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-
-
-
- DUMPEM
- DUMP Expanded/Extended Memory
-
- User's Guide
-
-
-
- INTRODUCTION
-
- DUMPEM is a utility which allows you to display and edit
- conventional, expanded and extended memory. For example, you
- can display the contents of an extended memory RAM disk, or
- edit a page of expanded memory, or display the contents of the
- system BIOS ROM.
-
- The memory can be displayed in hexadecimal, unsigned decimal,
- or decimal types, and in sizes of bytes, words, dwords, or
- pointers.
-
- DUMPEM also has built-in memory diagnostics tests which will
- write patterns into the currently displayed block of memory,
- and will highlight data which fails the test's verify logic.
-
- The program was written primarily in P/LM-86, with a few
- support routines written in ASM-86.
-
-
-
- SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS
-
- DUMPEM uses the BIOS INT 15h, functions 87h (block move) and
- 88h (return extended memory size) to manipulate extended
- memory. In addition, for ease of block transfer and editing,
- the block move function is also used to display and edit
- conventional and expanded memory. Therefore, your system must
- contain a BIOS (or device driver) which implements INT 15h,
- functions 87h and 88h.
-
- Machines which meet the above restriction are the IBM AT and
- compatibles, IBM PS/2 Models 50, 60, 80 and compatibles, the
- Inboard 386/AT, and the Inboard 386/PC.
-
- The Inboard 386/PC is shipped with a device driver which, for
- the first time, provides the INT 15h extended memory support
- on a PC or XT machine, and makes use of the extended memory
- hardware available on the Inboard 386/PC base board and
- piggybacks..
-
-
-
- INSTALLING DUMPEM
-
- Simply copy the file DUMPEM.EXE from the diskette onto your
- hard disk.
-
-
-
-
- INVOKING DUMPEM
-
- DUMPEM is invoked by typing:
- DUMPEM
-
-
-
- THE DUMPEM SCREEN
-
- When invoked, DUMPEM will present you with a function key-
- driven screen.
-
- The screen is divided into three major areas. The top-most
- area lists the function key commands and associated status
- information. The bottom, open area displays the memory region
- being examined/edited. A third area is "popped" into the
- screen center whenever additional status or error information
- is displayed.
-
-
-
- AN EXPLANATION OF THE FUNCTION KEYS and OTHER OPTIONS
-
- ESC, X, x
- DUMPEM can be exited by pressing ESC or 'X' or 'x'.
-
- ?
- Pressing '?' displays a terse help screen which describes the
- purpose of any keys which aren't listed on the main screen.
-
- Ctrl-PgUp, Ctrl-PgDn
- Pressing Ctrl-PgUp will display the previous 256 byte block of
- memory. Pressing Ctrl-PgDn will display the next 256 byte
- block of memory. Edit the memory start address (F9) if you
- wish to "jump" to a specific address rather than "page" to it.
-
- Left arrow, right arrow, up arrow, down arrow, PgUp, PgDn,
- Home, End
- Use these keys to move about the region you're currently
- editing (either the memory data, page map array, or memory
- start address).
-
- When editing the memory data, you can insert/replace any digit
- by typing the ASCII digits 0 - 9, and letters A - F (A - F if
- the data is being displayed in hexadecimal type). When
- editing the memory start address, you can insert/replace any
- digit by typing the ASCII digits 0 -9 and letters A - F. When
- editing the page map array, you can insert/replace any digit
- by typing the ASCII digits 0 - 9.
-
-
-
-
- Ins
- Ins toggles the edit mode from insert (small cursor) to
- replace (large cursor).
-
- Rubout, Del, Space
- Rubout deletes characters to the left of the cursor, and Del
- deletes characters from the right of the cursor. Space will
- insert/replace digits with a space. If an entire field is
- overwritten with spaces, the field's value will be considered
- 0.
-
- Enter (Carriage Return)
- Enter will cause DUMPEM to accept the edit changes you've made
- to the currently selected editable screen area (either the
- memory data area, the memory address area, or the page map
- array area).
-
- <, >
- < left-justifies all displayed data, and > right-justifies all
- displayed data.
-
- F1
- F1 toggles through the four display size options: BYTE, WORD,
- DWORD, and POINTER.
-
- F2
- F2 toggles through the three display type options:
- HEXADECIMAL, UNSIGNED DECIMAL, and SIGNED DECIMAL.
-
- NOTE: when POINTER size is used, only the HEXADECIMAL type is
- available.
-
- F3
- F3 toggles through the twelve available diagnostics patterns:
- FFFFFFFF, 00000000, 0F0F0F0F, F0F0F0F0, AAAAAAAA, 55555555,
- A5A5A5A5, 5A5A5A5A, 01234567, 76543210, 89ABCDEF and FEDCBA98.
- Once the pattern has been selected, you can subsequently press
- F4 or F5 to automatically write the pattern to the selected
- memory block and verify the results.
-
- F4
- F4 writes the specified pattern into the currently selected
- block of memory (256 bytes in length). After writing the
- pattern into memory, DUMPEM verifies the write and will
- highlight the data which doesn't match the expected pattern.
- You will be prompted with a confirmation message asking you
- whether you really want to write/verify the pattern.
-
- NOTE: the verify logic is size-sensitive -- that is, if you
- were displaying the data in WORD size, then the verify logic
- will compare each WORD in the memory region with the low-order
- WORD of the specified pattern. If you were displaying the
- data in DWORD size, then the verify logic will compare each
- DWORD in the memory region with the entire DWORD of the
- specified pattern.
-
-
-
-
- F5
- F5 writes the specified pattern from the currently selected
- block of memory all the way up to the top of extended memory.
- Each block of memory is written/verified with each of the
- twelve diagnostics patterns. You will be prompted with a
- confirmation message asking you whether you really want to
- write/verify the patterns.
-
- NOTE: take great care when using functions F4 and F5. They
- overwrite the currently selected block of memory with the
- specified pattern.
-
- F6
- F6 displays a summary of the system memory complement
- (conventional, expanded, extended), displays the expanded
- memory page frame address, and also tells you how many
- expanded memory pages have been allocated to DUMPEM.
-
- F7
- F7 toggles through the list of active expanded memory handles.
- Resident TSR or device driver software (like expanded memory
- RAMdisks or print buffers) will typically have at least one
- active expanded memory handle.
-
- DUMPEM will allocate the rest of the available expanded memory
- pages. Use F6 to see how many expanded memory pages have been
- allocated to DUMPEM.
-
- Once you've toggled to the appropriate expanded memory handle,
- you can press F8 to begin editing the physical-to-logical page
- map array so that any of the handle's logical pages can be
- mapped into the expanded memory page frame. The page frame
- address can be obtained via F6.
-
- F8
- F8 moves the cursor into the physical-to-logical page map
- array. Once there, you can begin editing the array, assigning
- any logical page to any physical page for the selected
- expanded memory handle. Press Enter when you've finished
- editing the array -- DUMPEM will then map in the pages.
-
- F9
- F9 moves the cursor to the memory address field so that you
- can begin editing the memory start address. The start address
- can be on any boundary. Press Enter when you want DUMPEM to
- accept the edit changes.
-
- F10
- F10 moves the cursor to the memory data area of the screen so
- that you can begin editing the memory data. Press Enter when
- you want DUMPEM to accept the edit changes.
-
-
-
-
- LIMITATIONS AND DISCLAIMERS
-
- DUMPEM is not an "official" product. It has only been tested
- by its author.
-
- YOU are responsible for ensuring the memory data which you
- edit directly, or overwrite with the test patterns, is
- expendable. The author is not liable for your actions.
-
-
-
- GUARANTEES
-
- There are none.
-
-