Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!hplabs!pyramid!infmx!aland
From: aland@infmx.UUCP (Dr. Scump)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: PCs Limited (Dell) 286's & Lotus 3.0
Summary: use PMINFO utility to diagnose BIOS incompatibility
Message-ID: <2359@infmx.UUCP>
Date: 15 Sep 89 05:33:30 GMT
References: <[1919]comp.ibmpc@point.UUCP> <[250fb546:5506.1]comp.ibmpc;1@ddsw1.MCS.COM>
Reply-To: aland@infmx.UUCP (alan denney)
Organization: INFORMIX Professional Services ("Peace thru Normalization")
Lines: 75

In article <[250fb546:5506.1]comp.ibmpc;1@ddsw1.MCS.COM> karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM (Karl Denninger) writes:
|>Item 5506 (0 resps) by wek at point.UUCP on Wed 13 Sep 89 22:02
|>[Bill Kuykendall]    Subject: PCs Limited (Dell) 286's & Lotus 3.0
|
|>We recently tried to install Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3.0 on a 2.5 year old PCs
|>Limited 286 (the 8mz model with smartview).  No combination of memory
|>configuration switches for the base 1 MB could be made to work.  We added an

|You may have a VERY big problem.
|
|If 1-2-3 Release 3 wants to see extended memory, and your processor can't
|hack it (or your BIOS doesn't know how to deal with it right) then you are
|screwed.  If it's looking for EXPANDED memory then you should be ok -- but
|from what I understand R3 wants Extended -- not expanded.
|
|Try changing the BIOS for a Phoenix of recent origin.  That _may_ work.  If
|it doesn't then you have other problems, such as a processor that is at
|least a little buggy.
|
|I'm not sure if 1-2-3 is using the "go to protected mode/reset" scheme to
|get to the extended memory, or the "loadall" trick.  Both are somewhat
|dangerous in that they rely on items that are not guaranteed to work. 
|...
|--
|Karl Denninger (karl@ddsw1.MCS.COM, <well-connected>!ddsw1!karl)

I'm almost certain that Lotus 1-2-3 Release 3.0 uses Rational's DOS/16M
for protected-mode operation.  If so, then Lotus 3.0 is built on a 
DOS extended which uses straight protected mode (AKA "286 Protected Mode")
as opposed to 386 native mode.  Therefore, the product runs the same on
286s and 386s (although Rational adds 386 specials such as support for
VCPI-compliant virtual 8086 mode software such as DESQView 386).

Anyway, back to the original question.  On 286s, many older clone BIOSes
cannot properly handle the protected-mode calls.  DOS/16M provides
several compatibility modes to handle those older BIOSes that have 
trouble when an IBM AT is assumed but can work with a little trickery.
See if Lotus included Rational's PMINFO and EXAMBIOS utilities (and
any documentation for same).  You can choose a compatibility mode by 
setting the DOS16M environment variable to the mode identifier before
loading Lotus (or running PMINFO).  The most common alternate modes
are 4, 7, and 10; the default is mode 9 for 286s.  10 is the 
best-performing mode of all (better than the default); if it 
works, stick with it.

Test procedure:       (I would have hoped that Lotus documented this)
  1) reboot
  2) set DOS16M=10
  3) run PMINFO, or load Lotus if PMINFO not included
     if your machine hangs:
        1) reboot
        2) set DOS16M=7
        3) run PMINFO, or load Lotus if PMINFO not included
           if your machine hangs:
              1) reboot
              2) set DOS16M=4
              3) run PMINFO, or load Lotus if PMINFO not included
                 if your machine hangs:
                    1) you're sunk.  
                       Get an updated BIOS or buy a real machine.

It's possible (though rare) that PMINFO can work but the product
fail later on.  In that event, experiment with the above settings
and see if the problem goes away.

Also, are you sure that your extended memory is configured properly
and unflawed?

--
    Alan S. Denney  @  Informix Software, Inc.    
         {pyramid|uunet}!infmx!aland                 "I want to live!
   --------------------------------------------       as an honest man,
    Disclaimer:  These opinions are mine alone.       to get all I deserve
    If I am caught or killed, the secretary           and to give all I can."
    will disavow any knowledge of my actions.             - S. Vega