Black Box 4/BlackBox.cdr/textinfo/drtips.arj/1602.TXT

Text File | 1991-11-26 | 20.6 KB | 391 lines

Document 1602
Windows 3.0

Initials:
    RJR
        11/26/91
    DRDOS 6.0

Keywords:
        WINDOWS
        EMM386.SYS
        HIDOS.SYS
        MEMORYMAX
        DISKMAX
        SUPERPCK
        SUPERSTOR

Description:

 Overview

This document tries to address many of the questions that we have
received regarding Windows compatibility. DR DOS 6 is compatible with
Windows 3.0 and 3.0A in all 3 modes. DR DOS 6 is a feature rich
operating system and many of the utilities that are a part of DR DOS
have special configuration requirements when running with Windows. This
document will address DR DOS 6 installation and those utilities most
commonly used with Windows and how to configure them for optimum
performance. Also because end-users will have various hardware
configurations we will also discuss what type of hardware requirements
are necessary to properly run Windows. Finally, there will be a list of
the most common problems detected and how to correct them.

 Windows' Requirements

Microsoft Windows 3.0 is designed to run on only 286, 386SX, 386 and
486 computers. It has 3 modes of operation. The most basic is called
Real Mode. This mode will run with only 640K of RAM but it will also
make use of EMS memory if available. The EMS memory can be provided
with either a third party memory manager or via EMM386.SYS. Real Mode
is also used to create or delete Windows permanent swap files which we
will discuss later. Windows Standard mode requires there be at least 1
Megabyte of total memory and the presence of an XMS memory manager such
as HIDOS.SYS or EMM386.SYS. Enhanced Mode will only run on a 386SX or
better CPU and requires a minimum of 1 Megabyte of XMS memory to
function. If you are not sure what mode you are using you can find out
by selecting the HELP menu from the Windows Program Manager. Select
ABOUT PROGRAM MANAGER and you will see a dialog box that indicates the
mode you are currently using.

 What Selections to Make in Install

The DR DOS Install program will have some sections that you will need
to configure carefully if you are going to run Windows.

The MemoryMAX section of Install will first ask if you would want Memory
Support. We recommend that you say YES unless you intend to use a third
party memory manager such as QEMM or 386 to the MAX. Near the bottom of
the screen there will be a couple of asterisks (*). These indicate the
type of CPU that you have and the amount of extended memory the Install
program detects on your computer. The total amount of extended memory
will be critical for running Windows so we will make recommendations
for computers with 2, 3 and 4 Megabytes.  Systems with more than 4
Megabytes can use recommendations for 4 Megabyte computers.

The next screen on 386 and 486 machines will have some important
selections. There will be a line concerning LIM 4.0 support. The LIM 4.0
EMS support is not required by Windows except for Real Mode. If you do
not have any DOS applications that require EMS memory, select NO. If you
use Windows Enhanced Mode as a Shell for running your DOS programs,
Windows itself can provide your DOS applications with EMS memory, you
can also say NO to EMS Support (see the Windows documentation on how to
PIF edit a DOS application for EMS support). Saying NO to EMS support
will give you an additional 64K of Upper Memory (the size of the page
frame) for use in Hiloading drivers. If you have applications that
require EMS memory and you do not use Windows Enhanced Mode as a DOS
Shell, select YES and then enter the amount of EMS memory that you wish
to create. DR DOS's EMM386 uses extended memory as a pool for use as
both XMS and EMS memory. The amount of EMS memory you specify will cause
EMM386.SYS to convert all of the memory pool into Extended via XMS, and
will then lend from that XMS memory for EMS to use up to the amount
specified. Also on this screen will be a line for support of Windows in
Standard Mode. This switch will have serious repercussions on available
DOS memory so a YES answer is not always appropriate. EMM386.SYS cannot
provide upper memory support and run Windows in Standard Mode. This
is a Windows limitation. If you choose YES, EMM386 will disable all
upper memory. You will not be able to Hiload device drivers although you
can still use the High Memory Area (HMA) for relocation of DOS and its
structures. If you regularly use Windows in Standard Mode you should say
YES here. There will be an impact on available conventional memory but
since Windows will use your total system memory it will not affect
Windows applications. DOS applications, however,  may be impacted. If
you regularly use Windows in Enhanced Mode or Real Mode you can say NO.
Note: Some Windows applications use Standard Mode to install from. If
you have an install program that suddenly aborts when it tries to run
Windows it may be trying to use Standard Mode. Go Back through SETUP
and say YES to using Standard Mode.

For both 286 and 386 installations you will be asked if you want to use
Spare Video Memory. This is a special switch for HIDOS.SYS and EMM386 that
will take unused video memory and use it for conventional memory. This
means that you can only run text based applications if you say YES to
this option and then run MEMMAX +V. We recommend that you say NO to this
option as Windows will not run if video memory is used for DOS.


The DiskMAX section of the Install program can also have an impact on
Windows performance. Drivers such as SuperPCK and VDISK can run from
extended memory so care must be exercised in deciding how large to
create these systems.

VDISKS
A VDISK can be used for the storage of Windows temporary files and is
used in this manner to speed up Windows performance. Because Windows
uses such large temporary files a VDISK  must be several megabytes in
size or Windows will fail when the VDISK is full. It is therefore not
recommended for computers with less than 8 megabytes of RAM. If you use
a VDISK for other purposes then all you need do is make sure that you
have enough memory left to run the correct mode of Windows. Typing "MEM"
at a DOS prompt will give you the total amount of available conventional
and XMS memory. Remember that Windows Enhanced Mode will require at
least 1 Megabyte of XMS memory available. Computers with only 2 Megabytes
or less of total memory should not use a VDISK if they wish to run
Windows in Enhanced Mode.

SUPERPCK
SuperPCK is probably the most needed and most commonly misconfigured
DiskMAX application for use with Windows. Windows users with 2 Megabytes
or less of total memory who wish to run in Enhanced Mode should not use
SuperPCK because of their limited memory resources.

When you say yes to SuperPCK you will see an additional screen with some
configuration selections. Windows users should always say YES to the
selection that asks if you run Windows in Standard or Enhanced Mode.
This will configure SuperPCK to use XMS memory instead of EMS memory and
will place the PCKWIN.SYS driver in the CONFIG.SYS. The PCKWIN.SYS
driver is mandatory for running Windows in Standard or Enhanced Mode
with SuperPCK. The next selection will be whether or not to use
Automatic Memory Allocation. If this selection is YES (default) then
SuperPCK will use all of the available XMS memory and will lend half of
that amount back to Windows. We recommend that this option should only
be used on computers with 4 or more Megabytes of total memory. If
Automatic Allocation is YES then the next line will ask for an amount of
RAM to reserve. This option will reserve the specified amount of memory
for use by other applications and prevent SuperPCK from using this
memory. Lending is still valid. On computers with less than 4 megabytes
total memory or for machines where users wish to limit the size of the
cache Automatic Memory Allocation should be NO. This will change the
next couple of options you see on the screen. You will now see selection
boxes for the Cache Size and the Lending Amount. Users with 3 megabytes
ystems will be very close to the minimum needed to run Windows in
Enhanced Mode. Make sure the size of the cache and the lending amount
give you enough memory to run in the mode that you use. For example: A 4
Megabyte computer can use SuperPCK with a 3 Megabyte cache size and 2
megabytes of lending. This means that when Windows runs the cache will
be reduced to 1 megabyte (because of lending) and Windows will have 2
megabytes of XMS memory to use (the 1st megabyte is DOS conventional
memory).

Examples:
    SUPERPCK /EM /R:1024
    These parameters instruct SuperPCK to use all XMS memory less 1
    megabyte. On a system with 3 megabytes of XMS memory Superpck will
    use 2 megabytes. Half of that amount (1 megabyte) will still be
    available for lending. This gives Windows a total of 2 megabytes
    to use. Lending can be turned off with the switch /L-.

    SUPERPCK /EM /L:1024
    These parameters will instruct SuperPCK to lend 1 megabyte of
    memory no matter what the size of the cache is. This parameter
    could conceivably be more or less than half of the total cache
    size (default).

    SUPERPCK /EM /S:1024
    These parameters will restrict the size of the cache to only 1
    megabyte. Any additional XMS memory will not be used by the
    cache. Half of the cache is still available for lending unless
        the /L- switch is used.

SUPERSTOR
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of not having Windows
permanent swapfiles on a SuperStored drive. If you use a permanent swap
file make sure that you leave 5 to 10 megabytes of uncompressed disk
space for this file. Note: The Windows permanent swap file does not have
to be located on the same drive as Windows. To find out if you have a
permanent swapfile follow the steps in the example below.

Example:
    1) Start Windows in real mode : WIN /R
    2) From the Program Manager select the FILE menu.
    3) select RUN
    4) Key in SWAPFILE

If a permanent swapfile exists you will see a dialog box asking you if it
is ok to delete the permanent swapfile. If one does not exist the dialog
will ask you if you want to create one. It is important to remove permanent
swap files before compressing your disk. You can then recreate the swapfile
on the uncompressed drive after the SuperStor drive has been created.
Remember to leave enough uncompressed disk to create the permanent swap
file. The SuperStor default is about 500k which is not enough for a
permanent swapfile. We would also recommend that Windows temporary files
be created on the uncompressed disk but this is not mandatory (the
environment variable TEMP determines where Windows will create its
temporary files). End-users should DISKOPT their drive fairly regularly to
remove any free spaces created when the temporary swap files are deleted.

 Getting the Most From Windows

End-users with 2 megabyte systems should also refrain from loading DOS
into High Memory if they wish to run in Enhanced Mode. Since Windows
requires 1 megabyte of XMS memory to run in Enhanced Mode you cannot use
any of the HMA. To keep DR DOS 6.0 out of the HMA you will need to:

1)  Make sure that the /MH option is not used on any of the DR DOS 6.0
commands that support it.  This includes SHELL, SHARE and DELWATCH. Use
the /MU option instead on these files. If no switch is used then DR DOS
will try to locate them in the highest memory position by default. This
means that you must use the /MU switch on these commands to keep them
out of the HMA.

2)  Make sure that the HIBUFFERS command is not used in the CONFIG.SYS
file.  This Command will use the HMA even if the Kernel is not put there
with /BDOS=FFFF. Use the command BUFFERS instead.

3)  Make sure that the /BDOS option reads: /BDOS=AUTO.

Using these switches will still enable an end-user to move DR DOS
structures outside of conventional memory while using EMM386. However,
there is a trade-off. EMM386 does use some of the XMS memory as overhead
and on a machine with 1 megabyte of extended memory this means that you
will have about 800-900K available as XMS. You can force Windows into
Enhanced Mode by keying in "WIN /3" on the command line but application
speed may be reduced due to additional disk access. If you feel it is
absolutely imperative that you have 1 megabyte of XMS, memory you can use
HIMEM.SYS from Windows. You will not be able to move any DOS structures
outside of conventional memory which will limit available memory but you
will get a full 1 megabyte of XMS memory.

Users with 3 megabyte system will be very close to the minimum needed to
run Windows in enhanced mode but they should be able to use a small
cache. VDISK would not be recommended. Use MEM and SUPERPCK /P to
determine the total amount of XMS memory available. The SUPERPCK /P is
the parameters listing of SuperPCK and the amount available for lending
will be listed under the /L parameter. Make sure that the lending amount
available is enough to enter the correct mode.

Users with 4 megabyte systems need to be careful about any device
drivers loaded that use extended memory of any type such as VDISKs. This
will impact on the amount of memory available for SuperPCK to use and
the amount it is able to lend. Systems with greater than 4 megabytes of
memory will probably always have enough XMS memory available but again
other devices using any type of extended memory need to be considered.
Also bear in mind that the less memory that is available to Windows
means that fewer applications will be running before it has to move to a
swapfile. Going to a swapfile usually means a decrease in the speed of
Windows. We have noticed that a good balance on performance is achieved
when Windows has 2 megabytes or more of XMS memory.

 Common Problems

 - Windows begins but not in the mode that I was using previously.

First check available memory with the MEM command. Windows in Enhanced
Mode will require 1024K (1 Megabyte) of available XMS memory to run.

If you are unable to enter Standard Mode make sure that MEM indicates
that you have no EXTENDED memory available. If you do then you are not
using an XMS memory manager and one is required for Enhanced or Standard
Mode. Make sure that you have HIDOS.SYS, EMM386.SYS or a third party XMS
memory manager in your CONFIG.SYS file.

If you are using SuperPCK the command "SUPERPCK /P" will give you a
listing of the parameters that are currently in use. The /L command will
indicate the total amount of memory available for lending, the amount
currently lent and the amount remaining to be lent. Make sure that the
amount remaining is enough for the mode that you are trying to enter.
Also, make sure that the cache is using XMS memory. This will be
indicated by the /EM option.

 - Windows never seems to get started. The screen blanks and then it
   either locks or drops back to DOS.

If you are trying to use Enhanced Mode, Windows may not have enough
memory and is trying to start in Standard Mode. Unless you have the /W
option in EMM386.SYS Windows will not be able to run Standard mode and
will abort. Try placing the /W switch in EMM386 and see if Windows
starts. If it runs in Standard Mode then you need to use the suggestions
listed in the previous discussion to find out why you are not entering
Enhanced Mode.

If the /W switch does not work check to see if your Windows TEMP
directory has any files that begin with "~" and have the extension .SWP.
If you do and you are not currently running Windows then delete them.
These files are Windows temporary files and should have been deleted
when you quit Windows.

If you are using a permanent swapfile this file may have been corrupted.
Try deleting the file and then creating a new one.

 - Windows runs but it seems much slower than before.

Make sure that you are running in the correct mode. Use the ABOUT
PROGRAM MANAGER dialog box on the Windows HELP menu to determine what
mode you are using. If you are not in the correct mode use the above
tips to determine why not.

Windows may be in the correct mode but you do not have enough XMS memory
remaining and Windows is having to use swapfiles. Use MEM to find out
your available XMS memory. If the figure is very near the minimum
remember that DR DOS has several utilities that can use XMS memory. You
may wish to change the size of a VDISK or cache to allow Windows to use
more of your available RAM.

If you are using SuperPCK try increasing the lending amount (/L) or
limiting the size of the cache (/S).  Also SuperPCK should not be used
with VERIFY=ON in AUTOEXEC.BAT. You should use VERIFY=OFF.

 - When I start Windows a lot of strange characters appear on the screen
   and then it locks or drops back to DOS.

This one is unusual in that it generally happens on a SuperStor drive
(or any other disk compression software that swaps disks) with a 3rd
party memory manager. SuperStor has a utility called DEVSWAP.COM that
swaps DOS drive letters around. This is so that if you compress a boot
disk the applications that you have will still be installed to drive C:
rather than the drive that was created by SuperStor. SuperStor boot
disks will have an uncompressed segment where DOS can load from. This
uncompressed drive will also have a file called DCONFIG.SYS. If you
place your memory manager in the DCONFIG.SYS SuperStor will be able to
move a portion of itself into upper memory. Caution: Do not try to
HILOAD the entire SuperStor driver (it can relocate itself and only
portions of it may go into upper memory). Windows will reinitialize a
memory manager as it starts. To do so it will look for the driver on the
drive from which it was originally loaded from. In the case of a swapped
drive though, the driver may no longer be there and Windows will abort.
This can be a confusing issue so here is a step by step sequence.

1. A memory manager is loaded from C:\ (uncompressed segment of the disk)
2. The SuperStor driver is loaded creating a drive D: (compressed)
3. DEVSWAP.COM is run. This turns the drives around making uncompressed
   drive C: into drive D: and compressed D: into C:
4. Windows is run. As it initializes it looks for a memory manager in
   C:\ (which is where it was loaded in step 1) but the memory manager
   is no longer there. It is now in drive D: because of the swap.
   Windows aborts.

The solution to this is straightforward. Copy the memory manager into
the same directory on the compressed drive that you loaded it from in
the uncompressed drive. In the case above have a copy of the memory
manager in both the compressed and uncompressed root directories ( C:\ &
D:\ ).

This situation does not generally occur with the DR DOS utilities
HIDOS.SYS and EMM386.SYS because the DR DOS Install program makes sure
that the driver is located in the DR DOS directory on both drives.

-I am experiencing difficulty shelling to DOS from Windows. It either
locks or I get a message that I am out of environment space.

Check your environment from DOS by typing "SET". There should be a
variable called COMSPEC and it should point to the either the root
directory (preferred) or to the directory where DR DOS files are
located. Check the SHELL statement and make sure that there is a /P
statement and that an environment has been set ( /E:). Make sure that
the environment size is large enough. Windows may need a fairly large
environment size if you run several applications at the same time. It is
not necessary to have a COMSPEC line in your AUTOEXEC.BAT with DR DOS as
the shell statement will insert one. If a third party memory manager is
in use it is possible to receive an error loading a second command
processor when you relocate COMMAND.COM to upper memory. Try loading
COMMAND.COM  in conventional memory. There may also be a TSR that is
interfering with loading another command processor. Try removing TSR's
from memory to see if you have a conflict.


 Final Words

There is now available a MemoryMAX update that contains a new HIDOS.SYS
and EMM386.SYS. If you are still having conflicts with getting Windows
to run with DR DOS you may need this update. It is free of charge and
can be obtained by dowloading it from Compuserve or by contacting
Digital Research via fax at 408-649-8209. Or you can contact Technical
Support by mail or calling us at 408-646-6464. If you are contacting us
by fax or mail be sure to include a product serial number and the size
of the diskettes that you need (720K 3 1/2 or 360K 5 1/4). This update
does not have to be booted from drive A: so you may order any size disks
you like. To determine if you have the update already (the updates are
combined with DR DOS as we manufacture it) look at the date of your
EMM386.SYS and HIDOS.SYS. A date of October 1991 or later means that you
have the update.