Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!samsung!munnari.oz.au!csource!david From: david@csource.oz.au (david nugent) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.programmer Subject: Re: .SYS (device drivers) that are actually .EXEs? Message-ID: <552@csource.oz.au> Date: 5 Jul 90 14:08:51 GMT References: <141@qmsseq.imagen.com> Organization: Unique Computing Pty Ltd, Melb, Aust. Lines: 27 In <141@qmsseq.imagen.com> pipkins@qmsseq.imagen.com (Jeff Pipkins) writes: >It is also possible to create a plain old .EXE file program that can be >invoked from the command line that can install itself as a device driver. >To do this, it must find the device driver chain (via an undocumented >function call) and link a device driver header into it. The initialization >call will not be made, of course. If you need to write a device driver >in a high-level language (even turdo pascal or basic), >this is your best bet. DESQview comes with small utility called DEVICE.COM (around 600 bytes or so) which allows loading _some_ device drivers - namely those that don't link into the chain. It loads the driver, calls the init function and leaves it as a TSR. It specifically checks for block device drivers (since these MUST be linked into the device chain) and only allows character device drivers to be loaded. Some will work; but you couldn't load a replacement for device which requires access from DOS - only those which intercept and use interrupts. david -- _______________________________________________________________________________ Unique Computing Pty Ltd Melbourne Australia - Communications Specialists david@csource.oz.au 3:632/348@fidonet 28:4100/1@signet