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I Agree. (Miscellaneous)

posted by Jack, 09.11.2007, 01:01

> It is a very good packer, but packing DOS SYS file is definetly a hack ;-)
> It is absolutely safe only without DEVICEHIGH. Usually publishers of DOS
> drivers (e.g. IBM, Panasonic) do not apply packers in it.
I agree. However, XMGR is normally the first driver loaded, and it should
find a totally empty system which will cause it no problems. UIDE usually
loads soon afterward, as you can note in my README file examples. It only
"unpacks" from 6K to 7K, after which it DOES make its own checks for "free"
memory above 7K, when the user requests a /R cache which needs more memory.
This usually occurs only if a user wants over a 200- or 250-MB cache. For
most users who want 200-MB or less, UIDE will "leave behind" only its 1.75K
of logic and use "free" HMA space. This takes NO more upper-memory.

My original posting was in fact directed at users of FreeDOS, who have been
"advised" on their forums to load UIDE with DEVLOAD, after CONFIG.SYS runs.
This is because FreeDOS in its current form does NOT allow using the HMA by
CONFIG.SYS drivers. FreeDOS users must KNOW that if they want UIDE loaded
by DEVLOAD, that instance more-than-likely WILL require an unpacked driver!

I had hoped NOT to be so "technical" in my original posting, for such words
DO tend to "scare off" users. But that posting was made even MORE "scary"
by a completely WRONG comment that "Everyone needs to download UPX", and so
all of these words became NECESSARY.

> P.S. I understand, that UPX in your drivers is rather reliable. But just
> remember Murphy's law: "Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong". Narrow
> UMBs can be seen rather often, even in the beginning of loading drivers.
My understanding is that DOS must be "ordered" to place a .SYS driver into
memory OTHER than the largest-available UMB space, when CONFIG.SYS is run.
One can use the prefix switch /L:n to specify use of UMB area n instead of
the largest area. This normally is done to "pack" drivers into the B000-
B7FFh "monochrome video" space, when it is available. Users that do this
are expected to be "responsible" about it, i.e. test their CONFIG.SYS file
first. Without /L:n which few "know about", there is usually no problem.
FreeDOS users, and others who use DEVLOAD must also be "responsible" about
it. If they understand a bit about DOS and ARE responsible, no problems.

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