DOS ain't dead

Jemm and Windows (Announce)

posted by Rugxulo , Usono, 21.12.2013, 08:23

> > > Is there a way to use both jemmex and Windows at the same time?
> >
> > 1. don't load jemmex in config.sys, but dynamically via LOAD/UNLOAD.
> > 2. run Windows in standard mode - there's a DOSX.EXE in HXRT\unsupp that
> > may be used as "Windows Extender".
>
> I have had not luck with (1) so far, and I don't understand what I need to
> do to test (2). Probably because I have not had a look at HXRT yet.

Do you need EMS at all? Or just trying to use UMBs? Have you tried EMSMAGIC or UMBPCI or similar?

BTW, you can find HX at http://www.japheth.de/HX.html , so unzip it to \hx, put \hx\bin in your %PATH% , and (backup old, then) copy DOSX.EXE to %windir%\system or wherever.

> Experience with proposal (1):
> I'm loading HimemX in the config.sys and then jemm386 through the
> autoexec.
>
> First try: Using jemm386 with the same command line as jemmex before caused
> the system to freeze.

Why not use DR's EMM386, which has its own XMSv2 built in? It (and DR-DOS) should run Win 3.x just fine. (Although it's possible that EDR-DOS has some bugs since it's based upon an older version of the kernel.)

> Second attempt: Simplified the jemm386 command line. Better, but now the
> system reboots whenever nwcache (DR "smartdrv" disk cache) is loaded.

Try using "X=TEST I=TEST". Also, if NWCACHE doesn't work, try something else, e.g. UIDE or LBACACHE.

> Third attempt: No nwcache. Boots, but since the UMBs are now unused it
> leaves barly 500kB of conventional memory - and I haven't even installed a
> cd-driver yet.

If you don't "need" 386 Enhanced Mode for some odd reason, just use standard mode. And of course in that case, you can just use FreeDOS, which should be fairly good about keeping low RAM free. Though in all the years I used DR-DOS 7.03, it wasn't ever horrible about it. If anything, DR-DOS 7.03 is more reliable in some ways (e.g. Win 3.x support or TaskMgr) but has some limits (e.g. NWCACHE max or EMM386 bugs or TaskMgr size limits, no FAT32).

> Also, Windows still doesn't work. It now (with jemm386 not loaded/unloaded)
> complains about "a driver loaded in config.sys" preventing it from
> starting.

Run DOSBOOK.EXE if you can, and double-check that you're using the correct parameters with DR's own EMM386. Don't use EDR-DOS at all, just use DR-DOS 7.03, which is more stable. If that doesn't work, fiddle with some of the alternatives I mentioned.

Complete thread:

• Jemm 5.75a - Japheth, 24.05.2012, 09:10 (Announce)
  • Jemm 5.76 - Japheth, 30.05.2012, 09:26
    • Jemm 5.76 - rr, 30.05.2012, 10:06
      • Jemm 5.76 - Japheth, 31.05.2012, 07:51
  • Jemm 5.77 - Japheth, 20.06.2012, 15:14
  • Jemm 5.78 (+jwasm 2.07) - Japheth, 15.07.2012, 12:57
    • Jemm 5.78 (+jwasm 2.07) - RayeR, 22.07.2012, 23:50
    • Jemm and Windows - Stephan, 30.11.2013, 10:18
      • Jemm and Windows - Japheth, 30.11.2013, 18:25
        • Jemm and Windows - Stephan, 20.12.2013, 13:01
          • Jemm and Windows - Rugxulo, 21.12.2013, 08:23
          • Jemm and Windows - Japheth, 21.12.2013, 15:36