That is their problem - DR DOS NWCACHE can use int 15 memory, it does not need XMS at all :-P.
in what way is it a problem?
it's the same as cdrom access when having done a cleanboot form bootdisk ..it extends functionality at runtime (console/commandline) instead of boottime (config.sys).
Having HMA for DOS kernel and XMS for FreeCOM is one of the most useful things about HIMEM, you should really load it in config sys already. The kernel cannot start using HMA later, and restarting FreeCOM to make it start using XMS is kludgy, too.
I know, but we're talking about the installation process here. It needs some specific tools that an installed FreeDOS doesn't need at all (getargs, cpuboot, iniadd, etc..), so special circumstances apply.
http://www.coli.uni-sb.de/~eric/ memtest-1.27.zip (anti web crawler space --------^ ... testing release, no full sources!) contains the mtloader.asm which is supposed to detect and cooperate with HIMEM, I hope you tried that one. Unfortunately, Sam did not include the thing in official releases. Because you should simply not load HIMEM, and because my loader can only handle some HIMEM versions, I guess. However, if cooperation fails, there should be a warning, no crash.
I can test that one. Would it work with latest memtest1.50 ?
the .exe ('for USB sticks'), to my knowledge, does not contain a check if CPU>=386 and for clean memory layout ('cannot start MEMTEST, XMS manager like HIMEM is active, please use cleanboot')
I meant boot any other *D*OS... My problem is that you have things like disk preparation and "collect user selections" in autoexec on the disk image instead of having them in a script in the install directory on the cdrom. So when you boot your existing DOS and do cdd x:\freedos\install\ (or similar) and then run install bat, you only get PART of the service.
No, this code has been duplicated recently in my development version of FreeDOS distro, to allow just like you indicate: run AUTORUN.BAT from cdrom (or harddisk directory, or ISO) and install FreeDOS.
The bootdisk itself no longer does anything special. No harddisk touching (SYS, dualboot) except for FORMAT when necessary ('no AA55', OSCHECK).
Everything is on CD, and a basic version (HDD.BAT, now INSTALL.BAT by your suggestion) is used for when you select to install from diskette instead of cdrom.
Plus your autoexec gets unnecessarily complex. Better modularize and move all tools except CD drivers to the install directory, which is accessible from any DOS / can be precopied to harddisk by any OS.
all tools --> ODIN directory.
With a bit of luck we can remove the EXTRACT program in the future, Jason Hood is working on something nice (and extended functionality for SHSUCDX).
Use a config sys menu entry called memtest instead.
is an option. I'll just simplify things: NO MORE offering to run Memtest in the Syslinux menu, only mention it if doing a clean boot.
Your current menu contains: Pre-386 (bypass SYSLINUX, happens automatically with my CPUBOOT chainloader if pre-386 detected) and: - plain DOS (if you have a 386 but very little RAM?? If THAT is the problem, then I can modify CPUBOOT to check how much RAM you have :-)) - MEMDISK with DOS (loads faster) - Memtest (would be possible to load it directly from SYSLINUX, but the DOS binary has the advantage that you can UPX it) - SmartBootManager (to boot the CD-ROM)
CPUBOOT: pre386: Metaboot -> plain FreeDOS 386+ : Syslinux -> plain FreeDOS -> MEMDISK with FreeDOS -> Smart Boot Manager -> Memtest86+
For memtest86+ I have 2 options:
*memtest.exe , advantage : compressed
disadvantage: incompatible with pre386 and memory
drivers, and first go through config.sys..
*memtest.bin , advantage : direct loadable
disadvantage: larger size, 90KB instead of 35, not
commandline loadable, not compressible.several ways to get there. If you have a pre-386 or if you boot from CD-ROM, then you will automatically get there (HINT: The non-MEMDISK DOS branch on diskette should be modified, sorry for the extra work, to use FDXMS and to avoid trying things which will refuse to work any- way, like memtest and caches and emm386). Only if you have a 386+ without CD boot function, then you have one more MANUAL selection step: Whether you want to use SBM for non-BIOS CD boot or prefer using DOS in MEMDISK booted from diskette instead (which will use diskettes or DOS CD drivers or precopied CD contents or CD image).
FDXMS? Wouldn't it be enough to compare FDXXMS versus FDXMS, and FDXMS versus FDXMS286, and thus obtain the differences and implement them into HIMEM? HIMEM already contains options to limit XMS v3.0 specification.
Bad idea, having XMS and HMA helps you to get a LOT of extra DOS memory. Actually FreeDOS - unless you use the KSSF swapping FreeCOM variant - is a big MS DOS 4.01 style memory hog if you have no HIMEM.
I know, but maybe enough for installing FreeDOS. Can you analyze the memtest+ exe-loader source (from v1.50) and see if it warns and safely aborts (prevents loading) on pre386 and if XMS is detected?
Again: Memtest, SBM, etc, are all addons on a special bootdisk. Basic FreeDOS functionality is, and will be, present.
Bernd
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