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- Chapter 1
- Introduction QEMM
-
- The Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager-386 (QEMM-386) is a
- powerful, high performance memory manager and software control
- program for 80386 PCs and PS/2s. QEMM-386 enhances the
- utilization of your 386 PC's memory by providing expanded,
- extended, and high (640K-1024K) memory management. And, as an
- 80386 control program, QEMM-386 taps into 80386 features
- important for multitasking and program protection by
- Quarterdeck's multitasking environment, DESQview 2.
-
- QEMM-386's expanded memory management capability enables you to
- run expanded memory programs, such as Paradox 3, Framework II and
- III, Aldus Pagemaker, and 1-2-3 Release 2 without having to buy a
- special expanded memory board. QEMM-386 is compatible with all
- three expanded memory specifications (EMS 3.2, EMS 4, and EEMS).
-
- It is also compatible with the three modes of Windows
- 3.0~dash~real, standard, and enhanced modes.
-
- It is also QEMM-386's expanded memory management capability that
- gives you use of your PC's high memory. High memory (the memory
- addresses between 640K and 1024K) has been traditionally reserved
- by IBM for use by your system hardware. As DOS programs have
- become larger, and as your need to run several programs at once
- has grown, high memory has increased in importance. The reason is
- that there are often more memory addresses reserved for system
- hardware than are actually being used. So there are precious
- available memory addresses, usable by DOS, waiting to be used!
-
- QEMM-386 fills unused memory addresses in your PC's high memory
- with expanded memory~dash~so that you can then load TSRs, device
- drivers (such as networks), and DOS resources in this memory.
- Depending on your PC and the number of hardware add-ons you have,
- QEMM-386 makes anywhere from 30-130K more memory available for
- you to use.
-
- QEMM-386 converts the extended memory in your machine to expanded
- memory. Additionally, if your PC is configured either with
- Compaq-style top memory or Chips & Technologies shadow RAM,
- QEMM-386 detects this memory and makes it usable in the same ways
- it uses extended memory.
-
- If you need memory more than you need EGA or VGA graphics,
- QEMM-386 can give you an additional 96K of memory~dash~that can
- be used by your DOS program. It does that by making the memory
- reserved for your EGA or VGA adapter available to your DOS
- program. The caveat is that while you are using this memory, you
- cannot be doing graphics. But, QEMM-386 makes it easy for you to
- use or not use this memory.
-
- For PS/2 computers and other computers using microchannel
- architecture, QEMM-386 includes an "Adapter Description Library"
- (ADL), a record of many peripheral hardware devices for computers
- using microchannel architecture. QEMM-386 uses this information
- to insure a maximum amount of safely accessible high memory with
- PS/2 computers.
-
- QEMM-386 is also an extended memory manager, compatible with the
- XMS extended memory specification, specified by Microsoft and
- used in Windows 286 v2.
-
- QEMM-386 is also compatible with DOS extended programs (such as
- Paradox 386, 1-2-3 Release 3, Oracle Professional, IBM
- Interleaf). A DOS extended program is a special DOS program that
- runs in your PC's protected mode~dash~but fools DOS into thinking
- that it is just a normal 640K program. QEMM-386 does require that
- DOS Extended programs be compatible with the Quarterdeck/Phar Lap
- Virtual Control Program Interface (VCPI) specification which
- specifies how 80386 control programs and DOS Extenders
- communicate to each other.
-
- As an 80386 control program QEMM-386 takes advantage of the
- 80386's virtual 8086 mode to add screen virtualization and
- program
- protection to Quarterdeck DESQview 2's multitasking capabilities.
- DESQview is a multitasking, windowing control program that lets
- you run multiple DOS programs (1-2-3, Word, Windows 286, Excel,
- AutoCAD) simultaneously. The bundle of the two products, DESQview
- 2 and QEMM-386, is known as DESQview 386.
-
- Through software in both QEMM-386 and DESQview 2, which controls
- the 80386 processor, DESQview can run misbehaved (i.e. text or
- graphics programs which write directly to the screen) DOS
- programs in background, display each program running in a small
- window on the screen, and protect the system against bugs in
- programs. In addition, QEMM-386 enables DESQview to multitask DOS
- extended and normal DOS programs simultaneously. It also can run
- Windows 3.0 programs in either real or standard mode in a
- DESQview window.
-
- ~Subhead~ QEMM-386 Features
-
- Below is a summary of QEMM-386's features. QEMM-386:
-
- ~Item~ Is an expanded memory manager, compatible with EMS 3.2,
- EEMS, and EMS 4.
-
- ~Item~ Is a high memory manager, which enables you to run device
- drivers, TSRs and DOS resources (such as FILES, BUFFERS, etc.)
- specified in your PC's CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, in high
- memory.
-
- ~Item~ Is an extended memory manager, compatible with XMS.
- QEMM-386 supports all three forms of the specification~dash~high
- memory area (HMA), upper memory blocks (UMB), and extended memory
- blocks (EMB).
-
- ~Item~ Is compatible with Windows 3.0 real, standard, and
- enhanced modes.
-
- ~Item~ Is compatible with the Quarterdeck/Phar Lap Virtual
- Control Program Interface (VCPI) interface, which specifies how
- DOS Extended programs interface with 80386 control programs.
-
- ~Item~ Detects Chips & Technologies shadow RAM and uses this
- memory in the same ways it uses extended memory.
-
- ~Item~ Detects Compaq-style "top memory" and uses this memory in
- the same ways it uses extended memory.
-
- ~Item~ Lets you specify how much memory is to be used for
- expanded and extended memory.
-
- ~Item~ Fills out any missing memory in your PC's 0-640K
- conventional memory area, and in the 640K-1024K high memory area.
- QEMM-386 can fill areas as small as 4K with memory.
-
- ~Item~ Incorporates an Adapter Description Library, a record of
- RAM and ROM addresses used by microchannel peripheral adapter
- cards, to resolve memory addressing conflicts of microchannel
- architecture peripheral devices.
-
- ~Item~ Automatically detects the speed of high memory and uses
- fast memory whenever possible.
-
- ~Item~ Optionally maps slow ROM code into fast RAM.
-
- ~Item~ Supports EMS 4 real alternate maps.
-
- ~Item~ Automatically controls Direct Memory Access (DMA) of all
- mapped memory.
-
- ~Item~ Enables a user, willing to forego the enhanced graphics
- capabilities permitted by EGA and VGA adapter cards, to increase
- the memory used by DOS by 96K~dash~thus making as much as 736K of
- memory, instead of the standard 640K, available to DOS.
-
- ~Item~ Provides extensive reporting and analytical information
- about the first megabyte of memory.
-
- ~Item~ Transforms Quarterdeck's DESQview 2.2 into an 80386
- control program capable of running multiple DOS programs
- simultaneously with multiple DOS extended programs. This
- combination of QEMM-386 and DESQview 2.2 is called DESQview 386.
-
- ~Subhead~ Getting the Best Use of Memory
-
- QEMM-386 is a very powerful program. Because of this power,
- QEMM-386 is very technical in nature. Knowing this, we have tried
- to make it as easy as possible for non-technical users to install
- and optimally configure memory.
-
- As a result, most users need only to know the command, INSTALL.
- QEMM-386's installation program looks at your PC and sets
- whatever command line parameters it needs to transform your
- memory into expanded memory. Your PC is ready to be used.
-
- However, QEMM-386 goes one step further. QEMM-386 also has a
- program, called Optimize, which can automatically alter your
- AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS files to load programs into the
- optimal regions of high memory.
-
- For the PC guru, who likes to fine-tune a PC to get optimum
- utilization of memory, QEMM-386 has some very powerful features.
- QEMM-386 watches your memory to determine what memory is
- accessed by programs. QEMM-386 then analyzes memory and
- recommends what additional high memory can be used to load TSRs,
- drivers etc. "Analyze" is for the brave, and does come with
- warnings to be careful.
-
- Built into QEMM-386 is a comprehensive reporting facility. Using
- these reports, you can display status information about QEMM-386
- and maps of the first megabyte of memory. One map shows you the
- first megabyte as QEMM-386 sees it; another shows a map of what
- memory your programs have accessed; a third map shows QEMM-386's
- analysis of what high memory can be used or not. The information
- displayed is the same information that is provided by
- Quarterdeck's memory analysis and reporting program, Manifest.
-
- ~Subhead~ About This Manual
-
- QEMM-386 is really a set of programs that help you get the best
- utilization of your memory. If you are a non-technical PC user,
- there is no need to read any further than Chapter 2,
- Installation. The remaining chapters of the manual are intended
- as references and should be used if you have a problem in
- installing QEMM-386 or if you wish to fine-tune QEMM-386. The
- QEMM-386 manual is organized as follows:
-
- ~Item~ Chapter 2, Installation, describes how to install QEMM-386
- and use the QEMM-386 Optimize program.
-
- ~Item~ Chapter 3, The QEMM386.SYS Program, lists the QEMM-386
- command line parameters used to set up your PC's memory.
-
- ~Item~ Chapter 4, The QEMM.COM Program, describes how to change
- QEMM's current state (ON, OFF, or AUTO), and describes the QEMM
- memory reports.
-
- ~Item~ Chapter 5, The LOADHI Programs, describes how to load
- TSRs and device drivers in high memory.
-
- ~Item~ Chapter 6, DOS Resources Programs, describes the programs
- used to load DOS BUFFERS, FILES, FCBS, and LASTDRIVE in high
- memory.
-
- ~Item~ Chapter 7, The VIDRAM Program, describes how to use the
- EGA/VGA video memory to run programs.
-
- ~Item~ Chapter 8, Other QEMM-386 Programs, describes EMS2EXT,
- which lets you specify how much memory to set as expanded and
- extended memory, and EMS, which lets the technical user view and
- manipulate EMS handles.
-
- The appendices cover four topics: Appendix A: Troubleshooting,
- Appendix B: Making a Boot Disk, Appendix C: Creating a Pure
- Environment, and Appendix D: Modifying the MCA.ADL File.
-