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QEMM Utilities
Quarterdeck Technical Note #294 Filename: QEMMUTIL.TEC
by Quarterdeck Documentation CompuServe: QUTIL.TEC
Last Revised: 04/05/95 Category: QEMM
Subject: A discussion of the utilities that come with QEMM.
Utility Programs
----------------
This technical note describes several miscellaneous utility
programs included with QEMM. The programs described herein let you
load device drivers before QEMM, load device drivers from the DOS
prompt, ensure that Microsoft Windows runs properly with QEMM if
you install Windows after QEMM, fix certain problems that occur on
some Toshiba laptop PCs, fix problems that may occur if you are
running LAN WorkPlace for DOS and fix bootup problems that occur
with some Ultra Stor disk controllers. Read this document if any
of these topics concern you.
DEVICE.COM: Loading Device Drivers from the DOS Prompt
------------------------------------------------------
DEVICE.COM is a program you can use to load certain device drivers
from the DOS prompt instead of from CONFIG.SYS. DEVICE.COM will
load character device drivers (e.g., a mouse driver, ANSI.SYS),
but not block device drivers (e.g., drivers for disk compressors,
RAM disks or CD ROM drives). In general, a block device is one
that will be assigned a drive letter (e.g., E:, H:). You may want
to use DEVICE.COM for the following reasons:
- To load a device driver in a DESQview or DESQview/X window, or
in a Microsoft Windows DOS window. For example, if you have a
program that requires ANSI.SYS, you can load ANSI.SYS in that
program's window without imposing ANSI's overhead on all your
other windows.
- To load a device driver from the DOS prompt when you need it.
- To load a device driver in AUTOEXEC.BAT to help QEMM's Optimize
program do a more efficient job of loading programs into upper
memory. Occasionally a driver in CONFIG.SYS uses enough upper
memory that there is not enough left to load a subsequent driver
or TSR. In this case, you can try using DEVICE.COM to load the
device driver in AUTOEXEC.BAT after the later driver or TSR has
been loaded. This method is especially worth trying if Optimize
is unable to load a very large TSR or driver into upper memory,
after loading a preceding driver into upper memory.
The syntax for DEVICE.COM is:
DEVICE device_driver_pathname
For example, to load ANSI.SYS from the DOS prompt you would type:
DEVICE C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS.
FIXINT13.SYS
------------
FIXINT13.SYS prevents certain problems that can happen when the
CONFIG.SYS file is being executed and problems occur on the DOS
stack. FIXINT13's job is to switch away from the DOS stack and on
to its own stack in conventional memory when a BIOS disk call
occurs while the CONFIG.SYS file is being processed. If you give
FIXINT13 the /STACKSIZE=xxxx parameter, you can also change the
size of FIXINT13's stack, to prevent stack overruns. The default
size of the FIXINT13 stack is 256 bytes; xxxx can be any value
between 128 and 1024.
FIXINT13 is needed with some UltraStor disk controllers to prevent
"Device not found" errors during the boot process. FIXINT13 with
the /STACKSIZE=384 parameter also prevents "Configuration too
large for memory" errors or crashes in the CONFIG.SYS file on some
systems with Adaptec 1542c controllers.
If you think you need FIXINT13.SYS, load it in the CONFIG.SYS
file, immediately before the QEMM386.SYS line (and after
DOSDATA.SYS and any other programs loaded before QEMM386.SYS). For
example:
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\FIXINT13.SYS
or
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\FIXINT13.SYS /STACKSIZE=384
HOOKROM.SYS: Loading Device Drivers before QEMM
-----------------------------------------------
HOOKROM.SYS is a device driver that allows you to load other
device drivers before QEMM in your CONFIG.SYS file. You may need
HOOKROM.SYS if you need to load a device driver before QEMM386.SYS
and you are using QEMM's Stealth ROM feature (i.e., you have the
parameter ST:M or ST:F on the QEMM386.SYS device line in
CONFIG.SYS). Though it is usually best to load device drivers
after QEMM386.SYS, there are some special drivers (like the ones
that manage some 80386 conversion hardware) that must load before
QEMM386.SYS. These drivers may obscure information that QEMM
needs to enable the Stealth ROM feature. If this is the case,
QEMM386.SYS will post an error message that reads,
QEMM386: Disabling Stealth ROM because QEMM could not locate the
ROM handler for INT x
where x is the number of an interrupt handler that QEMM needs to
manage for the Stealth ROM process to work.
The solution to this problem is to place the line
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\HOOKROM.SYS
at the beginning of the CONFIG.SYS file, before the driver that
needs to be loaded before QEMM386.SYS. HOOKROM will gather the
necessary information for QEMM386.SYS, so that the special driver
does not interfere with the Stealth ROM process.
LWPFIX: Fixing Problems with LAN WorkPlace
------------------------------------------
LWPFIX.COM is a TSR that works around problems with some versions
of Novell's LAN WorkPlace for DOS. Specifically, some versions of
Novell's TCPIP.EXE do not properly save and restore the state of
two of the processor's 32-bit extended registers; this can cause
malfunctions and crashes when other programs are using these
registers. By adding the command C:\QEMM\LWPFIX.COM to your
AUTOEXEC.BAT after TCPIP.EXE is loaded, you ensure that the
original contents of these registers will be restored after
TCPIP.EXE finishes using them.
You will need LWPFIX.COM if you are using versions 4.00 or 4.01 of
LAN WorkPlace for DOS; you may need it with some later versions.
LWPFIX.COM does no harm even if it is not needed, so it may be
worth loading LWPFIX.COM if you are experiencing problems with any
version of LAN WorkPlace for DOS. DESQview/X automatically loads a
driver that performs the same function as LWPFIX.COM, so
LWPFIX.COM is only needed to fix problems that occur outside of
DESQview/X.
QWINFIX: Using Microsoft Windows with QEMM
------------------------------------------
QWINFIX.COM makes Microsoft Windows 386 enhanced mode compatible
with QEMM. QWINFIX does this by adding the line
SystemROMBreakPoint=false
to the [386Enh] section of Windows' SYSTEM.INI file. If you have
Windows installed on your PC at the time you install QEMM, QEMM's
installation program will run QWINFIX. If you install Windows
after installing QEMM, you should run QWINFIX. To run QWINFIX:
Switch to Windows' directory (usually \WINDOWS).
Type QWINFIX and press Enter.
QEMMREG: Displaying QEMM's Version and Serial Number
----------------------------------------------------
QEMMREG.COM displays QEMM's version number and your serial number.
To use QEMMREG, type
QEMMREG
and press Enter
SCANMEM.COM: Checking for Memory Above the 16MB Line
----------------------------------------------------
SCANMEM.COM is a program that scans your PC's memory, looking for
memory that is not reported by the BIOS, and reports a parameter
you can use to make QEMM see this memory. This program may be
useful if your system has more than 16 megabytes of memory and you
cannot access the memory above 16 megabytes after installing QEMM.
The USERAM:XX:YY parameter to QEMM performs a similar function,
scanning all of the address range between XX and YY; running
SCANMEM is not a prerequisite to using USERAM. However, you can
use SCANMEM.COM to find the precise ranges of addresses that can
be specified to USERAM; this may save a couple of moments when you
boot your machine.
Some systems with more than 16 megabytes of memory do not report
all of their memory through the appropriate BIOS call (the
standard method for reporting how much memory is installed in a
system). On such a system, QEMM will not automatically detect the
memory above 16 megabytes. Certain Compaq and Dell PCs and PCs
with older Micronics motherboards (e.g., some Gateways) with more
than 16 megabytes of memory are the most notable examples. SCANMEM
tries to locate regions of RAM that QEMM does not detect
automatically when it loads. If you have a system with more than
16 megabytes of RAM and you suspect that all your memory is not
available, follow the steps below:
First, run Manifest to see if the memory is recognized. Type
MFT
and press Enter.
Near the bottom of the Manifest System Overview screen, you will
see a number for Total Extended Memory (pooled). If you have over
16 megabytes of RAM and the amount displayed is less than 16384K,
your system's BIOS is not reporting the memory above 16 megabytes,
and you should continue with the steps below.
Note: If you are having problems accessing memory above 16
megabytes on a Dell PC, contact Dell's technical support. They may
be able to supply you with an updated version of the system BIOS
that fixes this problem.
You should not run the SCANMEM program when QEMM386.SYS, DOS's
HIMEM or EMM386, or any other memory manager is loaded. Similarly,
you should not use any program that uses extended memory without
the assistance of a memory manager; some disk caches or RAM disks
may do this. The ideal environment for running SCANMEM is a
completely clean boot with no CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT.
Reboot your PC without any extended memory managers or consumers
present. After rebooting, type SCANMEM and press Enter.
SCANMEM will scan your PC's memory, and if it finds a memory
region that QEMM has not detected, it will post a message listing
the exact form of the USERAM=xxxxxxxx-yyyyyyyy parameter that you
should put on the QEMM386.SYS device line in CONFIG.SYS. SCANMEM
will list an address range in eight-digit hexadecimal format
(e.g., USERAM=00100000-00206000). When you add the USERAM
parameter to the QEMM386.SYS device line, use all the digits given
in the address. This parameter will reclaim the memory; SCANMEM's
only job is to suggest the appropriate USERAM parameter (for
information on the USERAM parameter, see Chapter 7).
If SCANMEM lists a USERAM parameter, jot it down, when edit your
CONFIG.SYS file and add the exact parameter SCANMEM reported to
the QEMM386.SYS device driver line.
Save your CONFIG.SYS file and reboot.
After rebooting, you should be able to access the memory above 16
megabytes. You can use Quarterdeck Manifest to verify that the
memory is recognized (see the first step above).
SCANMEM may post various messages:
Address wrap at xxxxx, where xxxxx is a memory address, means that
SCANMEM has detected that your PC's address space is smaller than
the four gigabytes that the 386 processor can address. This
message is for your information and does not invalidate SCANMEM's
findings.
NOUSERAM=xxxxx-yyyyy, where xxxxx and yyyyy are memory addresses,
means that SCANMEM does not detect memory in the address range
xxxxx-yyyyy, even though your system's BIOS has reported enough
extended memory to fill these addresses. If you see this message,
you may wish to use your PC's system setup to reconfigure your
machine so that the BIOS reports extended memory properly.
Error: Invalid USERAM due to memory cache! means that SCANMEM has
detected that the USERAM=xxxxx-yyyyy parameter that it last
printed to the screen is invalid and should not be used. You
should ignore only the last USERAM message printed to the screen;
previous USERAM messages are valid. This error may occur if an
unusual memory cache makes the contents of memory appear to be
variable.
T386.EXE: Displaying the Pop-up Menu on Toshiba Laptops
-------------------------------------------------------
T386.EXE is a program for Toshiba laptop computers which
allows the Toshiba pop-up menu to appear when QEMM is enabled.
T386 works on many Toshiba laptops.
If the computer is in virtual-8086 mode, Toshiba's pop-up menu
will display only if the expanded memory manager calls itself
"T386." The computer is always in virtual-8086 mode when
expanded memory is in use or High RAM has been created.
Therefore, when QEMM is performing these services you will not
be able to access the pop-up menu. The T386 program makes QEMM
appear to be named T386 and allows the menu to work properly.
To use T386.EXE:
Type
T386
and press Enter
You can load T386.EXE into upper memory by typing LOADHI T386.
You may want to load T386 from your AUTOEXEC.BAT file, so it
will run whenever you start your PC. We suggest you run
Optimize after adding this or any other program to
AUTOEXEC.BAT.
To remove T386 from memory (even if it is loaded into upper
memory):
Type
T386 R
and press Enter
******************************************************************
* 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 ***********************