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-
- README.TXT
-
- SoftICE 3.0 Release Notes
-
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Table Of Contents
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- * What's New in SoftICE 3.0
- * System Requirements
- * Installation
- * Using SoftICE On A Multi-Processor System
- * Quick Start to Debugging
- * VToolsD Support
- * DOS Extender Support (Windows NT Only)
- * Known Anomalies
- * Troubleshooting Tips
- * Reporting Problems And Suggestions
-
-
- What's New in SoftICE 3.0
- --------------------------------
-
- SoftICE 3.0 is available separately for Windows 95 and Windows NT. Many
- enhancements apply to both versions of SoftICE, while others are new
- only to the Windows 95 version.
-
- For Windows 95 and Windows NT
-
- We know you'll like these major enhancements:
-
- * Locals and structures support
- * One-step Symbol Loader(no more DBG2MAP and MSYM)
- * Mouse support
- * On-line Command Reference and Using SoftICE manuals
-
- Read "What's New in SoftICE 3.0" (WHATSNEW.DOC) for a quick tour and
- refer to your SoftICE manuals for details.
-
- Locals and structures support, and the new Symbol Loader (LOADER32.EXE)
- are designed for debugging Windows programs only. The old utilities are
- available in UTIL16 for debugging MS-DOS programs.
-
- For Windows 95
-
- We updated the Windows 95 version of SoftICE to include features we
- originally introduced for Windows NT. Highlights include:
-
- * Automatic VM Switching, with context or VM displayed on the status bar
- * New SoftICE Expression Evaluator
- * Conditional breakpoints and breakpoint actions
- * Macros
- * New QUERY command to display the virtual address map of a process
- * New WHAT command to analyze names and expressions
-
- "What's New in SoftICE 3.0" lists the command changes for Windows 95.
-
-
- System Requirements
- -------------------
-
- For All Systems:
-
- * 5 MB disk space required
- * 2.5 MB disk space optional (Adobe Acrobat Reader for on-line manuals)
- * Microsoft-compatible Serial or PS/2 mouse (optional)
- * Single monitor, an additional monochrome monitor, and remote debugging
- are supported
-
- For Windows 95:
-
- * Windows 95
- * 16 MB RAM minimum (32 MB recommended)
-
- For Windows NT:
-
- * Intel x86 uniprocessor system (or single CPU on an SMP system)
- * Windows NT 3.51
- * Windows NT 3.51 with NewShell
- * Windows NT 4.0 (Build 1381)
- * 32 MB RAM minimum (64 MB recommended)
- * Installation account with administrator rights
-
-
- Installation
- ------------
-
- * To install SoftICE, run SETUP.EXE. For Windows NT, run Setup from an
- account with administrator rights.
-
- * Setup will prompt you to select your display adapter's make and model,
- and allow you to set up an additional monochrome monitor.
-
- * Setup will prompt you to select the type of mouse you are using (none,
- serial-COM1, serial-COM2, or PS/2). The bus mouse is not supported.
-
- * You can change your display adapter or mouse later by running Display
- Adapter or Mouse Setup from the SoftICE start menu (Windows 95) or the
- SoftICE program group (Windows NT).
-
- * For Windows NT only: Setup will prompt you to select a startup mode
- for SoftICE. You can change your startup mode later by running Startup
- Mode Setup from the SoftICE program group.
-
- * To uninstall SoftICE, select Remove SoftICE from the SoftICE start
- menu (Windows 95) or from the SoftICE program group (Windows NT).
-
-
- Using SoftICE On A Multi-Processor System
- -----------------------------------------
-
- SoftICE 3.0 supports using a single CPU on a multi-processor system, but
- does not provide full SMP support. To boot an SMP machine using only one
- CPU copy the boot.ini line that boots your version of NT and add the
- /onecpu switch onto the end of the line. Boot.ini is normally a hidden,
- read-only system file.
-
- Example:
-
- If the following line starts Windows NT 3.51:
-
- multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows NT Workstation
- Version 3.51"
-
- Copy it and change the new line as follows to start NT 3.51 using only
- one CPU:
-
- multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\winnt="Windows NT Workstation
- Version 3.51 (one CPU)" /onecpu
-
-
- Quick Start to Debugging
- ------------------------
-
- 1) Run Symbol Loader (LOADER32.EXE).
-
- 2) Choose File-Open Module, and select the module you want to debug.
-
- 3) Choose Module-Load (or click the Load button on the toolbar). SoftICE
- automatically extracts symbol information from your module, creates a
- .NMS file containing the information, loads the symbols and source code,
- and, if you are loading an EXE file, loads the EXE and sets a
- breakpoint. You're ready to start debugging.
-
- Other features to check in the new symbol loader:
-
- * Module-Settings (symbol translation and debug options for your module)
- * Module-Translate (creates a .NMS file for pre-loading at start up)
- * Edit-SoftICE Initialization Settings (replaces WINICE.DAT)
- * File-Load Exports (loads exported symbols for DLLs you select)
- * File-Save SoftICE History (replaces WLOG and DLOG)
-
-
- VToolsD Support
- ---------------
-
- SoftICE 3.0 adds support for locals and structures, which makes it
- easier than ever to develop VxDs in C/C++. To take full advantage of
- SoftICE 3.0, VToolsD users will need to make some minor modifications to
- the VtoolsD make files.
-
- Microsoft Visual C++ users:
-
- Edit vtd95\include\ms9.mak as follows:
-
- 1) Replace all instances of /Zxx (where xx can be anything) with /Zi.
- This ensures that full debug information is included.
-
- 2) Remove references to DBG2MAP and MSYM. Those tools were used with
- older versions of SoftICE but are now obsolete. Instead, to create your
- .NMS symbol file, use:
-
- NMSYM /PROMPT /TRANSLATE:package,always
- /SOURCE:$(VTOOLSD)\lib\source;$(VTOOLSD)\lib\classlib;$(VTOOLSD)\lib\include $(TARGNAME)
-
- Unzipping the VtoolsD source code is recommended for full source-level
- debugging.
-
- Borland C++ users:
-
- 1) Build your VxD with debug information using the /v switch for the
- compiler and linker (as usual).
-
- 2) Use the PELE utility with the -s switch to create a section mapping
- file (.SMF). Translate the .SMF file to a .NMS symbol file with LOADER32
- or NMSYM. Note that translating the .DLL produced by the linker will not
- work; it is essential to translate from the .SMF file.
-
- NOTE:
- NuMega plans to make replacement makefiles incorporating these changes
- available from the technical support section of our Web site
- (www.numega.com).
-
-
- DOS Extender Support (Windows NT Only)
- --------------------------------------
-
- You can debug DOS Extender applications with SoftICE, but the process is
- not as automatic as with Windows applications. Be aware of the following
- points:
-
- * To gain control in the beginning of your application, embed an int 3
- instruction in your code and turn i3here on in SoftICE.
-
- * Both sticky and virtual breakpoints are not supported in extender
- applications.
-
- * You can debug 32-bit extender applications at source level if your
- tools are capable of producing debug information compatible with the
- DBG2MAP utility. Use the utilities in UTIL16 for DOS extenders.
-
- * Symbols are not automatically repaired. Use the SYMLOC command to set
- both the base address and context for your application.
-
-
- Known Anomalies
- ---------------
-
- * When debugging 16-bit programs, expanding pointers to structures in
- the Locals and Watch window is not supported. The data displayed when
- the structures expand is not valid.
-
- * The NT 3.51 checked build crashes when SoftICE is loaded using the
- default winice.dat file. To fix the problem, change winice.dat as
- follows:
- - Add the line: mouse=off
- - If you are using a mouse in SoftICE, add "set mouse on" to your INIT
- string. Example: init="set mouse on;X;"
-
- * SoftICE 3.0 in Windows 95 is not compatible with BoundsChecker for
- Windows 3.x (16-bit). If you need to run SoftICE with 16-bit
- BoundsChecker, use SoftICE 2.0, or check our web site to see if a patch
- is available.
-
- * The Windows 95 shutdown option Restart computer in MS-DOS mode is not
- supported when running SoftICE. Loading SoftICE after choosing this
- option causes the system to become unstable and eventually crash. To
- return to MS-DOS after you shut down Windows 95, set BOOTGUI=0 in
- MSDOS.SYS (really an ini file with hidden, read-only, system
- attributes). Then use Shutdown the Computer to restart your system.
-
- * Windows NT becomes unstable when it runs low on non-paged memory. This
- can occur if you load many symbols and source files. Use Symbol Loader-
- Help-About Symbol loader to monitor SoftICE memory usage. You may need
- to be selective about how much information you load into SoftICE.
- SoftICE loads all source files by default. To limit the source files,
- list the files to be loaded in a .SRC file with the same name as your
- module. Put the .SRC file in the same directory with your executable.
-
-
- Troubleshooting Tips
- --------------------
-
- * Erratic keyboard behavior: If the keyboard behaves erratically when
- you load SoftICE, run Symbol Loader, select Edit-SoftICE Initialization
- Settings, and select the following option on the Troubleshooting page,
- and restart SoftICE:
-
- --- Disable Num Lock and Caps Lock programming
-
- If the erratic behavior persists in Windows NT, select this
- Troubleshooting option as well:
-
- --- Do not patch keyboard driver
-
- * Erratic mouse pointer movement: If mouse movement occurs when SoftICE
- pops up, the operating system and the mouse hardware might become out of
- sync because part of a mouse packet is lost. This results in erratic
- mouse pointer movement. Use one of the following to resync the mouse:
- - Type ctrl-M in SoftICE. You may need to do this a few times.
- - Switch to a full screen DOS box in Windows NT.
- - Use SET MOUSE OFF, followed by SET MOUSE ON, in Windows 95.
-
- *If you encounter a situation where either program logic or a corrupt
- data structure causes SoftICE to enter an endless loop and the
- informational commands do not respond in a timely manner, press the
- Escape (Esc) key one or more times to abort the current operation.
-
- * Debugging Delphi Programs - Be sure to use the $O- option to turn off
- optimizations. When optimizations are on, many unreferenced parameters
- and locals are optimized out, although some reference to them still
- exists in the debug information.
-
-
- Reporting Problems And Suggestions
- ----------------------------------
-
- Be sure to check our web site at http://www.numega.com for product
- updates, FAQs, white papers and other technical support information.
-
- Contact Technical Support through e-mail at support@numega.com or by
- calling Technical Support at 603-889-2386. You can also FAX us at
- 603-889-1135 (attention: Technical Support).
-
- Include the following in your problem report:
-
- * System Configuration (O/S, processor, and RAM)
- * Detailed problem description (include exact error message text)
- * How to reproduce the problem
-
-
-
-
- -----------------------------------------------------------------
- Copyright 1996 NuMega Technologies, Inc.
- 11/22/96
-