PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 736 VERSION : 2.0, 2.51 OS : DOS DATE : October 19, 1993 PAGE : 1/4 TITLE : Configuring DOS 5.0 for version 2.x of BC++ & Tools DOS 5 brings a new level of memory management technology to PC's. Along with this new technology comes a higher degree of technical complexity, requiring more knowledge in making DOS 5 work with pre-DOS 5 software and hardware. Fortunately, most DOS 5 issues are easily solved. The shipping versions of our C/C++ language products and Turbo Debugger & Tools are essentially compatible with DOS 5. There are, however, several issues one needs to be aware of when using protected mode versions of our products in conjunction with DOS 5. BCX, BCCX, TLINKX, TD286 To make DOS 5 and EMM386 work properly with BCX and the other products listed above, you need to use emm386.sys in the following fashion: device = dos\emm386.exe ram XXXX where XXXX is the amount of EMS to allocate. There seems to be an approximate 1-1 correlation between EMS allocated and extended memory available to BCX. So a value >= 800K for EMS would be appropriate. Basically, we are "reserving" memory for use by TKERNEL, which is Borland's DOS extender kernel loaded automatically by BCX, BCCX, TLINKX, and TD286. Specifying 'ram 64' can cause a system reboot, and 'ram 256' will produce an insufficient memory error similar to the one below: System: Insufficient Memory To Load Task Error : Cannot Create Task The 'frame=none' option doesn't solve any problems, giving errors when EMSTEST is run and causing a reboot when File|Get Info is selected when running BCX. It isn't really advisable to use 'frame=none' with our products. Note that tests used EMM386 in conjunction with himem.sys and "dos=high,umb". PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 736 VERSION : 2.0, 2.51 OS : DOS DATE : October 19, 1993 PAGE : 2/4 TITLE : Configuring DOS 5.0 for version 2.x of BC++ & Tools TD386, TF386 TD386 versions prior to 2.51 will not operate properly with DOS 5. If you have version 2.0+ of Turbo Debugger, TD386 2.51 is available on our download BBS (408.439.9181) as well as on Compuserve and BIX. The file name for the download BBS is "TD386.ZIP." If you have a version of Turbo Debugger prior to 2.0, you'll need to upgrade to the latest version. TD386 2.51 will not work with DOS 5.0 when either EMM386 or DOS=HIGH is used in config.sys. EMM386 puts the processor into V86 (virtual-86) mode and poses the same problem as QEMM or 386- to-the-Max in that TDH386 needs to control the processor. DOS=HIGH causes another unexplained problem that Borland is currently investigating. The problem is manifested by TD386 appearing to load and then failing to load all the way, causing the computer to lock up. TF386 on some systems causes the computer to lock up when you load an application and then hit Alt-X to quit. The causes of this behavior are still being investigated. For now, test TF386 on your system for compatibility. If you have a problem, report it to Borland through our online services (Compuserve, BIX, and Genie) or through technical support (408.438.5300). MAKE MAKE has been reported to hang on some systems with DOS 5.0 using the .SWAP directive within MAKE. Removing the .SWAP has solved the problem on all systems reporting difficulties. BCX and QEMM When you are using EMM386, Windows will no longer work in Standard Mode, thus preventing a person from running BCX and Windows simultaneously. However, if you use QEMM-386 (a memory management product from Quarterdeck Software), you can run Windows in Standard Mode without a problem, thus gaining significant flexibility. QEMM-386 will also work with "dos=high" and "devicehigh" without any apparent problems. QEMM-386 also PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 736 VERSION : 2.0, 2.51 OS : DOS DATE : October 19, 1993 PAGE : 3/4 TITLE : Configuring DOS 5.0 for version 2.x of BC++ & Tools seems to be more efficient than EMM386 in loading resident programs up into upper memory blocks as well as offering more options for custom configuration. Furthermore, QEMM-386 takes approximately 7K less memory below 640K than DOS 5's HIMEM/EMM386 combination. For many uses, QEMM offers a superior solution to memory management rather than using DOS 5's HIMEM and EMM386 utilities. DOS 5.0 and Windows 386 Enhanced Mode and BC++ DOS 5.0 includes the ability to load device drivers and TSR's above 640K to free up more memory to applications. This ability is very useful under Windows 3.0 when running BC++ (BC.EXE) in 386 Enhanced Mode. Under DOS 5.0, you can achieve a DOS box with 600K+ of available memory which can dramatically speed up BC++ compile/link times, approaching BCX compile/link times for small to medium input files. The overall strategy for those people running BC++ under 386 Enhanced Windows is to maximize the amount of memory available in a DOS box so that BC++ will have more memory to work with before it has to swap to EMS or to disk. Be sure to "lock" your application and EMS memory in your PIF file, just as before DOS 5.0. Other Incompatibilities DOS 5 has been reported to cause conflicts with certain mouse drivers, device drivers, BIOS versions and TSR's. Many times a perceived problem with Borland products is not due to a direct incompatibility but a side effect of an incompatibility with another product. When trying to determine if there is an incompatibility between your system, DOS 5 and our products, try booting with a config.sys and autoexec.bat similar to those shown below: config.sys files=20 buffers=20 PRODUCT : Borland C++ NUMBER : 736 VERSION : 2.0, 2.51 OS : DOS DATE : October 19, 1993 PAGE : 4/4 TITLE : Configuring DOS 5.0 for version 2.x of BC++ & Tools autoexec.bat path = prompt $p $g Summary Borland is interested in any problems that you may experience with DOS 5.0 and Borland products. Should you encounter any situations not addressed by this document, please contact Borland Technical Support. DISCLAIMER: You have the right to use this technical information subject to the terms of the No-Nonsense License Statement that you received with the Borland product to which this information pertains.