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- WHAT'S NEW IN VERSION 1.18
- --------------------------
-
- NOTE: Since the utilities that come with The Last Byte are
- usually modified with each release of a new version, it's
- always a good idea to recalculate the value used with any
- "/SIZE" options that have been to load older versions of them
- into high memory. Using the wrong value can cause the boot
- sequence to hang.
-
- - Added support for Chips and Technology 82C230 PS/2 Model 30 System
- Controller.
-
- - Added support for the following Sun Electronics (SUNTAC) chips:
-
- 62C202 - Chipset 20 for 286
- 62C241 - Chipset 24 for 386sx
- 62C251 - Chipset 25 for 286 and 386sx
-
- - Completed support for LIM 4.0 EMS so that the "NOFRAME" option is no
- longer automatically invoked.
-
- - Added a "FIXED" command line option to LASTBYTE.SYS to support
- motherboards without a memory controller but which have accessible
- ram somewhere in the upper memory area. These are most often
- 8088-based laptop machines, such as those made by Tandy.
-
- - Modified chip detection algorithm to automatically detect the Texas
- Instruments 82411 so that 82411 is no longer needed on the LASTBYTE
- command line.
-
- - Made detection of VLSI Technologies 82C202 more reliable. Some PC's
- (without an 82C202) were responding to the 82C202 inquiry as if one
- was installed.
-
- - HIGHBFRS: (1) Corrected a problem with BUFFERS=MAXIMUM. If run a
- second time with LESS free memory it would not automatically adjust
- to the implied new maximum number of buffers. (2) Repaired so that
- when an error is encountered, it does not change current settings.
- (3) Reformatted the status summary report for improved clarity.
-
- - Corrected problem that caused a parity error on WARM boot. Note: Use
- of the DOS=F000:32 option forces COLD boot, so you may not have seen
- this problem.
-
- - Corrected a problem with some Chips & Technologies chipsets that
- caused LASTBYTE to fail to automatically recognize the EMS page
- frame set in the CMOS setup of those chips.
-
- - All software that uses 8253 timer #2 now saves and restores the
- mode and period so that the speaker tone (BELL) is not affected.
- AMI Bios's always completely reprogram this timer each time a BELL
- tone is generated, so this fix only applies to other Bios's.
-
- - Modified allocation strategy for High-DOS data blocks (HIGHDISK,
- HIGHEMS3, HIGHEMS4, HIGHMARK, HIGHUMM, HIGHBFRS) to place allocated
- portion at end (rather than beginning) of best-fit block. This
- provides more room for device drivers and TSR's that are
- subsequently loaded into upper memory (at beginning of blocks).
-
- NOTE: You may get better utilization of fragmented
- High-DOS memory if you do NOT use the HIGHDRVR.SYS
- "/SIZE" option with HIGHDISK, HIGHEMS3, or HIGHEMS4.
-
- - Modified allocation strategy for High-DOS data blocks (HIGHDISK,
- HIGHEMS3, HIGHEMS4, HIGHMARK, HIGHUMM, HIGHBFRS) to work from
- smallest to largest free blocks rather than largest to smallest.
- This reduces the fragmentation of High-DOS memory, increasing the
- size of the largest remaining free block. This provides more room
- for subsequent loading of device drivers and TSR's.
-
- - All "EGA/VGA" status and error messages are now specific. I.e.,
- they now identify exactly what kind of display adapter is present.
-
- - CHIPSET.EXE now warns you if shadow ram has been disabled or
- relocated.
-
- - Allocation of bank-switch memory no longer cause HIGHMEM to replace
- its listing of the other occupant of the same address space. Instead,
- both occupants are now shown.
-
- - Corrected some numbers in the HIGHMEM listing: Shadow ram size is
- no longer displayed (inappropriately) in the "Bank-Switch" column,
- and grand totals are now always correct.
-
- - Forcing Rom Bios area for use as Bank-Switch memory
- (e.g., B=F000:64) now works.
-
- - If a LIM EMS 4.0 driver is installed first, LASTBYTE will now
- recognize and avoid all mappable pages in the upper memory area,
- not just the standard 64k page frame.
-
- - HIGHMEM.EXE: Shadowed Roms now indicate their original width in bits.
-
- - HIGHDISK.SYS: Allocation of disk space is now in 1 sector increments.
-
- - The "/NOENV" option of HIGHTSR and HIGHINST no longer creates a
- hole in high memory where the discarded environment used to be.
-
- - HIGHMEM: Moved the TSR "markers" into the "Description" field so that
- they are more easily associated with the corresponding TSR filenames.
-