#VCPI and Windows?
9 messages in this thread
Whew, that was close… I was tinkering with my CONFIG.SYS. I have one
that gives me all the memory for AutoCAD and 3D Studio, and another for
Windows, and I swap between them. I was reading through the 3D Studio
configuration guide again, trying to reset everything so I could live with
one CONFIG.SYS, and boom … On a warm reboot, suddenly my system said
"Invalid or corrupt COMMAND.COM" and it wouldn't boot. Come to think of
it, I think the last thing before the reboot was that Windows crashed soon
after startup, it "couldn't find KRNL386.EXE"
The only thing that saved my behind was the regular use of MIRROR and
Central Point's PC Tools. It revived the system from the Emergency disk.
So, can someone show me a few more signposts (or maybe even a CONFIG.SYS)
that shows how to share memory configuration between Autodesk products and
Windows?
John:
I have seen the future, and it is called QEMM…
We have been using and recommending this memory manager for years. It will
allow you to run everything you mentioned without ever switching config.sys
files again!!!!
Greg Pyros
John and Greg,
I have no problems with memorymanagement. I have only installed HIMEM.SYS
(XMS Manager) from WINDOWS 3.1 in my CONFIG.SYS. I have tested QEMM but it
speeds down the systemperformance. But QEMM is
the best way when you need a lot of free DOS memory.
When there is enough RAM (32 MB are good) and for example you configure
3DS with CONF386.EXE for 16 MB XMS you can start AutoCAD, AniPro and
WINDOWS directly as a shell from 3D Studio.
-Ingo
Ingo:
I am curious about your comments about QEMM slowing down your system. What
sort of tests have you run, and what were the speed differences?
Where is Craig Sharp (our friendly neighborhood CIS MEMory Thread Manager)
when we need him? Still on vacation, Craig? I should have forced him to
log in when he was in my office last week… <g>
Greg Pyros
Greg,
In some cases, QEMM does slow down the system. We have found it sometimes
slows down drive access on some SCSI drives. Not much of a slowdown, but it
can be seen on benchmarks. QEMM just seems to have a little more overhead
due to its extra features…
Ken ///
Kenneth:
I might agree that ALL memory managers who use page frame access to
expanded memory will show some form of speed degredation… and I don't
know how the size of the memory cache on the motherboard will affect the
results. Nonetheless, if you use extended memory only with no memory
manager loaded, then you would achieve the fastest possible results on most
PC clones using the PharLap DOS extender only (Autodesk has reported speed
improvements on some of their machines using a memory manager). What starts
making some difference is how much base memory you have available. At some
point in time, with enough TSR's loaded, putting them in the 640-1M range
will improve the performance of your system. Note that using HMA's and
putting the TSR's above 1M >MAY< be why some people are having difficulty
with their setups. I suspect that the Int15h and A20 calls made in certain
situations may conflict with using HMA's, but then, I don't profess to be
enough of an expert to predict what Targa boards, TSR's, CEMM (as opposed
to QEMM) etc. are doing to this mess we call DOS.
In any event, I don't think the speed difference should be noticeable if
the system is set up properly. When you think about how many reboots using
a batch file to switch system setups you do in a day, then you can decide
whether QEMM is worth the investment. I don't use QEMM on my home
computer… I don't reboot often enough. At the office, however, things are
different…
C#
I got QEMM when I got AutoCAD… my dealer installed it all, and I haven't
gone back through its manual yet. Perhaps you could tack your config.sys
into a message here (don't forget to prepend each line with '.') and I
could see how you rearranged yours? So QEMM's in my AutoCAD config.sys, but
not in my Windows config.sys.
Here is the CONFIG.SYS for my home machine (a 486/33 with 16 megs) –
of course, they get a lot more complicated at the office with lots of
memory, other stuff loaded, (network drivers, etc.)…
device=\qemm\qemm386.sys RAM
break=off
STACKS=0,0
BUFFERS=20
DEVICE=c:\qemm\loadhi.sys /r:1 \dos\ansi.sys /L
SHELL=COMMAND.COM /P/E:450
FILES=40
dos=high
Sometimes you need to exclude areas of memory for certain video
cards, network drivers, SCSI cards, etc. But there are other times
you can just give it the defaults and go! Try running the OPTIMIZE
program that comes with QEMM – it will usually load all your TSR's
into high memory automatically for you! (see the ANSI.SYS line
above)
This configuration gives me about 625k free base memory. We did some
speed tests, and found it to be the same speed or faster than
HIMEM.SYS – I am curious about Ingo's comment about speed
differences.
We are running QEMM on all 11 3DS / AutoCAD machines at the office
this way with no problems that we know of! <g>
ok,ok I'm sorry to say the system is speeds down. What I mean is:
all PharLapDosExtender program's like 3DS, AniPro or AutoCAD first uses
EMS memory and then XMS memory. When I say, the system speed's down is
this my subjective opinion. I had not run benchmarktests. I only observe my
system.
Some examples for a system with 16 MB RAM:
1) – 16 MB XMS allocated with HIMEM.SYS
– 8 MB of XMS allocadted as EMS, using EMM386.EXE
Now when starting 3DS, 3DS can only!! use 8 MB of EMS memory.
When useing -NORAM by EMM386 in order to have 16 MB XMS and no EMS
for UMB's, the computer runs in virtual'86 mode so 3DS can't start.
Useing EMS is bad, because the systemperformance speed's down,
for example there is a high initialisation time for 3DS.
At my opinion this is the worst way to manage your memory.
2) – 16 MB allocated with QEMM386.SYS
QEMM allocates EMS memory and if an application want's to use
XMS, QEMM simulates XMS from EMS (readme.doc of qemm). This way
is much faster then using EMM386, and you can loadhigh your TSR's
in order th have a lot of free DOS memory, but 3DS first checks EMS
and then XMS, so 3DS uses EMS and no XMS. I mean QEMM's EMS is a
little slower as HIMEM's XMS.
I think QEMM is the best way, when it's nescesaary to highload
TSR's and running diffrent programs that need XMS and EMS.
3) – 16 MB allocated with HIMEM.SYS
Only one memory type is used: fast XMS. If there are no EMS
program's and no reason to loadhigh TSR's, I prefer this way,
because I have 32 MB RAM, so I can configure all Autodesk products
with CONF386.EXE (or easier CONFPHAR.EXE from AutoCAD).
All in all, QEMM386.SYS or HIMEM.SYS are very efficient, EMM386.EXE is a
deadlock manager.
-Ingo