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From: rm3@stc06.ornl.gov (MCBROOM R C)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: Environment space for DOS appl. under Windows
Message-ID: <1990Nov2.193131.11053@cs.utk.edu>
Date: 2 Nov 90 19:31:31 GMT
References: <433.2721eb3c@ae.chalmers.se> <124411@linus.mitre.org>
Sender: news@cs.utk.edu (USENET News System)
Reply-To: rm3@stc06.ctd.ornl.gov (MCBROOM R C)
Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab
Lines: 41

In article <124411@linus.mitre.org> jcmorris@mwunix.mitre.org (Joe Morris) writes:
>In a recent article hogstedt@ae.chalmers.se (PER HOGSTEDT) writes:
> 
>> When running DOS applications from Windows I get too little environment
>>space for my application. Windows allocates 224 bytes in standard mode (I
>>think).
>>How can I tell Windows to allocate more environment for my DOS application?
>
>Other responses to this have suggested a variety of ideas:
>
>> Edit CONFIG.SYS to include a larger environment space (/e:nnn)
>
>Won't help.  Windows calls up a fresh copy of COMMAND.COM to start a
>DOS window and does not bother to propagate the /e:nnn used at boot 
>time.  You get the default allocation of environment space only, or
>the space required to hold the current environment, whichever is larger.
>
>> Create a placeholder in the environment before entering Windows (e.g.,
>> SET DUMMY1=1111111111...
>
>Works, but it's a hassle.
>
>> Make the default .PIF file specify a larger environment
>
>Works for the DOS window, but you have to play this game for each non-
>Windows app you use.
>
>====
>
>FWIW, I finessed the problem some time ago (pre-WIN3) by patching COMMAND.COM
>to change the default environment space.  In addition to fixing the Windows
>problem it simultaneously fixes the shortage of environment space in other
>(non-WIN3) situations where a program permits you to shell back to the DOS
>prompt.
>
>(An aside to Microsoft: Why do I have to play this game, and why can't 
>COMMAND.COM be set up to use the CONFIG.SYS value every time it's loaded?
>Any chance this might appear in DOS5?)
>
On My Model 50Z in standard mode ZipManagers environmental editor shows the
full space specified in config.sys as being passed to the dos invocation.