Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!cmcl2!rutgers!sunybcs!boulder!hao!oddjob!gargoyle!ihnp4!laidbak!guardian
From: guardian@laidbak.UUCP (Harry Skelton)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: How to expand the environment space
Message-ID: <1194@laidbak.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 14-Oct-87 06:41:39 EDT
Article-I.D.: laidbak.1194
Posted: Wed Oct 14 06:41:39 1987
Date-Received: Fri, 16-Oct-87 01:51:43 EDT
References: <194@qetzal.UUCP>
Reply-To: guardian@laidbak.UUCP (Harry Skelton(E))
Organization: Lachman Assc. Inc. Chicago, IL
Lines: 53
Keywords: Wyse PC-286, Version 3.21 of DOS
Summary: Dos versions of environments

In article <194@qetzal.UUCP> rcw@qetzal.UUCP (sysop) writes:
>We are trying to use INFORMIX on a Wyse 286 PC. When we set
>eight or nine variables in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and boot
>the machine, it claims that it is out of environment 
>space. After the machine comes up with the "C>" prompt, it
>will then accept the command "set INFORMIXDIR=C:\INFORMIX",
>but we don't want to inflict this on the user.
>
>Anyone have any thoughts? It is version 3.21 of what appears
>to be Wyse's implementation of DOS.

If your version of DOS is anywere near 3.2 or has 3.3 features then there are
two methods of correcting the environment problem.

Under dos 3.1 (and some versions of 3.2) there is a 'E' switch to command.com
that will help you expand your environment.  I'm sure there are some programs
that can do this for you but the following way is better and safer:

Dos 3.1 and some 3.2:

in the config.sys file -

SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /E:[number-of-pages] /P

this will load command.com (which by the way, controls the environment) and 
will allocate 'number-of-pages' of environment space.  i.e. /E:20  (20*16bytes)
Be carefull as some use 16byte pages and others use 128byte pages (wierd but
true).  Don't use a number beyond 50 as up to this point you risk overflow and
you'll get stuck with 128 bytes of environment (as normal) or get some brain
damaged error.

Dos 3.3 and some 3.2:
(3.3 is the version you should run with)

The command in the config.sys file is the same BUT the 'E' option refers to 
the actual number of bytes to allocate (easy!).

SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /E:2048 /P (what I have - 512 or 1024 will do the trick)

Usually I would pop the environment in at 2k to allow for lots of room.  Some
programs will die with a large environment space but those tend to be programs
compiled under 3.1 or something (2.1 etc....) .  I would not worry about it
since programs like Informix and Unify require tons of environment space in
order to do anything.  Specially if you are using a development environment.

Give it a shot, It can't hurt.

                             .---------.
Harry Skelton                :   .-.   :         --- other mail drops ---
guardian@laidbak.UUCP        :   `-'o  :         ihnp4!laidbak!ugh!bear
ihnp4!laidbak!guardian       :    O    :         ihnp4!laidbak!laipc!bear
                             `---------'
	    As in the words of Socrates "I drank what*......."