MS-DOS 8.0/MS-DOS8.iso/SOFTWARE/QEMM/TECHNOTE/TROUBLE.TEC

Text File | 1997-05-15 | 24KB | 521 lines

                  QEMM General Troubleshooting

 Quarterdeck Technical Note #241              Filename: TROUBLE.TEC
 by Michael Bolton                          CompuServe: TROUBL.TEC
 Last revised:  2/11/96                       Category: QEMM

 Subject: A step-by-step guide for troubleshooting conflicts
          related to QEMM, providing reliable troubleshooting
          techniques and references to more specific technical
          notes.

 This is a very general guide to troubleshooting QEMM Version 8.0
 with any version of DOS, and with any version of Microsoft
 Windows or Windows for WorkGroups up to 3.11.

 This troubleshooting guide may appear to be long; however, you
 will find that reading this note and following its methods is
 fast and easy.  In the main, this note provides either quick
 fixes or references for additional information.  It does not
 provide the detail available in the QEMM manual, which you should
 also consult.  The troubleshooting section in Appendix A of the
 manual has many quick fixes for common problems.  If you haven't
 looked at this section of the manual, you may save considerable
 time by doing so now.  Similarly, the README and PRODUCTS.TEC
 files that accompany QEMM contain the resolution to common
 problems, and answer to frequently-asked questions.

 As you proceed through this guide, please record carefully the
 results of each step. This is important; Quarterdeck Technical
 Support may need this information, and if you can provide a record
 of it, we can address your problem much more efficiently.  In any
 case, you will find that good record-keeping saves you time and
 trouble in further troubleshooting.

 If your problem is related to...       ...you may also wish to
                                            consult the Technote

 Product-specific conflicts                  PRODUCTS.TEC
 Exception #6, #12, #13                      EXCEPT13.TEC
                                             EX13FLOW.TEC
 StealthROM                                  STLTECH.TEC
                                             STEALTH.TEC
 Microsoft Windows                           WINFLOW.TEC
 Stacker                                     STACKER.TEC
 SuperStor                                   SSTOR.TEC
 MS-DOS 5                                    DOS5.TEC
 MS-DOS 6                                    MSDOS6.TEC
 DR-DOS or Novell DOS                        NW&DRDOS.TEC
 High RAM Conflicts                          EXCLUDE.TEC
 "Cannot find ROM Handler for INT ??"        XSTI.TEC
 Bus-mastering devices or SCSI hard drives   BUS-MAST.TEC
 Getting more memory                         MAXMEM.TEC
 Parity Errors                               PARITY.TEC
 Resource Manager                             RSRCMGR.TEC

 Processor Exceptions occur due to a wide variety of causes, almost
 all of which are treated here.  If you wish to learn more about
 what the Exception reports mean, refer to the technote "EXCEPTION
 REPORTS EXPLAINED" (EXCEPT13.TEC).

 Consult the note CONTACT.TEC or the Passport Support Brochure that
 accompanies your copy of QEMM for more information on contacting
 Quarterdeck.

 For the purposes of this troubleshooting guide, the DOS portion
 of QEMM is comprised of the QEMM386.SYS driver (which provides
 EMS, XMS, VCPI memory management, High RAM, and miscellaneous
 other services) and three other significant features, installed
 as separate DOS device drivers. These are:

 Feature                        Driver

 DOS-Up                         DOSDATA.SYS, DOS-UP.SYS
 QDPMI Host                     QDPMI.SYS
 Stealth D*Space                ST-DSPC.SYS

 Again for this purposes of this guide, the Windows 3.1 components
 of QEMM are comprised of three significant features, as follows:

 Feature                        Driver

 FreeMeg                        FREEMEG.DLL
 Resource Manager                RSRCMGR.DLL
 MagnaRAM                        MAGNA31.VXD

 Of these drivers, FreeMeg and Resource Manager are installed
 on the drivers= line in the [boot] section of your SYSTEM.INI
 file.    MagnaRAM is installed as a device= line in the [386Enh]
 section of your SYSTEM.INI file.

 QSETUP and Manifest should be very helpful in the unlikely event
 that you need to troubleshoot the QEMM package.  Manifest
 provides detailed reporting on various aspects of your system's
 configuration, and, on its Hints / Overview and Hint / Detail
 screens, suggestions for improving your system's use of memory.
 To run Manifest, change to the QEMM directory and type MFT,
 followed by the Enter key, or click on the Manifest icon in the
 Quarterdeck QEMM program group in Windows.

 You may use QSETUP to review or change QEMM parameters, to enable
 or disable the other drivers that come with the QEMM package,
 and/or to edit CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT.  We will use QSETUP
 in many of the steps below.  To run QSETUP, simply change to the
 QEMM directory, and type QSETUP at the DOS command prompt.
 QSETUP can also be run as a Windows program; select QEMM Setup
 from the Quarterdeck QEMM program group.

 OPTIMIZE's /RESTORE parameter will allow you to restore past
 configurations quickly and easily.  See the QEMM manual for more
 details on OPTIMIZE /RESTORE.

 If your system will not boot normally after installing QEMM, begin
 with Section A below.  If your system does boot normally, but you
 experience problems later on (including problems with Microsoft
 Windows), begin with Section B below.

 Section A  -- Recovering Easily from a System Failure

 If your machine fails to boot properly to the DOS prompt after
 QEMM has been installed, you may recover easily.

 1) Reboot your machine.  Use the power switch if necessary.

 2) Wait until you hear a beep; then hold down the Alt key until
    the boot sequence stops.  If your system does not beep on
    bootup, hold down the Alt key after you hear the floppy drive
    being accessed.   When the boot sequence stops, you will see a
    message from DOSDATA or from QEMM.  If the message is from
    QEMM, proceed directly to item (4) below.  If the message is
    from DOSDATA, proceed to item (3).

 3) If the message is from DOSDATA, prepare to hold down the Alt
    key again. Tap the Escape key to unload DOSDATA, and
    immediately hold down the Alt key again.

 4) You will see the following message "QEMM: Press Esc to disable
    QEMM or any other key to continue with QEMM."  Press the Escape
    key.  Your system should then proceed with the boot sequence.
    QEMM will not be loaded, and no programs will be loaded into
    High RAM.  You will likely see messages noting that there is
    not enough room to load your programs high; these messages are
    expected and no harm should result to your system as a
    consequence.

    If your system became unstable during the course of the
    OPTIMIZE process, you will want to ensure that your
    configuration files have been restored to their pre-OPTIMIZE
    state.  Change to the QEMM directory, and type

    UNOPT

    Proceed to Section B.


 Section B -- QEMM/OPTIMIZE Stealth Testing

 QEMM and OPTIMIZE's Stealth Testing process is the best way to
 ensure both maximum memory and maximum compatibility with your
 system. To take advantage of this feature, make sure that you're
 starting from a stable, bootable QEMM configuration.  Typically
 the line

 DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS ON

 will allow you to boot your system safely.  From this, you may
 run OPTIMIZE's Stealth Testing procedure in the following way:

 1) At the DOS prompt, type

    OPTIMIZE /REMOVEALL

    This will remove LOADHI commands and parameters from all of
    the lines in CONFIG.SYS, AUTOEXEC.BAT, and any batch files
    called from AUTOEXEC.BAT.

 2) Edit CONFIG.SYS and remove all parameters except ON from the
    QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS.

 3) At the DOS prompt, type

    OPTIMIZE /ST

 The OPTIMIZE process will reboot your machine three or more
 times.  When the OPTIMIZE process is complete, attempt to
 reproduce the problem.  If the problem has gone away, you are
 finished with this technical note, and you may optionally proceed
 to Section G below.  If the problem persists, more detailed
 troubleshooting is called for; proceed to Section C.


 Section C -- Determining if QEMM is the Problem

 The first thing to determine is whether your difficulty is
 associated with the QEMM package at all.  There are two lines in
 your CONFIG.SYS that read:

 DEVICE=C:\QEMM\DOSDATA.SYS
 DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS [parameters]

 Using QSETUP, Manifest, or a text editor, disable QEMM entirely by
 placing the word "REM" before the word "DEVICE" on each line.
 Add the line

 DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS

 immediately after the QEMM386.SYS line.  Reboot your system.  It is
 likely that you will see messages from QEMM's DOS-Up and LOADHI
 programs, informing you that DOS-Up could not not be installed,
 and that no high memory is availale.  This is normal, and will
 cause no further problem; your TSRs and device drivers will load
 normally and in conventional memory.

 When your system is booted, try to reproduce the problem.  If the
 problem persists in exactly the same way as it always has, you
 can be reasonably sure that QEMM's DOS component and its
 associated drivers are not the cause (since QEMM and its drivers
 are completely inactive at this point).  Make a note of this, and
 contact the vendor of the faulting application for assistance.

 If this does relieve the problem, note that the problem does not
 persist when QEMM's DOS components are inactive, and proceed to
 section D.

 Section D -- Conflicts with QEMM's Windows Components

 If you are having a problem with Microsoft Windows, or one of the
 programs that runs in the Windows environment, continue with this
 step.  If your problem is not related to Windows, proceed
 immediately to Section E below.

 1) In order to determine whether the problem you are experiencing is
    related to one of QEMM's Windows components, see if the problem
    persists when Resource Manager, FreeMeg, and MagnaRAM are
    disabled.  If you are unable to start Windows successfully,
    proceed to Step 3 below.  If you are able to start Windows
    successfully, continue with Step 2.

 2) Run the QSETUP program by clicking on QEMM Setup in the
    Quarterdeck QEMM program group.  Choose the "Windows" tab, and
    make sure that the checkboxes for FreeMeg, Resource Manager,
    and MagnaRAM are UNCHECKED.  Click on Save at the bottom of
    the Windows, and then on Restart to restart Windows with
    QEMM's Windows features disabled.  Proceed to Step 4 below in
    this section.

 3) If you are unable to start Windows, and you suspect that the
    problem may be related to QEMM's Windows features, edit the
    Windows SYSTEM.INI.  In the [boot] section, find the drivers=
    line; this will typically appear in a format as follows:

    drivers=C:\QEMM\FREEMEG.DLL C:\QEMM\RSRCMGR.DLL MMSYSTEM.DLL

    Make a copy of this line immediately below it.  Disable the
    first instance by adding a semicolon to the beginning of the
    line:

    ;drivers=C:\QEMM\FREEMEG.DLL C:\QEMM\RSRCMGR.DLL MMSYSTEM.DLL
    drivers=C:\QEMM\FREEMEG.DLL C:\QEMM\RSRCMGR.DLL MMSYSTEM.DLL

    Remove the QEMM programs from the second instance of the line:

    drivers=MMSYSTEM.DLL

    Now move the the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file, and
    look for a line in the following format:

    device=C:\QEMM\MAGNA31.VXD

    Disable this line by placing a semicolon at the beginning of
    the line:

    ;device=C:\QEMM\MAGNA31.VXD

    Save the SYSTEM.INI file, and start Windows by typing WIN at
    the DOS prompt.  Continue with Step 4 below.

 4) If your problem persists (or if Windows still fails to start),
    the problem that you are experiencing is not related to QEMM,
    since all of its features -- both DOS and Windows -- are
    currently disabled.  Contact Microsoft or the vendor of your
    computer for further assistance.

    If Windows starts now where it did not before, or if your
    problem is no longer reproducible, it is likely that one of
    QEMM's three Windows features is in conflict with your system
    or something on it. Determine which QEMM component is a party
    to the conflict by re-enabling each feature one by one, then
    restarting Windows and testing for the problem after enabling
    each feature.  If the problem re-appears after you have
    enabled a particular feature, you know that the feature in
    question is in conflict with something on your system.  Leave
    this feature disabled.

    You many now re-enable all of the other features of QEMM that
    you disabled by reversing the steps you took in this section
    and in Section B above.  If you have determined that Resource
    Manager is a party to the conflict, obtain the technical note
    RSRCMGR.TEC for further troubleshooting information.
    Otherwise, proceed to Section G below.

 Section E -- Conflicts with DOS-Up, QDPMI, and Stealth D*Space

 1) Remove the REMs in front of the DOSDATA and QEMM386.SYS lines.
    Disable the DOS-Up, QDPMI, and Stealth DoubleSpace features if
    any of them is active.  Do this by running QSETUP, going to
    the main menu, and selecting each feature in turn.  Answer
    "No" when you are asked if you would like to enable each one.
    Note that you should choose "No", and not "Partial" in
    response to the DOS-Up option.  Note also that if you are not
    using DOS 6's DoubleSpace, the option to enable or disable
    Stealth D*Space will not appear.  Return to QSETUP's main
    menu, and select S for Save Configuration and Quit.  If you
    are offered the opportunity to run OPTIMIZE, do NOT do so at
    this time. Reboot your machine without running OPTIMIZE.

 2) If your problem is now solved, one of the QEMM features you
    have just disabled is likely in conflict with some other aspect
    of your system. Re-enable each feature, one at a time, and
    write down which feature you are enabling.  It is likely that
    your system will fail before you re-enable the last feature.
    Write down the one that appeared to cause the failure; it is
    likely that this feature is the cause of the conflict.  To be
    sure of this, re-eanble all features except the one that seems
    to be causing the conflict.  Write down the results of this
    testing, and then proceed to section G below.

 3) If your problem persists, but was solved by disabling QEMM in
    Section B above, the problem is likely related to the
    QEMM386.SYS driver. Write this down, and proceed to Section F
    below.


 Section F -- Troubleshooting with the QEMM386.SYS Driver

 Again, in your CONFIG.SYS file, there is a line that reads:

 DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS [parameters]

 Steps 1-5 in this section involve editing the [parameters] on this
 line, and nothing else.  You may use a text editor such as DOS'
 EDIT, or the CONFIG.SYS editor in Manifest or QSETUP to make these
 changes.  Every time you change the parameters on this line, you
 must reboot your computer for them to take effect.  Write down the
 results of each step.

 1)  If there is a Stealth parameter ("ST:M" or "ST:F"), remove it
     and reboot. If this solves your problem, refer to the QEMM
     parameter STEALTHROM for an explanation of the parameter, and
     then refer to the technote "STEALTH TROUBLESHOOTING" (under
     the filename STEALTH.TEC) and follow its instructions.  If
     removing the Stealth parameter fails, note the failure and
     proceed to Step 2.

 2)  Add the parameter "DB=2" to this line and reboot.  If this
     solves your problem, refer to the QEMM parameter DISKBUF, and
     to the technote "BUS-MASTERING DEVICES AND QEMM" (under the
     filename BUS-MAST.TEC) for an explanation.  If adding the DB=2
     parameter fails, note the failure and proceed to Step 3.

 3)  Add the parameter "X=A000-FFFF" to this line and reboot.  If
     this solves your problem, it is likely tha there is a conflict
     between QEMM's placement of High RAM and some piece of
     hardware on your system.  To resolve the problem, refer to the
     QEMM Analysis Procedure (page xxx), or refer to the technote
     QEMM ANALYSIS PROCEDURE FOR SOLVING MEMORY CONFLICTS
     ("EXCLUDE.TEC" and follow the instructions for the Analysis
     procedure.  If this EXCLUDE parameter fails, note the failure
     and proceed to Step 4.

 4)  Remove all the parameters on the QEMM386.SYS line and add:

     APM:N BE:N BOOTKEY:Y CF:N DB=2 DM=128 FILL:N IOTRAP=64 LD MR:N
     P:VME:N RH:N SH:N TM:N TR:N VDS:N WC:N XBDA:N ON

     then reboot.  (Note that all of these parameters should be on
     the same line, the QEMM386.SYS line.)  If this does not solve
     your problem, go to Step 5.

     If this does solve your problem, it is probable that one (and
     only one) of the parameters above is required.  All of these
     parameters, even taken together, do not seriously handicap the
     usefulness of QEMM.  All together, they cause QEMM to use only
     2K more conventional memory, 116K more extended memory, and
     will not cause QEMM to be any slower, except on a Pentium. You
     can find the one(s) you need by eliminating some and retaining
     others, noting the changes that you make each time. An
     efficient way of doing this is to remove half the list,
     writing down the parameters that you have removed.  If the
     problem returns, one of the parameters that you have removed
     is the likely solution.  If the problem does not return, one
     of the parameters still on the line.  Continue to remove and
     restore parameters in this manner until you find the one that
     is required to solve your problem.  When you are finished, you
     may consult the parameters section of the QEMM manual for an
     explanation.

 5)  If your system is still not working properly, add the
     parameter "NOEMS" and reboot.  If this does not solve your
     problem, proceed directly to Step 7.  If this solves your
     problem, some program that uses expanded memory is probably
     misbehaving, since this parameter causes QEMM to cease
     providing expanded memory.  Write this information down, and
     go to Step 6.

 6)  In order to verify that the problem is with a program that is
     abusing expanded memory in general, try to reproduce the
     problem with DOS' memory managers.  Add REM to the beginning
     of the QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS, and add the following
     three lines immediately beneath the QEMM line:

     DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
     DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM ON 1024
     DOS=UMB

     Reboot your system, and try to reproduce the problem.  If the
     problem recurs, the problem is unrelated to QEMM, but instead
     is caused by some program that is mishandling expanded memory
     in some way.  Note this important information, and contact the
     vendor of the faulting application.

 7)  Rename your AUTOEXEC.BAT to TEST.BAT, and copy your CONFIG.SYS
     file to another called C.SYS.  Edit your new CONFIG.SYS with
     just the QEMM386.SYS line and "FILES=40", then reboot and
     attempt to reproduce the problem.  If this solves the problem,
     run TEST.BAT. If the problem recurs, there was a conflict with
     something in your old AUTOEXEC.BAT.  If the problem does not
     recur after you run TEST.BAT, there was likely a conflict with
     something in your old CONFIG.SYS.  Restore all of the file
     that WASN'T a party to the conflict, and then restore, one
     line at a time, the lines in the file that WAS a party to the
     conflict, rebooting and testing after adding each line.  You
     should be able to determine quickly which line was causing the
     problem.

     It is possible that in this section, various elements of your
     system may not work properly, since there may be drivers in
     both CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT that are essential for the
     operation of a given device.  In this case, restore the lines
     necessary for the device in both CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT.

     In any case, if you have not found a solution to the problem,
     check Step 8, and then proceed to Section G.

 8)  It is possible that you have more than one problem, and that
     consequently you may need more than one of these solutions.
     When you have solved one problem, and are still having others,
     keep that solution and start over.

 Section G -- If You Have Not Yet Resolved the Problem

 Quarterdeck Technical Support is willing and ready to assist you
 with any compatibility problems that you might experience.
 However, you can help us to help you better by making sure that
 you have clear notes on all of the steps you have taken above.
 Even if these steps did not solve the problem for you, a record of
 your troubleshooting will put you in a much better position to get
 help, and will save you time.

 If you are calling from the United States and you have a touchtone
 phone, we suggest you try 1-800-ROBOTECH, Quarterdeck's toll-free,
 automated technical support hotline. 1-800-ROBOTECH can assist
 with the most common technical questions and offer a variety of
 solutions. Navigation through 1-800-ROBOTECH is accomplished by
 pressing numbers on your phone's keypad to jump directly to the
 topic that you are interested in hearing about.  The system will
 instruct you every step of the way. Call 1-800-ROBOTECH
 (1-800-762-6832),  toll free, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
 including Holidays.

 If you contact us by mail, fax or on one of our BBS systems,
 please include the following information:

 Your Quarterdeck customer VIP number which you receive when you
 register your copy of QEMM with Quarterdeck.

 The version number and serial number of QEMM. To find these out,
 type QEMM /REG at the DOS prompt.

 If you are contacting us by mail or fax include a printout from
 Quarterdeck's Manifest. If you are using the DOS version of
 Manifest, press F2 to print, and select "All Manifest" from the
 "What to Print" portion of Manifest's print menu. If you are using
 the Windows version, select Print from the File menu, then select
 All Manifest. If you have other important hardware in the system,
 or if Manifest's list is incomplete, please include any additional
 information you think may help us diagnose your problem.

 If you cannot run Manifest, print out your CONFIG.SYS and
 AUTOEXEC.BAT files, and write down what hardware (include the make
 and model)  and software (include the version) you are using.

 Give a precise description of the problem that is occurring, and
 the exact text of any error messages. Describe in detail the
 results of your troubleshooting efforts.

 Please tell us how to respond to you via mail, fax or one of the
 other methods we support. See your Quarterdeck Passport booklet
 for information on contacting Quarterdeck Technical Support.

 If you are contacting a technical support representative by
 telephone:

 - Be at your computer.

 - Please gather the information listed above.

 - When you contact our technical support representative, you need
   only give your customer VIP number or product serial number and
   a brief description of your hardware, software and the problem
   you are encountering. If the support technician requires
   additional information, he or she will ask for specific details.

 ******************************************************************
 *      Trademarks are property of their respective owners.       *
 *   This and other technical notes may be available in updated   *
 *     forms through Quarterdeck's standard support channels.     *
 *          Copyright (C) 1996 Quarterdeck Corporation            *
 ******************** E N D   O F   F I L E ***********************