Help for RAMBoost Setup (C)IBM Corp. 1993 Copyright 1993 Central Point Software, Inc. GENERAL HELP Index Topics GoBack Print Manuals FZPSPT No Help Available Sorry, help is not available for this topic. Please press ESC to exit this screen or press F4 to view a list of help topics for this program. Index : Topics System Control menu PZThe System Control menu appears when you press Alt+SPACE or click the program window close box. Some programs have an extended Version... version of this menu with options for manipulating application windows. Close Alt+F4 Choosing Version displays a window containing copyright information specific to the current program. To return to the program window, choose OK, click the Version window close box or press ESC. Choosing Close displays a dialog box which asks you to confirm that you want to exit the program. Double-click the program window close box to bypass the System Control menu and exit the program. Choosing Commands Help Topics About RAMBoost Setup Using Help Loading Programs High Basic Skills Setting Up RAMBoost ! Index Using Command-Line Options Glossary Index A - F About RAMBoost Setup Basic Skills DMA Buffer option Enable EMS option G - Q Glossary Help Topics Loading Programs High Options dialog box R - Z Reboot dialog box Setting Up RAMBoost Topics Upper Memory Usage Editor Use Current Configuration Using Command-Line Options Using Help Using High Memory Weitek option XMS Handles option Help Topics About RAMBoost Setup PZUse RAMBoost Setup to do the following: Configure the DOS upper memory manager, EMM386. See a map of upper memory usage on your system. Install the RAMBoost device driver. RAMBoost creates a profile of your memory usage and automatically rearranges the programs in your upper memory blocks to give you the maximum amount of free conventional memory. Help Topics Loading Programs High Loading Programs High PZOn a PC running DOS, applications (a word processor, for example) must run in what is called conventional memory, the first 640K of memory in your computer. Because memory-resident programs (like PC-Cache), device drivers (like a mouse driver), and DOS itself normally use this memory as well, you may not have enough free for your applications. However, if you have a memory manager such as EMM386, QEMM, or 386MAX, you can free up the open areas in your upper memory blocks (memory from 640K to 1024K) and load memory-resident programs and device drivers there (that is, you can load them high). This frees up conventional memory for your applications. Because the free space in upper memory is usually in several pieces of different sizes, programs may fit in some areas but not in others. RAMBoost analyzes up to millions of combinations to find the most efficient ordering of programs in upper memory. This lets you maximize the amount of free conventional memory. Help Topics Setting Up RAMBoost PZSetting up the RAMBoost program is mostly automatic, after you answer a few questions in the setup application. RAMBoost Setup does the following: Configures the DOS upper memory manager, EMM386, by specifying which areas of upper memory in use and which are free. If you are using a different upper memory manager, such as QEMM or 386MAX, those settings are left unchanged. Installs the RAMBoost device driver, RAMBOOST.EXE, in your CONFIG.SYS file. Restarts your PC to load RAMBoost into memory. Help Topics PSPT Glossary G L O S S A R Y CONFIG.SYS A user-created text file that tells DOS how to configure memory and load device drivers for your system. This file is read before your AUTOEXEC.BAT file when you boot (start) your computer. Conventional The first 640K of memory. Applications (a database Memory or paint program, for example) must run in this area of memory. Because device drivers and memory- resident programs can also use this space, there may not be as much free memory as you need. RAMBoost helps to solve this problem. Device Driver A program that is loaded in your CONFIG.SYS file and controls a device attached to your system--a mouse, for example, or expanded memory. EMM386.EXE The upper memory manager included with DOS. RAMBoost Setup uses this program if you do not have another memory manager installed. Expanded Memory Specification. This defines how expanded memory works. When you turn on the Enable EMS option, RAMBoost Setup configures EMM386 to provide access to expanded memory. Memory Manager A program that controls how your computer uses extra memory (beyond 640K of conventional memory). RAMBoost works with EMM386, QEMM, 386MAX, and similar memory managers. Memory-Resident Also called a TSR (Terminate and Stay Resident), a Program program that stays in memory after it is executed. Some examples: DOS itself, device drivers, mouse drivers, and caching programs. Read-Only Memory. Your computer's ROM chip contains permanent instructions that allow it to load DOS when you first startup, and to communicate with the operating system. Upper Memory The memory from 640K to 1024K, used for holding your PC's ROM, video information, and other system data. There are unused areas remaining, which can be used to load device drivers and memory-resident programs. Weitek A type of coprocessor chip that requires special treatment by EMM386. RAMBoost Setup includes an option for supporting this coprocessor if you use EMM386 as your memory manager. Help Topics Use Current Configuration PZThis dialog box appears if RAMBoost Setup finds that an upper memory manager is already installed. Choose Yes if you want to leave the memory manager as is. Choose No if you want to automatically configure the DOS program EMM386 (if available) and use it instead. Help Topics RAMBoost dialog box PZIn this dialog box, choose OK to install RAMBoost. This setup modifies your CONFIG.SYS file and possibly your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. RAMBoost Setup makes these changes: Installs the RAMBOOST.EXE program in your CONFIG.SYS file. Configures the DOS program EMM386 (unless you chose earlier to use your existing upper memory manager's configuration) in your CONFIG.SYS file. Changes any DEVICEHIGH= commands to DEVICE= in your CONFIG.SYS file. Because RAMBoost automatically uses upper memory, you do not need to specify this. Removes any LOADHIGH commands in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. Because RAMBoost automatically uses upper memory, you do not need to specify programs to load high. If you chose to let RAMBoost Setup configure EMM386 for you, this dialog box contains an Advanced button. If you are technically advanced and know the details of your system's upper memory, choose Advanced to modify your EMM386 configuration. Help Topics Upper Memory Usage Editor PZThe Upper Memory Usage Editor is an advanced feature for technically knowledgeable users. This window shows the hexadecimal addresses of each 4K area of upper memory and how it is used. Press F8 (Dec) to show the addresses in decimal numbers. If you know of an upper memory region that is used but appears as available on this map, or a region that is not used but appears as used, you can edit this map. For example, your network shell may not be loaded but you know the memory address of the adapter RAM. To change an upper memory block's status to "available" or "used": 1. Press TAB until the map is highlighted. 2. Use the arrow keys to select a memory block. 3. Press the appropriate function to mark the way the block is used: F2 if it is available, F4 if it is used by ROM, F5 if it used by video RAM, F6 if it used by an expanded memory frame, or F7 if it is used by an adapter card. 4. Choose OK when you have finished editing. RAMBoost Setup includes and excludes these memory areas when it configures EMM386. You can select other EMM386 command-line options by choosing Options. Help Topics RAMBoost dialog box Options dialog box PZIn this dialog box you can select advanced options that correspond to command-line options for the DOS program EMM386. Enter the options you want, then choose OK. XMS Handles Specifies how many extended memory handles EMM386 can use. This can be from 2 to 255. DMA Buffer Specifies how many kilobytes of memory to reserve for direct memory access (DMA). This should be the largest DMA transfer that will occur while EMM386 is active, and can be from 16 to 256. Enable EMS This option uses EMM386 to enable access to expanded memory by designating a memory area for swap page. Weitek Supports the Weitek coprocessor. This option is normally off. Help Topics Upper Memory Usage Editor Reboot dialog box PZAfter RAMBoost Setup modifies your computer's configuration, you need to reboot (restart your PC) for it to take effect. Choose Reboot for RAMBoost to take effect now, or choose Exit to return to DOS. If you choose to reboot, RAMBoost restarts your computer twice. The first time, it loads all of your memory-resident programs as usual and keeps a record of how much memory they use and where they go. The second time, RAMBoost actually rearranges the programs to fill your upper memory as much as possible. You should then find a noticeable increase in conventional memory available for running applications. From now on, when you make a change to your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS file, RAMBoost automatically reconfigures itself. Help Topics