Gmlb256 wrote on 2024-07-05, 14:36:

CONFIG.SYS: […]
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Cursed Derp wrote on 2024-07-05, 13:26:

Can I see what a proper config.sys or autoexex would look like for my situation?

CONFIG.SYS:

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1[COMMON]
2DOS=HIGH,UMB,NOAUTO
3FILESHIGH=30
4BUFFERSHIGH=10
5STACKS=9,256
6FCBSHIGH=4,0
7LASTDRIVEHIGH=H
8
9[menu]
10menuitem=EMC, Expanded memory + Mouse + CD-ROM
11menuitem=XMC, Extended memory + Mouse + CD-ROM
12menuitem=CMC, Conventional Memory only + Mouse + CD-ROM
13menuitem=EM, Expanded memory + Mouse
14menuitem=XM, Extended memory + Mouse
15menuitem=CM, Conventional memory only + Mouse
16menuitem=WIN, Windows 98
17
18menudefault=EMC,10
19
20[EMC]
21INCLUDE=EM
22DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECDD.SYS /D:MSCD0001
23
24[XMC]
25INCLUDE=XM
26DEVICE=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECDD.SYS /D:MSCD0001
27
28[CMC]
29INCLUDE=CM
30DEVICE=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECDD.SYS /D:MSCD0001
31
32[EM]
33DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
34DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE I=B000-B7FF HIGHSCAN RAM
35DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\SETVER.EXE
36
37[XM]
38DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
39DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SETVER.EXE
40
41[CM]
42DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SETVER.EXE
43
44[WIN]
45DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
46DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
47DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SETVER.EXE

AUTOEXEC.BAT:

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1@ECHO OFF
2SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
3SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
4SET PROMPT=$p$g
5SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
6SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
7SET SBPCI=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\AUDIO\DOSDRV
8SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 H7 P330 T6
9IF "%CONFIG%"=="WIN" GOTO WIN
10C:\DOSDRV\SBLOAD
11C:\DOSDRV\SBINIT.COM
12GOTO %CONFIG%
13:EMC
14LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD0001 /E
15GOTO EM
16:XMC
17:CMC
18C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD0001
19:EM
20:XM
21IF NOT "%CONFIG%"=="CMC" C:\WINDOWS\SMARTDRV.EXE /X
22:CM
23REM CuteMouse doesn't need LH as it gets loaded into UMB automatically
24C:\DRIVERS\CTMOUSE.EXE /R2
25GOTO DONE
26:WIN
27C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM
28:DONE

I reduced the number of BUFFERS to make disk caching utilities more effective and added an option to start Windows 98. 😀

Note that I don't know if there are any ROM chips in regions that could be used for UMB and the EMS page frame.

CHAAAAAAAAD
That's awesome bro!
I'll try that out a bit later

Okay everything works with the new config and autoexec. I tested Blake Stone, Quake, Wolfenstein 3d, Hexen, Strife, Blood. They all work. EPIC. The only game that doesn't like the new configs is Duke 3d atomic. I have no idea why but it won't start up. It just hangs. I don't know what to do for that. I would like to thank everyone involved in this topic for all the epic help. My knowledge of Dos and how it handles memory has expanded a lot. Also my pc has become way better with memory and ram management. Thank yall

You're welcome. BTW, just out of curiosity, what are your current configs and memory layout?

My current configuration and autoexec are the ones from Gmlb256 from earlier. This is my memory layout

Uhh...I think your memory config is poor. 🙁 You can go to https://dosprograms.info.tt/indexall.htm and download more efficient drivers for things such as a MSCDEX replacement. They're under Utilities. You already have most of the stuff from there, though. 😉 I really think you should try QEMM. It is much more efficient in memory-handling than the standard DOS issues. Also, QEMM's MANIFEST utility reported to me 64k free on my system that EMM386 missed. Try it out!

Awesome bro
I'll try this out

Harry Potter wrote on 2024-07-05, 23:43:

You can go to https://dosprograms.info.tt/indexall.htm and download more efficient drivers for things such as a MSCDEX replacement.

Not all of them are necessarily better, replacing MSCDEX with SHSUCDX reduces compatibility.

I see that the OP's computer can't easily get more UMB. Using XHDD instead of SMARTDRV should free conventional memory.

What is smartdrv for in the first place?

Smartdrv is a disk cache: it is designed to speed up disk accesses by storing information temporarily in RAM.

So how would I set up xhdd? I have the files now

I made changes to the configuration files that you provided on the Duke Nukem 3D thread so XHDD will be loaded with 12 MB of disk cache size. I also reduced the number of lines and fixed an oversight with the SB 128 drivers as they only work when a compatible EMM is loaded.

This assumes that XHDD.SYS is extracted on C:\DOSDRV.

CONFIG.SYS:

1[COMMON]
2DOS=HIGH,UMB,NOAUTO
3FILESHIGH=30
4BUFFERSHIGH=10
5STACKS=9,256
6FCBSHIGH=4,0
7LASTDRIVEHIGH=H
8
9[menu]
10menuitem=EMC, Expanded memory + Mouse + CD-ROM
11menuitem=XMC, Extended memory + Mouse + CD-ROM
12menuitem=CMC, Conventional Memory only + Mouse + CD-ROM
13menuitem=EM, Expanded memory + Mouse
14menuitem=XM, Extended memory + Mouse
15menuitem=CM, Conventional memory only + Mouse
16menuitem=WIN, Windows 98
17
18menudefault=EMC,10
19 
20[EMC]
21INCLUDE=EM
22DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECDD.SYS /D:MSCD0001
23 
24[XMC]
25INCLUDE=XM
26DEVICE=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECDD.SYS /D:MSCD0001
27 
28[CMC]
29INCLUDE=CM
30DEVICE=C:\DRIVERS\VIDECDD.SYS /D:MSCD0001
31 
32[EM]
33REM F000-FFFF region is excluded, it is reserved for the BIOS ROM
34REM and taking it to get extra UMB affects stability when using QEMM.
35DEVICE=D:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM I=B000-B7FF X=F000-FFFF
36DEVICEHIGH=C:\DRIVERS\XHDD.SYS /H /P /S12
37DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\SETVER.EXE
38 
39[XM]
40DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
41DEVICE=C:\DRIVERS\XHDD.SYS /H /P /S12
42DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SETVER.EXE
43 
44[CM]
45DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SETVER.EXE
46 
47[WIN]
48DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
49DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
50DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\SETVER.EXE

AUTOEXEC.BAT:

1@ECHO OFF
2SET TMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
3SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP
4SET PROMPT=$p$g
5SET winbootdir=C:\WINDOWS
6SET PATH=C:\WINDOWS;C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND
7SET SBPCI=C:\PROGRA~1\CREATIVE\AUDIO\DOSDRV
8SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 H7 P330 T6
9GOTO %CONFIG%
10:EM
11:EMC
12C:\DOSDRV\SBLOAD
13C:\DOSDRV\SBINIT.COM
14IF "%CONFIG%"=="EMC" LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD0001 /E
15GOTO XM
16:XMC
17:CMC
18C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MSCD0001
19:XM
20:CM
21REM CuteMouse doesn't need LH as it gets loaded into UMB automatically
22C:\DRIVERS\CTMOUSE.EXE /R2
23GOTO DONE
24:WIN
25C:\WINDOWS\WIN.COM
26:DONE

Cursed Derp wrote on 2024-07-04, 16:39:

Here's my autoexec and config.sys

My personal recommandation:
Don't optimize the conventional memory when you start Windows 98. I tend to keep it the same as it was after installation.

So you have already a boot menu, that is perfect. Then make a config for Windows 98, where you optimize nothing and start windows explicitetly via autoexec.bat, so you have to modify msdos.sys. There are tons of threads here on Vogons about this topic.
The other configs you can use for pure DOS 7.1, so you can have a config for only XMS and one with EMM386. Optimize those DOS only configs.

EDIT: Gmlb256 posted a nice config, do it like that!

BTW, if you want UMBs but no EMS, I think the NOEMS switch will disable that on QEMM. Same with EMM386.

It should also give you 64k from the EMS frame plus save the memory otherwise used by EMS support.