DOS ain't dead

BORLAND DPMI-16bit - a workaround for this issue (Announce)

posted by Rugxulo , Usono, 15.08.2011, 22:29

> > > Is this problem new?
> >
> > I think that is new problem, older UIDE works with 16-bit DPMI
>
> No, the problem is old - I tested with some old versions of UIDE and even
> an old UDMA; they all crash.
>
> It's a bug in the Borland DOS-extender. For unknown reasons it crashes if
> the physical address of the XMS memory block that the extender allocates is
> beyond the 16MB border.

I don't know if "unknown" is the word here. 16-bit pmode never strictly targeted beyond 286 (16 MB), did it? I know you know this, just saying, BP7 is old old old and was presumably never designed to handle even the awareness of gigs of RAM!

> Here's a work-around that requires 2 changes in config.sys:
>
> 1. Option /R63 for UIDE, which makes UIDE not use extended memory from the
> first 64 MB, must be set.
> 2. Option /X2MAX32 for HimemX, which makes HimemX restrict XMS v2 max.
> memory to 32 MB, must also be set.

Isn't there possibly a better way at runtime without having "yet another" CONFIG.SYS option? Perhaps loading a big RAM disk (temporarily), e.g. SHSURDRV, to eat up some RAM? Or maybe "SET DPMIMEM=MAXMEM 16383" or whatever? (untested)

Complete thread:

• UIDE etc. (July 22) - Rugxulo, 25.07.2011, 21:26 (Announce)
  • UIDE+jemm+VCPI - david, 28.07.2011, 13:34
    • UIDE+jemm+VCPI - Rugxulo, 28.07.2011, 22:38
  • FYI: DEATH (of Jack) - DOS386, 29.07.2011, 09:20
    • FYI: Jack still alive - Japheth, 30.07.2011, 07:57
      • FYI: Jack still alive - DOS386, 30.07.2011, 16:12
    • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - david, 31.07.2011, 18:31
      • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - Japheth, 31.07.2011, 21:09
        • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - david, 02.08.2011, 17:10
          • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - Rugxulo, 13.08.2011, 01:35
            • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - bretjohn, 13.08.2011, 17:30
              • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - Rugxulo, 14.08.2011, 00:13
                • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - Laaca, 14.08.2011, 12:07
                  • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - Khusraw, 14.08.2011, 18:04
                    • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - Rugxulo, 14.08.2011, 18:36
                    • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - Laaca, 16.08.2011, 22:24
                • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - bretjohn, 14.08.2011, 18:48
          • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - a workaround for this issue - Japheth, 15.08.2011, 16:29
            • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - a workaround for this issue - Rugxulo, 15.08.2011, 22:29
              • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - a workaround for this issue - Japheth, 16.08.2011, 03:37
              • BORLAND DPMI-16bit - a workaround for this issue - Rugxulo, 16.08.2011, 07:51