program automatically
configures your system to use that High RAM most efficiently.
QEMM includes MANIFEST, an excellent diagnostic tool, which also
serves as a tutorial on memory management. Under QEMM, Microsoft
Windows 3.x can run in both Standard and 386 Enhanced modes.
(Windows cannot run in standard mode with DR-DOS's EMM386.SYS if
it creates any High RAM, and its expanded memory manager is
turned off while you are in standard mode.)
With QEMM version 7.0 Quarterdeck introduced a new feature called
DOS-Up, which loads portions of DOS into upper memory. DOS-Up is
fully compatible with DR DOS 6 (but not with the previous version
5.) Like DOS-Up, DR DOS can load pieces of DOS into upper
memory. However, we recommend that you let DOS-Up perform this
function. This allows QEMM's Optimize program to control where
in upper memory the pieces of DOS are loaded and make the best
use of your upper memory areas.
There may be an error on page 24 of your QEMM manual concerning
the use of the HIDOS=ON statement with DR DOS. Please follow the
instructions contained in this document instead.
There are some changes you may need to make to your CONFIG.SYS
file to get the maximum benefit from DOS-Up.
1. DR DOS's HIDOS=ON command relocates parts of DOS into upper
memory. Since we want DOS-Up to do that, you should not use
HIDOS=ON. If you have the line HIDOS=ON in your CONFIG.SYS
file, either remove it or change it to read HIDOS=OFF.
2. You can have DR DOS relocate the DOS kernel into the HMA (the
first 64K of extended memory), freeing space in conventional
memory for DOS applications. (The DR DOS manual refers to the
HMA as "high memory"). We recommend you do this (if you are
using DESQview or DESQview/X, see the DESQview note below).
To load the DOS kernel into the HMA, add the following line to
your CONFIG.SYS file anywhere after the QEMM386.SYS device
driver line:
DEVICE=C:\DRDOS\HIDOS.SYS /BDOS=FFFF
Note: If you already have a HIDOS.SYS line, we recommend that
you not use any parameter besides /BDOS=FFFF or /BDOS=NONE.
Other parameters may prevent you from getting the maximum
benefit from DOS-Up.
3. If you are loading the DOS kernel into the HMA (see step 2),
we suggest you load BUFFERS there also. If you have a
statement BUFFERS=nn (where nn is a number), change it to
HIBUFFERS=nn. DR DOS will relocate as many of the BUFFERS as
possible into the HMA; any that do not fit will be loaded into
conventional memory.
4. Verify that DOS-Up is enabled on your system. To do that, be
sure the line DEVICE=C:\QEMM\DOS-UP.SYS @C:\QEMM\DOS-UP.DAT
appears after the QEMM386.SYS device driver line in your
CONFIG.SYS file. (If QEMM is installed on a different drive or
directory, substitute the correct path for C:\QEMM).
5. If you have a SHELL statement in your CONFIG.SYS that contains
the parameter /R, /MU or /ML, we suggest you remove that
parameter. These parameters control where DR DOS loads the
command processor. If you remove this parameter, Optimize
decides where to load the command processor.
However, you may want to try loading the command processor
into the HMA using DR DOS's /MH parameter. Only do this if you
are loading the DOS kernel into the HMA (see step 2). DR DOS
can load the kernel, buffers, and command processor into the
HMA. To get the most free conventional and upper memory, if
you put the kernel and buffers into the HMA, put the command
processor there as well. To load the command processor into
the HMA, add the parameter /MH to the SHELL line in your
CONFIG.SYS file. For example:
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /P /MH
6. If you have the line DEVICE=C:\QEMM\DOSDATA.SYS in your
CONFIG.SYS, you may delete it if you like. This line is a part
of DOS-Up that works only on MS-DOS and IBM DOS systems. This
line will not cause any harm or use any memory if you leave it
there.
7. Save your CONFIG.SYS file and run Optimize by typing OPTIMIZE
at the DOS prompt.
NOTE: DOS-Up is incompatible with DR DOS's INSTALL and HIINSTALL
commands. If you are using either of these commands in your
CONFIG.SYS file to load programs, load the programs from
AUTOEXEC.BAT instead.
OPTIMIZE/LOADHI AND SUPERSTOR
SuperStor is a disk compression utility that is bundled with DR-
DOS 6. The following issues concern the user of SuperStor with
QEMM's Optimize:
1) There is a new command, CHAIN, in DR DOS. This command
allows the CONFIG.SYS to pass control to another CONFIG.SYS-like
file. DR DOS uses it on installation if you choose to install
SUPERSTOR. OPTIMIZE does not follow this passing of control to
another file. If you are using CHAIN you must combine the two
(or more) CONFIG.SYS (or CONFIG.SYS-like) files if you want
drivers in the additional files to be loaded high during the
Optimization process.
2) The driver that performs data compression is SSTORDRV.SYS.
Because of the method used by SuperStor to compress data, we
found that this driver could not be loaded high. If SSTORDRV.SYS
was loaded high by Optimize, access to the compressed drive was
lost. This is not true of the stand-alone version of SuperStor;
it is true only of the bundled version (and, possibly, only true
of the earlier bundled versions.)
To prevent Optimize from attempting to load this driver high,
create a text file in your QEMM directory called OPTIMIZE.EXC.
This file will contain a single line as follows:
SSTORDRV
If you already have an OPTIMIZE.EXC file in your QEMM directory,
add the above line to this file.
3) The version of SuperStor that ships with DR DOS 6 is NOT
identical to the version sold in retail outlets. In fact, a
coupon is included with DR DOS which offers you the chance to
upgrade to the most recent, stand-alone version. Quarterdeck has
implemented extensive changes to Optimize in QEMM 7.0 which
eliminate the need to follow lengthy instructions in order to
successfully Optimize with SuperStor; these changes apply ONLY
when using the stand-alone version. For this reason we strongly
recommend that you take advantage of the opportunity to upgrade
your version through AddStor.
Users choosing not to do so (or who wish to run Optimize prior to
installation of the stand-alone version) should refer to the
unabridged version of this technical bulletin (available through
standard support channels under the same filename.) The longer
version of the technote provides the necessary instructions to
successfully Optimize your system with the DR DOS 6 version of
SuperStor.
VIDRAM:
DR DOS comes with a program called MEMMAX that allows the user to
turn off the extending of conventional memory into the video area
if previously mapped by its own memory manager. This feature
DOES NOT work without their memory manager. QEMM's VIDRAM is
compatible with DR DOS 6 and allows the user to extend
conventional memory on EGA/VGA systems when running DOS text-
based applications. QEMM users should use VIDRAM instead of
MEMMAX.
MANIFEST:
1) For purposes of identifying its level of API support, DR DOS
reports itself as version 3.31 of DOS. It loads an environment
variable that causes VER to report that it is DR DOS version 6
but MANIFEST reports its response to the DOS API call that
identifies the version for API purposes. For all programming
purposes, DR DOS 6 is version 3.31. There is no SETVER command,
nor is one necessary.
2) DR DOS converts FCBS to FILE handles so MANIFEST and
FILES.COM will report the total number of FILE handles to be the
sum of the two. The minimum number of FILE handles is 20 and the
minimum number of FCBS is 4. This conflation of FCBS and FILE
handles causes Manifest to mistakenly report that there is only
one FCB.
DESQview and DESQview/X :
1) DR-DOS's HISTORY feature does not work inside DESQview.
There is no workaround.
2) You may be able to get a larger amount of memory for DESQview
windows by letting DESQview or DESQview/X use the HMA instead of
DR DOS. Both DESQview and DESQview/X can load over 63K of their
code into the HMA. If you regularly use one of these programs, we
suggest you experiment with letting them use the HMA. To do that,
omit the DEVICE=C:\DRDOS\HIDOS.SYS line and use the BUFFERS
statement instead of the HIBUFFERS statement in your CONFIG.SYS
file. This will cause DESQview or DESQview/X to use the HMA. Run
OPTIMIZE /ST to Optimize and force Stealth ROM testing (we
always recommend using Stealth ROM if you are using DESQview or
DESQview/X).
To see how much memory you have for each window, run Manifest from
inside DESQview or DESQview/X and look at the amount of Available
Conventional Memory listed on the System Overview screen. You may
want to perform the same test using HIDOS.SYS /BDOS=FFFF and
HIBUFFERS to see which method gives you the largest amount of
available conventional memory.
3) The task switcher, TaskMAX, does not run in DESQview. There
is no workaround.
4) There is no SETVER command, nor is one necessary, as
explained in the MANIFEST section of this technote.
*****************************************************************
This technical note may be copied and distributed freely as long
as it is distributed in its entirety and it is not distributed
for profit. Copyright (C) 1991-3 by Quarterdeck Office Systems
********************* E N D O F F I L E *********************