Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!usc!apple!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!bloom-beacon!eru!hagbard!sunic!mcsun!hp4nl!fwi.uva.nl!linden
From: linden@fwi.uva.nl (Onno van der Linden)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc
Subject: Re: MSDOS 4.01 bug ?? (partially solved)
Keywords: EMS-Usage for Buffers/X and Append /X
Message-ID: <1991Apr7.082807.14001@fwi.uva.nl>
Date: 7 Apr 91 08:28:07 GMT
References: <1991Apr3.161103.10405@fwi.uva.nl> <7703@uklirb.informatik.uni-kl.de>
Sender: news@fwi.uva.nl
Organization: FWI, University of Amsterdam
Lines: 51
Nntp-Posting-Host: victor.fwi.uva.nl


 OK, I think I should have investigated this weirdness a little better,before
complaining on the net about it.Thanks to all the people who responded.

 The config.sys looks like this:
files=30
stacks=0,0
country=31,,\system\country.sys
shell=system\command.com c:\system /p
device=\system\emm386.sys 2432
rem ramdrive 1024K expanded memory
device=\system\ramdrive.sys 1024 512 /a
rem buffers in expanded memory,1 16K page,spaces around '=' didn't matter here
buffers = 20/x
rem cache in expanded memory,wants all available expanded memory !!!
device=\system\smartdrv.sys /a
rem device=\sytem\smartdrv.sys <size> /a WORKS !!! (size <= 1392)
rem 1392 + 16 + 1024 = 2432.

 This will give "error in CONFIG.SYS line 9",unless the RIGHT amount of
expanded memory for smartdrv is specified.

 The Microsoft MS-DOS User's Guide and User's reference says:
(version 4.0,Appendix C:Installable Device Drivers,page 312)

"If you don't specify an amount of memory,smartdrv.sys uses 256K if it is
 installed in extended memory,or all of expanded memory if it is installed
 in expanded memory"

My observation: everything works fine if you are not using buffers=<n> /x,
combined with device=smartdrv.sys /a.

 Then I caught <gerten@uklirb.informatik.uni-kl.de> (Rainer Gerten) writing:
>In article <1991Apr3.161103.10405@fwi.uva.nl> (Onno van der Linden) writes:
>>
>>device=\system\emm386.sys 2432 
>                                P254=??? P255=???
>                                ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
>                                You have to specify these
>                                params (with appropriate values)

>Look at the specification for emm386 and the needs for the
>two special page, which are used by dos for buffers, append etc.

 This might be true,but I could only find some info on emm386.sys in the
Tulip MS-DOS manual,not in the Microsoft MS-DOS manual mentioned earlier.
The Tulip MS-DOS manual didn't mention the P254 and P255 parameters.
A very quick try gave "Invalid parameter".

Onno van der Linden
linden@fwi.uva.nl