Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!mcvax!unido!ztivax!tumuc!lan!kluge
From: kluge@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de (Oliver Kluge)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc
Subject: DRIVPARM config.sys variable - how do I access it?
Summary: IBM PC-DOS 3.30 *does* contain a bug!!!
Keywords: PC-DOS 3.30,DRIVPARM,config.sys
Message-ID: <606@infovax.lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de>
Date: 21 Feb 89 18:04:15 GMT
Reply-To: kluge@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de (Oliver Kluge)
Organization: Inst. fuer Informatik, TU Muenchen, W. Germany
Lines: 65

Hello !

[I am posting this the second time, because on my site it looks as
if Pnews had swallowed this article.]

In DOS 3.30 Microsoft put in a new config.sys variable named
DRIVPARM. With this variable, it is possible to change the
default configuration of the built-in device drivers for
floppy disk I/O. DRIVPARM does the same thing DEVICE=DRIVER.SYS
does, except that it does not install a new driver but changes
the configuration tables of the drivers built-in. DRIVPARM
also uses the same syntax that DRIVER.SYS uses.

This variable was embedded in all OEM versions of MS-DOS 3.30
and also in IBM's PC-DOS 3.30 (However, IBM did not mention the
command in its documentary). A Microsoft representative ensured
me this, and it can be proved by using DEBUG: debug ibmbio.com
and s 100 ffff 'DRIVPARM' will reveal its presence in the parse
table.

But due to a bug in Microsoft's DOS 3.30 this variable could not
be accessed by the user. Microsoft had already delivered all its
OEMs before the bug was detected. Microsoft soon released a patch
that would cure this bug. This patch was sent to all Microsoft's
OEMs, *including* IBM, as a Microsoft representative told me.

Other manufacturers did correct the bug (Hewlett-Packard did it)
and documented the new feature. However, IBM seems not to have
done it. The new feature isn't documented anywhere (nor does any
IBM representative seem to know of it) and IBM sells the version
with the bug.

I asked Microsoft to send me the patch, but Microsoft strictly
refused to do this and told me to ask IBM. IBM told me that they
didn't know of any such variable, but it could well be that this
variable was an "unsupported feature" meaning I couldn't get the
patch (if it existed, as they told me).

I am very frustrated about this behaviour of both companies,
because I *DO* need this feature (I equipped an IBM XT with a
HD floppy controller plus BIOS extension, works fine, except
with PC-Tools, which does not recognize HD formats when
initializing. It seems PC-Tools asks DOS for floppy drive specs,
and DOS cannot know of my controller). 

What about DOS 4.0? Nobody could tell me, all I know is that
Microsoft states it is "implemented in all OEM versions, including
IBM's version" (This is denied by IBM).

So I do ask here: Does anyone have this patch, or does anyone
know where to get it or does anyone have a small program (All
"common" programming languages accepted) to do a change in the
DOS driver configuration table? 

****Please help me!!!!****

Thank you all,

Oliver

-- 
TTTU MMMMM kluge%lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de@relay.cs.net (CS-NET, ARPA)
 T U U M M Oliver Kluge, Parallel Computing Lab, \ unido.UUCP   (UUCP)
 T U M M M Technical University Munich, Arcisstr. 21, 8000-Munich 2, W. Germany
 T UUU M M "Why stop now just when I'm hating it?" Marvin, the paranoid android