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- FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS IN COMP.OS.MSDOS.DESQVIEW
- Release 4
- Last update: April 28, 1992
- Edited by Daniel J. Bodoh
- Posted on the first of every month
-
- WHAT IS THIS ARTICLE?
- ---------------------
- This article is a regularly posted compendium of topics that have been
- discussed in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.msdos.desqview since its
- birth. Although many of the questions are truly ``Frequently Asked'',
- others are questions that experienced DESQview users recognize as
- questions a beginner might ask. If you are new to DESQview or this
- group, please read this FAQ before posting your question. Even if your
- question isn't answered here, you'll probably learn something new about
- DESQview.
-
- Although I edit this FAQ, a majority of the information contained in it
- was contributed by other comp.os.msdos.desqview readers. The many
- contributors are listed at the end of the document.
-
- The FAQ list is available on the anonymous FTP sites SIMTEL20,
- HAYES.IMS.ALASKA.EDU and DVNet (see Q7) as DVFAQx.ZIP, where ``x'' is
- the release number. On SIMTEL20, it is in the directory
- PD1:<MSDOS.DESQVIEW>.
-
- SUGGESTIONS, ERRORS, CRITICISMS...
- ----------------------------------
- Please, send may any comments on this FAQ list. Since this FAQ is being
- distributed beyond Usenet, here's how to reach me from other networks.
- From the Internet or Usenet: write to ``bodoh@xraylith.wisc.edu''.
- From Fidonet: write to ``Daniel Bodoh 1:121/99.0''
- From Compuserve: write to ``>INTERNET:bodoh@xraylith.wisc.edu''.
- From Envoy: write to
- ``[RFC822=\"bodoh(a)xraylith.wisc.edu\"]INTERNET/TELEMAIL/US''
- From Applelink: write to ``bodoh@xraylith.wisc.edu@internet#''.
- From DECnet: write to ``cxrl::bodoh''
- From Bitnet: write to ``bodoh@xraylith''
-
- FORMAT OF FAQ
- -------------
- Questions are listed in the first section, and are labelled Q1 through
- Q30. Answers, labelled A1 through A30 are given with the labelled
- question in the next section. Finally, the contributors are credited.
- Cross references are made, for example, with ``(see Q2)''.
-
- QUESTIONS
- ---------
- Q1: What is DESQview?
- Q2: Besides DESQview, what other products does Quarterdeck sell, and what
- are the current versions?
- Q3: What types of programs can DESQview run?
- Q4: What type of computer is required for DESQview?
- Q5: How can I upgrade my 80286 for best DESQview performance?
- Q6: Does DESQview support Super VGA?
- Q7: Where can I get freeware and shareware DESQview programs?
- Q8: I want to write software for DESQview. Where can I get the API?
- Q9: I've heard that DESQview does preemptive multitasking. What does that
- mean?
- Q10: Why do the other windows slow to a virtual halt when one window accesses
- the floppy disk?
- Q11: Can Windows run under DESQview?
- Q12: Can I make something like AUTOEXEC.BAT for DESQview, so that certain
- windows open every time I run DESQview?
- Q13: Can text and graphics be displayed at the same time with Hercules?
- Q14: How do I use two monitors under DESQview?
- Q15: What are Exceptions 12 and 13?
- Q16: What determines the amount of conventional memory that DESQview claims
- for itself and takes away from programs?
- Q17: What are some programs that are incompatible with DESQview?
- Q18: I'm having a problem {configuring DESQview, running a program, etc.}.
- How do I fix it?
- Q19: How can I contact Quarterdeck?
- Q20: What books are available on DESQview?
- Q21: What are the command-line switches for DESQview/QEMM/QRAM?
- Q22: How can I configure DESQview for maximum window memory under DOS 5?
- Q23: What is NOFF.SHP {NOFF.SHR}?
- Q24: How can I increase DESQview's performance?
- Q25: My {9600 or greater} BPS modem drops characters under DESQview. Is high
- speed communication possible under DESQview?
- Q26: Why doesn't ANSI.SYS work in DESQview?
- Q27: Why does the mouse pointer disappear after running certain programs?
- Q28: What are those files SWAP*.DV in my DV directory? Can I delete them?
- Q29: What does ``Optimize Communications'' in DESQview's setup program do?
- Q30: What do I need if I want to use DESQview/X's networking features?
-
- QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
- ---------------------
- Q1: What is DESQview?
-
- A1: DESQview is a program written by Quarterdeck Office Systems of Santa
- Monica, California, USA. It allows true preemptive multitasking (see
- Q9) on 8088, 8086, 80286, 80386, 80486, V20 and V30 machines running
- MS-DOS (see Q4). While MS-DOS is still considered the PC's operating
- system, DESQview provides services similar to more advanced multitasking
- operating systems.
-
- Q2: Besides DESQview, what other products does Quarterdeck sell, and what
- are the current versions?
-
- A2: [Versions are the latest known as of the date of the FAQ. If you see
- a newer version, please let me know.]
-
- Quarterdeck has two types of ``upgrades'': major upgrades and
- compatibility updates. The former involves a changing of the digit
- before or immediately after the decimal point and represents significant
- enhancements to the product's performance. The latter reflect minor
- changes generally of interest to a small number of users.
-
- DESQview 2.42 (2.50 with DV/X, not available otherwise)
- An excellent DOS multitasker. If you are wondering why it has such
- a funny name, here's the official explanation from Quarterdeck:
- the original product was called DESQ (the Q was from Quarterdeck).
- When Quarterdeck made it TopView-compatible (see Q23) the "view"
- was added.
-
- QEMM-386 6.02 (6.03 with DV/X, not available otherwise)
- A memory manager for 80386+ machines. QEMM will convert extended
- memory to XMS memory (replacing HIMEM.SYS) and LIM EMS 4.0 memory.
- With the associated utilities, you can load TSRs, device drivers,
- and DOS data structures into high memory in order to gain
- conventional memory for large programs. Manifest is provided with
- QEMM. Note that QEMM is a VCPI server, and not a DPMI server so it
- is not compatible with programs that require DPMI. If you plan to
- use DESQview on a 386, you should choose QEMM over other memory
- managers. It is smaller and faster than other memory managers, can
- give you more upper memory, and certain functions in DESQview will
- only work if QEMM is the memory manager. It is also the only
- memory manager that allows you to run Windows in Standard mode
- inside or outside of DESQview.
-
- QEMM-50/60 6.0 (not sure about minor version number)
- Similar to QEMM-386, but specifically for PS/2 models 50 and 60
- which are 80286-based machines. It will only work with certain
- memory expansion boards and requires disabling of motherboard
- memory. For more details, get the QOS tech note QEMM5060.TEC,
- available from SIMTEL20 and other sites (see Q7).
-
- DESQview/386 2.42
- Actually DESQview/386 is a copy of DESQview and QEMM in the same
- package. If you already have DESQview, purchasing QEMM will give
- you DESQview/386.
-
- QRAM 2.0
- A memory manager for 8088 through 80286 machines. QRAM will
- provide UMBs (Upper Memory Blocks, memory greater than 640K but
- less than 1024K). To do this requires either LIM EMS 4.0, EEMS, a
- memory management chip or a 286 motherboard with C&T's NEAT, LEAP
- or SCAT chip set. The UMBs can be used to load TSRs, device
- drivers, and DOS data structures into high memory in order to gain
- conventional memory for large programs. Manifest is provided with
- QRAM.
-
- MANIFEST 1.12 (1.14 with DV/X, not available otherwise)
- Manifest is a ``system information'' utility. It displays hardware
- information, memory usage, internal DOS structures and much more.
-
- DESQview Companions 1.1
- A set of utility programs, including a calculator, datebook,
- notepad, and terminal emulator.
-
- DESQview/X 1.01
- DESQview/X is DESQview/386 with an industry-standard graphical user
- interface. It contains an X-windows server, which allows you to
- interact with X-windows programs running on Unix machines, or DOS
- text and X clients running on other DESQview/X machines (see Q30).
- Using the fonts provided, you can make use of your SVGA to have
- many small 80x25 windows open on the screen simultaneously.
-
- The DESQview/X package contains DESQview/386 2.50, QEMM-386 6.03
- and Manifest 1.14. These versions are not available separately.
- It also contains 4 DESQview/X Companions: an Application Manager
- (like Window's Program Manager), a File Manager, the Adobe Type
- Manager and an Icon Editor.
-
- DESQview/X-286 (Rumored)
- This will be DESQview/X for the 286. I don't know much about it.
-
- DESQview Classic (Rumored)
- Will contain some of the new features of DESQview/X, such as SVGA
- support and the ability to prioritize processes. The Quarterdeck
- tech on the DESQview echo on Fidonet has mentioned it a few times.
- Probably will be DESQview/X without the X server.
-
- Q3: What types of programs can DESQview run?
-
- A3: There are three types of DESQview programs: DESQview-oblivious programs,
- DESQview-aware programs, and DESQview-specific programs.
-
- According to the DESQview manual, DESQview-oblivious programs are those
- which are ``written without any consideration for DESQview''. These
- include standard DOS programs like word processors and spreadsheets.
-
- Some standard DOS programs have the ability to detect the presence of
- DESQview. These programs are considered DESQview-aware. The advantage
- of DESQview-aware programs is better system performance, because
- DESQview does not have to make conservative assumptions about the
- program. A DESQview-aware program gives up the CPU when it doesn't need
- it, and if it writes directly to the screen it instead writes to a
- DESQview-provided video buffer so it can run in a small window (see
- Q23). If you'd like to make your program DESQview-aware, there is code
- provided in Appendix J of the DESQview manual.
-
- DESQview-specific programs can only be run while DESQview is active.
- These programs use the window management, interprocess communication and
- other services that are built into DESQview (called the DESQview
- Applications Program Interface (API)).
-
- DESQview will multitask all programs, regardless of type.
-
- Q4: What type of computer is required for DESQview?
-
- A4: DESQview can multitask programs on an 8088, 8086, 80286, 80386sx,
- 80386dx, 80486sx, 80486dx, V20 or V30. DESQview/X-386 will only run on
- an 80386sx or better.
-
- 8088/8086/80286/V20/V30
- DESQview will run in one of three ways one these machines. For
- additional information, get the file DV286.ZIP from SIMTEL20 (see
- Q7).
-
- (1) If you have true hardware compatible LIM EMS 4.0 (or EEMS)
- memory board and are able to disable some conventional memory,
- DESQview will remap expanded memory to conventional memory
- addresses to multitask ``well-behaved'' programs in.
-
- (2) If you use a plug-in memory management chip such as a
- All-Charge Card or a SOTA POP card, it will provide the memory
- mapping needed to allow DESQview to multitask programs beyond 640K.
-
- (3) If you have neither a LIM EMS 4.0 memory card or a memory
- management chip, DESQview will still multitask as many programs as
- possible in the available conventional memory (see Q5).
-
- Besides the memory problem, on a machine less than an 80386 and
- without QEMM, DESQview will not be able to run programs in a small
- window or in the background if the program writes directly to video
- memory (see Q2). If the program has a switch to allow BIOS screen
- output, use it, or convince the programmer to make the program
- DESQview-aware (see Q3).
-
- 80386sx/80386dx/80486sx/80486dx
- DESQview/386 or the combination of DESQview and QEMM (see Q2) will
- multitask programs in all of the available extended memory.
-
- Although DESQview can multitask on any machine, the minimum suggested
- configuration is an 80386sx with 2 megabytes of memory. For breathing
- room, at least 4 megabytes of memory is suggested.
-
- DESQview/X requires at least 4 megabytes and an 80386sx.
-
- Q5: How can I upgrade my 80286 for best DESQview performance?
-
- A5: A 80286 can be upgraded with LIM EMS 4.0 expanded memory, a memory
- management chip, a plug-in 386 adapter, or a new 386 motherboard. The
- cost of all these ``upgrades'' is about the same. All of them have some
- negatives as well.
-
- (1) If you are unsure how much of your 286 conventional memory can
- disabled, getting LIM EMS 4.0 memory may not help you. For the record
- the listed 286 motherboards can be set to the minimum conventional
- memory as follows:
- AST Premium 286 0K
- IBM AT (6 Mhz) 256K
- COMPAQ 286 256K
-
- Most AT clones have a minimum of 512K (eighteen 256Kx1 DRAMs). The
- motherboard can only be disabled to 256K or lower if it supports 64K
- DRAMs, or if the system setup allows you to specify a value less than
- the actual amount of memory installed.
-
- If you have information on the minimum conventional memory of any other
- 286 motherboard, please forward it to the editor (see above).
-
- (2) If you get a memory management chip, an All-Charge Card or a SOTA
- POP, you will still not get the memory protection available with the
- 80386 (see Q4).
-
- (3) If you get a 386 Adapter to replace the 286 CPU chip, there has been
- ``some reported'' compatibility problems. Also, it will not run as fast
- the corresponding 386 motherboard of the same clock speed.
-
- (4) If you get a new 386 (or 386SX) motherboard, there is some hassle to
- get it installed and working but probably no more than with the 386
- Adapter kits.
-
- Q6: Does DESQview support Super VGA?
-
- A6: Yes and no. When DESQview is placing windows on the screen, it cannot
- use any of the 132 column modes provided by Super VGA cards. The
- smallest text font that DESQview provides to VGA+ users is 60 rows by 80
- columns. Since video support is hardcoded into DESQview, there is no
- way to write a video driver for Super VGA cards. DESQview/X does
- support small fonts, included fonts that scale automatically to the size
- of the window. DESQview/X supports many, but not all SVGA cards.
-
- Inside a window, any resolution can be used. The problem occurs when
- you switch away from the window and come back. DESQview will corrupt
- the window unless it has a resolution of 800x600x16 or less. Except in
- rare cases, DESQview cannot handle 256 colors at more than 320x200. A
- few cards will reportedly work at 1024x768x16 as well. Note that at
- these higher resolutions, ``Graphics Pages'' in Change A Program must
- be set to 4.
-
- The Quarterdeck White Pages, available on SIMTEL20 and DVNet (see Q7)
- discuss this problem in detail.
-
- Q7: Where can I get freeware and shareware DESQview programs?
-
- A7: There are quite a few DESQview repositories available, depending on what
- network access you have.
-
- BBS
- The official Quarterdeck BBS can be reached at (310) 314-3227. It
- supports 1200-9600 baud, 8 data bits, no parity.
-
- SIMTEL-20 files (see below) are available for downloading from
- Detroit Download Central (313) 885-3956. DDC has multiple lines
- which support 300/1200/2400/9600/14400 bps (103/ 212/ V22bis/ HST/
- V32bis/ V42bis/ MNP). This is a subscription system with an
- average hourly cost of 17 cents. It is also accessable on Telenet
- via PC Pursuit and on Tymnet via StarLink outdial.
-
- Fidonet
- Many Fidonet nodes belong to DVNet, the DESQview File Distribution
- Network. It is coordinated by Peter Stern at 1:17/38. A monthly
- posting to the DESQview echo on Fidonet lists the nodes
- participating in DVNet.
-
- Internet (via anonymous ftp)
- WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL [192.88.110.20]
- Three directories on SIMTEL are of interest to DV/QEMM users:
- PD1:<MSDOS.DESQVIEW>
- Many DESQview programs, .DVPs, etc.
- PD1:<MSDOS.QEMM>
- QEMM programs, information
- PD1:<MSDOS.INFO>
- Information relating to DESQview and QEMM. The
- Quarterdeck White Pages are stored here as QW920327.ZIP.
- They are very useful for solving problems.
- In each of the three directories, the file 00-INDEX.TXT contains
- a list of all the files available in that directory.
-
- OAK.OAKLAND.EDU [141.210.10.117]
- A SIMTEL20 mirror. The DESQview directory is /pub/msdos/desqview.
- This is the most up-to-date mirror of SIMTEL20.
-
- WUARCHIVE.WUSTL.EDU [128.252.135.4]
- Another SIMTEL20 mirror. The DESQview directory is
- /mirrors/msdos/desqview.
-
- NIC.FUNET.FI [128.214.6.100], SRC.DOC.IC.AC.UK [146.169.3.7],
- RANA.CC.DEAKIN.OZ.AU [128.184.1.4], & ARCHIE.AU [139.130.4.6]
- SIMTEL20 mirrors for non-North Americans
-
- HAYES.IMS.ALASKA.EDU [137.229.40.200]
- Contains some of the programs available on DVNet in the directory
- /dvnet. The file ``prog.dvn'' is a list of all the programs
- available on DVNet. The file ``dvnet.lst'' is a list of all the
- Fidonet BBSs that participate in DVNet.
-
- UUCP
- SIMTEL files can be requested via UUCP from UUNET's 1-900-GOT-SRCS.
- See UUNET file uunet!~/info/archive-help for details.
-
- Email-only
- If you do not have FTP access to SIMTEL20, files may be ordered by
- e-mail from LISTSERV@VM1.NODAK.EDU or LISTSERV@VM.ECS.RPI.EDU.
- If you are on BITNET: LISTSERV@NDSUVM1 or LISTSERV@RPIECS
- If your mailer knows domains: listserv@vm1.nodak.edu or
- listserv@vm.ecs.rpi.edu
- If your mailer wants bang paths:
- uunet!vm1.nodak.edu!listserv
- uunet!vm.ecs.rpi.edu!listserv
-
- If you use bang paths, substitute your nearest neighbor which is
- also on the Internet for uunet in the examples above. Some
- examples are: ames, decvax, decwrl, harvard, hplabs, nosc, rutgers,
- sharkey, sun, ucbvax, ucsd, udel, uw-beaver, wuarchive.
-
- Send this command to the server to get its help file:
-
- GET PDGET HELP
-
- Sample command (which gets our catalog of MS-DOS files):
-
- /PDGET MAIL PD:<MSDOS.FILEDOCS>SIMLIST.ARC UUENCODE
-
- These commands should be sent as the body of a regular email
- message. Do not include a signature because it confuses the server.
- If you have xxdecode, you may wish to specify XXENCODE instead of
- UUENCODE to avoid character translation problems.
-
- To get a catalog of the DESQview files only, use
- /PDGET MAIL PD1:<MSDOS.DESQVIEW>00-INDEX.TXT UUENCODE
-
- Q8: I want to write software for DESQview. Where can I get the API?
-
- A8: There are multiple sources, ranging in cost from free to hundreds of
- dollars. For free, there are DVINT, a DESQview/QEMM-specific excerpt of
- the MSDOS interrupt list, which lists the API calls; and DVGLUE, a
- somewhat dated (August 1988) freeware library for Turbo C which
- implements almost all of the DESQview 2.01 API (the then-current
- version). Both are available on DVNet and other repositories of
- DESQview-specific programs (see Q7).
-
- Quarterdeck sells a number of products for programming the DESQview API,
- such as an API reference manual (~$60) and various language-specific
- libraries (C, Pascal, Dbase, etc., ~$200 each including the reference
- manual). In addition, Quarterdeck also sells a panel designer (~$150),
- debugger (~150), and other tools (see Q19). The whole toolkit costs
- about $500. Third party books are also available (see Q20).
-
- X Windows libraries for DESQview/X are also available from Quarterdeck.
- The pre-release version is about $500. The DESQview/X API, which is not
- completely compatible with the DESQview API, will be available soon.
-
- The prices above are Quarterdeck prices; the price on the street is
- usually a lot better. One source of API tools is the Programmer's
- Connection, at
- Programmer's Connection, Inc.
- 7249 Whipple Ave. NW
- North Canton, OH 44720-7143
- 1-800-336-1166 (US and Canada)
- (216) 494-8715 (International)
- (216) 494-5260 (FAX)
-
- Q9: I've heard that DESQview does preemptive multitasking. What does that
- mean?
-
- A9: Let's say you have one toy (the 80x86 processor in our case) and 5
- children (5 programs that you want to run under DESQview
- simultaneously). There are two ways that Dad (DESQview) can let each
- child play with the toy.
-
- (1) Dad gives the toy to one of the children, who plays with it until
- she gets bored. Then she returns the toy to Dad, who gives it to one of
- the other children. This repeats until all the children have played
- with the toy, and then Dad starts over with the first child.
-
- (2) Dad gives the toy to one of the children, and starts a timer. If
- the child gets bored with the toy before the timer expires, she gives it
- back to Dad. However, if she still holds the toy when the timer
- expires, Dad reminds her that good children must share, and takes it
- away from her. He then gives it to the next child and restarts the
- timer. When all the children have played with the toy, Dad returns it
- to the first child. She continues playing with it where she left off.
-
- Sometimes one of the children may want to take the toy apart. Since none
- of the other children wants to play with a disassembled toy, the child
- will request that Dad not take away the toy until the child says he can.
- In that way, the child can re-assemble the toy before any other child
- gets it.
-
- The first method is called ``non-preemptive'' and conversely, the second
- is called ``preemptive''. It is generally agreed that preemptive
- multitasking is much better because one program cannot accidently
- ``hog'' the CPU. One of the major technical differences between
- DESQview and Windows is that DESQview preemptively multitasks all
- programs, while Windows does non-preemptive multitasking of Windows
- applications.
-
- When a program running under DESQview calls a DOS or BIOS function, it
- effectively ``disassembled the toy''. DESQview recognizes this and
- temporarily suspends any other program that attempts to make a DOS or
- BIOS call until the current DOS or BIOS call ends (see Q10).
-
- DESQview-oblivious programs (see Q3) can act like selfish children when
- they are waiting for keyboard entry. Even though they aren't playing
- with the toy, they keep hold of it. Shareware and freeware programs are
- available for forcing these programs to share the toy (see Q24).
-
- Q10: Why do the other windows slow to a virtual halt when one window
- accesses the floppy disk?
-
- A10: Both DOS and the BIOS disk access functions are non-reentrant, i.e. they
- may not be called again while one call is in progress. DESQview thus
- handles both as ``serially reusable resources,'' and suspends a window
- making such a call until any current call completes.
-
- Since programs make many DOS calls other than disk I/O, they can become
- blocked while another window is accessing the disk even when they
- themselves are not trying to access the disk. The same suspension
- occurs when a program accesses the disk via BIOS calls, but only when
- some other window is also accessing the disk; thus, a non-disk DOS call
- can execute at the same time as a disk-related BIOS call.
-
- When the disk being accessed is a hard disk, the call completes so
- quickly that there is no obvious degradation in the performance of other
- windows. When accessing a floppy disk, however, the call can take
- multiple seconds to complete, during which time it is highly likely that
- other windows will be suspended for a noticeable length of time.
-
- To minimize the impact of copying or formatting, try using shareware
- programs such as DVCOPY, LTFORMAT and FDFORMAT (see Q7).
-
- Q11: Can Windows run under DESQview?
-
- A11: Yes, Windows can run under DESQview, but only in Real and Standard
- mode. Windows in Enhanced mode becomes an 80386 ``control program'' and
- there can only be one such control program at a time (see Q17).
-
- Q12: Can I make something like AUTOEXEC.BAT for DESQview, so that certain
- windows open every time I run DESQview?
-
- A12: Yes you can. In DESQview terminology, it's called a Startup Script.
- Look up ``Script, startup'' in the DESQview manual's index for more
- information.
-
- Another way to start up windows is to write a batch file using one of
- the many command-line window launchers such as DV Commander or DVSI's
- RUN command (see Q7).
-
- Under DESQview/X, edit the file ``DVX.CFG'' which is in the \DVX
- directory. Add the name of the DVP (without the .DVP extension) to the
- CLIENT line. Or, use the SETUP program which will edit DVX.CFG for you.
- DESQview/X assumes that the DVP you specify in the CLIENT line is in the
- directory \DVX\DVPS.
-
- Q13: Can text and graphics be displayed at the same time with Hercules?
-
- A13: Yes, as long as 90x43 mode display mode is used. If the graphics bleeds
- through from the background, you can switch to 80x25 mode.
-
- However, there is no way to detect whether or not the Hercules card is
- currently in text or graphics mode if a program switches between these
- two modes by manipulating the registers of the card. In this case
- DESQview will not notice that the graphics mode has changed. Quarterdeck
- has put a utility DVHERC on the distribution disk that is intended to
- help users switch to the correct mode in such events. DVHERC is a TSR
- program. However DESQview can sometimes be very stubborn and will not
- recognize this change. In such cases it will again switch to the wrong
- mode as soon as one switches to a different window.
-
- Q14: How do I use two monitors under DESQview?
-
- A14: DESQview will only control one of your monitors, and by default all
- programs will use the monitor that DESQview controls. There are a
- number of ways to make programs start up on the ``other'' monitor.
- Since you will usually want DESQview to control the color monitor
- (except perhaps in the case of a CGA), the following discussion assumes
- that DESQview is controlling the color monitor and not the monochrome
- monitor.
-
- First, you can use a batch file and include a ``MODE MONO'' statement to
- switch the program to the monochrome monitor. Second, you can use the
- ``initial mode'' field to specify the monitor on which the program will
- start (however, this setting is ignored unless you also set ``writes
- directly to screen'' to Y and ``virtualize'' to N). By setting the
- initial mode to 7, you force the program to use the monochrome monitor
- until it explicitly switches monitors. Note that DESQview tends to stop
- updating the monochrome screen while the program is in the background if
- the program ever switches to the color display (including starting on
- the color display with the first method above).
-
- The initial mode can also be set to 21 or 22 for Hercules Graphics mode.
- These modes only allow one page of mono graphics (see Q13). Mode 21 is
- Page 0 at address B000h, and Mode 22 is Page 1 at address B800h. Hence,
- Mode 22 is not available with two monitors (it conflicts with color
- video).
-
- Q15: What are Exceptions 12 and 13?
-
- A15: An exception 12 (or 13) is caused by the program you are running doing
- something that it is not allowed to do on a 80386 while in Virtual 8086
- (V86) mode. Since QEMM is the 386 ``control program,'' it can only
- report the error caused by the user program. The main cause is operand
- wrapping past the last address in segment, 65,535 (FFFF in hex)
-
- Note that exceptions are only reported by QEMM, and are not caused by
- either QEMM or DESQview. They are caused by old programs that assume
- they are running on an 80286 or less; or by a program that ``crashed''.
-
- From the INTEL ``80386 Programmer's Reference Manual,''
- PART III - COMPATIBILITY
- chapter 15, VIRTUAL 8086 MODE
- Section 15.6 DIFFERENCES FROM 8086
- Stated ``reasons'' 6, 7 & 8
- (pages 15-10 & 15-11)
-
- Quoting from the INTEL manual:
- 15.6 DIFFERENCES FROM 8086
- In general, V86 mode will correctly execute software designed for
- the 8086, 8088, 80186 and 80188. Following is a list of the minor
- differences between 8086 execution on the 80386 and on an 8086.
-
- ... (only those causing exception 12 or 13 are listed)
-
- 6. Redundant prefixes.
- The 80386 sets a limit of 15 bytes on instruction length. The only
- way to violate this limit is by putting redundant prefixes before
- an instruction. Exception 13 occurs if the limit on instruction
- length is violated. The 8086/8088 has no instruction limit.
-
- 7. Operand crossing offset 0 or 65,535.
- On the 8086, an attempt to access a memory operand that crosses
- offset 65,535 (e.g., MOV a word to offset 65,535) or offset 0
- (e.g., PUSH a word when SP = 1) causes the offset to wrap around
- modulo 65,535. The 80386 raises an exception in these cases -
- exception 13 if the data segment (i.e., if CS, DS, ES, FS, or GS is
- being used to address the segment), exception 12 if the segment is
- a stack segment (i.e., if SS is being used.)
-
- 8. Sequential execution across offset 65,535.
- On the 8086, if sequence execution of instructions proceeds past
- offset 65,535, the processor fetches the next instruction byte from
- offset 0 of the same segment. On the 80386, the processor raises
- exception 13 in such a case.
-
- In order to fix an Exception 13, you can try to load the program causing
- it into a different area of memory. To do this, try increasing your
- FILES or BUFFERS, or loading some TSRs low rather than high, etc.
- However, the best solution is to contact the programmer. Another
- possible solution is to increase the amount of memory specified in
- Change A Program.
-
- Q16: What determines the amount of conventional memory that DESQview claims
- for itself and takes away from programs?
-
- A16: Using XDV.COM, DESQview can load most of itself into upper and high
- memory so conventional memory is preserved. However, loading many TSRs
- or DOS high (see Q22) will reduce the amount of DESQview that can be
- loaded high (i.e. in the XMA - the first 64K of extended memory).
-
- DESQview also sets aside a portion of conventional memory and calls it
- ``Common Memory''. The amount that DESQview allocates can be decreased
- in DVSETUP, but the minimum is about 14K. Certain programs such as DVSI
- (a set of shareware utilities by Daniel Bodoh) require the amount of
- Common Memory to be larger than the minimum. A large Open Window menu
- or many ``shared programs'' will also increase the required amount of
- Common Memory.
-
- Each window has an area of memory called ``System Memory''. The amount
- of System Memory available to a program is controlled by three separate
- entries on the Change A Program screen. First, since DESQview stores
- the window image in System Memory, decreasing the number of text pages
- and maximum window size decreases System Memory usage. Second, since
- most programs do not explicitly use System Memory, the System Memory
- field can be set to 1K or 0K.
-
- The pool of System Memory only reduces the maximum window memory for
- that particular window, and does not affect the other windows. You can
- see this using the Memory Status program. It will report, say, 592K of
- conventional memory available, but part of that is used for System
- Memory so the actual amount available is less.
-
- Q17: What are some programs that are incompatible with DESQview?
-
- A17: [Please forward any other known incompatibilities to the editor of this
- FAQ list (see above).]
-
- Any ``386 Control Program'' that is not VCPI compliant (see Q15).
-
- BitFax
-
- Borland C++ 3.0
- Borland has a patch on Compuserve and the Borland BBS. This patch is
- also available on SIMTEL20 as DPMIFI.ZIP in PD1:<MSDOS.CPLUSPLUS> (see
- Q7).
-
- Colorado Memory Systems, Inc.'s TAPE.EXE
- Incapable of finding a tape drive piggybacked to a floppy adapter when
- run in a DESQview window. It does not crash the system, but backups are
- not possible when inside DESQview. Colorado has no intention of fixing
- this.
-
- ConFormat
-
- Diagnostic programs that try to go into protected mode to tested
- extended memory will fail under QEMM. These include QAPLUS and RAMTEST.
- Diagnostic programs should be run from a boot floppy.
-
- DJGPP/DJGPP-compiled programs
- Patch level 5 works with QEMM, but reportedly crashes in a DESQview
- window. There is a GO32 patch on the anonymous FTP site
- GEORGETOWN.NRL.NAVY.MIL in /pub/DOS386/go32-patch which should make it
- work. Version 1.06 has been released, which may work with DESQview.
-
- DR DOS 6.0 history feature
- DR DOS works great with DESQview, except for the history feature.
-
- Games that use digitized sound without extra sound hardware. Digitized
- sound requires that the timer interrupt be sped up to 8000 or more
- interrupts per second, which DESQview can't deal with. The only
- workaround is to turn off the sound or buy extra sound hardware.
-
- Micronics rev 1.10.05 and 1.10.06 motherboards with Phoenix BIOS
- Incompatible with QEMM-386. The first rev that worked again with QEMM
- was 1.10.10. Contact Phoenix for a BIOS upgrade.
-
- Mountain FileSafe 4000 Tape Backup Software
-
- MS-Kermit 3.11
- Try setting Optimize Communications in DVSETUP to No. If that doesn't
- work, use the Kermit SET COM command to set the exact interrupt request
- and I/O port used. The problem will be fixed in 3.12.
-
- QA Plus (see above note on Diagnostic programs)
-
- RAMTEST (see above note on Diagnostic programs)
-
- Soundblaster
- Games that use Soundblaster require ``Share CPU'' be set to N or the
- music will be choppy.
-
- Speed (LandMark Tests 2.00)
- Crashes DESQview
-
- Windows Enhanced Mode
- (see Q11)
-
- Q18: I'm having a problem {configuring DESQview, running a program, etc.}.
- How do I fix it?
-
- A18: First of all, take a look at the manual. This may seem obvious, but
- you'd be surprised at the number of people that post problems which they
- could have solved themselves by glancing at the manual.
-
- If you still can't figure it out, post a complete description of your
- problem. Don't just say, for example, ``foo.exe doesn't run''. Be
- specific. Post the Change A Program screens, or portions of
- AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS if relevant. But use some restraint. Don't
- post 18 pages of system configuration information just because you can't
- get foo.exe to print ``Hello, world''.
-
- Q19: How can I contact Quarterdeck?
-
- A19: Quarterdeck Office Systems
- 150 Pico Boulevard
- Santa Monica, CA, USA 90405
-
- Technical Support:
- Phone: (310) 392-9701
- Fax: (310) 399-3802
- Sales:
- Phone: (310) 392-9851
- Fax: (310) 399-3802
- Customer Service or Orders:
- Phone: (800) 354-3222
-
- QOS BBS: (310) 314-3227 (24 hours/day, 1200-9600, 8 bits, No parity)
- [Some areas have trouble with the new (310) area code. If you
- do, try (213)]
-
- E-mail (for Tech Support):
- Internet/Usenet/UUCP:
- 76004.2310@compuserve.com
- Quarterdeck BBS: Sysop
- CompuServe: 76004,2310
- BIX: QOS.REP2
- MCI Mail: QUARTERDECK
- Smartnet: DESQview Conference - Quarterdeck USA
-
- Public Message forums for Quarterdeck Tech support:
- QOS BBS: <T>echnical Support Message System
- CompuServe: ``GO PCVENB''
- BIX: ``JOIN DESQVIEW''
- SmartNet: DESQview Conference
- FidoNet: DESQview Echo - Mark Hockings
- RelayNet: DESQVIEW - Quarterdeck USA or Quarterdeck Canada
- ILINK: Multitaskers
- Usenet: comp.os.msdos.desqview - There are no QOS Techs
- listening, but DV gurus can help
- Ireland
- -------
- European Headquarters
- Quarterdeck International Ltd.
- B.I.M. House, Crofton Terrace
- Dun Laoghaire, Co.
- Dublin, Ireland
- Phone: +353 1 2844-144
- Fax: +353 1 2844-380
- BBS: +353 1 2844-381
- QFAX: +353 1 2844-383
- Product Information/Registration Cards:
- Phone: +353 1 2841-444
- Fax: +353 1 2844-380
-
- United Kingdom
- --------------
- Quarterdeck Office Systems UK Ltd.
- Widford Hall, Widford Hall Lane,
- Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 8TD, United Kingdom
- Technical Support
- Phone: + 4471 973-0663
- Fax: + 4471 973-0664
- BBS: + 4471 973-0661
- QFAX + 4471 973-0665
- Product Information/Upgrade/Registration Cards:
- Phone: + 44 245 496699
- Fax: + 44 245 495284
- BBS: + 44 245 263898
-
- Canada
- ------
- Quarterdeck Office Systems Canada, Inc.
- 70 York St., Suite 1220
- Toronto, Ontario M5J 1S9
- Phone: +1 (416) 360-5758
- Fax: +1 (416) 360-4885
- Upgrades: +1 (800) 268-5181
-
- Germany
- -------
- Quarterdeck Office Systems GmbH
- Willstaetter Strasse 15
- D-4000 Duesseldorf 11
- Germany
- Technical support:
- Phone: +49 211 / 59790-40
- Fax: +49 211 / 59790-60
- QFAX +49 211 / 59790-65
- Product info, upgrades:
- Phone: +49 211 / 59790-0
- Fax: +49 211 / 594126
-
- France
- ------
- Quarterdeck Office Systems S.A.R.L.,
- 4, Rue de General Lanrezac, 75017 Paris, France.
- Technical Support
- Phone: Int + 33 144-09-03-40
- Fax: + 33 144-09-00-69
- BBS: + 33 144-09-01-07
- QFAX: + 33 144-09-00-81
- Product Information/Upgrade/Registration Cards
- Phone: + 33 144-09-03-91
- Fax: + 33 144-09-03-47
-
- Cyprus / Eastern Mediterranean
- ------------------------------
- Quarterdeck Office Systems Middle East Ltd.
- 1 Souliou Street, Suite 103, Strovolos,
- Nicosia, Cyprus.
- Product Information/Upgrade/Registration Cards/Support
- Phone: + 357 2311-630
- Fax: + 357 2311-560
-
- Spain
- -----
- Quarterdeck Office Systems S.A.,
- Gran Via de les Courts, Catlanes, 617, 10-3A
- 08007 Barcelona, Spain.
- Product Information/Upgrade/Registration Cards/Support
- Phone: + 343-412-29-45
- Phone: + 343-412-44-41
-
- Q20: What books are available on DESQview?
-
- A20: ``DESQview - A Guide to Programming the DESQview Multitasking
- Environment'', by Stephen R. Davis, M&T Books Publishing, 501
- Galveston Drive, Redwood City, CA 94063. 346 pages. 1st Edition,
- 1989.
- [This is a review from Quarterdeck. I've heard from others that this
- books is really not that good and doesn't have many examples. Look it
- over well before you spend any money.]
- A very good source on programming in C using the DESQview API. This is
- a tutorial book with lots of examples. Would be useful to programmers
- who find the QOS API manuals somewhat daunting. All examples are in
- C, however there is lots of general information which would be useful
- for developers programming in any language. Available direct from M&T
- and bookstores which specialize in technical works. Can be ordered from
- Quarterdeck order line at (310) 392-9851 for $24.95 ($39.95 with disk -
- 5 1/4 inch only).
-
- ``The Official DESQview Sourcebook'', Larry Joel Goldstein, Bantam
- Computer Books, 666 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10103. 351 pages.
- 1st edition - Sept. '89, price $22.95 ($27.95 Canada).
- A comprehensive guide to the use of DESQview, QEMM and the DESQview
- Companions. Contains a section on the DESQview API that may serve as
- an introduction, but this is not a programmer's book. A useful adjunct
- to the Quarterdeck manuals when you want similar information from
- another view.
-
- ``MS-DOS Beyond 640K, Working With Extended and Expanded Memory'',
- James Forney, Windcrest Books, Division of TAB Books Inc., Blue
- Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0850. 1st Edition 1989. 235 pages. Price
- $19.95.
- Not a DESQview/QEMM book specifically, but an excellent book on the
- subject of memory, with many references to DESQview and QEMM. Highly
- recommended to users who really want to understand the use of memory in
- their PCs.
-
- ``The Best Book of DESQview'', Jack Nimersheim, Howard W. Sams &
- Company, 11711 North College, Suite 141, Carmel, IN 46032. 1st
- Edition 1990, 396 pages. Price $24.95
- A user-friendly guide to DESQview, the Companions, QEMM and Manifest.
- Contains many tips and a good discussion of the DESQview Learn feature.
-
- ``Mastering DESQview'', Jonathan Kamin, Scott, Foresman IBM
- Computer Books, 1900 E. Lake Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025. 1st
- Edition 1990, 387 pages. Price $24.95.
- A comprehensive guide to the use of DESQview, with emphasis on hints and
- techniques which enhance the use of DESQview. Special emphasis on
- creative use of DESQview's Learn (macro) facility.
-
- ``Extending DOS,'' Ray Duncan, Charles Petzold, M. Steven Baker, Andrew
- Schulman, Stephen R. Davis, Ross P. Nelson, Robert Moote,
- Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Second edition, 1992.
- An excellent work on DOS memory usage and some of the options for
- extending DOS. For advanced users and programmers. Quite a bit of
- example source code included. Covers IBM PC Programming Architecture,
- EMS, XMS, DOS Extenders, Windows, DESQview, VCPI, DPMI and Multitasking.
-
- ``DESQview Instant Reference,'' Paul J. Perry, 1991, Sybex, 166 Pages.
- Price $9.95
- This is a basic, short reference guide to DESQview, QEMM-386, and
- Manifest. It covers up to versions 2.3 of DESQview and version 5.1 of
- QEMM-386. It describes the use of all the DESQview functions, QEMM-386
- switches, and switches for LOADHI, QEMM.COM, VIDRAM. All the
- information provided is in the Quarterdeck manuals.
-
- ``Understanding DESQview,'' Richard Altman, 1991, Sybex, 307 pages.
- Price $24.95
-
- ``XView Programming Manual,'' Dan Heller, etal., O'Reilly & Assoc. 586
- pages. Price: $34.95
-
- ``X Window System Programming,'' Naba Barkakati, 1991, Howard W. Sams &
- Co. 600 pages. Price: $29.95
- Good introduction to X programming, with many helpful example programs.
- Covers xlib, xt Intrinsics, and some discussion of OSF/Motif widgets is
- provided.
-
- ``Introduction to the X Window System,'' O. Jones, 1989, P-H. Price:
- $38.00
-
- ``The X Window System in a Nutshell'', 1990, O'Reilly & Assoc. Price:
- $24.95
-
- [If you know of any more, please let me know]
-
- Q21: What are the command-line switches for DESQview/QEMM/QRAM?
-
- A21: The file QOSSWIT2.ZIP from SIMTEL20 (see Q7) in the PD1:<MSDOS.INFO>
- directory contains a list of the documented and undocumented switches
- for Quarterdeck's products.
-
- Q22: How can I configure DESQview for maximum window memory under DOS 5?
-
- A22: The answer to this question is very system dependent. However, you
- should use QEMM rather than EMM386 and HIMEM.SYS (on a 386), because
- QEMM is smaller and will provide the same services. Also, without QEMM
- screen virtualization is not possible (see Q2). Loading DOS high will
- not necessarily help, because that reduces the amount of DESQview kernel
- that can be loaded high (see Q16).
-
- Experiment. Use Manifest to judge the results. If your high memory is
- very fragmented (i.e. many small contiguous blocks rather than a few
- large blocks), keeping DOS and TSRs low and putting DESQview high might
- work better.
-
- Do not set up your path and environment variables until all the TSRs
- have been loaded. A copy of the environment is made for every TSR, and
- if the TSR does not give this area of memory back to DOS, it is wasted.
-
- Q23: What is NOFF.SHP {NOFF.SHR}?
-
- A23: NOFF.SHR is an older version of NOFF.SHP. So what's NOFF.SHP?
-
- DESQview is the child of an older IBM program called TopView. Because
- Quarterdeck wanted DESQview to run all the old TopView programs, they
- made DESQview compatible to TopView, in much the same way you can run
- programs written for DOS 3.3 in DOS 4.0.
-
- If a program writes directly to the video memory, TopView (and DESQview)
- cannot run it in a small window. So IBM allowed programs to be TopView-
- aware (similar to DESQview-aware (see Q3)) by giving them ``virtual''
- video memory on request. This memory looks like video memory, but
- characters written into it do not get displayed on the screen.
-
- Since DESQview is a much smarter program that TopView ever was, DESQview
- can automatically update the window from the virtual video memory. But
- TopView did not have that ability. The TopView-aware program had to
- make another call which would manually update the window from the video
- memory.
-
- Quarterdeck wanted to make DESQview look as much like TopView as
- possible, so they decided that if a TopView-aware program makes this
- call to update the window, then the automatic updating of DESQview would
- be turned off.
-
- DESQview can do a better job of updating the window from the virtual
- video buffer than *some* programs. So the purpose of NOFF.SHP is to
- capture the TopView update call before it gets to DESQview and not let
- DESQview see the call. That way, DESQview never turns off the automatic
- updating, and your window output is less jerky.
-
- Whether or not you should use NOFF.SHP depends on how the TopView-aware
- program updates its screen. If it changes only small parts of the
- screen at a time but requests that the entire screen be updated, use
- NOFF.SHP. But if the program tells TopView (DESQview) exactly which
- part of the screen changed, output may look smoother without NOFF.SHP
- because an automatic update doesn't take place until the end of each
- program's time slice (see Q9).
-
- Although NOFF.SHP is included in the Quarterdeck-supplied DVP for
- Wordperfect, it is not required if you are using a 386 or better and
- you turn on text virtualization.
-
- Q24: How can I increase DESQview's performance?
-
- A24: DESQview's performance depends on many different factors. We will try
- to highlight some of the important areas here.
-
- DESQVIEW-OBLIVIOUS PROGRAMS
- Performance is especially degraded by DESQview-oblivious programs
- (see Q3), because they do not give up the CPU when they are not
- doing useful work (see Q9).
-
- Some programs, while waiting for keyboard input, continuously ask
- if a keystroke is available instead of giving up the CPU.
- Quarterdeck provides a way to force programs to give up the CPU
- after a specified number of keystroke queries. One of the bytes in
- the DVP file (the file edited by Change A Program) specifies the
- number of keyboard polls before the CPU is taken away.
-
- Unfortunately, Quarterdeck has never put a field on the Change A
- Program screens to change this number. DvpEdit, a freeware
- replacement for Change A Program, is available on SIMTEL20 (see Q7)
- and allows you to change this ``Max Keypolls'' value.
-
- Another well-known program is TAME. TAME does much more than watch
- for keyboard polling; and can do a good job of increasing
- performance.
-
- System performance can be measured with the PS utility available in
- the DVSI package (also on SIMTEL20 and DVNet). Using PS, an
- offending program can be quickly identified.
-
- DISK ACCESS
- Since disk access can slow down the system significantly (see Q10)
- using a disk cache can also increase performance. HyperDisk,
- available on SIMTEL20 (see Q7), is especially popular among
- DESQview users.
-
- FOREGROUND/BACKGROUND TICKS
- With the ``Tune Performance'' menu you can set the number of
- foreground and background ticks. These numbers indicate how much
- time DESQview is to allocate to a given task before moving on to
- the next in a round-robin fashion. The default setting is 9:3,
- which means DESQview gives the foreground task 9 ``ticks'', or
- roughly half a second, of CPU time, then gives each of the
- background tasks 3 ticks. A more common setting with today's
- hardware is 1:1 or 2:2 -- each task gets 1 (or 2) ticks.
-
- There's no single, optimal setting. Smaller numbers generally
- provide smoother performance, but may overwhelm the CPU on less
- powerful systems. In addition, time-sensitive applications like
- communications programs may need to be serviced frequently by the
- CPU. In short, experiment.
-
- Here's an undocumented trick: Go to ``Tune Performance'' and
- backspace to erase the numbers that are in the ticks fields. This
- will set them to ``H0'' (next time you bring up the ``Tune
- Performance'' window). This trick seems to set the ticks to 1/2
- and 1/2 (although this claim has been disputed -- more
- experimentation will have to be done).
-
- Setting 0 background ticks will cause background windows to never
- run. Setting 0 foreground ticks will cause background windows to
- run only if the foreground window explicitly gives up its
- timeslice, or if it blocks (i.e. waits for a keystroke or other
- event).
-
- SCREEN DISPLAY
- There are three primary reasons why your screen may appear jerky.
- First, you may be virtualizing the window. While this prevents
- bleed-thru (when used in conjunction with QEMM-386), it does
- increase the workload on DESQview, and the screen output only
- occurs at the end of the program's timeslice. If this is a problem
- for you then configure your application to use BIOS screen writes
- and turn virtualization off. Second, you may need to adjust your
- tick settings. DESQview updates the screen display at the end of a
- task's CPU allocation. Thus, a setting of, say, 99:99 will result
- in extremely jerky screen updates compared with 2:2 or so. Third,
- you may be unnecessarily using NOFF.SHP (see Q23).
-
- DESQview/X is a GUI and therefore screen output is much slower.
- This is due to the poor design of the PC's video. In order to get
- better display performance, you may want to purchase a graphics
- accelerator or coprocessor board.
-
- MEMORY USAGE
- The memory usage of individual programs can be tuned in Change A
- Program. For maximum window size, you must balance your TSR and
- device driver usage (see Q16 and Q22). The PS utility in the DVSI
- package available on SIMTEL20 (see Q7) can show which windows are
- not using all their allocated memory.
-
- Q25: My {9600 or greater} BPS modem drops characters under DESQview. Is high
- speed communication possible under DESQview?
-
- Yes, high speed communication is possible. First, you must go into the
- DESQview setup program and set ``Optimize Communications'' to Y (see
- Q29). If you still lose characters, you may have to get a new serial
- board. The characters are coming in too fast for DESQview and your
- communications program to process them.
-
- The chip that controls serial communication is known by many names. On
- an XT (or an 8-bit I/O board) it is an 8250. Most ATs contain the
- 16450. The problem with these chips is that they can only buffer one
- character at a time, so if DESQview doesn't allow your communications
- program to respond fast enough, you'll lose that character.
-
- The solution is to get a board with the National Semiconductor NS16550AN
- or NS16550AFT chip. This chip buffers up to 16 characters, so character
- loss is less likely to occur. If you are the handy type, you can even
- swap your 8250 (or whatever) for the NS16550AN yourself, for the chips
- are pin-compatible.
-
- Do not get a 16550 non-A chip. It is an old, buggy chip. Also, Western
- Digital makes a 16550 which is rumored to be buggy at speeds of 2400 BPS
- or less.
-
- Q26: Why doesn't ANSI.SYS work in DESQview?
-
- ANSI.SYS doesn't work inside DESQview because DESQview takes control of
- all the screen writes. Quarterdeck has provided a solution, however.
- Provided with DESQview is DVANSI.COM. Run this program in the window in
- which you need ANSI.SYS.
-
- Q27: Why does the mouse pointer disappear after running certain programs?
-
- If a DESQview-aware or DESQview-oblivious program (see Q3) uses the
- mouse, DESQview must turn off its own mouse handling in that window.
- Unfortunately, DESQview cannot detect when the program is finished with
- the mouse, so your DESQview mouse pointer will never reappear while that
- window has the keyboard.
-
- Q28: What are those files SWAP*.DV in my DV directory? Can I delete them?
-
- A28: They're used by DESQview to store your application when it gets swapped
- to disk. If the file's date and time are older than the last time you
- started DV then you can safely erase the files. There is no way to
- restart an application using a swap file.
-
- Q29: What does ``Optimize Communications'' in DESQview's setup program do?
-
- A29: The cards that you install in your computer use ``hardware interrupts''
- to tell the CPU that the card has or needs data. The hardware
- interrupts are like grade school students raising their hand in class.
- When they teacher recongizes a student with his hand up, that student
- can ask/answer a question.
-
- Like many teachers, DESQview has a ``teacher's pet.'' This pet is
- hardware interrupt 0. If a bunch of hardware interrupts raise their
- hands at the same time, DESQview will always recognize 0 first, then 1,
- then 2, and so on.
-
- However, most COM ports use hardware interrupt levels 3 and 4. So by
- answering ``Y'' to ``Optimize Communications'', you force interrupt
- level 3 to become the teacher's pet. DESQview will then recognize the
- interrupts in this order: 3, 4, 5, ... 0, 1, 2. Rather than answering
- ``Y'', you can put in any interrupt number you prefer. For example, if
- you answer ``5'', DESQview will recognize the interrupts in the order
- 5, 6, 7, ... , 0, 1, 2, 3, 4.
-
- Setting ``Optimize Communications'' to ``Y'' can reduce or eliminate
- dropped characters in communication programs (see Q25).
-
- 8086/8088 machines have 8 available hardware interrupts (0-7), while
- 80286+ machines have 16 (0-15).
-
- Q30: What do I need if I want to use DESQview/X's networking features?
-
- DESQview/X allows you to interact with programs running on other
- computers that are networked.
-
- If you have a Novell or NetBios-compatible network, you are in luck.
- All that is required is that your computer be connected on the network.
- Install the Novell Network Manager that is provided with DESQview/X.
-
- To connect with TCP/IP, you will first need a connection to a TCP/IP
- network. Although beyond the scope of the FAQ list, a common low-cost
- solution is called ``SLIP''. Then you will need a TCP/IP kernel that
- such as FTP Inc.'s PC/TCP (~400) or a PC/TCP-compatible such as Beam &
- Whiteside's package (~$250). Between the TCP/IP kernel and DESQview/X
- sits Quarterdeck's TCP/IP Network Manager (~$200). The Network Manager
- replaces some of the TCP/IP programs and makes the kernel re-entrant
- (see Q10).
-
- CONTRIBUTORS
- ------------
- The following people have sent suggestions for entries in the FAQ. On
- behalf of all the readers of comp.os.msdos.desqview, I thank you. If
- the person is credited with a ``Q'', he/she suggested a question. If
- part of an answer was contributed, the contributor is credited with an
- ``A''. An asterisk indicates that the contributor wrote a significant
- portion of the answer.
-
- If you see your name here and you didn't actually send me something, I
- probably stole a posting of yours for the FAQ.
- ----
- The information in A7 on access to SIMTEL20 is from regular postings to
- the Usenet newsgroup comp.binaries.ibm.pc.archives by Keith Peterson.
-
- The electronic contacts in A19 are from the QOS note ``CONTACT.TXT''
-
- The international addresses in A19 are from "DESQview User, The
- Quarterly Journal for PC and DOS productivity", Issue 4, Spring 1992 and
- were sent to me by Klaus Hartnegg.
-
- Most of A20 was copied from Quarterdeck's tech note ``DVBOOK.TEC''
-
- Some of A25 is from Appendix B of the FOSSIL driver manual sent to me by
- Stephen Lee.
-
- alheid@pittpa.cray.com (Greg Alheid) A2*,A4*,A5*,A11,A13*,
- A15*,A17,A20
- anasaz!crow@asuvax.eas.asu.edu (Jerry Crow) A2,A21
- arnd@zeus.informatik.rwth-aachen.de
- (Arnd Gehrmann) A19
- arr@stat.ph.albany.edu (Andrew A. Reilly) Q22
- chaz@chinet.chi.il.us (Charlie Kestner) Q4,Q17,Q19,Q20
- Dave Osborne 1:123/27.0 A29
- em21@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Eben Moglen) A17
- esiever@world.std.com (Ellen C. Siever) A20
- hartnegg@ibm.ruf.uni-freiburg.de (Klaus Hartnegg) A13,A19*
- january%polari@uunet.uu.net (Jamie Pehling) A2,A7
- jcorr@splash.princeton.edu (Jim Orr) A20
- jerry@rat.nrl.navy.mil (Jerry Nash) A17
- jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu (Jay Maynard) A17
- kneply@mozart.cs.colostate.edu (Jim Knepley) A2,A4,Q8,Q17,Q18
- lsuc!ontmoh!rwh@cs.toronto.edu (Russell Herman) A19
- Mark Hockings 1:102/824 A2,A19,A24
- mike@batpad.lgb.CA.US (Mike Batchelor) A8,A17
- mtbb136@ms.uky.edu Q2,Q12,Q13
- mvjrs@mvgpk.att.com (Rick Sladkey) A4,A17
- nickw@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Nick Watkins) A2,A6,A17
- noesis@ucscb.ucsc.edu (Kyle ?) A13
- phealy@swift.cs.tcd.ie (Paul ?) A19
- ralf@cs.cmu.edu (Ralf Brown) A2,A6,A7*,A8*,Q9,A10*,
- A13,A14*,A17,A21*,A25
- reisert@mast.enet.dec.com (James J. Reisert) A25
- rreiner@nexus.yorku.ca (Richard Reiner) A2,A17
- s2942275@techst02.technion.ac.il (Yaniv Golan) A17
- Saar Blitz 2:403/139.0 A17
- schuster@panix.com (Mike Schuster) A17
- senf_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Stephen Lee) A25*
- smsmith@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Stephen Smith) A13
- stern@denali.ims.alaska.edu (Pete Stern) Q25,Q26,Q27
- steveg@orl.mmc.com (Steve Gabrilowitz) Q8,Q15
- theall@gdalsrv.sas.upenn.edu (George A. Theall) A2*,A3,A4,A7,A17,A19,
- A20,Q22,A23,A24*,A28*
- valley@gsbsun.uchicago.edu (Doug Dougherty) A2,A4,A10,Q11,A12,Q14,
- Q16,A17,A20,A25
- w8sdz@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (Keith Peterson) A7*,A17
-