Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!uxc!uxc.cso.uiuc.edu!uxg.cso.uiuc.edu!uxe.cso.uiuc.edu!mcdonald
From: mcdonald@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: Re: Use of BIOS in 386 mode
Message-ID: <45900203@uxe.cso.uiuc.edu>
Date: 20 Feb 89 14:57:00 GMT
References: <11223@umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU>
Lines: 17
Nf-ID: #R:umn-cs.CS.UMN.EDU:11223:uxe.cso.uiuc.edu:45900203:000:740
Nf-From: uxe.cso.uiuc.edu!mcdonald    Feb 20 08:57:00 1989


>Can a program running in paged/protected 386 mode still make use of
>the BIOS routines, which are presumably 8086 code, to service I/O
>interrupts?  If so, how is it done?

Actually running in 386 mode? No.

On the other hand, if you didn't REALLY mean "standalone" but would
be happy to run 386 programs under DOS, it can easily be done.
Among others, Phar Lap software will sell you a `something' (software)
which will hook your genuine 386 code to DOS, and also to bios.
You can use DOS calls, bios calls, and have interrupts serviced by
bios, or by your 8086 code, or by your 80386 code, all your choice.
I have used it and it all works. Unfortunately, the `something'
comes with their assembler and costs quite a bit.

Doug McDonald