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- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Release notes for Soft-ICE/W version 1.52
-
- Nu-Mega Technologies, Inc.
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- 1. Installing Soft-ICE/W Version 1.52
- 2. Adaptec 1542 scsi disk controllers
- 3. Video VxD support
- 4. VERBOSE keyword displays debugging output
- 5. Using Breakpoint numbers as symbols
- 6. Compaq Qvision video driver
-
-
- Installing Soft-ICE/W Version 1.52
- ---------------------------------_
- To install Soft-ICE, run SETUP.EXE from Program Manager. This will copy all
- files from the distribution diskette to your hard drive in the directory you
- specified. It will also allow you to choose your video card out of the list
- that Soft-ICE provides. At any time, if you wish to change your video card
- setting, run SETUP.EXE from your Soft-ICE directory.
-
-
- Adaptec 1542 scsi disk controllers
- ----------------------------------
- Several customers have experienced problems when running Winice with
- Adaptec 1542 scsi disk controllers. The problems range from windows crashing
- to hard disk corruption occurring. We believe this problem is some sort of
- complex interaction between hardware, software drivers, and Soft-Ice/W.
-
- We have spent a fair amount of time trying to reproduce this problem using
- customer's software configurations. During our investigations we have
- uncovered the following two problems:
-
- - The windows ASPI driver does not work correctly when there is a
- TimerCriticalSection entry in SYSTEM.INI. When installing the ASPI
- driver, the software checks for this condition and displays an error
- if it finds this entry. If however, you have installed the aspi
- driver and subsequently another piece of software installs the
- TimerCriticalSection value no one will complain. Under this
- scenario, we have experienced lockups when accessing the disk drive.
-
- - The 1542 controllers do not work correctly when reading or writing
- to physical addresses above 16 megabytes. If an MS-DOS buffer gets
- located above 16 meg, problems will occur. This can happen if a lot
- of things are loaded into extended memory prior to starting windows,
- for example using winice with a large amount of symbol memory could
- cause this condition. Under this scenario, we have experienced both
- Windows crashes and hard disk corruption. This problem occurs even
- when running SmartDrv with the DOUBLE_BUFFER option enabled.
-
- These two conditions explain some of the problems but not all. Disk
- corruption has occurred on systems with less than 16 meg and without having
- the TimerCriticalSection entry present. We have been unable to reproduce
- the problem on this type of system but will continue to investigate.
- If you have a SCSI 1542 disk controller, run Soft-ICE for Windows at your own
- risk.
-
-
- Video VxD support
- -----------------
- The video vxd is not guaranteed to work on your particular card and machine.
- The vxds work for the particular revisons of the cards and drivers that
- Nu-Mega had. If the video vxd does not allow Soft-ICE to pop up correctly,
- you have four choices :
-
- 1 - Have Soft-ICE pop up on a monochrome debugging screen
- 2 - Have Soft-ICE pop up on a serial terminal ( p. 237 )
- 3 - Run Windows in standard VGA mode using VGA.DRV. If you do
- this place DISPLAY=0 in your WINICE.DAT file.
- 4 - Try using VIDMODE to create a WINICE.VID file
-
- Soft-ICE still supports the VIDMODE formats so if you got an older version
- to work by using VIDMODE, copy WINICE.VID to the directory that contains the
- newest version of Soft-ICE.
-
- As new vxds are written, they will be put on our BBS for downloading by
- anyone who wants them. The BBS number is ( 603 )595-0386
-
- The following chips/cards are currently supported by the Super VGA Driver
- provided with Soft-ICE:
-
- Tseng Labs ET3000,ET4000,ET4000/W32p
- STB Lightspeed ET4000/W32p
- Diamond Stealth 32 ET4000/W32p
- Wide variety of OEM cards
-
- Trident 8800,8900,9000,9200/9400(CXr & CXi)
- Wide variety of OEM cards
-
- Cirrus Logic 610,620,6410,54xx
- Wide variety of OEM cards
-
- Video7 V7VGA,HT208,HT209,HT216,HT216-32
- Video7 VRAM V7VGA
- Video7 1024i HT208
- Video7 VRAM II HT209
-
- ATI 18800,28800 rev1-6,38800(Mach8),68800(Mach32)
- ATI EGA Wonder+ 18800
- ATI VGA Wonder
- ATI VGA Edge
- ATI VGA Edge-16
- ATI VGA Wonder+ 28800
- ATI 8514-Ultra 38800(Mach8)
- ATI Ultra
- ATI Vantage
- ATI Graphics Ultra
- ATI Graphics Vantage
- ATI Graphics Ultra Pro 68800(Mach32)
- ATI Graphics Ultra+
- Wide variety of OEM cards
-
- Paradise PVGA 1A,1C,1D,1F,WD90Cxx
- Wide variety of OEM cards
-
- S3 911/924/928/801/805/864/964
- Diamond Stealth 24 S3 911
- Diamond Stealth Pro S3 928
- Diamond Stealth 64 S3 964
- Number Nine GXE64 S3 864
- Number Nine GXE64 Pro S3 964
- Wide variety of OEM cards
-
- Weitek 5186/Power 9000
- Diamond Viper
-
-
- There are also individual drivers for the:
-
- Compaq Qvision Cards
-
-
-
- VERBOSE keyword displays debugging output
- -----------------------------------------
- When the VERBOSE keyword is placed on a line in the WINICE.DAT file
- WINICE will display debugging messages when the following events occur.
-
- 16 bit segment loads and segment frees
- 32 bit segment loads and segment frees
- Module being deleted
- DLL starting
- ALL VxD messages
-
-
- Using Breakpoint numbers as symbols
- -----------------------------------
- Breakpoint numbers can now be used as symbols in Soft-ICE/W. The syntax
- is bpxx where xx is the breakpoint number. This will work for all BPX and
- BPM style break points. Soft-ICE/W will use the actual address of the
- breakpoint. Breakpoint numbers are listed using the BL command.
- For example you could do the following:
-
- U bp0 to unassemble at the address of breakpoint 0.
- D bp1f to display data at the address of breakpoint 1fh.
-
- Before interpreting a symbol as a breakpoint, Soft-ICE/W will check both the
- current symbol table and all loaded exports for the symbol. If your program
- has a symbol in this format Soft-ICE/W will use that symbol rather than the
- breakpoint entry.
-
-
-
- Compaq Qvision video driver
- ---------------------------
- Version 1.52 contains a new video vxd from Compaq that is intended for use on
- COMPAQ products with either an Advanced VGA (AVGA) or Qvision video system.
- It is not intended to support the third party video controllers used in the
- COMPAQ consumer product line.