Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager 7.0/Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager v7.0.img/TECHNOTE.QIP/WINSIZE.TEC

Text File | 1993-06-18 | 12KB | 251 lines

             MAXIMIZING THE SIZE OF YOUR DESQview WINDOWS


  This QEMM 7 technote is an abridged version of a technical
  bulletin that is available through our standard support channels.
  The information contained in this version pertains ONLY to QEMM
  version 7.0.  If you need information relating to earlier versions
  of QEMM you can obtain the unabridged version from the following
  sources:

  Quarterdeck Technical Support BBS:  WINSIZE.TEC
                         CompuServe:  WINSIZ.TEC
                              Q/FAX:  #161


  Subject:  How to increase the size of your DESQview windows.


  HOW CAN I GET BIGGER WINDOW SIZES IN DESQVIEW?

  DESQview may require 170K of your first megabyte of memory or
  more than 200K, depending on your specific configuration.
  DESQview can load over 63K of its code into the HMA (High Memory
  Area, the first 64K of extended memory) if this area is
  available.  It can also load its data into unused areas of High
  RAM between 640K and 1024K.  The remaining portion of DESQview's
  code will load into conventional memory. Regardless of the amount
  of RAM on your system, DESQview (like most programs) can ONLY
  load into these three areas.  It is important that you find the
  best ways of utilizing the HMA and your areas of High RAM if you
  are to maximize your DV windows.

  First, make sure that the file DV.COM exists in your DV
  directory.  After verifying its presence, follow the suggestions
  listed below.

  1. USING STEALTH ROM TO FREE CONVENTIONAL MEMORY:

  With version 6.00 of QEMM, Quarterdeck introduced its Stealth ROM
  technology which reclaims some of the upper memory addresses used
  by ROMs, gaining its users nearly 100K of additional High RAM.
  If you are using Stealth ROM, the QEMM device line in your
  CONFIG.SYS file will contain either the ST:M or ST:F parameter.
  If you do not have one of these parameters on the QEMM line, you
  can enable Stealth ROM by typing the following command at the DOS
  prompt:

      OPTIMIZE /ST

  This runs QEMM's Optimize program and instructs it to test your
  system for Stealth ROM compatibility.  Stealth ROM can do more to
  increase the size of your DESQview windows than any other
  suggestion in this technote.

  If you notice anything unusual about the way your system
  functions after enabling Stealth ROM, refer to our technical
  bulletin STEALTH.TEC for troubleshooting suggestions.  This
  technote was installed in your QEMM\TECHNOTE directory when you
  installed QEMM 7.

  2. USING QEMM's ANALYSIS PROGRAM TO INCREASE AREAS OF HIGH RAM:

  Before loading into conventional memory DESQview fills up all
  available areas of High RAM.  It is to your advantage, therefore,
  to configure QEMM to give you the most High RAM possible.  One
  way to gain additional High RAM is by performing an ANALYSIS.
  With this procedure QEMM determines what areas of upper memory
  are not currently being accessed by your hardware and software
  and suggests ranges of addresses that you can try "INCLUDING" for
  QEMM's use. In order for the results of ANALYSIS to be accurate,
  you must follow the instructions precisely.  For complete
  details, refer to your QEMM or Manifest manual or read our
  technical bulletin EXCLUDE.TEC.  This technote was also installed
  in your QEMM\TECHNOTE directory.

  3. USING ST-DBL TO STEALTH DOUBLESPACE:

  If you are using DoubleSpace (the disk compression program
  included with MS-DOS 6.0), you can use QEMM's ST-DBL.SYS to free
  even more conventional memory for DESQview.  Normally,
  DoubleSpace uses 43K of your first megabyte of memory.  This can
  heavily tax your window sizes in DESQview.  The new ST-DBL
  technology will stealth the DoubleSpace driver into expanded
  memory.  ST-DBL uses 2K of memory for itself and can be loaded
  high for a net savings of 41K.

  In order to use "ST-DBL" you must be using DoubleSpace from MS-
  DOS 6 and have QEMM configured to provide expanded memory through
  a 64K EMS page frame.

  If you install DoubleSpace AFTER installing QEMM 7, you should
  run QEMM's QSETUP program (by typing QSETUP at the DOS prompt.)
  QSETUP will remove the DBLSPACE.SYS line in your CONFIG.SYS and
  replace it with the following line:

    DEVICE=C:\QEMM\ST-DBL.SYS

  4.  GETTING QEMM TO BACKFILL MORE MEMORY:

  By default QEMM backfills only 576k of conventional memory on
  80386 systems. (This is not the case with 80486 and higher
  processors.)  The first 64K of conventional memory is not
  backfilled, allowing a maximum of 576K of conventional memory in
  a DESQview window.  If you are running QEMM on a 386 system, you
  can try to reclaim some of this memory by adding I=0C00-0FFF or
  I=0800-0FFF to the QEMM386.SYS line in your CONFIG.SYS file.

  Including 0C00-0FFF reclaims 32K of conventional memory.  On some
  systems these addresses are used for such things as I/O
  addresses.  If your computer does not function normally after
  adding this include statement, try reducing the range by using
  the I=0800-0FFF parameter.

  One of these two include statements will work for most systems.
  If you experience a problem that is not resolved by using the
  second, smaller, include statement, you should remove the include
  statement altogether.

  5.  GETTING DESQVIEW TO USE THE HMA:

  With QEMM loaded, DESQview is able to load 63K of its data into
  the HMA (High Memory Area, the first 64K of extended memory.)
  Only one program can use the HMA, however, so DESQview cannot use
  it if another program is already using it. If you have DOS 5 or
  6, you may have a line in your CONFIG.SYS file that says
  "DOS=HIGH."  This line instructs DOS to load part of itself into
  the HMA. DOS normally uses only 35K to 45K of the HMA, so most
  DESQview users obtain larger windows if they remove the DOS=HIGH
  line and allow DV to load into this area.

  In some cases it may be to your advantage to use the DOS=HIGH
  line in your CONFIG.SYS file rather than letting DESQview load
  into the HMA.  Try it both ways and then determine which gives
  you more memory by running Optimize, then checking "Largest
  Available Expanded Memory" in Memory Status while in DESQview.
  Use the configuration that gives you the best results.

  If you are using DR-DOS 6, you may get bigger window sizes in
  DESQview by loading the DOS kernel into High RAM.  You do this by
  placing the following lines in the CONFIG.SYS file:

            SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /P /MU
            HIDOS=ON
            DEVICE=C:\DRDOS\HIDOS.SYS /BDOS=AUTO

  Another option you can try if you have DR-DOS 6 is loading the
  DOS kernel into the HMA with the following lines:

            SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /P /MH
            HIDOS=ON
            DEVICE=C:\DRDOS\HIDOS.SYS /BDOS=FFFF

  6.  REMOVING DEVICE DRIVERS AND TSRs FROM CONFIG.SYS AND
      AUTOEXEC.BAT:

  The number of device drivers and TSRs you load during bootup
  directly impacts your maximum window size.  Many TSRs (like
  DOSKEY or Sidekick) can be removed from your AUTOEXEC.BAT and
  loaded in a DESQview window as needed.  Programs and drivers
  loaded in this manner do not detract from the size of EACH window
  but, rather, affect ONLY the size of the window in which they are
  run.

  Device drivers such as disk caches or ramdrives also use memory
  in the first megabyte.  Try removing such drivers one at a time
  in order to judge any performance gain resulting from their use.
  You may decide the performance gain is not worth the memory it
  costs you.  Because memory is a finite resource, you must make
  decisions as to how you use it.

  Network drivers can also be changed to save memory.  As an
  example, Novell's NETX.COM can be replaced with EMSNETX.COM which
  uses expanded memory and, as a result, uses much less
  conventional memory or High RAM.  Contact your network
  administrator for more information on alternative network
  drivers.

  7.  USING QEMM'S VIDRAM TO INCREASE CONVENTIONAL MEMORY:

  If your system is equipped with an EGA or VGA card and you use
  mainly text based applications, you can use VIDRAM to increase
  your conventional memory up to 96K.  When VIDRAM is enabled you
  will not be able to run graphics programs but you will be able to
  run larger text-based applications inside DV than you would
  otherwise be able to do.  For further information on enabling
  VIDRAM, refer to your QEMM manual.

  8.  CONFIGURING DESQVIEW TO USE LESS MEMORY VIA ITS SETUP
      PROGRAM.

  A number of settings in DESQview's SETUP program can be
  configured to save memory, and experimenting with them can prove
  well worth the time spent.

  COMMON MEMORY is used by DESQview to manage its windows, and the
  amount you need is dependent upon the number of windows you open.
  The default value is 17K; the minimum value of 14K may suffice
  for users who open only a few windows at a time.  Rarely do DV
  users need more than 25K of common memory.

  DOS BUFFERS FOR EMS refers to memory used by DESQview to manage
  file operations into expanded memory.  The default value is 2K;
  QEMM users who are not on a network can set this figure to 0K
  with no loss of performance, saving about 5K.  The value of this
  field can affect the speed of disk access, but rarely will a
  value higher than 10K or 15K prove worthwhile.

  If you are willing to do without a few of DESQview features, you
  can probably scrimp a few more K from the Setup program:

  On the KEYBOARD option you can save as much as 12K by telling
  DESQview that you do not want to use the Learn feature.  By doing
  so, however, you disable DESQview's very useful macro system.  If
  you are not aware of the capabilities of DV's LEARN feature, you
  may want to refer to the manual for information before disabling
  it.

  On the VIDEO MONITOR option you may be able to save up to 16K by
  telling DESQview not to display text and graphics at the same
  time.  This disables DESQview's Video Options menu, prevents
  graphics programs from being seen when in background, and
  prevents virtualization of graphics.  You can save another 2-9K
  by choosing 0 for "What Display Adapter do you have?".  This
  causes DESQview not to load a video driver and keeps DESQview
  from saving and restoring graphics screens or virtualizing
  graphics.

  On the PERFORMANCE option you can save 2K by changing "Manage
  Printer Contention?" to N(o) if it is set to Y(es.)  By default
  this field is set to N, in which case DESQview does nothing to
  prevent two programs from attempting to print at the same time.

  On the NETWORK option you may disable the network support or
  decrease the size of the buffer.  Network support is ONLY needed
  for certain network-specific programs.  It is NOT required for
  most normal DOS applications that are merely being run from a
  network hard drive.  The amount of memory you save by disabling
  network support is about 5K plus the size of the buffer reserved
  in the second field.  Unless you are certain that you need this
  service, try running without it.  If you encounter a problem when
  network support is disabled that you DO NOT encounter with such
  support, simply run DESQview Setup and change the settings back
  as they were.  You can also try decreasing the size of the buffer
  which, by default, is set to 8K.

  *************************************************************
  This technical note may be copied and distributed freely as long
  as it is distributed in its entirety and it is not distributed
  for profit.  Copyright (C) 1990-3 by Quarterdeck Office Systems
  ******************** E N D   O F   F I L E *******************