The 32RTM problem where 32RTM executing under FreeDOS without the -X option generates an exception is a Borland bug. And the bug only shows up with FreeDOS because MS-DOS does something slightly different, although the FreeDOS method is perfectly valid.
The problem occurs in this code segment in 32RTM:
push bp sub sp,32h mov bp,sp mov word ptr [bp+1ch],3400h mov word ptr [bp+20h], 3202h mov word ptr [bp+30h],0 mov word ptr [bp+2eh],0 mov ax,300h mov bx,21h mov di,bp push ss pop es int 31h
Briefly put: when the int 31h (DPMI interrupt) occurs, 32RTM generates an exception under FreeDOS. Basically what is happening in this code segment is that 32RTM sets up a stack frame to hold a real mode call structure pointed to by ES:DI for calling INT 21h through the INT 31h DPMI interface. It sets the AX value to 3400h, for get InDOS function. The 3202h value is the flags register. And the 0 in the other two stack frame values indicates that the DPMI server should use its own internal stack. Everything other real mode register is don't care. The ax,300h simply is the DPMI function for simulate real mode interrupt, here to call INT 21h function 34h. Okay, hope that's clear.
People who use DPMI functions might notice one small omission here. No CX register value is set. Well, CX is an important register for the 300h function, it is the number of words to copy from protected mode to real mode stack when the interrupt is issued.
So I looked further back in the 32RTM code to see where CX register is getting set and falling through to this routine. Amazingly enough, the CX value used is the one that is returned from an earlier real mode INT 21h function 30h get DOS version call. The return value of CX from that function is the lower 16-bits of the "user serial number", whatever the heck that is. Unfortunately, FreeDOS returns a serial number of 101h in CX. MS-DOS appears to return a value of 0. By a fluke, MS-DOS is returning a CX value which allows the above DPMI call to function without problems.
So what happens with the FreeDOS 101h value in CX? It copies 514 bytes of crap to the real mode stack during the INT 31h. That blows the DOS stack right there, and if it doesn't, it sure blows the internal DPMI stack. Hard to say what important internal data gets shot down with the copy.
How do I know this is the problem? I tested it two different ways:
First, I in the debugger I dynamically patched the:
mov word ptr [bp+30h],0 mov word ptr [bp+2eh],0
instructions in the code fragment to:
xor cx,cx mov [bp+30],cx mov [bp+2eh],cx
with NOP padding. 32RTM happily went resident without exception, since no bytes were copied to and from the real mode stack.
Second test: while in the debugger, after the 30h get DOS function call in 32RTM, I changed CX return value from 101h to 0. Once again, 32RTM went resident without problems.
There you have it folks. A dumb bug in a Borland product that by purest happenstance fails under FreeDOS and not MS-DOS. I don't have any idea how to gracefully fix the problem other than to have FreeDOS change its serial number. And it shouldn't have to do that.
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