VOGONS


First post, by CoffeeOne

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Maybe that is useful for somebody, so I make a thread here.
We all know that some games / programs need a big amount of free DOS memory (640k)
When using orginal MS tools (MS DOS 6.22 or DOS 7.1 from Windows 98SE), you need to use EMM386.EXE to enable the upper memory. Only then devicehigh= and loadhigh will work.
Using EMM386 will switch the CPU to protected mode. That makes some games slower for example DOOM. So we do not want that 😁.

So EMM386 is ONLY used when we really need expanded memory, so only in rare cases.

For early pentium mainboards one can use UMBPCI.SYS, described here: https://www.mdgx.com/mem7.htm

But that does not work on 486 mainboards as far as I know. Boards with a SIS471 do not have PCI at all.
So for SIS 471 boards there is a solution, too: It is UMBSIS.SYS!
https://www.uwe-sieber.de/util_e.html

I use it for my Asus SV2GX4 with Windows 98SE:

config.sys:

[menu]
menuitem=windows, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
menuitem=DOS1, MS-DOS 7.10 - XMS
menuitem=DOS2, MS-DOS 7.10 - EMS
menudefault=windows, 10

[windows]
device=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\display.sys con=(ega,,1)
Country=043,850,C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\country.sys

[DOS1]
SWITCHES=/E
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DRIVERS\UMBSIS4.SYS
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECDD.SYS /D:MSCD001
FILES=30
BUFFERS=30,0
LASTDRIVE=F

[DOS2]
SWITCHES=/E
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM
DOS=HIGH,UMB
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECDD.SYS /D:MSCD001
FILES=30
BUFFERS=30,0
LASTDRIVE=F

autoexec.bat:

goto %config%

:windows
mode con codepage prepare=((850) C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\ega.cpi)
mode con codepage select=850
keyb gr,,C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\keyboard.sys
C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM
goto end

:DOS1
lh c:\drivers\keyb2.com
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DOSKEY.COM
LH C:\drivers\ctmouse.exe
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001
goto end

:DOS2
lh c:\drivers\keyb2.com
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DOSKEY.COM
LH C:\drivers\ctmouse.exe
LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD001
goto end

:end

In msdos.sys there is
BootGUI=0
and
Logo=0

Some remarks:
The Windows 98 startup is unmodified, it is exactly the same as after the installation of a German Windows 98SE.

The interesting part is the section DOS1 => XMS. There is no EMM386 but still loading high works. More or less everything can be loaded high, so I also use a german keyboard driver, doskey, mouse driver and a CD ROM driver.

UMBSIS4.SYS is used in my case, because I use a XTIDE BIOS located on C800
see table below, that is documented on the Uwe Sieber page.

UMBSIS1.SYS 32K: C800-CFFF
UMBSIS2.SYS 160K: C800-EFFF only for memory size 16MB and more.
UMBSIS3.SYS 96K: C800-DFFF
UMBSIS4.SYS: 128K: D000-EFFF
UMBSIS5.SYS: 64K: D000-DFFF
UMBSIS6.SYS: 64K: E000-EFFF

Reply 1 of 1, by jskyboo

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While UMBSIS works, I found I could get even more UMB space with this old version of URAM, Re: SiS 85C496 mobo, UMB driver?

Other useful utils for saving even more memory: XMGR as a replacement for HIMEM, XDVD2 as a replacement for VIDECDD, JEMM386 as a replacement for EMM386, and for your expanded memory config the Helix cloaked replacements for MSCDEX and mouse driver.