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- INTRODUCTION
-
- 386MAX, by Qualitas, is the premier memory manager for
- 386-based computers. 386MAX provides features not found in any
- other memory management software, and combines the
- functionality of many other products into one integrated system.
-
- 386MAX provides:
-
- ∙ Increased DOS memory by using extended memory to
- backfill low DOS and topfill high DOS;
-
- ∙ Increased memory available for application programs by
- relocating device driver and memory resident software such
- as LocalArea Network programs to high DOS;
-
- ∙ Automatic installation with system analysis;
-
- ∙ Automatic option configuration and reconfiguration for
- maximum memory and performance.
-
- ∙ FlexFrame support that provides work space for
- initialization during the loading process.
-
- ∙ Full LIM 4.0 EMS emulation, with or without page frame;
-
- ∙ Support for VCPI and XMS compatible protected mode and
- multitasking programs;
-
- ∙ Increased system speed by ROM caching, memory swapping,
- and Alternative Map Register Sets (AMRS) emulation;
-
- ∙ Integrated RAM disk driver with EMS, XMS, or extended
- memory option;
-
- ∙ Virtual DMA Services (VDS) specification support;
-
- ∙ Weitek Floating Point Accelerator support;
-
- 386MAX requires:
-
- ∙ A 386 (including 386SX) or higher computer;
-
- ∙ 256KB or more extended memory;
-
- ∙ MS-DOS or IBM PC-DOS, Version 3.0 or later.
-
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- 386MAX and Protected Mode Programs:
-
- Many programs available today run in what is called protected
- mode. Some programs which run in protected mode are Autocad
- 386, Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3, Windows 3.0 and 386MAX. Under
- normal conditions, multiple protected mode programs cannot
- operate concurrently. 386MAX supports the Virtual Control
- Program Interface (VCPI) specification, an industry standard
- (supported by Lotus and Autocad) which allows simultaneous
- operation of protected mode programs. Windows 3.0 employs a
- technology which is not compatible with the VCPI specification.
- However, Windows 3.0 can run on a system with 386MAX
- installed. For the current information on running both 386MAX
- and Windows software, refer to the WINDOWS.DOC file on your
- 386MAX diskette.
-
- 386MAX User's Guide:
-
- It is quite likely that page 1 of Chapter 1 (how to install 386MAX)
- is all you will need from this manual. The remainder of Chapter 1
- describes the automatic installation process and provides
- suggestions in the unlikely event you encounter installation
- problems.
-
- Chapter 2 examines the topic of memory management and
- describes how 386MAX works.
-
- Chapter 3 discusses the process performed by the MAXIMIZE
- program. MAXIMIZE automatically configures 386MAX to
- manage your system for maximum performance and memory
- utilization.
-
- Chapter 4 furnishes detailed reference data for 386MAX
- 386LOAD and their options. It also provides information and
- guidance for creating configurations manually.
-
- Chapter 5 details the utilities included with 386MAX.
-
- Chapter 6 is an in depth look at troubleshooting procedures.
-
- Appendices provide a glossary of terms, information on special
- systems, error message listings, and a summary of 386MAX
- options.
-
- Installing 386MAX
-
- INSTALLING 386MAX
-
- 386MAX includes a sophisticated installation program designed
- to automate almost all of the installation and configuration
- process. INSTALL automatically loads the 386MAX program files
- onto your hard disk and, optionally, modifies your CONFIG.SYS
- startup file. It then uses the MAXIMIZE program to analyze your
- computer system components automatically and to determine the
- best selection of configuration options for your memory and
- memory resident programs.
-
- INSTALL
-
- To install 386MAX:
-
- ∙ Place the 386MAX distribution disk in a floppy drive;
-
- ∙ Type D:INSTALL, where D is the letter of the drive in which
- you placed the 386MAX diskette;
-
- ∙ Answer the on-screen questions.
-
- The INSTALL program asks where to place the 386MAX program
- files, C:\386MAX is suggested. (386MAX should always be
- installed on the same drive as the AUTOEXEC.BAT and
- CONFIG.SYS files.) The INSTALL program then asks if you
- want your CONFIG.SYS file automatically modified to include
- the 386MAX.SYS device driver, and if you want 386MAX to
- design a device driver and resident program load configuration
- automatically for your system.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- WHAT INSTALL DOES
-
- The INSTALL program:
-
- ∙ Backs up files;
-
- ∙ Inserts device=386MAX.SYS into CONFIG.SYS if it is not
- already there;
-
- ∙ Creates a profile unless one already exists.
- At this point, the INSTALL program presents the option of
- proceeding with the MAXIMIZE program.
-
- IN CASE THERE IS A PROBLEM
-
- In most cases the problem is a simple one. The common error
- messages are listed below. Since many of these messages come
- from DOS, the exact wording may differ slightly on your system.
-
- Not ready reading drive x.
- Abort, Retry, Fail?
- The 386MAX distribution diskette has not been inserted
- correctly into the specified disk drive, or the drive door is open.
- Check that the diskette is inserted correctly and the drive door
- is closed, or that you have told INSTALL the correct drive letter.
-
- Bad command or file name.
- INSTALL.EXE cannot be found because the name has been
- entered incorrectly or the file is not present on the diskette.
- Check that INSTALL is spelled correctly, and that the correct
- disk drive was specified (e.g., A:INSTALL). If so, check that the
- correct diskette is in the drive and does contain the
- INSTALL.EXE program.
-
- After typing INSTALL, the disk light is on but no activity
- follows.
- The diskette could be damaged. Contact Qualitas.
-
- Installing 386MAX
-
- Exploding: (filename) PKSFX: Warning ! file fails CRC
- check.
- One of the files on the diskette has been altered or damaged.
- Contact Qualitas.
-
- In the unlikely event that your computer does not boot properly
- after 386MAX installs correctly, please contact Qualitas. As an
- interim measure to get your computer working again, reboot
- and hold down the Alt key while the computer is booting.
- This tells 386MAX.SYS not to load, which also prevents
- 386LOAD from loading anything into high DOS. This allows you
- to restore your CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files to their
- original state before rebooting again.
-
- The Qualitas technical support per-
- sonnel are available to assist
- registered users from lO:OOam to
- 5:00pm EASTERN TIME, Monday
- through Friday, except holidays.
- Please be sure to have your serial
- number ready so that we may verify
- your registration or register your
- product at the time of your call. You
- may also fax a problem report or con-
- tact us by MCI Mail or CompuServe.
-
- Technical Support: 301-907-7400
- Fax: 301-907-0905
- MCI Mailbox: 336-2907
- CompuServe: 73377,3307
-
- j4KB
- 7tarts
- 386MAX - WHAT IT IS
-
- It is not necessary to read this chapter to use 386MAX. Chapter 1
- contains all the information necessary to install 386MAX on your
- computer.
-
- This chapter presents information about the technology of
- memory management in computers based on the Intel 386
- running under DOS. It also helps you understand the significance
- of the MAXIMIZE program, described in Chapter 3, which
- analyzes your system components and determines the best
- configuration. This material is a prerequisite to understanding
- Chapter 4 and provides the technical background necessary to
- configure 386MAX manually.
-
- MEMORY MANAGEMENT
-
- When personal computers were introduced several years ago,
- application programs were much less sophisticated than they are
- today. The Intel 8088, made popular by the IBM PC, could
- address one megabyte of memory. The designers of DOS divided
- that lMB address space into a 640KB portion and the remaining
- 384KB portion. The first 640KB area is used by the DOS
- operating system, operating system enhancement programs
- (device drivers), and user application programs. Of the remaining
- 384KB, 320KB of address space is reserved for physical devices
- connected to the CPU such as the video board, hard disk
- controllers, local area network interface boards, and any other
- add-in cards with ROM or RAM memory on them. The last 64KB
- of the address space is reserved for the system ROM that starts
- up and operates the computer.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- At the time the IBM PC was introduced, few personal computers
- had more than 16KB and only the largest had 64KB; 640KB
- appeared to be more than sufficient. Unfortunately, many of
- today's more powerful programs require well over 512KB to
- operate efficiently. When you add 45KB or more for DOS, and as
- much as lOOKB for some local area network programs, the
- 640KB limit becomes restrictive.
-
- CPUs designed after the 8088 do not have the lMB address
- constraint. The Intel 286 can address 16MB of memory, and the
- 386 and beyond CPUs have the physical capability to address
- more than 4 GigaBytes (most current 386 computers are built to
- handle 16MB only). Unfortunately, these CPUs must emulate the
- 8088 (known as running in real mode) when using many of the
- DOS services, and are only able to address memory beyond 1 MB
- when operating in protected mode. Limitations in the way the
- 286 was designed to switch back and forth between protected and
- real modes makes it difficult for protected mode programs to run
- while memory resident DOS programs are installed in the system.
-
- The 386 overcame the limitations of the 286, and has the ability
- to switch easily between modes. It also has the means to assign a
- logical address to memory which is different from the memory's
- physical address. These two capabilities make the 386 a very
- powerful and sophisticated CPU, and make it possible for
- 386MAX to work its "magic".
-
- One goal of 386MAX is to provide the maximum possible memory
- to your DOS application programs, (such as word processors,
- spreadsheets, database managers, etc.), by moving programs like
- device drivers and TSRs (terminate-and-stay-resident programs)
- out of the lower 640KB. Another goal is to provide memory
- support services to those programs that can use memory beyond
- 640KB through one of the current memory specifications, such as
- the LIM standard for EMS.
-
- Before we discuss these goals and how 386MAX accomplishes
- them, we need to understand the way memory is arranged and
- learn some new terms.
-
- Figure 2.1 shows the layout of DOS address space.
-
- 386MAX - What It Is
-
- The DOS operating system can address up to 1024KB (lMB) of
- linear memory. The lower 640KB of this memory, commonly
- referred to as low DOS memory or conventional memory is
- recognizable by DOS and made available for use by applications
- programs. The remaining 384KB of address space is reserved for
- special system functions.
-
- The addresses between 640KB and lMB are reserved to access
- buffer RAM and BIOS ROM. This may be present on display
- adapters, the system board and various other boards (such as
- network adapters, external disk drive adapters, and image
- scanners). Although the number of adapters installed and their
-
- 1024KB
- (10,000)
-
- 960KB
- (FOOO)
-
- 768KB
- (COOO)
-
- 840KB
- (AOOO)
-
- OKB
-
- ~nnnn~ .
-
- SYSTEM ROM
-
- NO
- PHYSICAL
- MEMORY
-
- VIDEO
- MEMORY
-
- - System ROM. These are the instruc-
- tions that are executed at system
- startup.
-
- Bus Addressing space reserved for
- BIOS ROM extensions and buffer RAM
- that may be present on Network cards,
- hard disk controllers, or any other card
- that can be added to the bus.
-
- The Video Buffer Region reserved for
- display card 10 buffer.
-
- This is the memory directly available
- to application programs.
-
- ~ Network shells
- ;~ Disk Caches
- MEMORY RESWENT STORAGE Keyboard Screen Enhancers
- etc.
-
- ~ The operating system.
-
- Figure 2.1: The DOS Megabyte
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- memory requirements vary, there are always unused areas of
- address space remaining.
-
- Several areas in the upper 384KB have predetermined uses. The
- first 128KB area (AOOO-COOO) is reserved for RAM on video
- boards. Each board uses a different amount of address space in
- this area. Just above the video RAM area is a 32KB address area
- (COOO-C800) for the ROM on VGA video adapters. The addresses
- from C800 to FOOO are reserved for use by hardware adapters
- that need address space for BIOS ROM and buffer RAM. Loca]
- area network adapters are a good example. The actual address
- area used by an adapter card can usually be selected by setting
- switches or jumpers on the board. This allows different add-in
- boards to be adjusted to avoid address conflicts. The last 64KB of
- address space (FOOO-10000) is reserved for system ROM.
-
- 386MAX provides a means to employ these vacant areas, which
- can then be utilized by the device driver and memory resident
- program loaders (386LOAD.SYS and 386LOAD.COM).
-
- 386MAX fills the vacant address areas in the 640KB to lMB
- region and makes this memory available to DOS. These unused
- portions of the address space are filled by remapping them with
- previously non-DOS addressable RAM.
-
- 386MAX then uses this remapped RAM to store device drivers
- and memory resident programs. This makes more low DOS
- memory available to memory intensive applications.
-
- As a memory manager, 386MAX supports the most current
- versions of Lotus-Intel-Microsoft (LIM) Expanded Memory
- Specification (EMS), Microsoft's eXtended Memory Specification
- (XMS), the Phar Lap/Quarterdeck Virtual Control Program
- Interface (VCPI), and Virtual DMA Services (VDS) specification.
- These four specifications represent the most widely accepted
- standards.
-
- Version 4.0 of the LIM Expanded Memory Specification makes
- more memory available for applications than DOS can physically
- address. This additional EMS (expanded memory) is accessed by
- mapping 16KB of memory (called a page) from a non-DOS
- addressable area into a specific memory address in conventional
-
- 3 386MAX- What It Is
-
- memory. By combining a series of four contiguous pages, a 64KB
- window is created through which up to 32MB of EMS memory
- can be accessed. This dynamic window is referred to as the EMS
- page frame and, as can be seen in Figure 2.2, typically is located
- in the address region between 768KB and 896KB (COOO and
- EOOO).
-
- The XMS specification allows programs to request memory above
- the conventional memory area for program storage and use. This
- memory can be allocated from three locations: the high DOS area
- from 640KB to lMB, called upper memory blocks (UMBs);
- extended memory, called extended memory blocks (EMBs); or the
- high memory area, a specific 64KB area called HMA in extended
- memory at address 1024KB (lMB). 386MAX supports the XMS
- specification and provides XMS memory to XMS-aware
- applications.
-
- E _~
- ~.
-
- c ' ~ Figure 2.2: EMS Memory
-
- A6nKBEMS Manager
- can selectively map
- any of these phy-
- sical pages into
- these linear ad-
- dresses, which are
- available by DOS.
-
- As much as
- 32MB of
- Expanded
- (EMS)
- Memory
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- The VCPI specification is an interface which allows programs
- running in protected mode to request the allocation of memory at
- addresses above lMB. The VCPI specification sets ground rules
- that allow programs operating in protected mode to co-exist.
- Protected mode programs that do not conform to the VCPI
- specification can take control of the machine in such a way that
- other programs cannot run at the same time. 386MAX supports
- the VCPI specification and works well with programs that also
- conform to the VCPI specification.
-
- The Virtual DMA Services (VDS) specification allows programs to
- manage the DMA (Direct Memory Access) controller while
- 386MAX is installed. In particular, SCSI hard disk controllers
- and other bus masters can coexist with 386MAX under this
- specification.
-
- The vast majority of today's programs run in real mode and must
- have their executable code loaded within the first megabyte of
- memory. Although they can use one of the techniques such as
- EMS to request additional memory for temporary data storage
- each program's executable code must be loaded into conventional
- memory.
-
- MAXIMIZE
-
- MAXIMIZE
-
- Using proprietary reordering and FlexFrame technology,
- MAXIMIZE automatically configures 386MAX options to
- overcome system limitations that previously prevented the most
- complete use of high DOS memory. In many cases, FlexFrame
- and the reordering capabilities of MAXIMIZE enable you to load
- programs you could not previously fit into high DOS.
-
- In a system with high DOS address space fragmented into just
- two areas, and in which the user is loading a combined total of
- five device drivers and memory resident programs, there can be
- as many as 3840 possible loading orders. With four memory areas
- and six programs, the number of possibilities jumps to nearly
- three million.
-
- Finding the one sequence which leaves the most available
- conventional memory (in the first 640KB) is a time-consuming
- task. The chore worsens when programs that run in only a few
- kilobytes of RAM demand much more space to initialize. For the
- DOS program FASTOPEN to load in high DOS, it requires 68,000
- bytes of contiguous high DOS memory in which to "set itself up",
- despite the fact that it will only need 3000 bytes once resident.
- This common disparity between initialization and resident sizes
- can make writing the best configuration files appear
- counter-intuitive. The program loading software, 386LOAD.COM,
- automatically traps the program when it occupies the most RAM.
- 386LOAD then passes the size information to MAXIMIZE, which
- configures the system.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- USING MAXIMIZE
-
- MAXIMIZE reconfigures your system by changing the
- CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files. MAXIMIZE can
- change these files on a line-by-line basis to load the appropriate
- programs into high DOS in the best order. The entire MAXIMIZE
- process takes only a few minutes and is automatic. You can
- however, override MAXIMIZE's defaults.
-
- You can also run MAXIMIZE from the 386MAX directory at any
- time after installation. MAXIMIZE is designed to be run
- whenever a change is made to your configuration.
-
- Refer to the Quick Start Card for directions on running
- MAXIMIZE.
-
- 4
-
- E 1
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- 386MAX - IN DETAIL
-
- This chapter provides technical details for 386MAX and its
- companion programs for users who want to configure 386MAX
- manually, using options and parameters.
-
- To use this chapter, you must have an understanding of the
- material in chapters 1 and 2. You also need to be willing to reboot
- if you try an option or parameter that locks up your system. You
- should be familiar with the contents of your CONFIG.SYS and
- AUTOEXEC.BAT files, and be able to make changes to them with
- an editor program. If you didn't create your own CONFIG.SYS
- and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, you should contact the person who
- did before proceeding.
-
- ~; 1
- ~i 1,
- 1
-
- NOTE: Before starting, we strongly suggest that you
- first run the INSTALL program with MAXIMIZE
- and then review the resulting CONFIG.SYS,
- AUTOEXEC.BAT, and 386MAX.PRO files. Not only
- does this provide a good starting point for your
- experimentation, it also provides data you will need
- should you request customer support from Qualitas.
-
- MANUAL CONFIGURATION
-
- This section lists 386MAX options to fine tune your system, or to
- configure special option combinations for unique situations. We
- suggest that you review this chapter before proceeding with your
- custom setup.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- The normal process of creating a custom 386MAX installation
- includes trial and error and multiple reboots. It is useful to have
- two ways to boot your computer during this process. You may
- wish to have a floppy boot disk containing a working
- CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT that allows you to boot the
- computer and to make changes to the configuration files on your
- hard disk. This is a safe approach that allows you to recover from
- an option combination that caused a computer lock up. You need
- an editor or word processor that can modify your ASCII
- configuration files.
-
- In the unlikely event that your computer does not boot properly
- after 386MAX installs correctly, please contact Qualitas. As an
- interim measure to get your computer working again, reboot and
- hold down the Alt key while the computer is booting. This tells
- 386MAX.SYS not to load, which also prevents 386LOAD from
- loading anything into high DOS. This allows you to restore your
- CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files to their original state
- before rebooting again.
-
- Unless your 386MAX configuration is quite simple, you may wish
- to use the PROfile technique when specifying your options to the
- 386MAX device driver. In CONFIG.SYS, use the PRO option on
- the 386MAX device line to point to a text file that contains your
- options and parameters. For example:
-
- DEVICE=C: \ 3 8 6MAX\ 3 8 6MAX . SYS PRO=C: \ 3 8 6MAX)\ 3 8 6MAX . PRO
-
- This allows you to list your options one per line in the PROfile,
- and to include comments to document your reasons for your
- choices for future reference. The INSTALL program
- automatically creates a PROfile if one does not already exist.
-
- During the manual configuration, you may need specific
- information about your computer system. Several places to look
- for this information are
-
- ∙ APPENDIX B of this manual, which contains some
- information for special systems;
-
- ∙ The README file on the 386MAX distribution disk, which
- contains information that became available after this
- manual was printed;
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- ∙ Your computer and add-on product reference manuals;
-
- ∙ Switch settings for memory boards, network boards, video
- adapter boards, etc. ins..alled in your computer;
-
- ∙ Your existing CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files;
-
- ∙ The CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files created by
- INSTALL;
-
- ∙ Your DOS manual (Be sure you are using DOS 3.0 or higher.)
-
- Again, we suggest you run the 386MAX INSTALL program with
- MAXIMIZE and allow it to modify CONFIG.SYS and
- AUTOEXEC.BAT, then use these new files as the starting point
- for your manual configuration. Before applying options, you
- should be familiar with the default behavior of 386MAX as
- described in Chapter 2.
-
- The first step is to place the 386MAX device line in
- CONFIG.SYS. It should be the first device line in CONFIG.SYS
- under most conditions. Either add your options to this device line,
- or use the PROfile approach. Save the CONFIG.SYS file and
- reboot.
-
- Watch the screen as your computer boots up. 386MAX presents a
- map of the memory allocation and memory usage. You can also
- use the utility programs provided with 386MAX to obtain
- additional information about your system.
-
- Observe the behavior of your system by running your application
- programs. If you have a problem, see the section on
- troubleshooting for information and general techniques in
- isolating and resolving the conflict.
-
- After you have successfully installed 386MAX.SYS, you may
- want to load memory resident programs and device drivers into
- high DOS memory provided by 386MAX. This frees up valuable
- low DOS memory for your application programs.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- 386MAX OPTIONS
-
- The following options are used to provide instructions to the
- 386MAX device driver that loads from CONFIG.SYS. An option
- may be specified on the device line in CONFIG.SYS as in the
- following example:
-
- DEVICE=C: \ 386MAX\ 386MAX.SYS EXCLUDE=l O O O -AO O O
-
- or it may be specified in a PROfile as described in the PRO option.
-
- If you change options for the 386MAX.SYS device driver, you
- must reboot before the new options take effect. The following is
- the list of 386MAX options:
-
- AMRS=nnn
-
- This option may improve performance of multitasking
- programs in some situations. 386MAX emulates the EMS
- hardware concept of Alternate Map Register Sets (AMRS)
- improving multitasking performance by storing an individual
- EMS map in RAM for each open application. Instead of
- updating one master EMS map at each context switch
- 386MAX switches to a different EMS map, resulting in a
- noticeable increase in system performance. One AMRS should
- be reserved for each simultaneously active application. Each
- AMRS uses 4KB of extended memory. Note that nnn may be a
- number from O to 255, and defaults to zero.
-
- AUTO
- See also ON, OFF options.
-
- This option allows some of the 386MAX features to be used in
- some cases when running with other protected mode programs
- that do not conform to the Virtual Control Program Interface
- (VCPI).
-
- 386MAX has two groups of features that are affected by the
- selection of the AUTO, ON, or OFF options.
-
- Group A features are EMS and XMS support, ROM caching,
- and Weitek FPA processor support.
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- Group B features are low DOS memory backfill and high DOS
- memory topfill.
-
- By default, 386MAX starts up with both Group A and Group B
- features enabled. If other programs running in protected mode
- conflict with 386MAX, the Group B features can be disabled by
- starting 386MAX with the AUTO option. Group A features can
- then be turned ON or OFF as needed using the 386MAX.COM
- program. This is usually done in a batch file that turns the
- features on, executes the desired program, and then turns them
- off.
-
- Example: Add the option AUTO to the 386MAX device line in
- CONFIG.SYS. Then use a batch file that contains the following
- lines to execute programs that use the Group A features.
-
- 386MAX ON
- %1 (or name of the program to be run)
- 386MAX OFF
-
- This batch file enables the Group A features on a case by case
- basis. The opposite approach may be taken, to disable the
- features only when you need to run special programs. Example:
-
- 386MAX OFF
- %1 (Protected mode program)
- 386MAX ON
-
- If the initial state is ON and any of EMS, XMS, or high DOS
- memory is allocated, the features of Group A cannot be turned
- off.
-
- The EXT or EMS options can be used with the AUTO option, if
- necessary.
-
- CGA
-
- Equivalent to the option: VIDMEM=B800-COOO. See VIDMEM
- option for details.
-
- DMA=nnn
-
- This option is used to adjust the size of the DMA buffer in some
- circumstances. 386MAX uses a separate buffer to handle
- certain DMA transfers. The size of this buffer defaults to 64KB
- if your hard disk uses DMA, 16KB otherwise. Under certain
- circumstances this size may need to be increased. 386MAX may
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- detect DMA problems and issue an error message telling you
- what size to make nnn. The value of nnn is in KB and can be
- from8 to 128.
-
- DOS4
-
- This option can sometimes be used to resolve EMS memory
- conflict problems resulting from inconsistencies in the way
- early versions of PC-DOS 4.x refer to EMS page numbers. This
- situation can occur when you have INCLUDE statements in
- your CONFIG.SYS file, and have relocated your DOS buffers to
- EMS memory. If you have relocated DOS buffers to EMS
- memory and are experiencing EMS problems, the DOS4 option
- may be able to resolve the situation. If not, you may need to
- leave the DOS buffers in low DOS memory when you are using
- 386MAX. See the README file for more details.
-
- EGA
-
- Equivalent to the option: VIDMEM=AOOO-COOO. See VIDMEM
- option for details.
-
- EMS=nnnn
- See also EXT, FRAME, and NOFRAME options.
-
- This option allows you to designate a specific amount of
- extended memory to convert to EMS memory. 386MAX
- normally converts to EMS memory all but 64KB of the
- extended memory remaining after filling low and high DOS
- memory and caching ROMs. A maximum of 32MB of memory
- can be converted to EMS. The EMS option allows you to state a
- specific amount (nnnn KB) to be converted to EMS; the
- remainder stays as extended memory. You might use the EMS
- option for an EMS-based disk cache or other situation where
- you know exactly how much EMS memory you need.
-
- The 64KB not converted to EMS memory is reserved for
- supporting XMS. If you have no need for EMS memory, use
- EMS=O. This also gives you 64KB more high DOS memory
- because no EMS page frame is needed.
-
- 386MAX converts extended memory to EMS memory in
- multiples of 16KB, so the actual amount converted is different
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- if you don't specify a multiple of 16KB (nnnn numbers ending
- in 000, 400, 800, or COO). 386MAX rounds down in this case, so
- you might have converted less than you expected.
-
- You need to remove any existing EMS memory device drivers
- (often containing the letters EMM), such as those provided with
- EMS memory boards. If you use their EMS device driver be
- sure to use the 386MAX option, EMS=O, and load your EMS
- driver before 386MAX. However, it is recommended that such
- boards be configured as extended memory and that 386MAX
- perform the conversion to and management of the EMS
- memory.
-
- The EMS option cannot be used at the same time as the EXT
- option.
-
- EXCLUDE=xxxx-yyyy
-
- See also INCLUDE option.
-
- This option allows you to decrease the size of the EMS
- swapping region. In addition to the EMS page frame area,
- 386MAX normally allows EMS swapping to take place in all of
- the region from 64KB to 640KB (addresses 1000 to AOOO).
- (Depending on which video adapter you have, the region may
- go beyond AOOO to BOOO or B800.) The EXCLUDE option
- decreases the EMS swapping region by excluding the range
- between the addresses specified. You may obtain some
- performance improvement by using this option if you do not use
- multitasking programs such as Windows, DesqView, etc., or
- non-multitasking programs such as Paradox which do look for
- and use these extra EMS swapping pages; excluding EMS
- swapping areas with such programs can degrade performance
- instead.
-
- Address ranges for the EXCLUDE option should end in 000,
- 400, 800, or COO to specify ranges that are even multiples of
- 16KB. You may use the EXCLUDE option more than once to
- exclude multiple ranges. To exclude the entire region from
- 64KB to 640KB from being used as an additional EMS
- swapping area, use EXCLUDE=lOOO-AOOO.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- EXT=nnnn
-
- See also EMS, FRAME and NOFRAME options.
-
- The EXT option tells 386MAX to keep nnnnKB as extended
- memory rather than converting it to EMS. You might use the
- EXT option to set aside a specific amount of extended memory
- for a RAM disk. 386MAX automatically converts all but 64KB
- of available extended memory to EMS memory unless one of
- the EXT or EMS options is specified. (386MAX allocates EMS
- memory in multiples of 16KB so any remaining memory less
- than 16KB is kept as extended memory in addition to the
- amount specified by the EXT option.)
-
- The XMS support provided by 386MAX requires 64KB of
- extended memory; no XMS support is provided if less than
- 64KB of extended memory is available. To disable the extended
- memory portion of the XMS specification, use EXT=O.
-
- The EXT option cannot be used at the same time as the EMS
- option.
-
- FORCEA20
-
- This option is used to attempt to resolve some problems
- introduced by system utility programs provided by the
- manufacturers of some 386 systems. Some of these utility
- programs inadvertently reset one of the switches required by
- 386MAX to manage memory. The FORCEA20 option tells
- 386MAX to attempt to check for such occurrences. Under some
- circumstances, the additional execution time 386MAX needs to
- perform this checking when this option is used can cause some
- programs to experience keyboard errors. You should try this
- option only if you experience system lockup when using utility
- programs provided by your manufacturer.
-
- FRAME=nnnn
-
- See also EMS, EXT, and NOFRAME options.
-
- This option allows you to specify the address you wish for
- 386MAX to locate the EMS page frame, which is a 64KB region
- of DOS addressable memory space used to access EMS
- memory. 386MAX automatically installs the EMS page frame
- in the highest available 64KB region (on a 16KB boundary) of
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- the reserved high DOS memory. This is usually the region just
- under the system BIOS, at address EOOO (at address DOOO for
- Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) systems which have a
- larger system BIOS region).
-
- If 386MAX cannot find a contiguous 64KB region in the high
- DOS memory area, it installs the EMS page frame in low DOS
- memory. In general, it is best to let 386MAX automatically
- select the location for the EMS page frame. You might need to
- specify the page frame location if you have an unusual adapter
- that conflicts with the address selected by 386MAX.
-
- Addresses for the FRAME option must end in 000, 400, 800, or
- COO to specify even multiples of 16KB.
-
- HMAMIN=nn
-
- See also XMSHNDL option.
-
- This option allows you to adjust the way 386MAX supports
- XMS memory allocation. The XMS specification allows
- programs to allocate memory above the conventional memory
- area for program storage and use. This memory can be
- allocated from three locations: the high DOS area from 640KB
- to lMB, called upper memory blocks (UMBs); extended
- memory above 1088KB, called extended memory blocks
- (EMBs); or the high memory area (HMA), a specific 64KB area
- of extended memory starting at address 1024KB (lMB).
-
- The HMAMIN option allows you to specify the minimum
- number of KB of the HMA area that can be requested by a
- program. This may be used to exclude certain programs from
- using this area so that the memory is available to a particular
- program when needed. For example, HMAMIN=16 would
- require HMA users to request at least 16KB. Use this option if
- you have multiple programs which use the HMA and you want
- only the one program which uses the most amount of memory
- to have control of the HMA.
-
- INCLUDE=nnn or INCLUDE=xxxx-yyyy
-
- See also EXCLUDE option.
-
- This option allows you to increase the size of the EMS
- swapping region. In addition to the EMS page frame located in
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- of memory available for your application programs in low DOS
- 386MAX splits its first megabyte resident portion into two
- pieces. By doing this, 386MAX uses approximately 80 bytes of
- low DOS and 3.5KB of high DOS. The NOLOADHI option
- forces 386MAX to load the entire 3.5KB DOS portion in low
- DOS, along with other device drivers. The 386UTIL MAPMEM
- memory map display shows an increase in the size of the device
- driver area, and the 386MAX name does not appear in the
- memory map when this option is used.
-
- Note that this option only affects the positioning of the 3.5KB
- DOS portion of 386MAX.SYS; there are no options available to
- alter the use of extended memory for the remainder of
- 386MAX.SYS program storage.
-
- The NOLOADHI option overrides the PRGREG option if they
- are incorrectly used together.
-
- NOLOW
-
- See also NOHIGH option.
-
- This option tells 386MAX not to remap low DOS memory, it is
- normally used only temporarily while troubleshooting. NOLOW
- can be used in memory conflict isolation by removing low DOS
- memory remapping (backfilling) during 386MAX startup.
- Under some circumstances, this option may make more
- memory available for use as extended or EMS memory, at the
- cost of having less DOS memory available for application
- programs.
-
- The NOLOW option prevents all backfilling, which would
- otherwise occur from the top of conventional memory to the
- bottom of the video display adapter area. The VIDMEM option
- provides additional flexibility in designating specific memory
- areas to be excluded from backfilling, and would be used
- instead of NOLOW to partially restrict backfilling.
-
- NOROM
-
- See also ROM option.
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- You can turn off automatic ROM caching using the NOROM
- option. This option is normally used during troubleshooting to
- determine if a problem is being caused by the faster execution
- of add-in card ROM firmware when 386MAX has cached it in
- fast memory. You might use NOROM to see if this is the
- situation, then use the ROM option to cache only specific ROM
- areas that do not have problems running at the faster cache
- speed.
-
- This option tells 386MAX not to rewrite slow ROMs into fast
- RAM.
-
- NOSCSI
-
- This option tells 386MAX not to check for the presence of SCSI
- bus masters.
-
- SCSI bus masters are most often associated with the DMA
- controller cards found in hard disk subsystems. 386MAX
- automatically performs this checking after presenting the
- information and copyright screen. Under rare combinations of
- circumstances, 386MAX may lock up during this checking for
- SCSI bus masters. If this happens and you know that your
- system contains no SCSI bus masters, use the NOSCSI option.
-
- NOWARMBOOT
-
- This option prevents 386MAX from automatically remapping
- the top 4KB of system ROM into fast RAM, which it normally
- does to make sure system warm reboot operations are handled
- correctly. The use of this option is not recommended unless you
- have a specific need to disable this feature.
-
- NOXBIOS
-
- See also XBIOSHI option.
-
- This option tells 386MAX not to relocate the XBIOS area from
- the high end of low DOS memory. (See the XBIOSHI option for
- a description of the XBIOS area and 386MAX's management of
- its location.)
-
- Situations where it would be necessary to use this option occur
- when your system contains a SCSI hard disk adapter that uses
- the XBIOS area for DMA data transfer in a manner
- inconsistent with the Virtual DMA Services (VDS)
- specification. Disk access problems can happen when such
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- adapters attempt to use the XBIOS area that has been
- relocated by 386MAX (either to low DOS by default or to high
- DOS by use of the XBIOSHI option). If 386MAX installs
- correctly but subsequent disk accesses fail, you may need to use
- the NOXBIOS option to force 386MAX to leave the XBIOS area
- at the top of low DOS memory.
-
- NOXRAM
-
- This option tells 386MAX not to recover extra RAM present on
- systems automatically recognized by 386MAX, such as the
- COMPAQ family of 386 computers. You should use this option
- only if you have a specific reason for 386MAX not to use the
- extra RAM on these systems.
-
- See also AUTO, ON options.
-
- This option turns off the group A features when 386MAX is
- operating in the automatic mode. See the AUTO option for
- details on the use of the OFF option.
-
- ON
- See also AUTO, OFF options.
-
- This option turns on the group A features when 386MAX is
- operating in the automatic mode. See the AUTO option for
- details on the use of the ON option.
-
- PRGREG=n
- See also NOLOADHI option.
-
- This option directs 386MAX.SYS to store the high DOS portion
- of itself in a specific region in high DOS memory. By default,
- 386MAX.SYS stores itself in the first available region of high
- DOS memory. Regions of high DOS memory are numbered
- sequentially as they appear in the 386UTIL MAPMEM
- memory map display. To instruct 386MAX to store the high
- DOS portion of itself in a different region, specify the desired
- region using this option, n being a number from 1 to 9. This
- option would be used only if you have a specific reason to force
- 386MAX to use a different high DOS region than the first
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- available one. The MAXIMIZE program may select a value for
- PRGREG other than one.
-
- The PRGREG option has no effect if the NOLOADHI option is
- used. PRGREG=O is similar to NOLOADHI. However,
- MAXIMIZE program can modify PRGREG=O to some other
- value. MAXIMIZE does not override NOLOADHI.
-
- PRO=drive:\path\filename.ext
-
- This option is used to tell 386MAX.SYS where to find a file that
- contains the desired options instead of reading them from the
- DEVICE=386MAX.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS. If you have more
- than one or two simple options, it is suggested that you use a
- PROfile to manage the options for 386MAX.SYS.
-
- Options are listed one per line in the PROfile, and comments
- may be added following a semicolon. A PROfile might be called
- 386MAX.PRO in the 386MAX directory and be referred to by
- the 386MAX.SYS device driver with the following line in
- CONFIG.SYS:
-
- Device=C:\386MAX\386MAX.SYS PRO=C:\386MAX\386MAX.PRO
-
- An example of such a file might contain the following options
- and comments:
-
- VGA ; Protect VGA video area
- RAM=C800-CCOO ; Protect network card BIOS location
- ; Following line adds 32KB to high DOS but prevents
- ; use of monochrome mode or grey scale monitor.
- USE=BOOO-B800
- ; Following option commented out for troubleshooting
- ; AUTO
-
- RAM=xxxx-yyyy
-
- This option prevents 386MAX *om mapping memory into a
- particular address range in high DOS memory.
-
- Some add-in boards use address space for buffer RAM and
- BIOS ROM, but do not use the addresses until after 386MAX
- has been loaded. Since 386MAX does not detect any RAM or
- ROM in these address ranges, it remaps memory into these
- addresses to provide more high DOS memory. If the video card
- or add-in board subsequently tries to use these addresses, a
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- conflict arises which may cause the machine to hang or the
- board not to work. This situation frequently occurs with local
- area network (LAN) adapter boards such as the IBM
- Token-Ring adapter.
-
- The RAM option tells 386MAX not to consider the address
- space designated as available for memory management.
- Addresses are specified on 4KB boundaries (xxxx and yyyy are
- four-digit paragraph addresses), and more than one address
- range may be specified on one RAM option by separating the
- ranges with commas. More than one RAM option may be used.
- The documentation for your add-in board should indicate the
- address requirements; you may also need to check the setting
- of a switch on the actual board to see for which address range
- has been set.
-
- As an example, if you have an IBM Token-Ring network
- adapter card in your computer, you might use the option:
-
- RAM=CCOO-CEOO, D800-DCOO
-
- to keep 386MAX from mapping memory to these network card
- buffer RAM and BIOS ROM addresses.
-
- Note: The VIDMEM option should be used for memory
- addresses within the primary video adapter range (AOOO-COOO).
- The RAM option should be used for memory addresses outside
- of this address range.
-
- RESETKEYB
-
- This option tells 386MAX to reset the system keyboard after
- startup. This option would be used in rare circumstances
- involving particular combinations of equipment and 386MAX
- options. Use this option if you encounter a lockup of your
- keyboard after installing 386MAX.
-
- ROM=xxxx-yyyy
- See also NOROM option.
-
- This option turns off automatic ROM remapping for all ROMs
- (see NOROM option), and tells 386MAX to remap the ROM at
- the address specified only if it results in a performance
- improvement.
-
- 386MAX- In Detail
-
- During startup, 386MAX times each ROM and copies the
- contents into faster RAM if the ROM is slower than available
- extended memory. This is called ROM caching, and can provide
- significant performance improvement in some systems. The
- ROM option allows you to control this automatic caching; it
- does not allow you to cache memory addresses that 386MAX
- does not identify as ROM, so it can only limit the amount of
- ROM caching, not extend it beyond what 386MAX does
- automatically.
-
- This option should be used only if ROM caching causes
- problems (usually due to an add-in board that operates
- incorrectly when its ROM runs faster than expected).
- Addresses are specified on 4KB boundaries (xxxx and yyyy are
- four-digit paragraph addresses), and more than one address
- range may be specified on one ROM option by separating the
- ranges with commas. More than one ROM option may be used.
-
- SHADOWRAM
-
- This option tells 386MAX to recover shadow RAM in systems
- with the Chips and Technologies CHIPSet.
-
- Systems that use the Chips and Technologies NEAT or AT/386
- CHIPSet and that are at least one megabyte in size have
- 384KB of RAM on the system board that parallels the high
- DOS area from 640KB to lMB. The computer hardware may
- use some of this memory to remap slow ROM areas such as
- video and system BIOS ROM. RAM that is not so mapped by
- the system may be available to be reclaimed by 386MAX. The
- SHADOWRAM option tells 386MAX to collect any available
- shadow RAM along with the other memory it finds in your
- system. If your system contains shadow RAM, you might check
- the file SYSTYPES on the 386MAX distribution disk to see if
- this option is recommended.
-
- SHADOWROM
-
- This option tells 386MAX not to override automatic video ROM
- mapping performed by the system BIOS on some systems.
-
- The system BIOS on some systems automatically relocates the
- EGA/VGA ROM at COOO to fast RAM at EOOO or E800 to
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- improve system performance. Unfortunately, this fragments
- the high DOS address space and reduces the amount of high
- DOS memory that 386MAX can provide. 386MAX
- automatically undoes the system BIOS ROM remapping and
- then remaps the ROM to extended memory, thus providing
- both improved performance and additional and less fragmented
- high DOS memory. The SHADOWROM option disables this
- 386MAX feature. This option should not be used unless you
- have some special need to do so.
-
- SWAP=nnn
-
- This option tells 386MAX to swap slow 8 or 16 bit memory on
- the system board for fast extended memory found on a 386
- accelerator add-in card such as the Intel Inboard.
-
- This option causes 386MAX to swap the first nnnKB (which
- must be a multiple of 4KB) of slow system memory starting at
- address 0:0 with the same amount of fast extended memory
- starting at lMB. This option is needed on systems only where
- the main system memory is significantly slower than extended
- memory as with 386 accelerator boards. The 386UTIL program
- with the TIMEMEM option can be used to examine the speed of
- your system memory.
-
- If you swap slow memory to the lMB address region, you might
- consider using the 386DISK virtual disk program provided
- with 386MAX to set up a RAM disk in the slow memory now at
- lMB.
-
- SYS=system n~lme
-
- This option is used to tell 386MAX what type of computer
- system it is running on. It is used only in those cases where
- 386MAX is not able to identify the system automatically. At
- this time, there are only two known systems that require this
- option. These are the Intel Inboard/AT or Inboard PC (use
- SYS=INBOARD) and the Orchid Jet 386 board (use
- SYS=JET386) You should not need to use the SYS option
- unless you have one of these boards. A list of the valid system
- names for this option as of product shipment time is contained
- in the text file SYSTYPES on the 386MAX distribution disk.
- You should check this file if you are having problems getting
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- 386MAX to start up on a new model or brand of 386 add-in
- board.
-
- TOP384
-
- This option tells 386MAX to reclaim an extra 384KB of
- extended memory on certain systems.
-
- Some systems, such as some computers compatible with
- COMPAQ Deskpro 386 computers, have an extra 384KB of
- memory but don't use it as shadow RAM. This option tells
- 386MAX to reclaim this extra 384KB of extended memory.
- (Note that you do not need this option on COMPAQ computers,
- which 386MAX automatically recognizes.) The file SYSTYPES
- on the distribution disk has a list of the systems for which you
- should use this option.
-
- USE=xxxx-yyyy
-
- This option tells 386MAX to map high DOS memory into a
- memory location that appears to be reserved but is in fact
- available for use.
-
- Some 386 systems have ROMs that appear to be decoded at
- multiple high DOS addresses, when only one address section is
- actually used. This option can be used to tell 386MAX to map
- memory to the available addresses to increase the amount of
- high DOS memory available.
-
- In another example, if your system has an EGA or VGA display
- adapter and no monochrome display, you may be able to
- reclaim the monochrome buffer area with this option
- (USE=BOOO-B800).
-
- Addresses are specified on 4KB boundaries (xxxx and yyyy are
- four-digit paragraph addresses), and more than one address
- range may be specified on one USE option by separating the
- ranges with commas. More than one USE option may be used.
-
- Note that when you specify a region of memory with the USE
- option, 386MAX treats that region as high DOS memory, even
- if the region is contiguous to low DOS and could be added to
- low DOS. If the memory you are reclaiming is in the video
- memory area contiguous to low DOS, you may be able to use
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- the VIDMEM option instead to increase the size of your low
- DOS area.
-
- VGA
-
- Equivalent to the option: VIDMEM=AOOO-COOO. See VIDMEM
- option for details.
-
- VIDMEM=xxxx-yyyy
-
- This option allows you to specify the address range used by
- your video adapter so that 386MAX does not remap it to
- memory.
-
- 386MAX automatically detects most display adapters, and you
- do not normally need to use this option. The adapters 386MAX
- recognizes are:
-
- CGA (Color Graphics Adapter)
- EGA (Enhanced Graphics Adapter)
- MONO (Monochrome Display Adapter)
- VGA (Video Graphics Array)
-
- However, due to the way some video adapters identify
- themselves to the system, 386MAX cannot always identify the
- adapter correctly. It is important that the video adapter be
- identified properly so that 386MAX can make use of the
- valuable memory just above the 640KB mark to increase your
- available low DOS memory, as well as to recover the maximum
- available high DOS memory. It is also important that 386MAX
- not attempt to use addresses actually needed by your video
- adapter for remapping DOS memory, or your video adapter
- does not operate correctly. The VIDMEM option is used to tell
- 386MAX which address range is used by your video adapter.
-
- Instead of using the VIDMEM option with addresses, you may
- use one of the equivalent video adapter keyword options listed
- below:
-
- Equivalent to
- Key Word VIDMEM=
- CGA B800-COOO
- EGA AOOO-COOO
- MONO BOOO-COOO
- VGA AOOO-COOO
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- Additional
- Low DOS
- 96KB
- OKB
- 64KB
- OKB
-
- Since the bottom of the video memory also determines the top
- of low DOS, the Additional low DOS column indicates the
- amount of memory above 640KB you can expect to see when
- using one of these video cards.
-
- Some video adapters may use a different address space than
- the ones listed above. If so, you need to specify the address
- range to 386MAX with the VIDMEM option (xxxx and yyyy
- must end in 00 to specify addresses at 4KB boundaries). J
-
- If your video display is behaving incorrectly, especially in high v
- resolution modes, 386MAX may not have correctly identified
- the address range needed for your adapter. Try using
- VIDMEM=AOOO-COOO.
-
- When you use the VIDMEM option, 386MAX not only reserves
- the address range you specified for your video adapter, it also
- uses the first (lower) of your specified addresses as the top of
- your low DOS memory and backfills accordingly. For this
- reason, you should use only one VIDMEM option, and use it for
- your primary video adapter only. For secondary video adapters,
- and other devices outside of the video range of AOOO-COOO, you
- should use the RAM option instead.
-
- WEITEK=ON, OFF, or FORCE
-
- This option allows you to control the WEITEK 1167 floating
- point arithmetic processor.
-
- 386MAX automatically detects the presence of a Weitek
- co-processor, except when the computer system BIOS does not
- adhere to the standard for the equipment check interrupt (INT
- llh). In this case, use the WEITEK=FORCE option to tell
- 386MAX that the co-processor is there no matter what the
- BIOS says.
-
- The ON and OFF options can be used as options on the
- DEVICE=386MAX.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS to tell 386MAX
- whether the Weitek co-processor should initially be turned on
- or off when 386MAX starts up. These options can also be used
- from the DOS command line or in a batch file to turn the
- co-processor on and off as necessary.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- If the FORCE option is needed in your system to tell 386MAX
- that the Weitek co-processor is present, the FORCE option
- must be used before the WEITEK=ON directive is given. In
- this situation, it is recommended that the FORCE option be
- used on the 386MAX device driver, and the ON and OFF
- options be used from DOS at the command line or in batch files.
-
- XBIOSHI
-
- See also NOXBIOS option.
-
- This option directs 386MAX to relocate the Extended Bios Data
- Area (XBIOS) from the top of low DOS memory into high DOS
- instead of to the low part of low DOS memory (default).
-
- 386MAX automatically detects the presence of the XBIOS area
- used on Micro Channel Architecture (MCA) machines as well
- as certain other systems, such as the COMPAQ 386SX. At
- startup, the system BIOS allocates storage of lKB or more
- from the top of low DOS memory for the XBIOS area. This
- leaves a hole at the top of low DOS memory and prevents any
- extension of the low DOS memory into the area above 640KB
- 386MAX normally relocates the XBIOS area into the low part
- of low DOS memory. This option directs 386MAX to relocate the
- XBIOS area into high DOS area to increase the amount of
- available low DOS memory.
-
- Note: See the NOXBIOS option for a discussion of problems
- that can occur with some SCSI adapters used in hard disk
- controllers when XBIOS is relocated (either to the low end of
- low DOS memory by default, or to high DOS memory by the
- use of the XBIOSHI option).
-
- XMSHNDL=nn
-
- See also option HMAMIN.
-
- This option allows you to change the number of available XMS
- handles from the default of 32. When programs request
- extended memory via XMS calls, the allocated memory is
- assigned a handle in the same way that EMS memory is
- allocated. Each handle occupies six bytes of extended memory.
- Depending on your application needs, you may wish to modify
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- the number of available handles between a minimum of 2 and a
- maximum of 65,535.
-
- 386LOAD
-
- The 386LOAD program is a powerful and flexible feature of the
- 386MAX system that gives you complete control over the loading
- of your device drivers and memory resident programs. It analyzes
- their memory requirements and provides information to help you
- determine the best use of the high and low DOS memory you
- established with 386MAX.
-
- The 386MAX program loader consists of two files. 386LOAD.SYS
- is a device driver that loads your other device drivers, and
- 386LOAD.COM is a DOS program that loads your memory
- resident programs. When you begin your 386MAX manual
- configuration, you use 386LOAD to determine the critical sizes of
- device drivers and resident programs. This data helps you decide
- which items to load into low DOS and which into specific areas of
- high DOS. After your ]oading plan is developed, use 386LOAD to
- load your resident programs as part of your normal startup
- procedure.
-
- Several factors are involved in selecting the correct load scheme.
- The quantity and fragmentation of your avai]able high DOS
- memory may dictate which device drivers and memory resident
- programs can be loaded there. In addition, the sequence of
- loading device drivers and memory resident programs may affect
- the amount of high DOS memory you can effectively use.
-
- Each resident program and device driver has three sizes
- associated with it. There is the load size of the file, the amount of
- memory the program needs during initialization, and the amount
- of memory needed for resident operation. These sizes may or may
- not be different from each other. In many cases, resident
- programs use more memory while loading and initializing than
- they need once they once resident. Resident programs that have a
- significant difference between their initialization size and their
- smaller resident size should be loaded first. This allows the
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- memory area temporarily used by the initialization code to be
- reclaimed for the loading of subsequent programs. The GETSIZE
- option tells 386LOAD to analyze the device driver or resident
- program and to display the required load size.
-
- The first step is to use 386LOAD to determine the load sizes for
- each of the device drivers and resident programs. 386LOAD.SYS
- is used in CONFIG.SYS. For each device driver loaded after
- 386MAX.SYS, replace the current DEVICE= device driver line
- with one of the form:
-
- DEVICE=C:\386MAX\386LOAD.SYS GETSIZE PROG=driver
-
- Do this for each DEVICE= line after the 386MAX line in your
- CONFIG.SYS file.
-
- Next, for each memory resident program, usually found in the
- AUTOEXEC.BAT or other batch files, perform the same loading
- routine as with the device driver. Instead of a the 386LOAD.SYS
- device driver, use the 386LOAD.COM program, as in the
- following example:
-
- ... [first part of AUTOEXEC.BAT]
- C:\386MAX\386LOAD GETSIZE PROG=C:\RESPROGl
- ... [other batch file stuff]
- C:\386MAX\386LOAD GETSIZE PROG=C:\RESPROG2 /Params
- C:\386MAX\386LOAD GETSIZE PROG=C:\RESPROG3
- ... [rest of AUTOEXEC.BAT]
-
- Now reboot your computer. 386LOAD loads all of your device
- drivers and resident programs into low DOS memory and collects
- the sizing information for each program. When you get to the
- DOS prompt, run the program 386LOAD with the SUMMARY (or
- just /S) option. A summary screen indicates the three sizes for
- each device driver and resident program. The screen also
- suggests one of the following actions for each device driver and
- resident program:
-
- Remove GETSIZE;
- no SIZE=needed
-
- No size parameter is needed, simply
- remove the GETSIZE keyword from
- the 386LOAD line.
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- Remove GETSIZE;
- use SIZE=nnnnnn
-
- Replace the GETSIZE keyword with
- the SIZE=nnnnnn option, using the
- size provided on the summary screen.
-
- For each of the device drivers and resident programs listed, make
- the appropriate parameter change on the 386LOAD line. Your
- CONFIG.SYS would look as follows:
-
- DEVICE=C:\386MAX\386LOAD.SYS PROG=driver
-
- DEVICE=C:\386MAX\386LOAD.SYS SIZE=nnnn PROG=driver
-
- and your AUTOEXEC.BAT would look as follows:
-
- C:\386MAX\386LOAD PROG=resident program
-
- C:\386MAX\386LOAD SIZE=nnnn PROG=resident program
-
- You should use 386LOAD with the GETSIZE keyword whenever
- you update one of your device drivers or memory resident
- programs. When 386LOAD displays the summary screen in this
- situation, the following information is displayed:
-
- No SIZE=
- parameter needed
-
- Continue with
- SI ZE=nnnnnn
-
- Replace value with
- SI ZE=nnnnnn
-
- You MUST use
- SIZE=nnnnnn
-
- If a SIZE= parameter is specified, it
- can be removed; the program file's
- load size tells 386LOAD how much
- memory it needs.
-
- The SIZE= parameter currently on
- the 386LOAD line is correct. Continue
-
- using it.
-
- An existing SIZE= parameter has an
- incorrect value which is too large. Cor-
- rect it.
-
- No SIZE= parameter is currently
- specified or the one that is specified is
- too small. One is needed to assure
-
- E ~ properprogram loading.
-
- If your device drivers and resident programs do not fit into high
- DOS memory in the sequence you have been loading them,
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- 386LOAD may provide suggestions for a more efficient sequence.
- Note that 386LOAD cannot determine programs that require
- specific load sequences such as Novell's IPX and NET3 programs,
- which must be loaded in that order; you must make any such
- determinations. Use the GROUP option if you need to specify
- load sequences.
-
- It is important to realize that device drivers and memory resident
- programs may be sensitive to the memory locations, and the
- sequence in which they are loaded. Many combinations of
- locations and loading sequences do not work, in some cases such
- combinations cause your system to hang. If this occurs, try going
- back to a combination that you know works, then vary one item
- at a time until you see what is causing the problem. Also see the
- section on troubleshooting for additional hints.
-
- 386LOAD OPTIONS
-
- The 386LOAD options help you tailor the program to your
- specific needs. Options apply to both 386LOAD.SYS and to
- 386LOAD.COM unless otherwise indicated.
-
- DISPLAY
-
- This option causes the program line of the program being
- loaded to display as it is installed. (It is normal]y displayed
- only on an error condition.)
-
- ENVREG=l to 9
-
- This option specifies the region of high DOS into which the
- program's environment is to be loaded. (Each region of high
- DOS memory is numbered sequentially, the region with the
- lowest address being region 1.) The program's environment
- normally loads into the same region as the program itself,
- unless this option is used. 386LOAD.COM only.
-
- ENVSAVE
-
- This option turns off the normal minimization of the memory
- allocated to the loaded program's environment. A resident
-
- 386MAX- In Detail
-
- program usually does not refer to its environment after
- becoming resident, so most of that memory is normally
- recoverable. This option should be used only if you are loading
- a program that needs its environment retained after going
- resident. 386LOAD.COM only.
-
- FLEXFRAME
-
- This option causes the EMS page frame area to temporarily
- relinquish some of its memory during the load process while a
- resident program is initializing. Use this option if there is a
- high DOS memory area large enough to contain a device driver
- or TSR after it becomes resident, but not large enough for it to
- initialize. 386LOAD.COM and 386LOAD.SYS.
-
- GETSIZE
-
- This option causes the device driver or program to be loaded
- into low DOS memory and the relevant load size data collected
- for use in calculating the number for the SIZE option. Use this
- option once to determine the size needed before loading the
- program into high DOS, and any time you update the program
- version or change its parameters.
-
- GROUP=l to 9
-
- This option allows you to specify groups of programs that must
- be loaded in sequence within each group (e.g. Novell's IPX and
- NET3). This option helps 386LOAD when a best fit is being
- calculated for combinations of programs too large for available
- high DOS. In the Novell example, IPX and NET3 would have
- the same group number, as would any program required to be
- loaded in a specific sequence relative to them. 386LOAD
- retains the current load order within each group.
-
- MAPDEV (or /D)
-
- F -
-
- This option causes 386LOAD.COM to display a memory map of
- device drivers. (386LOAD with this option replaces the
- 386DDD program in earlier versions of the product.) It is
- identical to the MAPDEV option of 386UTIL.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- MAPMEM (or /M)
-
- This option causes 386LOAD.COM to display a memory map of
- resident programs. It is identical to the MAPMEM option of
- 386UTIL.
-
- NOPAUSE
-
- This option is for use in situations where you wish loading to
- continue automatically in spite of error messages. This might
- occur if you set up a batch file that attempts to load a program
- into high DOS when there may or may not be enough memory
- for it. You could test for the failure to load into high DOS with
- the IF ERRORLEVEL batch command and cause the program
- to be loaded into low DOS instead. The NOPAUSE option tells
- 386LOAD to bypass the requirement for the user to press a key
- to acknowledge the error message. See also, the QUIET option.
-
- PRGREG=l to 9
-
- This option specifies where the program is to be loaded in high
- DOS. Each region of high DOS memory is numbered
- sequentially, the region with the lowest address being region 1.
- 386LOAD normally loads programs into the first high DOS
- region with sufficient room; this option directs the program to
- load to a specific region. For example, a small program might
- be loaded into a small region near the top of high DOS, leaving
- a larger region below it for programs loaded later.
-
- PROG=drive:\path\filename.ext arguments
-
- This option specifies the device driver or resident program to be
- loaded by 386LOAD. This option is required when 386LOAD is
- being used to load a program. It is omitted only when
- 386LOAD.COM is being executed to summarize memory usage.
-
- QUIET
-
- This option causes the suppression of error messages
- associated with a failure of the loaded program to terminate
- and remain resident. This situation can occur when a
- non-resident program is loaded into high DOS memory on
- purpose.
-
- 386MAX - In Detail
-
- SIZE=nnnnnn
-
- This option specifies how much high DOS memory is required
- for the program to be loaded. The value of nnnnnn is obtained
- from 386LOAD.COM by viewing the SUMMARY screen after
- the program has been loaded with the GETSIZE option.
-
- SUMMARY (or /S)
-
- This option causes 386LOAD.COM to evaluate all programs
- loaded using 386LOAD into high or low DOS and provide a
- summary screen of their load sizes. If the collection of
- programs you wish to load exceeds the capacity of high DOS,
- 386LOAD executes a maximization algorithm and displays a
- screen with suggested load sequences to maximize your use of
- high DOS memory. You must run 386LOAD.COM with this
- option after using GETSIZE to find out the required SIZE
- values.
- UTILITIES
-
- 386UTIL.COM
-
- Utilities
-
- This program provides a variety of information about your
- system's use of memory. 386UTIL includes seven memory display
- screens. Some of these screens can also be displayed by 386MAX
- and 386LOAD. For your convenience, 386UTIL can also be used
- to pass the AUTO, ON, OFF, and WEITEK options to 386MAX
- just like 386MAX.COM and 386LOAD.COM. These options are
- discussed in the 386MAX OPTIONS section. The 386UTIL
- display options are listed in figure 5.1 below.
-
- Serial # 0000000000 - Licensed to Qualitis
- = 386MAX = Uersion 5.00 Memory Usage
- The First Megabyte of Address Space
-
- Conventional Memory
-
- New top of DOS Memory = 640 KB
- Added low DOS Memory = l28 KB
- Added high DOS Memory = ll2 KB
- Available Extended Memory = 64 KB
- Available EMS Memory =
-
- Extended Memory usage...
- Program storage
- ROM Mapping region
- High DOS Memory
- Low DOS Memory
- EMS Memory
-
- Tn+Al Pxteo~led Memory -
-
- DOS Video
- Low ROM
- High
- Other Unused
- 3616 KB in segment E000 EHS
- Copyright (C) 1987 90 t;Qualitas, Inc.
-
- 96 KB
- 80 KB. C000--C400, F000-10000
- llZ KB. C400 E000
- lZ8 KB
- 3616 KB
- 64 KB
- 4096 KB
- = ' Loading programs in LOW Memory...
- =' 71 KB aoailable in HIGH Memory.
-
- The current state is ON.
-
-
- Figure 5.1: 386UTIL LIST screen
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- 386UTIL OPTIONS
-
- LIST
- (or /L)
-
- The Memory Usage screen shows how 386MAX has arranged
- memory in the first megabyte of address space, and how extended
- memory has been allocated.
-
- The items on the 386UTIL LIST screen (Figure 5.1) are
-
- New top of DOS
- memory
-
- Added low DOS
- memory
-
- Added high DOS
- memory
-
- Available extended
- memory
-
- Available EMS
- memory
-
- Program storage
-
- ROM mapping
- region
-
- High DOS memory
- Low DOS memory
-
- Utilities
-
- EMS memory
- Remaining ex-
-
- The upper limit of low DOS memory
- after 386MAX backfilled from ex-
- tended memory. Depending on your
- system, this may be above 640KB.
-
- The amount of memory 386MAX
- added (backfilled) to reach the new
- top of DOS.
-
- The amount of memory 386MAX
- added above the conventional memory
- on your system.
-
- The amount of memory above lMB
- that was not converted to EMS
- memory, remapped into the first
- megabyte, or used for ROM caching,
- etc.
-
- The amount of memory that 386MAX
- converted to EMS memory.
-
- The amount of extended memory used
- for 386MAX's own program storage.
-
- The size of the ROM mapping region,
- followed by the address range of the
- ROMs which were cached with fast
- memory.
-
- The amount of high DOS memory
- remapped with extended memory.
-
- The amount of low DOS memory
- remapped with extended memory.
-
- tended memory
-
- Total extended
- memory
-
- The current state
-
- lS XXX.
-
- /lAPDEV
-
- The amount of EMS memory now
- available on your system.
-
- The amount of extended memory
- remaining in your system that was
- not converted to EMS memory.
-
- The original amount of extended
- memory in the system.
-
- Indicates whether 386MAX is ON,
- OFF, or in the AUTO state.
-
- (or /D)
-
- The Memory Map for Device Drivers screen shows all of the
- device drivers currently loaded into low DOS memory. Device
- drivers that have been relocated by 386LOAD into high DOS
- memory have a residual header left in low DOS, which shows on
- this screen; the portion moved to high DOS displays on the MAP-
- MEM screen. The information is shown in the following columns
- on the MAPDEV screen:
-
- Hex Start
-
- Decimal Length
-
- Interrupt Numbers
-
- Device driver name, which often does
- not correspond to the name of the file
- loaded with DEVICE= in CON-
- FIG.SYS (e.g., The DOS ANSI.SYS
- file loads as CON). Device drivers are
- listed in reverse of their CONFIG.SYS
- load order.
-
- The hexadecimal starting address of
- the device driver.
-
- The length of the device driver.
- Drivers nested in a group of device
- drivers do not have individual lengths
- displayed; the total group length is
- listed with the first driver in the list.
-
- All interrupt numbers for which the
- device driver is the current owner.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- MAPEMS (or /E)
- The Expanded Memory Usage screen shows how 386MAX has al-
- located EMS memory, and how it is currently being used. The in-
- formation items are as follows:
-
- Handle
-
- Memory
- Name
- Avail
- Total
- EMS Page Map
-
- MAPMEM (or /M)
-
- When an EMS-aware application asks
- for EMS memory, 386MAX assigns it
- a unique identification number, called
- a handle. This column lists the active
- handles .
-
- Lists the amount of memory allocated
- to each active handle.
-
- The handle's name, if one is as-
- sociated with it.
-
- The amount of available EMS memory.
-
- The total amount of EMS memory.
-
- A pictorial representation of the first
- megabyte of memory, showing the use
- of each page ( 16KB block of memory).
- Pages used for the EMS page frame
- are marked as "Frame". Pages made
- EMS-mappable by 386MAX are
- marked as "DOS", or "Included". ROM
- and RAM addresses in high DOS are
- indicated for reference.
-
- The Memory Map for Resident Programs screen shows informa-
- tion about the resident programs in low and high DOS memory.
- The information items on the 386UTIL MAPMEM screen (figure
- 5.2) are listed below:
-
- Utilities
-
- Figure 5.2: 386UTIL MAPMEM screen
-
- Name
-
- Hex Start and Hex
- End
-
- The name of the memory-resident pro-
- gram. DOS and any device drivers
- loaded in CONFIG.SYS are shown, as
- well as programs and device drivers
- loaded by 386LOAD. (The MAPDEV
- screen shows more detail for low DOS
- device drivers.) If RAM or ROM ap-
- pear in the name list, then the addres-
- ses and lengths indicated are in use
- by buffer RAM or BIOS ROM, and
- may be fragmenting your high DOS
- memory. The name "-Available-" indi-
- cates a region of memory currently
- available for your use.
-
- The starting and ending hexadecimal
- addresses of the resident program.
- 386MAX User's Guide
- Hex Owner
- Decimal Length
-
- Text or Interrupt Numbers
-
- The hexadecimal address of the con-
- trolling program of the listed memory
- block. This entry is blank for current-
- ly available memory regions.
-
- The size of the resident program in
- bytes. The decimal length of the last
- region marked as "-Available-" in the
- low DOS area should correspond to
- the number of bytes free returned by
- the DOS CHKDSK command.
-
- Any text or interrupt numbers
- "hooked" by the listed program.
-
- ROMSCAN (or /R)
- The ROM RAM in High DOS Memory screen lists the hex ad-
- dress ranges and lengths in KB of all the ROM and RAM areas
- that 386MAX detected in high DOS memory. The columns on this
- display are the following:
-
- RAM
-
- High DOS
-
- ROM
-
- EMS
-
- Unused
-
- Area where physical RAM is present
- at the indicated addresses.
-
- Area that is already in use in high
- DOS.
-
- Address area where ROM is detected.
- Note that some ROMs may not be ini-
- tialized at the time 386MAX starts,
- and can't be detected as ROM areas.
-
- Area where EMS-mappable addresses
- are located, typically the 64KB EMS
- page frame.
-
- Unused address region where no
- physical RAM is present.
-
- SUMMARY (or /S)
- The Resident Program Memory Summary screen is identical to
- the one displayed by 386LOAD with the SUMMARY option. See
- the section on 386LOAD for use of the information on this screen.
- TIMEMEM (or /T)
-
- The Memory Access Times screen summarizes the results of a
- memory timing pass performed when you invoke this option. Dif-
- ferent regions of memory sometimes operate at different speeds
- due to hardware access method (access Width), and chip speed;
- some may be substantially faster or slower than others. (RAM in
- the address range from AOOO to COOO is notoriously slow and
- can't be improved by 386MAX because of its special coupling to
- the video hardware.) If you have a system with the 386 CPU on
- an add-in board, the 32-bit memory on that board is most likely
- substantially faster than the 8-bit or 16-bit memory at address
- 0:0 on your system board. In this case, you may consider using
- the 386MAX SWAP option discussed in the 386MAX OPTIONS
- section.
-
- Each row in the displayed table refers to a contiguous block of
- memory having common timing characteristics. The hex starting
- address, decimal start and end address (in KB), length (in KB),
- and average access time in microseconds are listed for each block.
- In addition, a ratio of the speed of each block to the fastest block
- is provided. Address areas that do not refer to physical memory
- (such as the EMS page frame area) are marked as absent.
-
- OTHER UTILITIES
-
- Several utility programs are provided to support 386MAX
- operations. This section discusses their operation and parameters.
-
- README.EXE
-
- This program displays text files on your screen. It can be used
- to view information about the 386MAX system provided in text
- files; it can also be used on any text file. Just type:
-
- READ text file name
-
- and follow the on-screen directions.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- INSTALL.EXE
-
- This program decompresses the files from the distribution disk
- onto your hard disk, and initiates the automatic installation of
- 386MAX. Once 386MAX has been installed there is no further
- use for this program, so it is not copied to your hard disk.
-
- 386DISK
-
- This progam provides a virtual disk (RAM disk) similar to the
- DOS VDISK. 386DISK is the only virtual disk supported in
- conjunction with 386MAX. 386DISK is installed as a device
- driver in CONFIG.SYS after 386MAX. It can be installed
- multiple times to simulate multiple disks (each with a different
- disk drive letter), and can use EMS, extended, or XMS memory.
-
- The syntax for 386DISK is the statement:
-
- device=D: \Path\386DISK SYS disksize sectorsize
-
- disksize
- sectorsize
-
- direntries
- memtype
-
- direntries memtype
- disk size in KB (default 64);
-
- number of bytes in each disk sector
- (default 128);
-
- number of root directory entries
- (default 64);
-
- type of memory to use: EMS (default),
- /EXT (extended), or XMS (extended
- through XMS driver).
-
- For example, the following line would install a 1 MB (1024 KB)
- disk with 512-byte sectors, and 200 root directory entries in
- extended memory using the XMS driver:
-
- Device=c: \386DISK . SYS 1024 512 200 /XMS
-
- Minimum sector size is 128 bytes; other possible values are
- 256, 512, 1024, and 2048. 386DISK may adjust the requested
- sector size, number of root directory entries, or disk size if
- necessary to suit installation conditions. 386DISK does not
- have a transfer size parameter like VDISK because the
- combination of 386MAX and 386DISK does not have similar
- interrupt disable timing problems.
-
- Utilities
-
- 386DISK displays a self-explanatory message upon successful
- installation. Error messages are listed in Appendex C.
- TROUBLESHOOTING
-
- NOTE: If your computer locks up before it completes
- the boot process, hold down the Alt key while the
- computer is booting. This keeps 386MAX from
- installing, and allows you the opportunity to fix your
- CONFIG.SYS. (If the Alt key is pressed too early,
- your system may stop and tell you to press Fl or Esc
- to continue; if so, release the Alt key, press Fl or Esc
- as directed, then press Alt again.)
-
- Troubleshooting procedures involve systematically isolating that
- problem and resolving it through a series of diagnostic
- techniques. This section guides you through those steps and
- offers possible solutions.
-
- First...
-
-
- Get back to a bootable configuration. If you can't complete
- the booting process, or if your system locks up, you need to find a
- way back to a bootable system configuration. It is quite helpful to
- have a separate floppy boot disk available. You can then boot from
- the floppy in the A: drive, make changes to your CONFIG.SYS
- and AUTOEXEC.BAT and try booting again from the hard disk.
- The first change you should make is to restore your CONFIG.SYS
- and AUTOEXEC.BAT to their last working configuration, then
- proceed with troubleshooting.
-
- If you don't have a floppy boot disk, you can tell 386MAX not
- to install itself during startup by holding down the Alt key after
- you reboot the system. If the Alt key is pressed too early, your
- system may stop and tell you to press Fl or Esc to continue; if so,
- release the Alt key, press Fl or Esc as directed, then press Alt
- again. Subsequent 386LOAD instructions then fail because
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- 386MAX has not been loaded. Your system should startup in
- some minimal configuration, although you may also have to use
- Ctrl-Break to interrupt the processing of your AUTOEXEC.BAT if
- it is loading a resident program that is part of the problem. Once
- you get it restarted, make a floppy boot disk before proceeding
- (refer to your DOS manual if you don't know how to make a
- floppy boot disk).
-
- Observe and analyze any error messages, whether from
- 386MAX or other software. 386MAX error messages are listed in
- Appendix C, with possible causes and suggested actions. Error
- messages from other sources may also provide some insight into
- the problem.
-
- Run the 386MAX INSTALL and MAXIMIZE programs and
- let them analyze your hardware and software components and set
- up an appropriate configuration for you. It is a good idea to do
- this whenever you add new hardware or software to your system.
-
- Read the README file provided with 386MAX to see if your
- specific hardware and software situation is mentioned, especially
- if you have added a new piece of equipment such as a network
- card, video adapter, hard disk controller, tape backup system, CD
- ROM drive, etc. Go to the 386MAX directory and type README.
-
- Isolate the problem to CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT.
- Try renaming AUTOEXEC.BAT and rebooting. If the boot
- succeeds, work with the lines in AUTOEXEC.BAT that load
- resident programs until you see which one is causing the
- problem. If the boot fai]s with no AUTOEXEC.BAT, the problem
- is with something loaded by CONFIG.SYS.
-
- If the problem is in CONFIG.SYS, first check the ]oad
- sequence of the device drivers. In all but a few cases, 386MAX
- must be loaded first. The device drivers which need to be loaded
- before 386MAX are:
-
- ∙ Special drivers noted in the README file provided with
-
- 386MAX.
-
- ∙ Programs that allow for logical hard drives over 32MB.
- Examples are DMDRVR.BIN, ENHDISK, SSTORE, and
-
- Troubleshooting
-
- others. DOS's SHARE.EXE, which is loaded after system
- startup, is the only exception.
-
- ∙ Bus mastering SCSI hardware components that require a
- device driver to work with virtual mode programs such as
- 386MAX. For example, the Adaptec 1540 and 1542 SCSI
- adapters often require the SCSIHA.SYS driver to be in-
- stalled before 386MAX. The README files may have more
- information appropriate to your situation.
-
- If the system boots, but then encounters problems, there
- are a few common items to check. The following table is designed
- to help you isolate problems based on symptoms. The remainder
- of the chapter explores symptoms and solutions in greater detail.
-
- A hardware adapter, such as a network interface board, often
- uses addresses in high DOS for ROM extensions and buffer RAM
-
- (usually specified by switches or jumpers on the board).
-
- VIDEO
-
- ∙ hanging at boot up
-
- ∙ hanging into application
-
- ∙ screen changes colors or displays strange characters
-
- ∙ screen goes blank
-
- ∙ automatic reboot
-
-
-
- 386MAX has probably mapped high DOS memory into
- the address needed by the video adapter. Use the ap-
- propriate 386MAX video, VIDMEM, or RAM option for
- the address used by the video adapter to keep 386MAX
- from using those addresses. 386MAX may be unsuc-
- cessful in unshadowing copied ROMs in high DOS; try
- the option SHADOWROM.
-
- NETWORK
-
- ∙ file server not found 386MAX has probably mapped high DOS memory into
- ∙ can't logon to net- the address needed by the network adapter as buffer
- work-network adapt- RAM or BIOS ROM. Find the adapter address and use
- erdevice not found the RAM option to keep 386MAX from using those
- ∙ can't transfer files addresses.
- across network
- ∙ invalid drive
- specification
- ∙ network functions
- only after a warm boot
- ∙ can't print over network
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- EMS SUPPORT
-
- ∙ application locks Check that EMS memory i8 enabled and that the option when accessing EMS EMS O is not set. Some applications not fully LIM 4.0
-
- ∙ application reports no compatible cannot handle the large frame swapping
- EMS found area; use EXCLUDE-lOOO-AOOO. Some applications
-
- ∙ can't find overlay files don't function well if the EMS page frame is located in
- conventional memory. Make more room in high DOS for the EMS page frame.
-
- DISK ACTIVITY
-
- ∙ can't access floppy drive
-
- ∙ can't read hard disk
-
- ∙ bad or missing command interpreter
-
- MISCELLANEOUS
-
- ∙ 386MAX won't boot
-
- ∙ intermittent lockups or failures
-
- ∙ devices using DMA fail
-
- ∙ While attempting to load a program into high DOS memory,
- 386LOAD issues a Terminate without Resident Request
-
- These adapters don t initialize until the companion software is
- run. 386MAX, unable to detect ROM at the address, assumes it to
- be available for use as high DOS memory. The address conflict
- can cause the device or software to fail (e.g., network program
- can't find the network adapter), or the computer to lock up. Use
- the RAM option to tell 386MAX not to remap memory into this
-
- 386MAX has probably mapped high DOS into an ad-
- dress needed by the hard disk controller for buffer RAM
- or BIOS ROM. Try the RAM option to cover the address
- needed by the controller. Since floppy disk drives can be
- timing sensitive, caching BIOS ROMs or floppy control-
- ler ROMs can cause the ROM code to work incorrectly.
- the NOROM option to see if this eliminates the
- symptom.
-
- Check video conflicts. If none exist, try disabling
- 386MAX features. Check the options for more details.
-
- increasing the DMA buffer by using the option
- DMA-nnn, where nnn is a number between 8 and 128.
-
- The resident program being loaded into high DOS
- memory itself is not resident, but may call resident
- modules. For example, Banyan network issues
- ban.com, which itself is resident, and calls two resident
- modules, epcbfs.com and the hardware-specific pro-
- gram. In this example, the resident files can be loaded
- individually by invoking Banyan with the ban /nc
- parameter.
-
- ∙ hardware such as 386MAX has probably mapped high DOS memory into
- scanners, fax boards, a location needed by the hardware for buffer RAM or
- etc. are notinitializ- BIOS ROM. Check the addresses needed by the
- ∙ hardware and use the RAM option to keep 386MAX
- from remapping high DOS memory into those loca-
- tions.
-
- E
-
- If you can't find out which areas of high DOS should be protected
- by the RAM option, use RAM=COOO-FOOO to protect the entire
- high DOS area. If this works, then you should narrow down the
- address range indicated by the RAM statement until only the
- area you need is protected. Sometimes the program (such as
- Novell's IPX network interface) indicates which address range the
- network card uses. All addresses in the range COOO-FOOO that you
- don't need to protect with RAM options can be used by 386MAX
- for high DOS memory. You may need to refer to your hardware
- and software reference documentation or check physical switch or
- jumper settings on your boards.
-
- Video problems, such as a blank screen, computer resets, or
- incorrect screen displays when entering or leaving certain
- applications, are often the result of a memory address conflict
- with the video adapter. These are similar to the hardware
- adapter conflicts discussed above. Video addresses are generally
- located in the AOOO-COOO range. Use the VIDMEM option to
- protect video address range.
-
- Programs using EMS sometimes have problems if they
- aren't completely compatible with the LIM 4.0 specification. If the
- EMS=O (eliminate all 386MAX EMS support) option removes the
- symptom, check to see if the offending program can be barred
- from using EMS through a startup parameter. This allows EMS
- to remain active for use by other programs. Fully VCPI
- compatible programs always use only EMS, so it is best to let
- 386MAX configure all available memory as EMS. Use the EMS or
- EXT options to handle these special cases.
-
- System just won't boot with 386MAX, or seems to lock up
- randomly. On some systems, the increased execution speed of
- ROM automatically cached by 386MAX causes the ROM code to
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- work incorrectly. Try the NOROM option to see if this eliminates
- the symptom. If so, use the 386UTIL ROMSCAN and ROM option
- to speed up only those ROMs that run correctly at the faster
- speed.
-
- Some systems may require one or more of the NOXRAM,
- NOSCSI, NOXBIOS, SHADOWROM, or other options due to
- special configurations or circumstances. See the descriptions of
- these options in the 386MAX OPTIONS section. Also, check the
- 386MAX README file for additional information that may apply
- to your specific system.
-
- Miscellaneous problems and hints. If none of the above
- mentioned symptoms apply, try options such as OFF, EMS 0, or
- the options mentioned in the previous paragraph. Once you get
- the system to operate, look for the specific cause of the problem.
- Make use of the 386UTIL and 386LOAD capabilities in your
- investigations.
-
- Below are common symptoms that occur with error messages
- from 386MAX, the operating system, or the offending program.
- Note that error messages from 386MAX always display the
- Qualitas copyright. Error messages without this copyright do not
- come from the 386MAX product and should be researched in the
- appropriate documentation for the program that generated the
- error message.
-
- Privileged operation exception errors, cause the CPU to
- issue a general exception, indicating the originating program
- has performed a privileged operation. 386MAX functions as
- an error handler and is required to report the exception. This
- type of error often goes unnoticed when 386MAX is not
- installed since DOS is not required to report such errors. The
- problem must be corrected in the offending program.
-
- ∙ Stack errors (displayed by DOS or 386MAX) sometimes
- may be resolved by using the DOS STACKS=nn,nn command
- in your CONFIG.SYS file. See your DOS manual for
- discussion of the STACKS command. (You might try
- STACKS--0,0 or=16,128 or=32,128 or=32,256.) In many
- cases, a stack error is just a privileged operations error.
-
- Troubleshooting
-
- STACKS=O,O or =16,128 or =32,128 or =32,256.) In many
- cases, a stack error is just a privileged operations error.
-
- ∙ Parity errors are hardware errors involving RAM chips.
- Since 386MAX thoroughly utilizes all the memory in the
- system, faulty RAM chips may not have been fully exercised
- before you installed 386MAX. Check for faulty memory.
-
- ∙ Divide overflow errors in application programs are
- sometimes the result of insufficient memory. Try adjusting
- the environment with the DOS BUFFERS and/or FILES
- CONFIG.SYS commands, or the 386MAX EXT or EMS
- options.
-
- ∙ The Packed file is corrupt error message means you need
- to slightly increase the amount of conventional memory used
- by DOS to work around a known bug in the program that
- originally packed the file in question. Run the 386UTIL
- program with the MAPMEM keyword and look at the hex
- start in the last row of data displayed for low DOS memory.
- Then increase the DOS FILES or BUFFERS statements in
- CONFIG.SYS until that number becomes greater than hex
- OFFO.
-
- ∙ The Bad or missing COMMAND interpreter; Cannot
- load COMMAND.COM, system halted message can
- sometimes occur if 386MAX is mapping RAM over the hard
- disk controller address area, or caching the controller ROM.
- Try NOROM or the RAM option for the address of the hard
- disk controller. You might need to load your hard disk device
- driver before 386MAX. This error can also be caused by an
- application program that incorrectly allocates conventional
- memory when it loads. Sometimes, this error is caused by a
- SCSI hard disk adapter which is not VDS-compatible.
-
- ∙ The DOS Out of Environment Space error can occur in
- some systems because of the increased number of programs
- that can be loaded at once with 386MAX. Use the DOS
- SHELL command in CONFIG.SYS to increase the DOS
- environment space (e.g., SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /P
- /E:256) to increase it to 256 bytes.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- ∙ If you have a resident program that handles the Ctrl-Alt-Del
- reboot key combination, and which does not work properly
- with 386MAX, try moving 386MAX from high DOS back to
- low DOS memory with the NOLOADHI option.
-
- ∙ Problems rebooting COMPAQ 16 MHz systems with
- 386MAX may indicate that you need a more recent BIOS
-
- ROM (revision K or later). Your dealer can obtain one for you
- at no cost, by referencing the COMPAQ memo dated
-
- 12/16/88, TRN#12168.007 in COMPAQ's database under the
- listing 386MAX.
-
- ∙ Image Scanner Problems (shifted or scrambled images or
- extraneous vertical or horizontal lines) may be caused by
-
- DMA conflicts if the scanner software does not incorporate
- the Virtual DMA Services (VDS) specification. The 386MAX
- NOROM option may fix the symptom, but you should also try
- to obtain updated software from your scanner vendor. The
- DMA=nnn option (nnn up to 128) may also fix the symptom.
-
- ∙ Some systems have a one KB "scratch pad RAM" or
-
- "Extended ROM" located at 639KB, which prevents 386MAX
- from backfilling into the video address area. Your computer's
- SETUP program may allow you to turn this feature off.
-
- There may also be information in the 386MAX README file
- regarding patching specific hard disk controllers or video
- adapters to resolve this problem.
-
- The Qualitas technical support personnel are available to
- assist registered users from lO:OOam to 5:00pm EAST-
- ERN TIME, Monday through Friday, except holidays.
- Please be sure to have your serial number ready so that
- we may verify your registration or register your product
- at the time of your call. You may also fax a problem
- report or contact us by MCI Mail or CompuServe.
-
- Technical Support: 301-907-7400
- Fax: 301-907-0905
- MCI Mailbox: 336-2907
- CompuServe: 73377,3307
-
- Glossary of Terms
-
- GLOSSARY OF TERMS
-
- AMRS (Alternative Map Register Sets)
-
- An alternative method for keeping track of EMS memory
- utilization in multi-tasking operations, is using a separate map
- for each task. AMRS processing speeds up multi-tasking. Use
- one AMRS per application that is being multitasked.
-
- APPLICATION PROGRAM
-
- Any software program such as a word processor, spreadsheet,
- or database manager. Device drivers and memory resident
- programs are not considered to be application programs.
-
- BACKFILLING
- See LOW DOS MEMORY.
-
- BYTE
-
- Smallest commonly used unit of computer storage. One byte of
- memory holds one character of data.
-
- CONVENTIONAL MEMORY
-
- Memory addressed from O to where the display adapters are
- addressed. This type of memory is available on all PCs
- regardless of the type of microprocessor. Typically, this term
- refers to RAM only.
-
- CPU.
-
- CPU
- L__ TTnit Tnt rhin in ,uter is a
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- DEVICE DRIVER
-
- A program used to attach a device such as a hard disk, scanner,
- local area network, etc. Device drivers are loaded from the
- CONFIG.SYS file when the computer starts up.
-
- DMA
-
- Acronym for Direct Memory Access. DMA devices are able to
- move data into and out of computer memory without going
- through the CPU.
-
- EMS (Expanded Memory Specification)
-
- Acronym for Expanded Memory Specification, a document
- developed by Lotus Development Corporation, Intel
- Corporation, and Microsoft Corporation that specifies how to
- use expanded memory. Also called the LIM EMS.
-
- EMS memory is accessed by programs adhering to the LIM
- EMS specification. This memory is mapped in and out of
- conventional memory by a software driver such as 386MAX.
- The amount of EMS memory in your system can be as much as
- 32MB and is always RAM. In addition to mapping in the 64KB
- EMS page frame, LIM Version 4.0 allows, and 386MAX
- supports, EMS mapping in an additional 36 blocks of 16KB
- each. This converts into EMS memory all except the first 64KB
- of the 640KB conventional memory.
-
- EXTENDED MEMORY
-
- Memory addressed at lMB and above is called extended
- memory. This type of memory was first introduced with the
- IBM AT and is available only on systems containing an Intel
- 286 or 386 processor. 386MAX is one of the few programs which
- provides access to extended memory. Although some systems
- have ROM addressed in extended memory, this term almost
- always refers to RAM.
-
- HIGH DOS MEMORY
-
- High DOS memory is created by 386MAX in the space between
- the display adapters and system ROM. The amount of this
- memory may be reduced by the other ROM or RAM in the same
-
- Glossary of Terms
-
- address range. The process of filling in high DOS memory and
- advising DOS of its presence is called topfilling.
-
- KILOBYTE/MEGABYTE
-
- Kilobytes and megabytes are units of measurement for storage
- and are commonly abbreviated KB and MB, respectively. A
- kilobyte is 1024 bytes; a megabyte is 1024 KB or 1,048,576
- bytes.
-
- LOW DOS MEMORY
-
- Conventional memory addressed *om OKB to where the
- display adapters are addressed is called low DOS memory. The
- process of filling in low DOS memory from the point where
- system board memory ends to the base of the display adapter
- and advising DOS of its presence is called backfilling.
-
- MEMORY RESIDENT PROGRAM
-
- Any program that remains active in memory when other
- programs are running. Memory resident programs loaded
- DOS are often called TSRs (terminate-and-stay-resident).
-
- PAGE FRAME
-
- The 64KB address block (window) located between 640KB and
- lMB into which expanded memory is mapped for use by
- applications.
-
- PARAGRAPH
-
- A paragraph is a 16 byte unit of measurement for storage.
- Memory addresses are often specified in paragraphs by
- dropping the trailing zero from the full hexadecimal address.
-
- PROTECTED MODE
-
- One of the modes of operation of Intel CPUs from 286 on.
- Programs running in protected mode have access to more
- CPU's capability, and can address more than one MB of
- memory.
-
- of the
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY (RAM)
-
- Memory which can be written to and read from. This type of
- memory is used for temporary information storage.
-
- READ-ONLY MEMORY (ROM)
-
- Read-only memory (ROM) is constant and cannot be changed
- by writing to it. An example of ROM is the list of instructions
- executed at system start-up.
-
- ROM CACHING
-
- The process of copying contents of ROM into faster RAM. It
- may provide significant performance improvement.
-
- SCSI (Small Computer System Interface)
-
- A standard high speed bus for connecting devices such as hard
- disk drives to the computer. SCSI control devices often perform
- direct memory access (DMA).
-
- TOPFILLING
- See HIGH DOS MEMORY.
-
- TSR
- See MEMORY RESIDENT PROGRAM.
-
- VCPI (Virtual Control Program Interface)
-
- The VCPI specification defines an interface that allows
- multiple protected mode programs to share a single processor
- and EMS control without interfering with each other.
-
- WEITEK FPA PROCESSOR
-
- The Floating Point Arithmetic processor by Weitek that is
- installed in some systems used for intensive arithmetic
- processing for performance improvement.
-
- XMS (eXtended Memory Specification)
-
- Allows XMS-aware applications to make use of memory found
- in 286 and 386 based machines above the conventional memory
- area. This memory can be allocated from three areas: the high
-
- Glossary of Terms
-
- DOS area from 640KB to lMB, called upper memory blocks
- (UMBs); extended memory above 1088KB, called extended
- memory blocks (EMBs); or the high memory area, a specific
- 64KB area called HMA in extended memory at address 1024KB
- ( lMB).
- SPECIAL SYSTEMS
-
- 386 computers differ in their internal architecture and design.
- 386MAX automatically identifies the vast majority of the
- different 386 computers available today. If 386MAX cannot
- identify a system automatically, a special option keyword is
- necessary to accommodate that system.
-
- To date, we support two special systems. They are the Intel
- InBoard/AT or /PC, and the Orchid Jet 386 board. For the Intel
- boards, use the SYS=INBOARD option and for the Orchid board,
- use the SYS=JET386 option.
-
- Check the file SYSTYPES in the 386MAX directory if you have
- an unusual system. This file lists the latest options and all
- systems that 386MAX recognizes.
-
- 386MAX reclaims additional memory on some system boards,
- such as those with shadow RAM. The SYSTYPES file lists the
- systems where the 386MAX options SHADOWRAM or TOP384
- are appropriate.
-
- MESSAGES
-
- This appendix describes 386MAX informational and error
- messages, explains why they appear and provides suggested
- corrective action. Because of shared functionality between
- 386MAX, 386LOAD, and 386UTIL, many of the messages can be
- produced by more than one of the programs. 386DISK messages
- are found at the end of the section.
-
- 386MAX, 386LOAD, 386UTIL Messages
-
-
- 386LOAD -- Version 5.00 -- A Program Loader for 386MAX
-
- (C) Copyright 1987-90, Qualitas, Inc. All rights reserved.
- This message is displayed when 386LOAD is called.
-
- 386MAX - Version 5.00 (C) Copyright 1987-90 Qualitas, Inc.
- This message is displayed when 386MAX is called.
-
- 386MAX.SYS device driver not loaded *om CONFIG.SYS
- One of the utility programs (386MAX.COM, 386LOAD.COM,
- 386LOAD.SYS, or 386UTIL.COM) was called but couldn't
- continue because the 386MAX.SYS device driver wasn't
- successfully installed. Check your CONFIG.SYS file for proper
- syntax on the device driver line. Also review any messages
- which were displayed when the device driver was invoked
- during processing of your CONFIG.SYS file.
-
- Alt-key pressed.
- 386MAX.SYS is designed not to install if the Alt key is held
- down when the 386MAX device line is encountered in
- CONFIG.SYS during startup.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- A Privileged Operation Exception as occurred at address
- xxxx.yyyy.
- An application program has a bug or has tried to access
- unavailable resources while running in Virtual 8086 Mode. The
- program tried to execute a privileged operation such as
- entering protected mode, or to read, write, or execute past the
- end of a code or data segment. If this error persists, try using
- the OFF option to disable 386MAX before executing the
- program which produces this message. This error is due to
- faulty application code and is not a 386MAX bug. Use the
- address xxxx.yyyy to help you locate the faulty code.
-
- A stack fault has occurred at address xxxx.yyyy.
- An application program tried to place data on the stack or a
- hardware interrupt (such as a timer tick) occurred when there
- was not enough room on the stack. This error is due to faulty
- application code, and is not a 386MAX bug. Use the address
- xxxx.yyyy to help you locate the faulty code.
-
- In the unlikely event that an internal error occurs within
- 386MAX, one of these messages will appear:
- A page fault has occurred
- An internal system error has occurred
- A page not present fault has occurred
- Each of the above messages is followed by:
- at address xxxx.yyyy. Press any key to restart your com-
- puter.
- If the internal error is severe enough, pressing a key may have
- no effect, and you may not be able to reboot with
- CTRL-ALT-DEL. Call Qualitas and describe what happened,
- the address specified in the message, and the version of
- 386MAX you are using.
-
- DMA transfer limit exceeded: put DMA=nnn on
- 386MAX.SYS line.
- The DMA transfer buffer is too small. Reboot from a floppy disk
- and edit the 386MAX.SYS line in your CONFIG.SYS file to
- include the DMA option with the value specified in the message.
-
- E
-
- Messages
-
- EMS= and EXT= both specified -- use at most one of them.
- Both the EMS and EXT options appear on the 386MAX.SYS
- line in your CONFIG.SYS file. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file and
- remove one of them.
-
- EMS= size must be a multiple of 16KB -- rounding down.
- The value specified for the EMS option isn't a multiple of 16KB.
- 386MAX rounds down to the next multiple of 16KB. Edit your
- CONFIG.SYS file and make the value specified for EMS a
- multiple of 16KB (16, 32, 48, 64, etc.).
-
- Expanded memory in use -- unable to turn OFF.
- 386MAX cannot be turned off if a program is still using EMS
- memory or if high or low DOS memory has been added.
-
- Extended Memory in Use -- Unable to change to ON or
- AUTO state. Remove resident program using extended
-
- memory.
- If you start 386MAX in the OFF state and a resident extended
- memory program is installed which allocates memory from the
- top down, you may not be able to change 386MAX to the ON or
- AUTO state. Remove the resident program using extended
- memory and reboot. To avoid this situation, start 386MAX in
- the (default) ON state with the options NOHIGH and NOLOW
- and then disable 386MAX via 386MAX OFF in your
- AUTOEXEC.BAT file.
-
- Failure of hard disk transfer into non-linear memory.
-
- Consult README file for details.
- 386MAX attempts to detect a SCSI hard disk bus master
- during initialization. If one is found, this error message is
- displayed and processing continues. Subsequently, you may
- find that multitasking programs, among others, fail to work. If
- this happens, contact your SCSI hard disk vendor for a
- solution. In particular, you'll need a device driver or ROM
- which either supports the Virtual DMA Services specification
- or performs double buffering. For this feature to work, there
- must be either an EMS page frame or some high DOS memory.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- FRAME value must be on a 16KB boundary.
- The value specified for the FRAME option wasn't on a 16KB
- boundary. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file and specify a FRAME=
- value of the form xOOO, x400, x800, or xCOO, where x is a hex
- digit which refers to a segment in high DOS memory. Then
- reboot your system.
-
- Frame value overlaps accessory hardware.
- The EMS page frame starting at the FRAME value overlaps
- some RAM or ROM that is above the address of the display
- adapters. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file and change the address
- for the FRAME option. Then reboot your system.
-
- Function unavailable while OFF.
- Most of the functions recognized by the 386UTIL or 386LOAD
- programs are unavailable when 386MAX is off. Enable
- 386MAX with ON or AUTO and retry the operation.
-
- Incorrect 386MAX version number.
- You have different versions of 386MAX.COM and 386MAX.SYS
- on your hard disk. These programs are interrelated to the
- extent that they require the same version numbers. Ensure
- that the same versions of 386MAX.COM and 386MAX.SYS are
- copied to your hard disk.
-
- Insufficient Extended Memory available. Allocate less
- extended memory to other programs.
- The specified value for the EMS or EXT option exceeds the
- available extended memory, or high or low DOS memory fill or
- ROM swapping use more memory than is available. Use the
- NOLOW, NOHIGH, and/or NOROM options to reduce memory
- requirements. If these options don't help, you need to add more
- extended memory to your system to use 386MAX.
-
- Invalid address or length.
- A device driver option has an invalid address or length
- parameter. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file to correct the
- parameter, then reboot the system.
-
- Invalid argument list -- use list of options.
- You entered an invalid 386LOAD option. Use one of the options
- specified.
-
- Messages
-
- Invalid environment.
- 386MAX found an inconsistency while parsing the environment
- strings. The current program or one previously loaded into low
- DOS memory probably damaged the operating system, causing
- it to create an invalid environment. Isolate the offending
- program by removing programs until the error disappears.
- Then don't load that program.
-
- Invalid line ending in PROfile.
- A line in the PROfile doesn't end with a CR, LF, or semicolon.
- Edit the PROfile and reboot the system.
-
- Load failed -- installing in low memory...Press any key to
- continue.
- 386MAX couldn't load the specified program or device driver,
- probably because not enough high DOS memory was detected.
- Another message is also displayed which further describes the
- problem. The system pauses for you to read the message and
- press a key to continue. 386MAX then tries to load the device
- driver in low DOS memory.
-
- Load failed -- not installed. Press any key to continue.
- 386MAX couldn't load the specified program or device driver.
- Another message is also displayed which further describes the
- problem. The system pauses for you to read the message and
- press a key to continue processing your CONFIG.SYS file.
- 386MAX doesn't try to load the program in low DOS memory.
-
- Memory allocation chain error after installation.
- Reboot without memory manager and remove 386LOAD.
- The resident program being loaded with 386LOAD has taken a
- larger size once in high DOS than it did when loaded in low
- DOS. Because of this, the memory allocation chain has been
- broken. Reboot without 386MAX and remove 386LOAD from
- the memory resident program or device driver.
-
- Memory manager NOT installed. Press any key to
- continue...
- One of the errors described in this list of messages has
- occurred. 386MAX terminates without installing itself. Press
- any key to continue processing.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- Missing separator.
- An option has been specified without a required equal sign
- dash. For example, EXT=1024 requires an equal sign to
- separate keyword and value, and INCLUDE=xxxx-yyyy
- requires a dash to separate the two address parts. Re-ente.
- option with all required separators and reboot your system.
-
- No high DOS memory.
- 386MAX can't find any high DOS memory to use. No user
- action required.
-
- No high DOS memory available.
- Either you specified the NOHIGH option or 386MAX couldn't
- find any room above the display adapters for high DOS
- memory. There is no high DOS memory in which to load
- programs. No user action required.
-
- No page frame available.
- No room is available in the address space above the display
- adapters for an EMS page frame. Reconfigure your hardware to
- make room for the EMS page frame.
-
- No room in high DOS memory, forcing GETSIZE.
- 386MAX cannot fit the requested program into the available
- high DOS memory regions. The GETSIZE function will be
- performed to show the size needed.
-
- Function not supported on shadow RAM systems; re-run
- with NOXRAM on the 386MAX.SYS line.
- The ROMSCAN code in the utility program 386UTIL.COM
- can't determine the physical status of the memory in the range
- 640KB to lMB on shadow RAM systems in which 386MAX has
- recovered and is using that memory. To obtain this information,
- temporarily disable the recovery of shadow RAM by placing the
- NOXRAM option on the 386MAX.SYS line and reboot your
- system. Remember to remove the NOXRAM option after
- running the ROMSCAN utility.
-
- Preceding EMS manager found.
- 386MAX found another EMS manager in your system. Remove F;
- the preceding manager or use the EMS=O option for 386MAX.
-
- Messages
-
- Press any key to continue.
- 386MAX has reported a critical error. The system pauses and
- waits for keyboard input. Check the error message and correct
- its cause.
-
- Program loaded in LOW DOS memory for automatic size
- determination.
- While calculating GETSIZE on a resident program or driver,
- 386LOAD first loads the program into conventional memory.
-
- Program terminated without resident request.
- For some reason the program didn't ask to become resident.
- Check for error messages from the program.
-
- Resident portion of a program exceeds available storage!!
- Reboot without memory manager and re-run MAXIMIZE.
-
- Resident portion of program includes mapped EMS
-
- Reboot without memory manager and re-run MAXIMIZE.
- While loading a memory resident program or device driver into
- high DOS in conjunction with the FLEXFRAME option, the
- resident portion of the program exceeded the amount of
- available memory once the EMS page frame is installed.
- Re-run the MAXIMIZE program.
-
- The current state is AUTO active.
- The features of Group A are active; feature Group B is disabled.
- See 386MAX options in Chapter 4.
-
- The current state is AUTO inactive.
- The features of Group A and Group B are currently disabled.
- See 386MAX options in Chapter 4.
-
- The current state is OFF.
- The Group B features are disabled and Group A features can be
- enabled. See 386MAX options in Chapter 4.
-
- The current state is ON.
- The features of Group A and Group B are currently active. See
- 386MAX options in Chapter 4.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- This program operates under DOS 3.00 or later only.
- You must have DOS version 3.00 or higher to run 386MAX.
-
- Unable to access PROfile.
- 386MAX cannot find the PROfile file you specified with the
- PRO option, or a disk error occurred while 386MAX was
- reading the file. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file and make sure the
- device driver syntax is correct and that you have specified the
- full drive, path, and filename and extension of the file, then
- reboot your system. If this doesn't work, try typing the file to
- the screen from the DOS command line to verify that the disk
- sectors which contain the file are valid. If the file is readable
- you are probably not referencing it correctly.
-
- Unable to access the specified file.
- 386LOAD couldn't open or read the file specified by PROG. Be
- sure that the PROG parameter is correct and that the file is
- available to 386LOAD. Check that the correct drive and path
- are specified in the PROG parameter.
-
- Unable to enter protected mode -- error code xx.
- The BIOS failed to handle the request to enter protected mode.
- An error code of 80 or 86 indicates that the BIOS doesn't
- support this function, and that you can't install 386MAX on
- this machine.
-
- Unable to execute the specified file.
- For some reason 386LOAD couldn't execute the specified file.
- Check to be sure that the file is executable.
-
- Unable to move code to high DOS memory.
- The attempt to relocate a memory resident program or device
- driver into high DOS memory failed, perhaps because of an
- SCSI bus master controller. See NOXBIOS option in Chapter 4.
-
- Unable to time extended memory -- error code xx.
-
- Unable to move code to extended memory - error code xx.
- Both of these error messages are caused by hardware problems
- in your system, not errors in 386MAX. The error codes are: 01 -
- a parity error occurred while entering protected mode; 02 - an
- exception interrupt occurred; 03 - a gate of address line A20
- failed; 07 - a parity error occurred after entering protected
-
- Messages
-
- mode; 08 - the memory to be used for 386MAX is not present or
- not stable.
-
- Unknown keyword in PROfile.
- The first non-blank keyword on some line in the profile can't be
- deciphered. Refer to the list of valid keywords Edit the profile
- to correct the error and reboot your system.
-
- Unknown keyword on DEVICE= line in CONFIG.SYS.
- 386MAX doesn't recognize one of the options on the
- 386MAX.SYS line in your CONFIG.SYS file. Edit your
- CONFIG.SYS file to correct the error, then reboot your system.
-
- Unknown system type following SYS=.
- 386MAX doesn't recognize the system type you specified in the
- SYS option. Look at the SYSTYPES file on the distribution
- diskette for a list of valid system types. Edit your CONFIG.SYS
- file to correct the option, then reboot your system.
-
- Unrecognized parameter on command line -- Valid options
- are [option list].
- 386MAX doesn't recognize the option you specified. Use one of
- the options listed in the message.
-
- Value out of range:
- The value specified after the keyword is out of range. The
- values should be 4-digit hexadecimal addresses between
- OOOO-FFFF.
-
- Virtual machine already in use.
- Remove software using virtual machine.
-
- Weitek FPA in use -- Unable to turn OFF.
- An attempt was made to turn 386MAX off, but the Weitek FPA
- is in use. Disable the Weitek FPA before disabling 386MAX.
-
- Weitek FPA not found.
- The WEITEK keyword was specified and no Weitek floating
- point accelerator was found. Remove the keyword or install a
- Weitek FPA.
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- Weitek FPA unavailable while OFF.
- Both OFF and WEITEK=ON were specified; these options are
- incompatible. Remove one or both of the options. Meanwhile
- the WEITEK=ON option is ignored.
-
- Weitek support OFF.
- Weitek support has been disabled.
-
- Weitek support ON.
- Weitek support has been enabled.
-
- Wrong machine type. Must run on a 386.
- 386MAX runs only on systems using a 386 processor.
-
- 386DISK Messages
-
- Drive D:nnnn KB of xxx memory, nnn bytes per sector, nnn
- directory entries.
- The disk is successfully installed as drive letter D with the
- indicated parameters. No action required.
-
- Wrong machine type: must run on a 386.
- This program requires a 386 processor.
-
- This program requires DOS 3.00 or later.
- This program can only run under DOS 3.00 or later.
-
- 386MAX.SYS device driver not loaded from CONFIG.SYS.
- 386DISK must be installed after 386MAX.SYS.
-
- Disk size too small.
- There isn't enough room on the specified size disk for the
- bootsector, file allocation table, directory, and data.
-
- No EMS driver installed.
-
- No XMS driver installed.
- Storing data in EMS or XMS memory was chosen (or the
- default was used), but there is no EMS or XMS driver in the
- system.
-
- Messages
-
- Error from EMS driver: errortext
- Error from EXT driver: errortext
- Error from XMS driver: errortext
- An error occurred while communicating with the EMS or
- extended memory system. This message is followed by another
- message with more information about the specific error.
-
- Invalid switch: use /EMS, /EXT, or /XMS.
- The characters found following a slash were not from the above
- list.
-
- Too many command line arguments.
- More than three numeric arguments were found on the
- command line.
- Option Summary
-
- OPTION Sl) ARY
-
- Options for 386MAX, 386LOAD, 386UTIL, and 386DISK are
- listed below. See the appropriate section in Chapters 4 and 5 for a
- full description of the options.
-
- 386MAX OPTIONS
- AMRS=nnn
- AUTO
- CGA
- DMA=nnn
- DOS4
- EGA
- EMS=nnnn
- EXCLUDE=xxxx-yyyy
- EXT=nnnn
- FORCEA20
- FRAME=xxxx
- HMAMIN=nn
- INCLUDE=nnn
- INCLUDE=xxxx-yyyy
- MONO
- 386MAX User's Guide
-
- NOCOMPROM
- NOFRAME
- NOHIGH
- NOLOADHI
- NOLOW
- NOROM
- NOSCSI
- NOWARMBOOT
- NOXBIOS
- NOXRAM
- OFF
- ON
- PRGREG=n
- PRO=D:\path\filename.ext
- RAM=xxxx-yyyy
- RESETKEYB
- ROM=xxxx-yyyy
- SHADOWRAM
- SHADOWROM
- SWAP=nnn
- SYS=system name
- TOP384
- USE=xxxx-yyyy
- VGA
- VIDMEM=xxxx-yyyy
- WEITEK=ON, OFF, or FORCE
- XBIOSHI
- XMSHNDL=nn
-
- 386LOAD OPTIONS
-
- ENVREG=l to 9
- ENVSAVE
- FLEXFRAME
- GETSIZE
- GROUP=l to 9
- MAPDEV (or /D)
- MAPMEM (or M)
- NOPAUSE
- PRGREG=l to 9
- PROG=D:\path\filename.ext arguments
- QUIET
- SIZE=nnnnnn
- SUMMARY (or /S)
-
- 386UTIL OPTIONS
- LIST (or /L)
- MAPDEV (or /D)
- MAPEMS (or /E)
- MAPMEM (or /M)
- ROMSCAN (or /R)
- SUMMARY (or /S)
-
- 386MAX User's Guide
- TIMEMEM (or /T)
-
- 386DISK OPTIONS
-
- The syntax for 386DISK is:
-
- device=D:\path\386DISK.SYS disksize sectorsize
- direntries memtype
-
- disksize = disk size in KB (default 64)
- sectorsize = number of bytes in each disk sector
- (default 128)
- direntries = number of root directory entries (default 64)
-
- memtype = type of memory to use. /EMS (default), /EXT
- (extended), or XMS (extended through XMS driver).
-