DOS ain't dead - New 11-16-2009 UIDE Available.

New 11-16-2009 UIDE Available. (Announce)

posted by Jack , Fresno, California USA, 20.11.2009, 13:50

Johnson Lam has posted a new DRIVERS.ZIP file on his website at --

http://johnson.tmfc.net/dos/driver.html

The 16-Nov-2009 UIDE can cache up to 4 GIGABYTES of data! This now allows
a 4-GB PC system to have, for example, a 500-MB RAMdisk using RDISK, 500-MB
of XMS saved for other drivers/programs, and a 3-GB UIDE cache! That will
provide a "SCREAMING Fast!" DOS system!

I have only 1-GB, so I tested the driver "patched" for 16K-byte data blocks
(not its usual 64K-byte blocks), and UIDE handled all possible cache blocks
properly. If anyone has a REAL 4-GB system, I would appreciate hearing if
UIDE in fact works O.K. with it.

UIDE also adds the /P switch, for users of JEMM386 and other protected-mode
systems. Its usual binary-search table in XMS memory does demand much XMS
work, making the driver a bit slower in protected-mode. /P makes UIDE set
its "old style" binary-search table at the end of driver memory. This can
give up to 10% better speed in protected-mode due to far less XMS accesses.

Though faster, UIDE's /P switch has memory limits. DOS systems that offer
under 14K of free HMA (V7.10 MS-DOS etc.) are limited to 170-MB caches when
UIDE loads with /H in the HMA, to avoid V7.10 MS-DOS "bugs"! A DOS system
with more HMA, e.g. V6.22 MS-DOS, can have a 350-MB+ cache using HMA space.
FreeDOS does not make HMA available when CONFIG.SYS runs, but FreeDOS users
can run DEVLOAD from AUTOEXEC.BAT to put UIDE in the HMA. UIDE /P can set
up to 400-MB HMA caches for FreeDOS, depending on BUFFERS= and other values
that also take HMA space.

With /P, UIDE sets a 5-MB HMA cache only if /S5 is used and free HMA allows
this cache. The 5-MB cache runs slower, so it is "by request only". For
larger /S values, if that cache cannot fit in free HMA, UIDE /P defaults to
a 15-MB or 80-MB cache depending on available HMA space, or UIDE loads only
in upper/DOS memory if its 15-MB HMA cache cannot be set. Users can avoid
these defaults by omitting /H and so "ordering" the driver to use upper/DOS
memory. The maximum UIDE /P cache size is 1900-MB if loaded in memory, as
the driver and its search table must go in one 64K program segment. Users
needing bigger caches must omit /P and run UIDE with regular 4-GB caching.

Real-mode UMBPCI users do not need UIDE /P. A protected-mode JEMM386 user
can now choose between UIDE /P, for more speed using medium-size caches, or
UIDE without its /P switch when a larger cache is required.

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Complete thread:

New 11-16-2009 UIDE Available. - Jack, 20.11.2009, 13:50 (Announce)
- Steve Burd Says 4-GB UIDE Works Fine! - Jack, 21.11.2009, 00:59
- New 11-16-2009 UIDE Available. - Rugxulo, 22.11.2009, 00:42
  - Comments On New 16-Nov-2009 UIDE. - Jack, 22.11.2009, 04:35
    - Comments On New 16-Nov-2009 UIDE. - RayeR, 23.11.2009, 01:11
      - Comments On New 16-Nov-2009 UIDE. - Jack, 23.11.2009, 07:41
- Better 11-22-2009 UIDE Available. - Jack, 24.11.2009, 08:48
  - Better 11-22-2009 UIDE Available. - Zyzzle, 25.11.2009, 02:52
    - Comments On 11-22-2009 UIDE. - Jack, 25.11.2009, 08:26