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T h e P C - S I G L i b r a r y o n C D - R O M
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This may well be the greatest collection of software ever compiled.
The PC-SIG Library on CD-ROM is our premier collection of the entire
PC-SIG library. It has over 3000 different, and complete applications
for your every need. Every shareware program we have is on one disc;
over 700 megabytes (unzipped) of software you can have immediate access
to.
Easy to use, all you have to do is insert the disc and type 'GO' at the
DOS prompt. We've included all the tools you need for fast easy access
to the programs and their descriptions.
Whether you're interested in Accounting or Windows, there's a shareware
program for you on the PC-SIG Library on CD-ROM.
Winner of the Optical Publishing Assn's Best Consumer Product Award.
Shareware for every imaginable need: Accounting Chemistry Educational
Engineering Games Hypertext Networks Programming Spreadsheets Utilities
Word Processing
# # #
PC-SIG UPDATES PC-SIG LIBRARY ON CD-ROM
For Immediate Release
PC-SIG LIBRARY ON CD-ROM UPDATED TO INCLUDE A NEW USER INTERFACE AND MORE
THAN 800 MB OF PROGRAMS June 21, 1992, SUNNYVALE, CALIF. - PC-SIG, Inc.
today announced availability of The Eleventh Edition of the PC-SIG Library
on CD-ROM. The PC-SIG Library on CD-ROM contains over 800 megabytes of
shareware and includes more than 300 new programs, 550 updated programs,
and the addition of 75 megabytes of Windows 3.x shareware. The
user-interface has been completely re-engineered to take advantage of the
HyperWriter! hypermedia and multimedia authoring system from NTERGAID, Inc.
The implementation of HyperWriter! provides significant performance and
ease of use enhancements. Programs can access and download much faster
than with previous editions. Programs have been reorganized and indexed
for better referencing. Users just c lick with a mouse, or point with the
cursor, on a program name to see a complete description of the program.
Downloading or copying a program is handled automatically by HyperWriter!
Addition of a preview option is especially important for anyone who uses
images, icons, or fonts. "You can preview the whole library of images to
find the right one," according to Bruce Kent, product development manager.
"This CD finally makes it possi ble to conserve your disk space and paper,
yet still have all the information you need to make an informed decision,"
said Kent.
All new and updated programs have been reviewed and tested by PC-SIG. Every
program goes through extensive virus checking using the most recent version
of VIRUSCAN from McAfee Associates, and other anti-virus software.
According to Kent, "In the ten ye ars we've distributed shareware, we have
never had a confirmed report of a virus on any of our distributed programs
or CD-ROMs."
The PC-SIG Library on CD-ROM, Eleventh Edition has a list price of $179.
Upgrades from previous editions are available for $99.
Users of PC-SIG's Essential Home & Business Collection CD-ROM can upgrade
for $120.
PC-SIG CD-ROMs are distributed worldwide through a network of distributors
and resellers. Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., PC-SIG, Inc. markets and
supports one of the world's largest collections of shareware for IBM PCs
and compatible systems. PC-SIG also publishes Shareware Magazine, which is
devoted solely to shareware. The magazine is availa ble by subscription
and on newsstands nationwide.
System Requirements:
IBM PC/XT/AT PS/2 or compatible with 640K memory, DOS 3.1 or higher and
Microsoft MS-DOS CD ROM extensions, and a hard drive. Microsoft compatible
mouse supported and VGA highly recommended.
To Order in the U.S.A.: Call 800-245-6717 and ask for Customer Service.
Outside the U.S.A. call (408) 730-9291 for the name of the dealer in
your country.
1
COMx
Version 2.0
User's Guide
Copyright This COMx documentation and the software are
copyrighted with all rights reserved. Under the copyright laws,
neither the documentation nor the software may be copied,
photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic
medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without the
prior written consent of Biologic, except in the manner described
in this manual. The unregistered version of COMx and
accompanying documentation may be freely copied and distributed.
Copyright (C) Biologic 1987,1988.
All rights reserved. First edition printed 1988. Printed in the
United States.
Software License Notice Your license agreement with Biologic,
which is included with the product, specifies the permitted and
prohibited uses of the product. Any unauthorized duplication or
use of COMx in whole or in part, in print, or in any other
storage and retrieval system is forbidden.
Licenses and Trademarks COMx is a registered trademark of
Biologic. WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect
Corporation. 123 is a registered trademark of Lotus Corporation.
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation.
Biologic
7950 Blue Gray Circle
Manassas, VA 22110-2829
703-368-2949
2
Contents
License Agreement and Disclaimer of Warranty 3
Introduction 4
Condensed Instructions 6
Installation 8
COMx.sys 9
COMx.exe 10
Copying Files 13
Error Messages 16
Problem Determination 18
Notes 20
Site License 21
Your Turn 22
3
License Agreement and Disclaimer of Warranty
License agreement
Disclaimer of warranty
License agreement The terms of this license agreement apply to
you and to any subsequent licensee of this COMx software.
Biologic retains the ownership of this copy of COMx software.
This copy is licensed to you for use under the following
conditions.
You may use the COMx software on any compatible computer,
provided the COMx software is used on only one computer and by
one user at a time.
You may not provide use of the software in a computer service
business, network, timesharing, multiple CPU or multiple user
arrangement to users who are not individually licensed by
Biologic, except that you may designate any employee to use
such products on a one employee per license basis.
You may not disassemble or decompile the COMx software.
Disclaimer of warranty Biologic excludes any and all implied
warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness
for a particular purpose. Biologic does not make any warranty of
representation, either express or implied, with respect to this
software program, its quality, performance, merchantability, or
fitness for a particular purpose. Biologic shall not have any
liability for special, incidental, or consequential damages
arising out of or resulting from the use of this program.
4
Introduction
Description
Overview
Highlights
Requirements
Contents of the COMx disk
Description COMx connects any two PCs, including the IBM PS/2
series, so that files can be easily transferred between them.
Overview COMx creates a simple and functional link between two
PCs. It enables a user to read drives on both computers as if
they were attached to a single computer. Drives not on the
user's PC (remote drives) are assigned drive letters beginning
with the first unused letter. Files are copied from remote
drives to drives on the user's PC (local drives) using DOS
commands.
The installation of COMx involves connecting the PCs by their
serial ports, either COM1 or COM2, and setting up the
communications link with the programs comx.sys and comx.exe. A
universal cable consisting of modular telephone wire and 4
modular connectors is included in the COMx package, allowing any
combination of 9 pin or 25 pin connectors to be used. The file,
comx.sys, is loaded as a device driver when DOS is started. The
serial ports are then initialized with the program comx.exe.
Highlights
Remote drives can be accessed by DOS commands or other software
such as word processors or spreadsheet programs. Users don't
have to learn new commands.
Both PCs can be running any program while files are
transferred. The remote PC doesn't have to run a slave program
and remain idle.
32 ft. modular cable designed to connect any combination of
PCs, including IBM PS/2.
Variable transfer speed up to 115,200 baud.
Uses only 4K of memory. COMx is written in assembly language
for maximum speed and compactness.
5.25" and 3.5" disks.
Requirements
IBM Personal Computers (PC, PC/XT, PC/AT, PS/2) (or
5
compatibles). Both computers must have at least 1 serial port.
IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System (DOS) version 3.0
or greater (or compatible).
Contents of the COMx disk The following files are included in
the root directory of the distribution disk.
comx.sys
comx.exe
comx.hlp
There may also be a \freeware directory which contains
unregistered versions of our other software products.
6
Condensed Instructions
The following instructions briefly describe the installation and
use of COMx. If you are a knowledgeable computer user, you
should be able to get COMx working by following these steps.
More detailed information can be found in the sections,
Installation, COMx.sys, COMx.exe, and Copying Files.
1. Connect the cable to the PCs. Each connector has a sticker
with a "0" or a "1" on it. You can use any combination of
the 4 connectors as long as one is labeled "0" and the other
is labeled "1".
2. Add a line to the config.sys file on both PCs instructing
DOS to load comx.sys as a device driver. For example,
[device=comx.sys] (don't type the brackets).
3. Reboot both PCs.
4. Execute comx.exe on each PC. By default, comx.exe
initializes COM1. If you connected the cable to COM2 enter
the command, [comx/c2].
5. Test the connection by using the DIR command to access a
drive on the remote PC. Remote drives are assigned drive
letters beginning with the first unused letter on the local
PC. If your PC has 2 floppy drives only, and the first
unused drive letter is C, list the directory of drive A on
the remote PC with the command, [dir c:].
6. Copy files with the DOS COPY command. For example, [copy
c:file.txt a:] will copy file.txt from drive A on the remote
PC to drive A on the local PC.1 COMx does not support
transfer of files from a local PC to a remote PC.
7. COMx transfers files at 9600 baud unless a higher speed is
specified on the command line with the /b option. Once
you've established that COMx is working, try communicating
at faster baud rates. Be sure to set both PCs to the same
baud rate. Valid baud rates are 9600, 11520, 12800, 14400,
19200, 23040, 28800, 38400, 57600, and 115200. For example,
to communicate at 28800 baud, type [comx/b28800] (or
[comx/c2/b28800] if COM2 is used) on both PCs.
____________________
1This example assumes your PC has 2 floppy drives and the
first unused letter is C.
7
Installation
Connecting the cable
Copying program files (floppy drive system)
Copying program files (hard disk system)
Connecting the cable The cable consists of modular telephone
wire and connectors. Four connectors- two 9 pin and two 25 pin-
are included so that all computer models can be connected. Each
connector has a sticker with a "0" or a "1" on it. You can use
any combination of the 4 connectors as long as one is labeled "0"
and the other is labeled "1". To install the cable, attach a
connector to the serial port of each machine and join them with
the telephone wire.
Copying program files (floppy drive system) To install COMx,
copy the files comx.sys, comx.exe, and comx.hlp from the
distribution disk to the disks you use to boot your PCs. To do
this,
1. Insert the distribution disk in drive A
2. Insert your boot (DOS) disk in drive B
3. Type [copy a:comx.* b:] (don't type the brackets)
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 with the boot disk for the second PC
Copying program files (hard disk system) To install COMx on a
hard disk, make a directory named \comx and copy the files
comx.sys, comx.exe, and comx.hlp to it. Follow these steps.
1. Insert the distribution disk in drive A
2. Make the directory \comx by typing [md\comx]
3. Type [copy a:comx.* c:\comx]2
____________________
2This command will copy files to drive C. Change the
destination drive letter if your hard disk is not drive C.
8
COMx.sys
Config.sys
The file, comx.sys, is installed as a device driver when DOS is
started and remains resident in memory until your PC is turned
off or rebooted. Comx.sys, which occupies about 4K of memory,
performs all of the communications activity with the remote PC3.
Since comx.sys is a device driver, all file transfers are
performed through DOS. This provides a lot of flexibility.
Although you'll normally use COPY or XCOPY to transfer files, any
program that reads drives through DOS can access the drives of
the remote PC. For example, you can retrieve a document stored
on the remote PC from within WordPerfect or you can make a remote
drive the default drive and run Lotus 123 even if it's located
only on the remote PC.4
Config.sys When booting up, DOS obtains configuration
information from the file config.sys. You must add a line to the
config.sys file on both PCs that tells DOS to load comx.sys as a
device driver5. Put the line after any other lines that install
drivers. For example, if comx.sys is in the root directory, add
the line [device=comx.sys]. If comx.sys is in the directory
\comx on your hard disk, add the line [device=\comx\comx.sys].
Reboot both PCs so that DOS reads the modified config.sys files
and loads comx.sys.
____________________
3The names local and remote depend on which PC you're using.
The one you're using is the local PC; the one you're communicated
with is the remote PC. If you move to the other PC, the local PC
becomes the remote PC, and vice versa.
4WordPerfect is a registered trademark of WordPerfect
Corporation. 123 is a registered trademark of Lotus Corporation.
5You can use an editor or a word processor that supports DOS
text files to modify config.sys. If you aren't familiar with
config.sys you can read more about it in your DOS manual.
9
COMx.exe
Format
Options
Examples
Notes
The program, comx.exe, initializes the serial ports and must be
run on both PCs before transferring files. It is not memory
resident and can be executed an unlimited number of times. Its
options allow you to specify the serial port number and baud
rate, and override the default values for serial adapter address,
interrupt number, interrupt request line, and timeout.
Since you'll need to run comx.exe every time you boot your PC,
you should put it in your autoexec.bat file6. Use an editor or
word processor to put the COMx command anywhere in your
autoexec.bat. The options you may want to specify with the COMx
command are described below. Your DOS manual contains more
information about autoexec.bat.
Format The format of the COMx command is
[d:][path]COMX [options]
where
[d:][path]
before COMX specifies the drive and path that contains the COMx
program.
[options]
specifies the optional parameters described in the following
section.
____________________
6Run comx.exe from the DOS prompt until you've decided what
options to use. You'll avoid rebooting your PC unnecessarily
while experimenting with the baud rate and other options.
10
Options The following options can appear in the COMx command.
You'll probably only need to use the /b (set baud rate) and /c
(set serial port number) options.
/?
Display help.
/aaddress
Set serial adapter address. address is specified in hex and is
the base i/o address of the serial adapter. You don't need to
use this option if the cable is attached to serial port 1 or 2.
/bbaud
Set baud rate. baud can be 9600, 11520, 12800, 14400, 19200,
23040, 28800, 38400, 57600, or 115200. Files are transferred
in less time at higher baud rates. If this option is omitted,
baud is set to 9600. Both PCs should be set to the same baud
rate. For example, to set the baud rate to 28800 type
[comx/b28800].
Some PCs aren't fast enough to support all baud rates. To
determine the fastest rate your configuration will support,
start at 9600 and increase it until a file cannot be
transferred successfully (both PCs must be set to the same baud
rate). The section, Copying Files, explains how to use the
COPY command to transfer files.
/cnumber
Set serial port number. number can be 0 or 1 and identifies
the serial port. If this option is omitted, serial port number
1 (COM1) is assumed. If the cable is connected to serial port
number 2, enter the command [comx/c2].
/ninterrupt
Sets adapter interrupt number. This parameter identifies the
interrupt number for the adapter specified with the /a option.
You don't need to use this option if the cable is attached to
serial port 1 or 2.
/rline
Sets adapter interrupt request line. This parameter identifies
the interrupt request line for the adapter specified with the
/a option. You don't need to use this option if the cable is
attached to serial port 1 or 2.
11
/ttime
Sets the timeout value between 1 and 30 seconds. COMx will
wait time number of seconds for a response from the remote PC
before returning an error. The default timeout is 10 seconds.
If you receive the Abort, Retry, Ignore? message when copying
files, press Retry (more than once if necessary). If this
works, you may want to increase the timeout value. For
example, [comx/t15]. If Retry doesn't work you may have a bad
connection or too high a baud rate.
Examples
1. The following example initializes COMx to communicate
through serial port 1 (COM1) at 57600 baud.
comx/b57600
2. The following example initializes COMx to communicate
through serial port 2 (COM2) at 19200 baud.
comx/b19200/c2
3. The following example initializes COMx to communicate
through serial port 1 at 115200 baud with a timeout value of
5 seconds.
comx/b115200/c1/t5
Notes
Some programs- BASIC is a good example- may reset the serial
ports and cause COMx to malfunction. If you find that a
program affects COMx, it may have changed the serial port
configuration. Executing the COMx command will probably
correct the problem. In rare instances, you may have to reboot
your PC.
12
Copying Files
COPY and XCOPY
Examples
After comx.sys has been loaded and the serial ports have been
initialized with comx.exe, DOS thinks you've added drives to your
system. Drive letters are assigned to the new drives beginning
with the first unused drive letter. For example, if you're using
a PC (with 2 floppy drives only) linked to an AT, the AT's floppy
drives and hard disk are accessed with the drive letters C, D,
and E, respectively. Similarly, if you're using the AT, drives A
and B on the PC are accessed with the letters D and E.7
COMx does not support the transfer of files from the local PC to
the remote PC. This greatly simplifies the comx.sys driver and
prevents the deletion or overwriting of files by the remote PC.
Files can easily be transferred in both directions by using the
COPY command on both PCs.
COPY and XCOPY The DOS COPY and XCOPY commands provide the best
way to transfer files between PCs. Although they perform similar
functions, XCOPY has advantages when copying files from several
directories. With XCOPY, you can copy an entire hard disk with
one command, and selectively copy groups of files based on date
or archive bit. Read more about COPY and XCOPY in your DOS
manual.
Examples The following examples assume you are using a PC/XT
attached to another PC/XT. If this is not your configuration,
you may have to substitute different drive letters in the
commands shown below.
____________________
7Some PCs may be configured for more drives than are
physically present. You may have to experiment with the DIR
command, by typing [dir c:], [dir d:], and so on, to determine
which letters have been assigned to remote drives (be sure to
have a disk in each floppy drive on both PCs).
13
1. To list the directory of a disk in drive A on the remote PC,
type
dir d:
2. To list the root directory of drive C on the remote PC, type
dir f:\
3. To copy the file, file.txt, from the root directory of drive
C on the remote PC to the root of drive C on the local PC,
type
copy f:\file.txt c:\
4. To copy all files in the root directory of drive C on the
remote PC to the root of drive C on the local PC, type
copy f:\*.* c:\
5. If you want to copy selected files in the root directory of
drive C on the remote PC to the root of drive C on the local
PC, you can instruct XCOPY to display a (Y/N?) prompt before
copying each file.
xcopy f:\*.* c:\ /p
6. Suppose you have several files in a directory named \123 on
the remote PC and you need to create that directory on the
local PC and copy those files to it. You can do this with
one command.
xcopy f:\123\*.* c:\123
7. If you need to copy every file on drive C of the remote PC
to the local PC, you can also do this with one command.8
xcopy f:\*.* c:\wp /s
____________________
8XCOPY does not copy hidden files or files with 0 bytes.
14
8. If you have a directory named \wp on the remote PC and
several subdirectories below this directory and you need to
copy every file in these directories to the local PC, use
the command
xcopy f:\wp\*.* c:\wp /s
Notes
The DOS DISKCOPY command is not compatible with COMx. Use the
COPY command to copy all files from one floppy to another.
COMx only supports reading from remote drives. DOS will
display the message, Bad command error reading drive x, if a
program attempts to write to a remote drive.
15
Error Messages
DOS errors
COMx errors
DOS errors
Bad command or file name DOS could not find an EXE or COM file
for the command you entered. If you're trying to run COMx, the
file comx.exe is not in the current directory or in a directory
listed in your PATH. Change to the directory that contains
comx.exe and enter the COMx command again.
Bad command error reading drive x DOS tried to write to a
remote drive. COMx only supports reading from remote drives.
Press Abort.
General failure error reading drive x DOS was not able to read
the remote drive. This may occur for many reasons- the wrong
combination of connectors or improper initialization of the
serial ports will cause this error. Press Retry one or more
times. If this works, you may want to increase the timeout value
specified with the COMx command. The section, Problem
Determination, explains how to correct this error.
COMx errors
Adapter not found The specified serial adapter was not found.
The serial port you specified with the COMx command is not
installed in your system.
Can't find file comx.hlp The help file, comx.hlp, isn't in the
current directory or in a directory listed in the PATH.
Can't find file comx.reg The file containing registration
information, comx.reg, isn't in the current directory or in a
directory listed in the PATH.
Can't initialize comx.sys The device driver, comx.sys, hasn't
been installed. See the section, COMx.sys.
Invalid adapter number An invalid adapter number was specified.
Adapter number can be 1 or 2.
Invalid baud The baud rate is incorrect. Valid baud rates are
9600, 11520, 12800, 14400, 19200, 23040, 28800, 38400, 57600, and
115200. See the section, COMx.exe.
Invalid timeout value The timeout value is incorrect. Timeout
is specified in seconds and must be between 1 and 30.
16
Problem Determination
COMx has never worked
COMx works intermittently
COMx has never worked COMx is not communicating properly with
the remote PC if, when accessing a remote drive, DOS always
displays the message, General failure error reading drive x.
This may be due to a variety of factors. To determine why COMx
isn't working, reread the sections Installation, COMx.sys,
COMx.exe, and Copying Files, and follow the steps outlined below.
1. Make sure you've initialized the correct serial ports. If a
PC has one serial port, don't assume it's configured as
COM1; if a PC has two serial ports, don't assume they're
COM1 and COM2. Verify that the ports initialized with the
COMx command are connected to the cable. If possible, test
the serial ports with a printer or a modem.
2. Check the cable. The connectors should be screwed in place.
Make sure the telephone wire is snapped into each connector
firmly.
3. Edit the autoexec.bat file on both PCs so that RAM resident
software is not loaded when they are booted. If this helps,
COMx may not be compatible with the software you removed.
4. Initialize the serial port on both PCs to 9600 baud. IF
COMx works at this baud rate, you may have been using too
high a baud rate. The section, COMx.exe, explains how to
determine the optimum baud rate for your system.
COMx works intermittently If you have successfully copied files
from a remote drive, the DOS message, General failure error
reading drive x, is probably an indication of a software problem
not a hardware problem. The most likely causes of an
intermittent error condition are listed below.
1. In some situations, DOS may not wait long enough for the
remote PC to respond to its requests. You may need to
increase the timeout value. Read about the /t option in the
section, COMx.exe.
2. It's possible, although unlikely, that RAM resident software
may be interfering with the operation of COMx. Edit the
autoexec.bat file on both PCs so that RAM resident software
is not loaded when they are booted. If this helps, COMx may
not be compatible with the software you removed.
17
Notes
When copying files, the program running on the remote PC may
not respond to keystrokes for several seconds. This enables
COMx to process read requests as quickly as possible.
18
Site License
COMx can be licensed on a per location basis which allows a
company to use it on a network or use multiple copies of COMx
without purchasing them individually. Pricing is dependent on
the number of copies and is very reasonable. Please contact
Biologic for further information.
19
Your Turn
We value you opinions. Please let us know what you like and
dislike about the COMx program and documentation. We're
dedicated to developing the most innovative and useful software
available- and selling it at reasonable prices. Your support
helps make this possible.
Please send all comments and suggestions to
Biologic
P.O. Box 1267
Manassas, VA 22110
USA
THANK YOU.
DESCRIPTION
COMx connects any two PCs, including the IBM PS/2 series, so
that files can be easily transfered between them.
REGISTRATION
A package which contains the unregistered version of COMx has
been released as "freeware". This gives users on opportunity to
thoroughly test COMx before purchasing it and helps us market
our software.
The unregistered version of COMx is equivalent to the registered
version except that file transfer speed is limited to 9600 baud. The
registered version can tranfer files up to 115,200 baud. If you find
the unregistered version of COMx useful, but would like to transfer
files in less time, please consider ordering the registered version.
Your help in distributing the unregistered version of COMx is
greatly appreciated. Thank you.
HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS
COMx transfers files through a null modem cable connected to the
serial port of your PCs. Null modem cables are available at
computer supply stores or can be purchased separately from
Biologic (COMx does hardware handshaking and requires a 5 line
cable--it will not work with a 3 line cable).
ORDERING INFORMATION
COMx (registered version, with $59
32 ft. universal cable)
COMx (registered version, without $49
cable)
32 ft. universal cable $23
All items are available directly from Biologic, P.O. Box 1267,
Manassas, VA 22110 703-368-2949. We'll ship your order
to you the same day we receive your it via UPS 2nd day air.
Please include $4 for shipping ($13 for next day air).
Guarantee: Complete satisfaction is guaranteed by Biologic's
unconditional money back guarantee.
REGISTRATION
A package which contains the unregistered versions of
Diskpack and dRestore has been released as "freeware".
This gives users on opportunity to thoroughly test Diskpack
before purchasing it and helps us market our software.
The unregistered versions of Diskpack and dRestore are
equivalent to the registered versions except that dRestore
can only compare the files on your backup disks with the
files on your hard disk- not restore them. You can use
Diskpack to make regular backups of your hard disk and,
since dRestore compares it with your backup disks, you can
be certain your backup copy is accurate. If you need to
restore files from your backup disks, please contact us and
we'll get a registered version to you as quickly as you
need it.
Your help in distributing the unregistered versions of
Diskpack and dRestore is greatly appreciated. Thank you.
ADVANTAGES OF DISKPACK
* Diskpack is much faster than the DOS Backup command.
On an IBM AT, Diskpack backs up 10 Megabytes of data
in about 4 minutes.
* Diskpack compresses files up to 80%. This means you
can back up a 20 Megabyte hard disk onto 4 floppies.
Diskpack compresses files more efficiently than the
"other" backup program, and it does it faster. The
"other" program has a compression mode that runs
slower than its non-compression mode and only
compresses about 25%. Diskpack compresses files
without sacrificing speed.
* Diskpack is more reliable. It uses DOS to write files
to your backup disks. All other fast backup programs
bypass DOS and take direct control of your machine- a
practice that is generally considered risky. That's
why they don't work with all PCs or non-standard disk
drives. You can use Diskpack on all IBM and
compatible PCs and back up files to any DOS device
(including tape).
QUICK START
Backing up files: To back up all of the files on your hard
disk, follow these steps.
1. You should have some formatted disks ready to use as
backup disks.
2. Type verify off
3. If Diskpack is on your hard disk, make the directory
containing the Diskpack program, DISKPACK.EXE, the
current directory.
4. If Diskpack is on a floppy disk, put it in drive A and
make drive A the current drive.
5. Type diskpack c:\*.* a:/s/v
Comparing files: To compare the files on your hard disk
with your backup disks, follow this procedure.
1. If Diskpack is on your hard disk, make the directory
containing the dRestore program, DRESTORE.EXE, the
current directory.
2. If Diskpack is on a floppy disk, put it in drive A and
make drive A the current directory.
3. Type drestore a: c:\*.*/s/v
ORDERING INFORMATION
The registered version of Diskpack is available directly from
Biologic, P.O. Box 1267, Manassas, VA 22110
703-368-2949. We'll send Diskpack to you the same day we
receive your order via UPS 2nd day air (next day air is
available).
Price:
$49. Please include $3 for shipping.
Guarantee:
Complete satisfaction is guaranteed by Biologic's
unconditional money back guarantee.
1
Diskpack
Version 2.0
User's Guide
Biologic Company
7950 Blue Gray Circle
Manassas, VA 22110-2829
703-368-2949
2
Diskpack
Copyright and License Agreement 3
Introduction 5
Installation 7
Quick Start 9
Using Diskpack 11
Using dRestore 16
Notes 20
Site License 21
Your Turn 22
3
Copyright and License Agreement
Copyright
License agreement
Disclaimer of warranty
Copyright This Diskpack documentation and the software
are copyrighted with all rights reserved. Under the
copyright laws, neither the documentation nor the software
may be copied, photocopied, reproduced, translated, or
reduced to any electronic medium or machine-readable form,
in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of
Biologic Company, except in the manner described in this
manual. The unregistered version of Diskpack and
accompanying documentation may be freely copied and
distributed.
Copyright (C) Biologic Company 1987,1988. 7950 Blue Gray Circle,
Manassas, VA 22110 USA
All rights reserved. First edition printed 1987. Printed in
the United States.
License agreement The terms of this license agreement
apply to you and to any subsequent licensee of this Diskpack
software. Biologic Company retains the ownership of this
copy of Diskpack software. This copy is licensed to you for
use under the following conditions.
o You may use the Diskpack software on any compatible
computer, provided the Diskpack software is used on only
one computer and by one user at a time.
o You may not provide use of the software in a computer
service business, network, timesharing, multiple CPU or
multiple user arrangement to users who are not
4
individually licensed by Biologic Company, except that you
may designate any employee to use such products on a
one employee per license basis.
Disclaimer of warranty Biologic company excludes any and
all implied warranties, including warranties of merchantability
and fitness for a particular purpose. Biologic does not make
any warranty of representation, either express or implied,
with respect to this software program, its quality,
performance, merchantability, or fitness for a particular
purpose. Biologic shall not have any liability for special,
incidental, or consequential damages arising out of or
resulting from the use of this program.
5
Introduction
Description
Advantages of Diskpack
File compression
Contents of the Diskpack disk
Requirements
Description Diskpack and dRestore are general purpose file
backup utility programs designed to replace the DOS Backup
and Restore commands.
You can use Diskpack to back up files from a hard disk or a
diskette to diskettes or any other DOS storage device
(including tape). Files are compressed as they are copied so
that they occupy less disk space on the backup disks than on
the source disk.
dRestore uncompresses and copies files from the backup
disks. You can also use dRestore to perform a file by file
comparison of the backup disks with the source disk.
Advantages of Diskpack
o Diskpack is much faster than the DOS Backup command.
On an IBM AT, Diskpack backs up 10 Megabytes of data
in about 4 minutes.
o Diskpack compresses files up to 80%. This means you can
back up a 20 Megabyte hard disk onto 4 floppies.
Diskpack compresses files more efficiently than the
"other" backup program, and does it faster. The "other"
program has a compression mode that runs slower than its
non-compression mode and only compresses about 25%.
Diskpack compresses files without sacrificing speed.
6
o Diskpack is more reliable. It uses DOS to write files to
your backup disks. All other fast backup programs bypass
DOS and take direct control of your machine- a practice
that is generally considered risky. That's why they don't
work with some IBM clones or non-standard disk drives.
You can use Diskpack on all IBM and compatible PCs and
back up files to any DOS device (including tape).
File compression Diskpack uses a very fast proprietary file
compression method. The amount of compression is
dependent on file type- about 80% for database files, 60% for
word processing and worksheet files, and 25% for executable
files. Files which can be compressed the most will be backed
up the fastest.
Contents of the Diskpack disk The following files are
included in the root directory of the distribution disk.
diskpack.exe
diskpack.hlp
drestore.exe
drestore.hlp
There may also be a \FREEWARE directory which contains
unregistered versions of our other software products.
Requirements
o An IBM Personal Computer (PC, PC/XT, PC/AT, PS/2) (or
compatible).
o IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System (DOS)
version 2.0 or greater (or compatible).
o Minimum 320K of conventional memory. Additional
memory will increase performance.
7
Installation
Procedure
Notes
To install Diskpack, create a new directory \DISKPACK on
your hard disk and copy the files in the root directory of
the distribution disk to it.
Procedure
1. Create a directory for the Diskpack files with the
command
md \diskpack
2. Put your distribution disk in drive A and type
copy a:\*.* c:\diskpack
3. Modify your AUTOEXEC.BAT file to include the
\DISKPACK directory in your PATH command. This allows
you to access the Diskpack program from any current
directory. For example,
path c:\;c:\diskpack
Notes
o Your \CONFIG.SYS file should contain a BUFFERS
statement allocating at least 16 disk buffers. This will
maximize the performance of your computer, not just
Diskpack. For example,
buffers=16
8
o The DOS VERIFY flag significantly increases backup time.
If you have a VERIFY ON statement in your
AUTOEXEC.BAT file, you should set VERIFY to OFF
before using Diskpack. With VERIFY ON, DOS performs
an operation following each disk write to verify that the
data just written can be read without error- it does not
verify that the data is the same data read from your hard
disk. If you really want to be safe, use dRestore to
perform a file by file comparison of your backups with
your hard disk.
o The first time you back up your hard disk, you must use
dRestore to perform a comparison of it with your backup
disks to ensure that Diskpack is compatible with your
system.
9
Quick Start
Backing up files
Comparing files
Restoring files
Notes
Backing up files To back up all of the files on your hard
disk, follow these steps.
1. You should have some formatted disks ready to use as
backup disks.
2. Type verify off
3. If Diskpack is on your hard disk, make the directory
containing the Diskpack program, DISKPACK.EXE, the
current directory.
4. If Diskpack is on a floppy disk, put it in drive A and
make drive A the current drive.
5. Type diskpack c:\*.* a:/s/v
Comparing files To compare the files on your hard disk
with your backup disks, follow this procedure.
1. If Diskpack is on your hard disk, make the directory
containing the dRestore program, DRESTORE.EXE, the
current directory.
2. If Diskpack is on a floppy disk, put it in drive A and
make drive A the current directory.
3. Type drestore a: c:\*.*/s/v
10
Restoring files To restore the files on your backup disks to
your hard disk, follow these steps.
1. If Diskpack is on your hard disk, make the directory
containing the dRestore program, DRESTORE.EXE, the
current directory.
2. If Diskpack is on a floppy disk, put it in drive A and
make drive A the current directory.
3. Type drestore a: c:\*.*/s/v/r
Notes Don't restore files unless you have verified that
Diskpack is compatible with your system by performing a
complete backup and compare.
11
Using Diskpack
Format
Options
Notes
Examples
Format The format of the Diskpack command is
[d:][path]DISKPACK [d:][path]filename[.ext] d: [options]
where
[d:][path]
before DISKPACK specifies the drive and path that
contains the Diskpack program.
[d:][path]
after DISKPACK specifies the drive and path that contain
the file(s) you want to back up (source).
filename[.ext]
specifies the file(s) you want to back up. Global file
name characters are allowed in the file name, and cause
all of the files matching the file name to be backed up.
d:
specifies the drive that will contain the backed up files
(target).
[options]
specifies optional parameters described below.
Options The following options can appear in the Diskpack
command.
12
/?
Display help.
/1
Do not prompt to insert the first backup disk.
/A
Do not change the archive bit of each file copied.
Without this option, Diskpack clears the archive bit of
each file it backs up. When cleared, the archive bit
indicates that a file has not been changed since it was
backed up. Whenever DOS writes to a file, it sets the
archive bit to mark it as changed. Normally, you should
omit this option so that /M can be used to back up files
that have been modified since the last backup.
/B
Beep when prompted to insert a disk.
/C[[d:][path]filename[.ext]]
Create a catalog file containing a list of all the files
backed up. You can specify the name of the catalog file
(and a drive and path). If you don't, the file
DISKPACK.CAT will be created in the current directory.
You cannot put the catalog file on the backup disk.
The catalog file is a DOS text file and can be viewed
using a text editor or displayed on the screen with the
DOS TYPE command.
type diskpack.cat
/Dmm-dd-yy
Back up files that have been modified on or after the
specified date. The format of the date specified must be
mm-dd-yy.
13
/H
Include hidden files. This will cause all files marked as
hidden to be included on the backup disks. If you're
backing up the root directory, the DOS hidden files
IBMBIO.COM and IBMDOS.COM will be copied. You can
avoid restoring these files to a system using a different
version of DOS with the dRestore /P1 option.
/I
Display registration information (unregistered version
only).
/M
Back up files that have been modified since the last
backup. A file has been modified if its archive bit is set
(see option /A).
/P
Display a (y/n)? prompt before copying each file. You
can choose to back up the file or not.
/S
Back up subdirectory files in addition to the files in the
specified or current directory.
/V
Display a verbose description of the back up process.
/W
Prompt the user to press a key before reading source
file(s).
Notes
o Press Ctrl-Break to stop Diskpack.
14
o New disks must be formatted with the DOS FORMAT
command.
o You can't back up to a hard disk.
o Files are backed up from the current directory if you do
not specify a path.
o Files are compressed as they are copied.
o You can't use the DIR command on backup disks. To get
a list of files, display the catalog file or use the dRestore
/D option.
o You can't use the COPY command to copy files contained
on backup disks.
o Use high quality disks.
o Do not use disks with bad sectors as backup disks.
Diskpack will check the File Allocation Table of each disk
and reject those that have clusters marked as bad.
o Diskpack erases files already present on the backup disks.
Examples The following example backs up all the files from
disk drive C to drive A.
diskpack c:\*.* a:/s
The following example backs up the file FILE.TXT from drive
C to drive A. A verbose description of the backup process
is displayed.
diskpack c:file.txt a:/v
15
The following example backs up all files from drive C that
have been modified since the date 01-01-88 to drive A.
diskpack c:\*.* a:/s/d01-01-88
The following example backs up all files from drive C to
drive A that have been modified since the last backup.
diskpack c:\*.* a:/s/m
The following example backs up all files in the current
directory to drive A and creates catalog file DISKPACK.CAT
in the current directory.
diskpack *.* a:/c
The following example backs up all files with an extension
WK1 in directory \123 and all subdirectories of \123 to drive
A.
diskpack \123\*.wk1 a:/s
16
Using dRestore
Format
Options
Notes
Examples
Format The format of the dRestore command is
[d:][path]DRESTORE d: [d:][path]filename[.ext] [options]
where
[d:][path]
before DRESTORE specifies the drive and path that
contain the dRestore program.
d:
specifies the drive that contains the backed up files
(source).
[d:][path]filename[.ext]
specifies the file(s) you want to restore and where you
want to restore them (target). Global file name
characters are allowed in the file name, and cause all of
the files matching the file name to be restored. The files
must be restored to the same directory they were in when
Diskpack copied them.
[options]
specifies the optional parameters described below.
Options The following options can appear in the dRestore
command.
/?
17
Display help.
/1
Do not prompt to insert the first backup disk.
/B
Beep when prompted to insert a disk.
/D
Display file names only. This operation takes as long as
restoring files, since dRestore must uncompress the data
on the backup disks to obtain the file names. If you
created a catalog file when backing up, it's faster to
display its contents with the DOS TYPE command.
type diskpack.cat
/I
Display registration information (unregistered version
only).
/P1
Display a (y/n)? prompt before restoring a file if it is
hidden or has been changed since it was last backed up.
You can choose to restore the file or not.
/P2
Display a (y/n)? prompt before restoring each file. You
can choose to restore the file or not.
/R
Restore files. If /R is omitted, dRestore will compare the
files on the backup disks with the target disk- not
restore them.
/S
18
Restore subdirectory files in addition to the files in the
specified or current directory.
/V
Display a verbose description of the restore process.
Notes
o Press Ctrl-Break to stop dRestore.
o The files being restored must have been placed on the
source with Diskpack.
o dRestore isn't as fast as Diskpack. Diskpack's
compression method was developed to be as fast as
possible even though some of the techniques used to
increase compression speed actually decrease the speed of
uncompression. This is a good tradeoff since Diskpack is
used more frequently than dRestore.
o You don't have to start with disk 1 when restoring files.
If you want to restore a single file from a set of backups,
start with the backup disk that contains the file (the
catalog lists each file and its disk number). If dRestore
doesn't find the file, try starting with the previous disk.
o Before formatting your hard disk, you should back it up
completely, compare the backup disks with your hard disk
to be sure you have a good copy, and back it up again on
another set of disks.
o dRestore will automatically create directories on the
target disk if they don't already exist.
Examples The following example compares the files on the
backup disks in drive A with the files on drive C. The files
19
are not restored.
drestore a: c:\*.*/s
The following example restores all files on the backup disks
from drive A to drive C.
drestore a: c:\*.*/s/r
The following example restores the file FILE.TXT from drive
A to drive C. A verbose description of the restore process
is displayed.
drestore a: c:file.txt/r/v
The following example restores all files from drive A that
were backed up from the current directory and prompts the
user before restoring each file.
drestore a: *.*/p2/r
The following example restores all files from drive A with
the extension WK1 that were backed up from the directory
\123 and all subdirectories of \123.
drestore a: \123\*.wk1/s/r
20
Notes
o You must reformat backup disks if you wish to use them
for another purpose.
o The red light on the disk drive will remain on during disk
changes. It does not harm the disk or drive to open the
drive door when the light is on.
21
Site License
Diskpack can be licensed on a per location basis which allows
a company to use it on a network or use multiple copies of
Diskpack without purchasing them individually. Pricing is
dependent on the number of copies and is very reasonable.
Please contact Biologic for further information.
22
Your Turn
We value you opinions. Please let us know what you like
and dislike about the Diskpack program and documentation.
We're dedicated to developing the most innovative and useful
software available- and selling it at reasonable prices. Your
support helps make this possible.
Please send all comments and suggestions to
Biologic Company
P.O. Box 1276
Manassas, VA 22110
USA
THANK YOU.
1
HRAM
Version 1.2
User's Guide
COPYRIGHT
This HRAM documentation and the software are copyrighted with all
rights reserved. Under the copyright laws, neither the
documentation nor the software may be copied, photocopied,
reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic medium or
machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without the prior
written consent of Biologic, except in the manner described in
this manual. The unregistered version of HRAM and accompanying
documentation may be freely copied and distributed.
Copyright (C) Biologic 1990-1992
All rights reserved. First edition printed 1990. Printed in the
United States.
Software License Notice
Your license agreement with Biologic, which is included with the
product, specifies the permitted and prohibited uses of the
product. Any unauthorized duplication or use of HRAM in whole or
in part, in print, or in any other storage and retrieval system
is forbidden.
Licenses and Trademarks
MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. HRAM
is a trademark of Biologic.
Biologic
POB 1267
Manassas VA
22110
USA
2
CONTENTS
License Agreement and Disclaimer of Warranty 3
Introduction 4
Notes on Memory and Memory Addresses 5
Testing Your Memory with Chkmem 9
Notes for 8088 and 80286 PCs 10
Notes for 80386 PCs 11
Condensed Instructions 12
hramdev.sys 14
hram.exe 16
hram.sys 20
Your Turn 22
3
LICENSE AGREEMENT AND DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY
License agreement
The terms of this license agreement apply to you and to any
subsequent licensee of this HRAM software. Biologic retains the
ownership of this copy of HRAM software. This copy is licensed
to you for use under the following conditions.
You may use the HRAM software on any compatible computer,
provided the HRAM software is used on only one computer and by
one user at a time.
You may not provide use of the software in a computer service
business, network, timesharing, multiple CPU or multiple user
arrangement to users who are not individually licensed by
Biologic, except that you may designate any employee to use
such products on a one employee per license basis.
You may not disassemble or decompile the HRAM software.
Disclaimer of warranty
Biologic excludes any and all implied warranties, including
warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular
purpose. Biologic does not make any warranty of representation,
either express or implied, with respect to this software program,
its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for a
particular purpose. Biologic shall not have any liability for
special, incidental, or consequential damages arising out of or
resulting from the use of this program.
4
INTRODUCTION
Description
HRAM is a powerful memory management program for 8088, 8086,
80286, 80386 and 80486 PCs that enhances the utilization of high
memory (memory between 640K and 1024K). It works in conjunction
with DOS 5 to create up to 96K of extra low DOS memory and up to
224K of high DOS memory for use by device drivers (such as
network drivers) and memory resident programs (TSRs). In
addition, it provides many of the necessary memory management
features DOS 5 left out:
HRAM creates high memory on 8088, 80286, and 80386 PCs (DOS 5
creates high memory on 386 PCs only.)
On 386 PCs, HRAM provides more high memory than DOS 5 by
thoroughly searching the area between 640K and 1024K and
converting ALL unused areas to high memory--memory that DOS 5
often overlooks
HRAM gives you an extra 64K of high memory for program
initialization by using expanded memory for loading drivers
and TSRs--this means you'll often load programs you couldn't
load before.
HRAM optimizes your high memory by automatically determining
which order and in which memory region your drivers and TSRs
should be loaded. This one step can easily double the
utilization of your high memory. (DOS 5 suggests that you
"experiment with different combinations and orders of
programs". When you consider that your high memory may
consist of several separate regions and that you probably use
up to a dozen drivers and TSRs, this process, without HRAM,
could require rebooting your PC thousands of times!)
Overview
HRAM is a set of programs that consists of:
hramdev.sys, a device driver that manages upper memory and can
fill unused upper memory areas with expanded memory or shadow
RAM.
hram.exe, a program that works in conjunction with the DOS
LOADHIGH command to optimally load TSRs into the high DOS
memory created by hramdev.sys. hram.exe also provides a
status report of high memory and lists the programs that have
been loaded into it.
hram.sys, a special driver that works in conjunction with the
5
DOS DEVICEHIGH command to optimally load device drivers into
high DOS memory.
A utility program, Chkmem, is included in the package and
provides information about the status of memory in your PC.
Requirements
A PC with a 8088, 8086, 80286, 80386 or 80486 microprocessor.
IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System (PC-DOS) or
Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) version 5.0 or
greater.
On 8088 and 80286 PCs, expanded memory version 4 or Chips &
Technologies shadow RAM.
Contents of the HRAM disk
The following files are included in the root directory of the
distribution disk.
hramdev.sys
hram.exe
hram.sys
chkmem.exe
read.me
There may also be a \freeware directory which contains
unregistered versions of our other software products.
6
NOTES ON MEMORY
AND MEMORY ADDRESSES
Conventional Memory
Conventional memory is located between 0K and 1024K and is the
maximum amount of memory that can be addressed by the 8088
microprocessor on which the IBM PC is based.1 The designers of
the original PC divided conventional memory space into a 640K
block of memory to be used by MS-DOS programs (low DOS memory)
and a 384K block of upper memory (which can be used for high DOS
memory) for system hardware and ROM. The term, conventional
memory, is sometimes used to refer just to memory from 0 to 640K.
Expanded Memory
Expanded memory is "paged" memory that can exist in 8088, 80286,
and 80386 based PCs. As the memory requirements of programs
grew, expanded memory was developed to support up to 32M of
memory by swapping small blocks or "pages" of extra memory into
the 1M address space of the 8088 processor so that only a few
pages are addressable at a time. Memory pages that are not in
use are stored as deactivated pages on an expanded memory board.
The original expanded memory specification, EMS version 3.2, was
developed jointly by Lotus, Intel, and Microsoft. Soon after,
AST and Ashton-Tate developed a similar, but enhanced,
specification called EEMS. These two specifications were
replaced by EMS version 4.0, which incorporated features of both
specifications.
Below is a summary of a few important features:
An expanded memory page is 16K in size.
Expanded memory that conforms to the version 3.2 specification
can be mapped only into a 64K region in high memory called the
page frame. EMS version 4.0 supports the mapping of expanded
memory into any location in conventional memory.
A software control program, called an expanded memory manager,
manages the placement of memory pages, and is typically loaded
by the config.sys file when your PC is turned on or restarted.
Extended Memory
Intel's newer processors, starting with the 80286, are capable of
____________________
11K equals 1,024 bytes. 1024K equals 1,048,576 bytes or 1
megabyte.
7
addressing memory above 1M--extended memory. Unfortunately, this
memory is not addressable when these processors are in a
processor state called real mode (a mode designed to maintain
compatibility with the 8088) and cannot be fully utilized when
using a real mode operating system such as MS-DOS.
The problem of accessing extended memory while running MS-DOS has
spawned several solutions:
On PCs that support extended memory, a feature of the ROM BIOS
allows programs to copy data between conventional and extended
memory. Although programs cannot execute in extended memory,
they can use it as storage space. Programs that take
advantage of this feature include RAM disks, print spoolers,
and 80286 expanded memory simulators.
Protected mode run-time environments which allow an
application program to execute in protected mode under MS-DOS.
80386 memory managers, like VRAM/386, that use the page
mapping capability of the 80386 processor to convert extended
memory into expanded memory and provide additional
conventional memory for use by MS-DOS.
Memory Addresses
Memory addresses and ranges are typically specified using
hexadecimal (hex) numbers. Hex numbers include the digits 0-9
and the letters A-F, giving 16 possible values for each hex
digit.
Conventional memory can be divided into 64 pages of 16K each.
These pages can be referred to as page 0, page 1, page 2, and so
on, or, as is the case in this manual, by their hexadecimal
segment addresses. Using this notation, page 0 is at segment 0,
page 1 is at segment 0400, page 2 is at segment 0800, etc. The
following table lists some page numbers and their corresponding
segment address and linear address:
Segment Linear
Page Address Address
________________________________
0 0000 0K
1 0400 16K
2 0800 32K
3 0c00 48K
4 1000 64K
5 1400 80K
8 2000 128K
12 3000 196K
40 a000 640K
44 b000 704K
8
63 fc00 1,008K
The first 40 pages (640K) of conventional memory are used by MS-
DOS and the other 24 pages are reserved for system hardware and
ROM. The exact usage of the upper 384K of conventional memory
depends on the hardware configuration of your machine; typically,
several blocks of this area are not used and are simply empty
space.
The table below lists the memory map of a typical PC:
Address
Range Description
________________________________________
0000-9fff low DOS memory (640K)
a000-bfff VGA display adapter (128K)
c000-c7ff hard disk controller (32K)
c800-cfff unused address space (32K)
d000-dfff expanded memory page frame (64K)
e000-efff unused address space (64K)
f000-ffff ROM
9
TESTING YOUR MEMORY WITH CHKMEM
The Chkmem program is a memory utility which displays the types
and amounts of memory in your PC. With it, you can determine the
current status of the upper memory area (the area between 640K
and 1024K) and the amount of high DOS memory that can be created
from it.
Enter the command [chkmem] (don't type the brackets) to display
the amount of upper memory that can be created on your PC.
Example output is shown below:
Biologic Chkmem, version 1.1
copyright (c) Biologic 1990-1991. all rights reserved.
655360 bytes conventional memory (low DOS memory)
0 bytes extended memory
351232 bytes available XMS memory
655360 bytes expanded memory
0 bytes high DOS memory
0 bytes upper memory blocks (UMBs)
0 bytes expanded memory can be converted to high DOS mem
0 bytes shadow ram can be converted to high DOS memory
163840 bytes unused areas can be converted to high DOS memory
163840 bytes high DOS memory can be created
If the last line in the listing, "bytes high DOS memory can be
created", is not 0, then HRAM can create and/or manage high
DOS memory on your PC.
If you have a 8088 or a 80286 PC and the listing shows that
the only available source of high DOS memory is "unused
areas", as in the example above, then you must add expanded
memory to your system. Read the section, "Notes for 8088 and
80286 PCs" for more information on installing expanded memory.
If you have expanded memory and only 65536 bytes (64K) can be
converted to high DOS memory, your expanded memory may not be
fully compatible with the EMS version 4.0 specification or it
may need to be configured differently. Read the section,
"Notes for 8088 and 80286 PCs" for more information on
configuring your expanded memory.
10
NOTES FOR 8088 AND 80286 PCS
1. HRAM can utilize shadow RAM provided on PCs with the NEAT
Chipset from Chips & Technologies. Expanded memory is not
required on PCs that have this chipset.
2. HRAM can also convert expanded memory to high DOS memory,
provided your expanded memory is hardware compatible with EMS
version 4.0. If the Chkmem program reported that only 65536
bytes of high DOS memory can be created from expanded memory,
then your expanded memory is either not hardware compatible
with EMS 4 or it needs to be reconfigured. Consult the
documentation for the board or contact your computer dealer to
make this determination (note: many memory boards are software
compatible with EMS 4 but are not fully compatible on a
hardware level).
3. If your expanded memory is hardware compatible with EMS 4 and
Chkmem reports that only 65536 bytes of high DOS memory can be
created from expanded memory, then you need to reconfigure
your expanded memory by changing the line in your config.sys
file that loads the expanded memory manager for the board.
Run the command [chkmem /c] to display a recommended command
line for your expanded memory manager.
4. If your expanded memory is not hardware compatible with EMS 4,
you can still create high DOS memory by using the hramdev /f
option. This option will give you 64K of high DOS memory, but
will make your expanded memory unavailable to other programs.
11
NOTES FOR 80386 PCS
1. HRAM can utilize shadow RAM provided on PCs with the AT/386
Chipset from Chips & Technologies. If you do not need to
convert extended memory to expanded, the expanded memory
manager, emm386.exe, is not required on PCs that have this
chipset.
12
CONDENSED INSTRUCTIONS
Creating high DOS memory
1. If you have a 386 PC or if you have EMS 4 expanded memory, you
need to add a [device=] line to your config.sys file which
loads your expanded memory manager. An expanded memory
manager is a single file which, typically, has "EMM" in its
name. If this line already exists in your config.sys file,
you may need to change the parameters so that your expanded
memory is configured correctly. If you are using shadow RAM
to create high DOS memory, you should skip this step.
80386 PCs: DOS 5 provides an expanded memory manager,
emm386.exe, for use on 386 PCs. If you have a 386 PC, you
should run the [chkmem /c] command to list the recommend
command line for emm386.exe, and add this line to your
config.sys file (or modify it if it already exists). This
line should be located immediately after the line
[device=himem.sys].
8088/80286 PCs: Run the command [chkmem /c] to list a
recommended command line for the expanded memory manager
that was provided with your memory board. You should add
this line to your config.sys file (or modify it if it
already exists). Since expanded memory managers are
different for every board, the syntax of this command may
differ slightly from what is displayed by [chkmem /c]. You
should consult the documentation for your memory board for
information on the exact syntax of this command.
2. Add the line [dos=umb] to your config.sys file.
3. Add the line [device=hramdev.sys] to your config.sys file.
This line should be located immediately after the line that
loads emm386.exe [device=emm386.exe] or, if you have a 8088 or
80286 PC, this line should be located immediately after the
line that loads the expanded memory manager for your memory
board. If you do not have expanded memory, this line should
be located near the beginning before any other [device=]
lines.
4. Reboot your PC and run the Chkmem program. Chkmem should
report a non-zero value for "bytes high DOS memory". Enter
the command [chkmem /h] to display the size and location of
the high DOS memory regions in your PC.
Optimizing high DOS memory
High DOS memory is utilized in two ways: (1) programs that
recognize this area will automatically take advantage of it, and
13
(2) TSRs and device drivers can be loaded into it with the DOS
commands DEVICEHIGH and LOADHIGH.
The process of loading programs high is complicated by the fact
that high DOS memory is a relatively small area, which may
consist of several regions of different sizes, and that, when
loaded, programs have an initialization size which may be much
larger (or smaller) than their resident size. Loading programs
in a different order or into different memory regions can
significantly increase the number of programs you are able to
load high.
HRAM provides features which allow you to gain optimum use of
your high DOS memory: it automatically determines the resident
size and initialization size of each of your drivers and TSRs, it
calculates the best configuration for your high memory, it allows
you to load a program into a specific region, and it provides an
extra 64K of memory for program initialization by temporarily
adding expanded memory to high DOS memory.
Follow the steps below to optimize your memory:
1. Add the /s option to the [device=hramdev.sys] line in your
config.sys file and add a new line as shown below:
device=hramdev.sys /s
device=hram.sys on
2. Reboot your PC.
3. Type the command [hram /l] to list the analysis of your
drivers and TSRs.
4. Type the command [hram /c] to list recommended commands for
loading your programs high and add these lines to your
config.sys and autoexec.bat files.
5. Remove the /s option from the [device=hramdev.sys] line in
your config.sys file and reboot your PC.
6. Use the [hram /m] command to list the programs that have been
loaded into high DOS memory.
14
HRAMDEV.SYS
Command reference
The format of the hramdev.sys command is
device=d:\path\hramdev.sys [options]
[options]
specifies the optional hramdev.sys parameters described in the
following section.
The following options can appear in the hramdev.sys command.
/f
Use the expanded memory page frame for high DOS memory. The
page frame is a 64K buffer in the high memory area into which
expanded memory pages are mapped. Although EMS version 4.0
supports mapping of expanded memory to areas outside the page
frame, most software programs, at a minimum, require the page
frame to be available. This option will create an additional
64K of high memory, but will, in most cases, prevent other
programs from utilizing expanded memory.
/i<addressrange>
Include address range. The memory range specified by
<addressrange> will be converted to high DOS memory. It must
be above a000 (hex). <addressrange> is specified with
hexadecimal segment addresses which must be multiples of 16K
(0000, 0400, 0800, 0c00, 1000, 1400, ...). For example, to
include the range c000 to c800 use the parameter [/ic000-
c800]. Multiple include ranges should be separated by commas.
For example, [/ic000-c800,e000-f000].
If /i is used, only the memory areas with the include range(s)
will be available as high DOS memory.
This option is useful only if there are mappable areas in high
memory that should not be under the control of hramdev.sys.
Normally, this option should not be used; hramdev.sys will
automatically convert all mappable high memory (excluding the
page frame) into high DOS memory.
/n
No pause on error. If hramdev.sys reports an error, it waits
for you to press a key. This option causes hramdev.sys to
continue without waiting for a key.
/p
Do not use expanded memory for program initialization.
Normally, HRAM provides extra memory for use by programs
15
during their initialization by temporarily adding 64K of
expanded memory to high DOS memory.
/s
Get size of programs. HRAM will calculate the resident size
and initialization size of every driver and TSR that is loaded
after it and write this information to the file
"\hram0000.dat" for use by the [hram /l] command. Programs
will not be loaded high when this option is used.
/x<addressrange>
Exclude address range. This option prevents hramdev.sys from
using a particular range of addresses. <addressrange> is
specified with hexadecimal segment addresses which must be
multiples of 16K. For example, to exclude the range c000 to
c800 use the parameter [/xc000-c800]. Multiple exclude ranges
should be separated by commas. For example, [/xc000-
c800,e000-f000].
16
HRAM.EXE
Displaying regions and programs in high memory
The command, [hram /m], will display a status report of the high
memory created by hramdev.sys. As illustrated in the following
example, the report lists the location and size of each high
memory region as well as the TSRs and drivers that have been
loaded:
Biologic HRAM, version 1.1
copyright (c) Biologic 1990-1991. all rights reserved.
region address size
------ --------- ----------------
0 b002-b7fd 32704 ( 31.9k)
1 c802-dfff 98272 ( 96.0k)
region address size program
------ --------- ---------------- -------
0 b003-b01b 400 ( 0.4k) (character device) setverxx
0 b01d-b122 4192 ( 4.1k) (character device) con
0 b124-b67d 21920 ( 21.4k) (character device) smartaar
0 b684-b6e0 1488 ( 1.5k) c:\util\unblink.com
0 b6e7-b7d9 3888 ( 3.8k) c:\util\calc.com
0 b7db-b7fd 560 ( 0.5k) (avail)
0 128 ( 0.1k) other allocated blocks
1 c803-cba0 14816 ( 14.5k) (character device) ms$mouse
1 cba7-cdcc 8800 ( 8.6k) c:\util\anarkey.com
1 cdd3-cdfe 704 ( 0.7k) c:\util\fastkey.com
1 ce05-ce27 560 ( 0.5k) c:\util\scrnsave.com
1 ce29-dfff 73072 ( 71.4k) (avail)
1 192 ( 0.2k) other allocated blocks
expanded memory page frame located at: e000
hram: off
Note that each region is identified by a number, starting with 0,
and that the report indicates into which region each TSR or
device driver has been loaded. The amount of available space
remaining in each region is listed also.
The command, [hram /a], will list the raw memory allocations in
high memory.
Loading TSRs into high DOS memory
hram.exe, itself, does not load programs into high memory, it
works in conjunction with DOS to improve the function of the
17
LOADHIGH command. hram.exe provides a way to load a program into
a specific memory region and provides an extra 64K for program
initialization by temporarily converting expanded memory to high
DOS memory. To illustrate, suppose you wish to load a TSR
program, called Notepad, into high DOS memory. The command you
normally use to load it into low memory is:
notepad /i
The command to load it into high memory, without using HRAM,
would be:
loadhigh notepad /i
The commands to load the program into the second memory region in
high memory (regions are numbered starting with 0) and provide an
additional 64K of memory would be:
hram on /r1
loadhigh notepad /i
hram off
Although the LOADHIGH command alone will load notepad into high
memory, it will load it into the first available high memory
region; the advantage to using HRAM is that it will force
LOADHIGH to load it into a specific region. This is an important
feature, since in order to gain optimum use of high memory, your
programs should be loaded into the region recommended by HRAM
(with the [hram /l] command). In addition, suppose you have 100K
of high memory, but the notepad program requires 150K for
initialization. Without HRAM, there would not be enough high
memory and LOADHIGH would load it into low memory. Since HRAM
provides an additional 64K for initialization, the program would
be successfully loaded high.
The HRAM command can be executed at the DOS prompt or it can be
used within a batch file (usually your autoexec.bat file). When
the HRAM command is executed without any parameters, [hram], it
reports the current status of HRAM--on or off.
Command reference
The format of the HRAM command is
hram [on|off] [options]
[on|off]
specifies whether HRAM should be "on" or "off". When HRAM is
on, programs can only be loaded into the memory region
specified on the HRAM command line (with the /r option) and
64K of expanded memory is temporarily converted to high DOS
18
memory.
[options]
specifies the optional HRAM parameters described in the
following section.
The following options can appear in the HRAM command.
/?
Display help.
/7
Increase low DOS memory size to 704K or 736K. If a high DOS
memory region exists at the address a002h (use the command
[hram /m] to display these regions), the command [hram /7]
will add this region to the low dos memory pool and increase
its size to 704K or 736K. The /7 option can only be used if
no programs have been loaded into the region at a002h.
Programs cannot be loaded high after this option has been
used.
/a
List raw memory allocations in high DOS memory. Use this
option to display the memory control blocks that have been
allocated from high memory.
/c
List recommended config.sys and autoexec.bat files. When the
/s option is added to the hramdev.sys command and your PC is
rebooted, information about the memory requirements of your
drivers and TSRs is written to the file "\hram0000.dat". The
command [hram /c] analyzes this information and displays a
list of recommended commands for your config.sys and
autoexec.bat files.
/i
Display registration information. This option causes hram.exe
to list information about registering your copy of HRAM. If
you have not purchased a registered copy of HRAM, and you
continue to use it after a reasonable testing period, you are
required to register your copy.
/l
List analysis of programs. When the /s option is added to the
hramdev.sys command and your PC is rebooted, information about
the memory requirements of your drivers and TSRs is written to
the file "\hram0000.dat". The command [hram /l] analyzes this
information and displays the optimum load order and memory
region for each program.
/m
List regions and programs in high DOS memory. [hram /m] lists
a status report of high memory, including the size and
location of each memory region and program or device driver.
Read the previous section, "Displaying regions and programs in
high memory", for more information.
/n
No pause on error. If hram.exe reports an error, it waits for
you to press a key. This option causes hram.exe to continue
without waiting for a key.
19
/o<order>
Set program load order. This option is useful only if you
have a program which must be loaded before one or more other
programs. For example, to ensure that program1.exe is loaded
before program2.exe and program3.exe, include these commands
in your autoexec.bat file:
hram on /o1
program1
hram on /o2
program2
program3
hram on
To ensure that program1.exe is loaded before program2.exe and
that program2.exe is loaded before program3.exe, use these
commands:
hram on /o1
program1
hram on /o2
program2
hram on /o3
program3
hram on
This option is valid only if the /s option is used on the
hramdev.sys command line. Otherwise, it is ignored.
/p
Do not temporarily convert 64K of expanded memory to high DOS
memory for use during program initialization.
/r<region>
Load into memory region number <region>. This option causes
LOADHIGH to load one or more programs into the specified
memory region. For example, the following commands would load
the programs, notepad.exe and calc.exe, into memory region 1
(memory regions are numbered starting with 0):
hram on /r1
loadhigh notepad
loadhigh calc
hram off
Without this option, LOADHIGH loads programs into the first
memory region in which they fit.
20
HRAM.SYS
Like hram.exe, hram.sys does not load programs into high memory,
it works in conjunction with DOS to improve the function of the
DEVICEHIGH command. hram.sys provides a way to load a device
driver into a specific memory region and provides an extra 64K
for driver initialization by temporarily converting expanded
memory to high DOS memory. To illustrate, suppose you wish to
load the device driver, ansi.sys, into high DOS memory. The
command you normally use to load it into low memory is:
device=ansi.sys
The command to load it into high memory, without using HRAM,
would be:
devicehigh=ansi.sys
The commands to load the program into the second memory region in
high memory (regions are numbered starting with 0) and provide an
additional 64K of memory would be:
device=hram.sys on /r1
devicehigh=ansi.sys
device=hram.sys off
Command reference
The format of the hram.sys command is
device=hram.sys [on|off] [options]
[on|off]
specifies whether HRAM should be "on" or "off". When HRAM is
on, programs can only be loaded into the memory region
specified on the HRAM command line (with the /r option) and
64K of expanded memory is temporarily converted to high DOS
memory.
[options]
specifies the optional HRAM parameters described in the
following section.
The following options can appear in the HRAM command.
/n
No pause on error. If hram.sys reports an error, it waits for
you to press a key. This option causes hram.sys to continue
without waiting for a key.
21
/o<order>
Set program load order. This option is useful only if you
have a program which must be loaded before one or more other
programs. For example, to ensure that program1.sys is loaded
before program2.sys and program3.sys, include these commands
in your config.sys file:
device=hram.sys on /o1
device=program1.sys
device=hram.sys on /o2
device=program2.sys
device=program3.sys
device=hram on
This option is valid only if the /s option is used on the
hramdev.sys command line. Otherwise, it is ignored.
/p
Do not temporarily convert 64K of expanded memory to high DOS
memory for use during program initialization.
/r<region>
Load into memory region number <region>. This option causes
DEVICEHIGH to load one or more programs into the specified
memory region. For example, the following commands would load
the programs, notepad.sys and calc.sys, into memory region 1
(memory regions are numbered starting with 0):
device=hram.sys on /r1
devicehigh=notepad.sys
devicehigh=calc.sys
device=hram.sys off
Without this option, DEVICEHIGH loads drivers into the first
memory region in which they fit.
22
YOUR TURN
We value you opinions. Please let us know what you like and
dislike about the HRAM program and user's guide. We're dedicated
to developing the most innovative and useful software available--
and selling it at reasonable prices. Your support helps make
this possible.
Please send all comments and suggestions to
Biologic
POB 1267
Manassas VA
22110
USA
THANK YOU.
1
min-mem
Version 2.11
User's Guide
NOTE:
Version 2.11 includes two new program files, min-meme.exe and
min-memx.exe, which load TSRs into expanded memory and extended
memory, respectively. As discussed in the min-mem user's guide,
the min-mem.exe program swaps TSRs to your disk. To load TSRs
into expanded or extended memory, follow the directions in the
user's guide, but substitute one of these new programs for min-
mem.exe.
2
Copyright This min-mem documentation and the software are
copyrighted with all rights reserved. Under the copyright laws,
neither the documentation nor the software may be copied,
photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic
medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without the
prior written consent of Biologic, except in the manner described
in this manual. The unregistered version of min-mem and
accompanying documentation may be freely copied and distributed.
Copyright (C) Biologic 1989-1991.
All rights reserved. First edition printed 1989. Printed in the
United States.
Software License Notice Your license agreement with Biologic,
which is included with the product, specifies the permitted and
prohibited uses of the product. Any unauthorized duplication or
use of min-mem in whole or in part, in print, or in any other
storage and retrieval system is forbidden.
Licenses and Trademarks PC Tools is a registered trademark of
Central Point Software, Inc. Metro is a registered trademark of
Lotus Corporation. PC-DOS is a registered trademark of
International Business Machines, Inc. SideKick is a registered
trademark of Borland International, Inc. Homebase is a
registered trademark of Brown Bag Software Inc. min-mem is a
registered trademark of Biologic.
Biologic
POB 1267
Manassas, VA
22110
USA
703-368-2949
3
Contents
License Agreement and Disclaimer of Warranty 5
Introduction 6
Condensed Instructions 8
Installation 9
Using min-mem 11
Command Reference 12
Error Messages 15
Notes 16
Site License 17
Your Turn 18
4
5
License Agreement and Disclaimer of Warranty
License agreement
Disclaimer of warranty
License agreement The terms of this license agreement apply to
you and to any subsequent licensee of this min-mem software.
Biologic retains the ownership of this copy of min-mem software.
This copy is licensed to you for use under the following
conditions.
You may use the min-mem software on any compatible computer,
provided the min-mem software is used on only one computer
and by one user at a time.
You may not provide use of the software in a computer
service business, network, timesharing, multiple CPU or
multiple user arrangement to users who are not individually
licensed by Biologic, except that you may designate any
employee to use such products on a one employee per license
basis.
You may not disassemble or decompile the min-mem software.
Disclaimer of warranty Biologic excludes any and all implied
warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness
for a particular purpose. Biologic does not make any warranty of
representation, either express or implied, with respect to this
software program, its quality, performance, merchantability, or
fitness for a particular purpose. Biologic shall not have any
liability for special, incidental, or consequential damages
arising out of or resulting from the use of this program.
6
Introduction
Description
Overview
Highlights
Requirements
Contents of the min-mem disk
Description min-mem frees up memory for large programs by
swapping memory resident programs (TSRs) to your disk--giving you
instant access to up to 24 popup programs such as SideKick, PC
Tools, and Lotus Metro while using only 15K of memory.
Overview A memory resident program, as its name implies, is
installed in memory and remains there until your PC is turned off
or rebooted. Popup programs, such as SideKick, are memory
resident and can be "popped up" instantly and used while running
any other program. A disadvantage of installing a popup program
is that it must occupy a significant portion of conventional
memory that becomes unavailable to other applications.
min-mem provides a solution to this problem by individually
loading each of your popup programs and writing a memory image of
the popup to your disk. The memory used by the popup is then
released back to the operating system. The min-mem program
itself remains resident and uses 15K of memory.
min-mem acts like any other popup program. When you press the
min-mem key combination, min-mem displays a list of your popups
and allows you to select one by moving the highlight bar and
pressing Enter or by pressing a single key. A section of your
memory is saved to disk, and the selected popup is loaded in its
place. Pressing the popup's hotkey will activate the program as
usual.
When you exit the popup and min-mem, the section of memory that
was saved to your disk is restored, and you'll return to your
original program.
Highlights
min-mem can be popped up at any time, within any
application, to load and run a TSR program.
All of your TSRs are displayed in a menu and can be selected
with a highlight bar or a single keystroke.
Does not required setting aside memory for the largest TSR
like similar programs.
Compatible with all TSRs.
7
Uses only 15K of memory. Frees all memory used by TSRs.
Eliminates conflicts between TSRs and between applications
and TSRs. Enables any TSR to pop up within a graphics
program.
Requirements
IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System (PC-DOS) or
Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) version 2.0 or
greater.
Fixed disk or network disk. Disk free space must be equal
to or greater than the amount of total memory used by your
popup programs.
Contents of the min-mem disk The following files are included
in the root directory of the distribution disk.
min-mem.exe
min-meme.exe
min-memx.exe
read.me
There may also be a \freeware directory which contains
unregistered versions of our other software products.
8
Condensed Instructions
The following instructions briefly describe the installation and
use of min-mem. If you are a knowledgeable computer user, you
should be able to get min-mem working by following these steps.
More detailed information can be found in the sections,
"Installation", "Using min-mem", and "Command Reference".
1. Copy the file, min-mem.exe, to the directory that has your
utility programs.
2. Create a text file which lists your popup programs and the
parameters needed to load them. Be sure to include a path
for each TSR and its file name extension. For example, the
following would load SideKick and PC Tools.
\sk\sk.com
\pctools\pcshell.exe /r
3. Run the min-mem program and use the /f parameter to specify
the text file which lists your TSRs. For example, if the
file you created in step 2 is called min-mem.txt, enter the
command1
min-mem /fmin-mem.txt
4. To use min-mem, press the Ctrl and Alt keys simultaneously
and follow the directions on the screen.
____________________
1The file name specified with the /f parameter can include a
path.
9
Installation
Copying min-mem
Configuring min-mem
Copying min-mem The file, min-mem.exe, should be copied to the
directory on your hard disk you use for utility programs. You
should have a command in your autoexec.bat file which includes
this directory in your path so that your utility programs,
including min-mem, can be executed from any directory on your
hard drive.2 The following installation procedure assumes you
have a directory named \util in the root directory of drive C.
1. Insert the distribution disk in drive A.
2. Type [copy a:min-mem.exe c:\util] (don't type the brackets).
Configuring min-mem Before running the min-mem program, you
must create a file which lists the popup programs you want min-
mem to load. The file should be a standard DOS text file and can
be created using the DOS edlin program or any other editor or
word processor. You can also create the file by copying from the
console device as shown in the example below.
Each line in the file should list the name of a TSR, including
its path and file name extension, and the parameters, if any, you
normally use to load the TSR. The following procedure will
create a file, named min-mem.txt, that will load Sidekick and PC
Tools.3
1. Type [copy con \util\min-mem.txt] and press Enter (don't
type the brackets).
2. Type [\sk\sk.com] and press Enter.
3. Type [\pctools\pcshell.exe /r] and press Enter.
4. Press the F6 function key and Enter.
Some TSRs, such as Homebase (Brown Bag Software), consist of a
group of programs that are loaded separately. To instruct min-
mem to load several files together in memory, enclosed them with
braces in the file specified by the /f parameter. For example,
____________________
2Read about the path command in your DOS manual.
3This examples assumes ctr-alt.exe is in the directory
\util, SideKick is in the directory \sk, and PC Tools is in the
directory \pctools. If this is not the case on your system,
substitute the correct directory names in this example.
10
the following lines would load SideKick and Homebase.4
{
\homebase\hbkernel.com k=128 8 @ c12
\homebase\hbasync.com
\homebase\hbvsi.com 35k
\homebase\hb.exe z -k
}
\sk\sk.com
Normally, the min-mem menu will list the filename of each TSR it
has loaded. If you would like min-mem to list another name for a
TSR, indicate this by adding a line with the format
/name newname
where newname is the name of up to 12 characters to be displayed
on the min-mem menu. This line and the line (or lines) which load
the TSR should be enclosed by braces. The following example
would load SideKick and display "sidekick" on the menu.
{
\sk\sk.com
/name sidekick
}
____________________
4In order to install Homebase correctly, make "\homebase"
the current directory before executing the min-mem command.
11
Using min-mem
The min-mem command
Popping up min-mem
The min-mem command After you've created the file that lists
your TSRs you can execute the min-mem command. Use the /f
parameter to specify the name of the file which lists your TSRs
as shown in the example below.
min-mem /f\util\min-mem.txt
If, after executing this command, the message
Bad command or file name
is displayed, DOS was unable to find min-mem.exe. The directory
which contains min-mem.exe must be in DOS PATH. If you received
the message
min-mem : error C0006: can't open program name list
then min-mem was unable to find the file you entered on the min-
mem command line. Be sure the file name you entered includes the
correct file name extension and path. In other words, for the
example above the file, min-mem.txt, must be in the directory
\util.
Popping up min-mem Press the Ctrl and Alt keys simultaneously
to pop up min-mem.5 min-mem will display the names of your TSRs
and allow you to select one by either moving a highlight bar and
pressing Enter or pressing the letter next its name. After min-
mem loads the selected TSR into memory, it can be activated by
pressing its hotkey, and will work just as if it had been
resident in memory.
When you exit the TSR, you can press Esc to return to the min-mem
menu, where you can select another TSR or press Esc to exit.
____________________
5Use the Ctrl key on the left if your keyboard has two Ctrl
keys.
12
Command Reference
Format
Parameters
Format The format of the min-mem command is
min-mem [parameters]
where
[parameters]
specifies the min-mem parameters described in the following
section.
Parameters The following parameters can appear in the min-mem
command. The /f parameter, as described in the section "Using
min-mem", specifies the TSRs to be loaded and is required. The
other parameters are provide to increase flexibility only and are
not required. It is not necessary that you know how to use them.
/?
Display help.
/dd:path
Drive/path for paging file. This parameter specifies the
location of the paging file, min-mem0.dat, that min-mem
uses to store a memory image of your TSRs. If you omit this
parameter, the paging file is placed in the root directory
of the default drive. For example, this parameter places
the paging file in the root directory of drive D, [/dd:].
If you need to put the file in a directory other than the
root, you can specify a path also. For example,
[/dd:\private\].
/fname
Program name list. This parameter specifies the name of the
text file which lists the TSRs min-mem should load. Each
TSR should be listed on a separate line. Include a path and
a file name extension. Read the sections "Installation" and
"Using min-mem" for more information on the /f parameter.
13
/hscancode
Alternate hotkey. Use this parameter to change the hotkey
that pops up min-mem. scancode specifies the scan code of
the key, in combination with the Alt key, that will pop up
min-mem. For example, the Alt-Left Shift hotkey would be
specified by [/h42].
Scan codes for the IBM PC keyboard can be obtained in any
hardware reference manual; a few are listed below.
Key Scan Code
Left Shift 42
Right Shift 54
Space 57
Esc 1
/q
Quick install. This causes min-mem to bypass its normal
initialization procedure of loading each TSR and writing a
memory image of it to disk, by using an image file that was
created previously. The image file, min-mem0.dat, must be
located in the root directory of the default drive6 and must
have been created by a previous invocation of the min-mem
command that did not include the /q parameter. It is also
necessary that, when using /q, min-mem be loaded in exactly
the same place in memory as when /q was not used.
This option is most useful when min-mem is executed by
autoexec.bat. This ensures that it will be consistently
placed in the same memory location unless your config.sys or
autoexec.bat files are altered. To do this successfully,
add the min-mem command, without the /q parameter, to your
autoexec.bat file and reboot. After min-mem has been
installed and the image file created, add the /q parameter
to the min-mem command line in your autoexec.bat file and
reboot again.
/r
Restore screen after loading TSR. After loading a TSR,
instead of displaying the message "Program loaded", min-mem
will restore the screen as it appeared before min-mem was
popped up. This is useful when running a TSR, such as an
envelope printing program, that reads characters from the
screen. Remember to press the hotkey after loading the TSR
and to press Esc after exiting the TSR to return to the min-
mem menu.
____________________
6Unless another drive and/or directory is specified with the
/d parameter.
14
/v
Don't change video mode. This parameter causes min-mem to
never change the video mode of the display. Normally, when
popping up in a graphics screen, min-mem changes the display
to text mode and then restores the original graphics mode
when exiting. Although unlikely, if min-mem is incompatible
with a program that uses a graphics mode, you can avoid
problems by using this parameter. Although the min-mem menu
or messages will not be displayed, min-mem will work the
same as usual--you just have to remember which letter loads
a particular TSR and to press Esc twice after exiting the
TSR.
15
Error Messages
already installed min-mem is already installed.
can't install The min-mem program is not compatible with your
computer system.
can't open program name list The file name specified with the
/f parameter does not exist. If you specified a path, verify
that the file is in that directory. If you did not specify a
path, the file must be in the current directory.
min-mem0.dat file not found The image file, min-mem0.dat, does
not exist in the root directory of the default drive or in the
drive and/or directory you specified with the /d parameter.
invalid parameter At least one of the parameters on the command
line is invalid. Read the section, "Command Reference".
no programs were loaded min-mem was unable to load any of the
programs specified in the program name list or none of them are
TSRs.
not enough disk space There is not enough disk space to save a
memory image of each TSR. You must increase the free disk space
on your disk or reduce the number of TSRs loaded by min-mem.
program did not stay resident The program loaded by min-mem did
not stay resident in memory and cannot be reloaded from the min-
mem menu. If the program is a TSR, then you may have omitted a
parameter which causes the program to stay resident. For
example, PC Tools requires the /r parameter to be installed as a
TSR. Read the section "Installation".
program not found At least one of the programs listed in the
file specified by the /f parameter was not found. Be sure that
the path you specified for each program is correct and that each
file has a file name extension. Read the sections
"Installation", "Using min-mem", and "Command Reference" for more
information on the /f parameter.
16
Notes
When min-mem is popped up on a screen in graphics mode,
garbage characters may be displayed around the min-mem
window. This is normal. The original graphics screen will
be restored when you exit min-mem.
17
Site License
min-mem can be licensed on a per location basis which allows a
company to use it on a network or use multiple copies of min-mem
without purchasing them individually. Pricing is dependent on
the number of copies and is very reasonable. Please contact
Biologic for further information.
18
Your Turn
We value you opinions. Please let us know what you like and
dislike about the min-mem program and documentation. We're
dedicated to developing the most innovative and useful software
available--and selling it at reasonable prices. Your support
helps make this possible.
Please send all comments and suggestions to
Biologic
P.O. Box 1267
Manassas, VA 22110
USA
THANK YOU.
19
20
1
VRAM
Version 4.21
User's Guide
2
Copyright This VRAM documentation and the software are
copyrighted with all rights reserved. Under the copyright laws,
neither the documentation nor the software may be copied,
photocopied, reproduced, translated, or reduced to any electronic
medium or machine-readable form, in whole or in part, without the
prior written consent of Biologic, except in the manner described
in this manual. The unregistered version of VRAM and
accompanying documentation may be freely copied and distributed.
Copyright (C) Biologic 1986-1991.
All rights reserved. First edition printed 1986. Printed in the
United States.
Software License Notice Your license agreement with Biologic,
which is included with the product, specifies the permitted and
prohibited uses of the product. Any unauthorized duplication or
use of VRAM in whole or in part, in print, or in any other
storage and retrieval system is forbidden.
Licenses and Trademarks DESQview is a registered trademark of
Quarterdeck Office Systems, Inc. 1-2-3 and Symphony are
registered trademarks of Lotus Corporation. MS-DOS, Excel, and
Windows are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation. PC-
DOS is a registered trademark of International Business Machines,
Inc. Quattro is a registered trademark of Borland International,
Inc. VRAM is a registered trademark of Biologic. WordPerfect is
a registered trademark of WordPerfect Corporation.
Biologic
7950 Blue Gray Circle
Manassas, VA 22110-2829
USA
703-368-2949
3
Contents
License Agreement and Disclaimer of Warranty 4
Introduction 5
Condensed Instructions 8
Installation 9
Examples 10
Command Reference 11
Notes about specific software packages 14
Error Messages 17
Notes 18
Site License 19
Your Turn 20
4
License Agreement and Disclaimer of Warranty
License agreement
Disclaimer of warranty
License agreement The terms of this license agreement apply to
you and to any subsequent licensee of this VRAM software.
Biologic retains the ownership of this copy of VRAM software.
This copy is licensed to you for use under the following
conditions.
You may use the VRAM software on any compatible computer,
provided the VRAM software is used on only one computer and
by one user at a time.
You may not provide use of the software in a computer
service business, network, timesharing, multiple CPU or
multiple user arrangement to users who are not individually
licensed by Biologic, except that you may designate any
employee to use such products on a one employee per license
basis.
You may not disassemble or decompile the VRAM software.
Disclaimer of warranty Biologic excludes any and all implied
warranties, including warranties of merchantability and fitness
for a particular purpose. Biologic does not make any warranty of
representation, either express or implied, with respect to this
software program, its quality, performance, merchantability, or
fitness for a particular purpose. Biologic shall not have any
liability for special, incidental, or consequential damages
arising out of or resulting from the use of this program.
5
Introduction
Description
Expanded Memory
Extended Memory
Overview
Highlights
VRAM vs. Expanded Memory
Requirements
Contents of the VRAM disk
Description VRAM creates up to 32 megabytes of memory by using
disk space or extended memory to simulate expanded memory.
Expanded Memory Expanded memory was introduced so that programs
such as Lotus 1-2-3 could have access to memory above the 640K
conventional memory limit. Although the 8088 microprocessor
cannot support more than 1 megabyte, a way was developed to let
programs use large amounts of memory by paging in sections of
memory as they are needed.1 Memory that is not in use is stored
as deactivated pages on an expanded memory board.
The original expanded memory specification, LIM EMS version 3.2,
was developed jointly by Lotus, Intel, and Microsoft. Soon
after, AST and Ashton-Tate developed a similar, but enhanced,
specification called EEMS. These two specifications were
replaced by LIM EMS version 4.0, which incorporated features of
both specifications.2
Extended Memory Extended memory is memory above 1 megabyte that
can be accessed when the 80286 or 80386 chip is in protected
mode. Since the DOS operating system runs in real mode and
cannot execute programs in extended memory, the utility of this
memory is limited.3
Overview VRAM breaks the 640K memory barrier--creating up to 32
megabytes of expanded memory--by using disk space or extended
memory to simulate expanded memory. No add-on memory boards are
required. Instead of storing deactivated pages on an expanded
memory board, as actual expanded memory managers do, VRAM stores
them in a temporary file on your hard disk or in extended memory
and copies them to conventional memory as needed, giving
____________________
1The 80286 and 80386 processors are limited to 1M of memory
in real mode. 384K is reserved for video buffers and ROM.
2Programs written for LIM 3.2 are compatible with LIM 4.0.
3The DOS program, vdisk.sys, can be used to turn extended
memory into a ram disk.
6
applications the illusion that they have more memory than
actually exists in your computer. Except for an occasional disk
read/write, applications will operate just as if an expanded
memory board is present.
VRAM can be loaded as a memory resident program or loaded
temporarily while using a program that requires expanded memory.
Optional command line parameters allow you to specify the
expanded memory size and whether to use disk space or extended
memory as expanded memory.
Highlights
Compatible with almost all programs that support any version
of the Lotus/Intel/Microsoft expanded memory specification.
Allows the creation of very large worksheets in Lotus 1-2-3,
Symphony, Quattro, Excel, and other software.
Compatible with windowing software such as Microsoft Windows
and DESQview.
Supports version 4.0 of LIM EMS. All functions are
supported, not just a subset.
Runs on any PC that uses PC-DOS or MS-DOS.
Supports all fixed disk drive types, including network
drives.
Occupies memory only while in use.
Allows placement of the page frame in unused memory above
the 640K DOS limit.
VRAM vs. Expanded Memory
VRAM costs less than expanded memory.
VRAM is slower that expanded memory. Expanded memory boards
use bank switching to swap pages between expanded and
conventional memory almost instantaneously; VRAM must read
and write your disk or perform extended memory block moves.
VRAM may have to allocate a 64K page frame in conventional
memory into which it swaps expanded memory pages. Expanded
memory boards use a page frame located above video memory
and do not use conventional memory. You can avoid using
conventional memory for the page frame if you have 64K of
7
unused memory above the DOS limit.4
Requirements
IBM Personal Computer Disk Operating System (PC-DOS) or
Microsoft Disk Operating System (MS-DOS) version 2.0 or
greater.
Minimum 256K of conventional memory. VRAM uses 25K of
memory and may allocate 64K for the page frame. You must
have enough memory left over to load any software you are
using with VRAM.
Fixed disk or network disk. Disk free space must be equal
to or greater than the amount of simulated expanded memory.
(required only if disk space is used to simulate expanded
memory).
Contents of the VRAM disk The following files are included in
the root directory of the distribution disk.
vram.exe
read.me
There may also be a \freeware directory which contains
unregistered versions of our other software products.
____________________
4Read about the /b option in the Command Reference section.
8
Condensed Instructions
The following instructions briefly describe the installation and
use of VRAM. If you are a knowledgeable computer user, you
should be able to get VRAM working by following these steps.
More detailed information can be found in the sections,
Installation, Examples, and Command Reference.
1. Copy the file, vram.exe, to the directory that has your utility
programs.
2. To load VRAM temporarily while using a program that requires
expanded memory, use the format
vram [parameters] program [program parameters]
3. To load VRAM as a memory resident program, use the format
vram [parameters] /m
4. Use the /s parameter to specify the amount of expanded memory
desired. For example, [vram /s512 /m] (don't type the brackets).
5. Specify the /e parameter to use extended memory as expanded
memory. Or, if you have loaded the himem.sys driver in your
config.sys file, use the /x parameter. If you do not use /e
or /x, disk space will be used to simulate expanded memory.
9
Installation
The file, vram.exe, should be copied to the directory on your
hard disk you use for utility programs. You should have a
command in your autoexec.bat file which includes this directory
in your path so that your utility programs, including VRAM, can
be executed from any directory on your hard drive.5 The
following installation procedure assumes you have a directory
called \util in the root directory of drive C.
1. Put the distribution disk in drive A.
2. Type [copy a:*.* c:\util] (don't type the brackets).
____________________
5Read about the path command in your DOS manual.
10
Examples
The following example instructs VRAM to create 512K of
expanded memory using disk space, and execute Lotus 1-2-3.
When you exit 1-2-3, VRAM will unload itself from memory.
vram /s512 123
The following command will temporarily load VRAM, turn 384K
of extended memory into expanded memory, and execute 1-2-3.
vram /s384 /e 123
The following example runs Excel after creating 1024K of
expanded memory from disk space. The /d parameter tells
VRAM to put the paging file on drive D.
vram /s1024 /dd: excel
The following example loads VRAM as a memory resident
program and creates 512K of expanded memory from disk space.
This expanded memory will be available to all programs until
your PC is rebooted.
vram /s512 /m
The following example turns 512K of extended memory into
expanded memory. WordPerfect is loaded and it retrieves the
file, letter.wp, for editing. The /r parameter tells
WordPerfect to store part of itself in expanded memory.
vram /s512 /e wp letter.wp /r
11
Command Reference
Format
Parameters
Format The format of the VRAM command is
VRAM [parameters] [program] [program parameters]
where
[parameters]
specifies the optional VRAM parameters described in the
following section.
[program]
specifies the program you want to run with VRAM if you are
not installing VRAM as a memory resident program.
[program parameters]
specifies the parameters for the program you are running
with VRAM if you are not installing VRAM as a memory
resident program.
Parameters The following parameters can appear in the VRAM
command.
/?
Display help.
/dd:path
Drive/path for paging file. This parameter specifies the
location of the paging file, vram0000.dat, when using disk
space to simulate expanded memory. If you omit this
parameter, the paging file is placed in the root directory
of the default drive. For example, this parameter places
the paging file in the root directory of drive D, [/dd:].
If you need to put the file in a directory other than the
root, you can specify a path also. For example,
[/dd:\private\].
/e
Use extended memory. With this parameter, extended memory
is used to simulate expanded memory. If this parameter is
omitted, disk space is used instead.
/f
Erase paging file when exiting. This parameter instructs
VRAM to erase the paging file when it exits. In normal use,
you should not use this parameter so that VRAM won't have to
create the file every time it starts. You can also delete
the paging file with the DOS ERASE command.
12
/x
Use XMS memory. With this parameter, XMS memory
is used to simulate expanded memory. XMS memory is extended
memory that is under the control of the device driver,
himem.sys. If you load himem.sys in your config.sys file,
you should use the /x option instead of /e.
/m
Install as a memory resident program. This parameter tells
VRAM to install itself permanently in memory. The expanded
memory created by VRAM will be available to all programs
until your PC is rebooted. If you do not specify this
parameter, VRAM will remain loaded only while you run the
program you entered on the VRAM command line and, therefore,
will not occupy memory when not in use.
/skbytes
Expanded memory size. This parameter specifies the amount
of simulated expanded memory in 1K increments. 128K of
expanded memory is created if this parameter is omitted.
For example, 1024K of expanded memory would be specified by
[/s1024].
Advanced Parameters The following options are provided to
increase flexibility only and are not required. It is not
necessary that you know how to use them.
/bsegment
Page frame base address. segment specifies the hexadecimal
segment address of the start of the page frame. The page
frame is a 64K buffer into which expanded memory pages are
swapped. If you omit this parameter, VRAM allocates 64K of
conventional memory for the page frame.
This parameter is useful only if you have 64K of unused
memory between 640K and 1M, such as memory that is provided
on expansion boards for ram disks. VRAM does not test if
this memory exists or if it is unused. For example, to use
a block of memory immediately above 640K, use the parameter
[/bA000].
/c
Map conventional memory. This parameter instructs VRAM to
allow mapping of expanded memory pages into all of
conventional memory--not just the page frame. Use this
parameter only if an application requires it.
13
/g
Ignore dos critical flag. This parameter instructs VRAM to
ignore the DOS critical flag when using DOS to read and
write the paging file. It must be specified when using VRAM
in a DESQview window.
Since DOS is not re-entrant and may fail if processing more
than one request at a time, VRAM checks the DOS critical
flag before performing a mapping request and will return a
busy status if it finds that DOS is already running.6 This
will occur only when using a memory resident program that
utilizes expanded memory or when using windowing software
that performs multitasking. Although DESQview may interrupt
DOS while allocating processing time between applications,
it is done intelligently, making it safe for VRAM to call
DOS.
/h
align page frame on multiple of 200h. This parameter is
ignored if /b is used.
/i
simulate lim 3.2. With this option, VRAM supports version
3.2 of the Lotus/Intel/ Microsoft Expanded Memory
Specification instead of version 4.0. Use this option when
running VRAM with Microsoft Windows.
____________________
6VRAM does not use DOS when using extended memory to
simulated expanded memory and does not check the DOS critical
flag.
14
Notes about Specific Software Packages7
Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony
Quattro
Excel
DESQview
Windows
WordPerfect
Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony VRAM works exceptionally well with 1-
2-3 and Symphony. Although simulated memory is slower than
actual expanded memory, most operations, such as moving around a
worksheet and entering data, are accomplished in a comparable
amount of time.
To see if 1-2-3 is utilizing expanded memory, use the 1-2-3
command [/ worksheet status]. In Symphony the command is
[services settings].
1-2-3 and Symphony must use conventional memory to store
particular parts of a worksheet. Therefore, it is possible
to run out of conventional memory, and receive the Out of
Memory error, even though expanded memory is available.
Do not copy many rows in one operation while using VRAM. If
you need to copy a range with a large number of rows, copy a
few rows of the range at a time.
When copying ranges, Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony allocate
memory for new cells in columnwise order. If you copy a
large number of rows in one operation, adjacent cells along
each row may be located in different pages of expanded
memory. Since 1-2-3 and Symphony perform many operations,
such as copying ranges and saving worksheets, in rowwise
order, this may cause an excessive amount of memory paging.
It is suggested that you experiment with copying large
ranges to learn how many rows can be copied without causing
a problem.
For the reason discussed above, do not recalculate in
columnwise order.
Create enough expanded memory so that you always have plenty
of memory available. 1-2-3 and Symphony tend to do more
paging when running out of expanded memory.
____________________
7VRAM is compatible with almost all programs, not just the
ones listed in this section.
15
Do not sort a database while running VRAM. Sorting causes a
large amount of memory paging and may take a very long time.
When using Lotus HAL with VRAM, turn undo off. With the
undo feature on, HAL will do more paging. Although VRAM
will work fine with undo on, 1-2-3 will take more time to
respond to your keystrokes.
Lotus HAL will ignore expanded memory if it is less than
256K.
Quattro Same as Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony.
Excel Same as Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony.
DESQview
VRAM can be run in a DESQview window to give a single
application simulated expanded memory. VRAM should not be
executed before starting DESQview and used for program
swapping.
Specify the /g parameter. Details about this parameter can
be found in the Command Reference section.
For example, to run Lotus 1-2-3 with 512K of simulated
expanded memory, select the DESQview Change a Program option
and set the configuration as follows:8
Program...: c:\util\vram.exe
Parameters: /s512 /g 123
Directory.: c:\util
If you'd like to run 1-2-3 in a window, you can specify the
DESQview loader for 1-2-3 on the parameters line:
Parameters: /s512 /g ls-load \123\123.com
It is not beneficial to load VRAM before starting DESQview
and use simulated memory as a program swap area. DESQview
already provides the ability to swap programs to disk space,
either to a hard disk or to an extended memory ram disk.
Do not install VRAM as a memory resident program.
Don't run VRAM in more than 1 window.
____________________
8This example assumes that 1-2-3 is in a directory named
\123 on drive C and that vram is in a directory named \util on
drive C. The directory, \123, must be in your path.
16
Windows
VRAM can be used to supply expanded memory for applications
programs within Windows; it cannot be used for multitasking.
Specify the /i parameter so that VRAM simulates LIM 3.2
memory.
Windows will not show any expanded memory in the status
window although it is available to applications.
WordPerfect
WordPerfect is capable of storing overlay files and
documents in expanded memory or on a disk. Therefore, VRAM
provides a performance advantage only when turning extended
memory into expanded memory.
Use the WordPerfect /r parameter if you want to load overlay
files into expanded memory.
17
Error Messages
/s option not allowed with unregistered version The default
expanded memory size of 128K cannot be adjusted with the
unregistered version. Read the file vram1.doc for information on
obtaining a registered version.
can't get dos critical flag address VRAM was not able to obtain
the address of the DOS Critical Flag which indicates whether or
not DOS is in use.
can't install VRAM can't be installed on your system.
invalid expanded memory size Expanded memory size is specified
in 1K increments and must be between 64 and 32768.
invalid parameter At least one of the parameters on the command
line is invalid. Read the section, Command Reference.
not enough disk space You do not have enough disk space to
create the paging file. Free space on your disk must be equal to
or greater than the expanded memory size.
not enough extended memory There is not enough extended memory
to simulate the amount of expanded memory requested. If you
specified an extended memory address with the /a parameter, there
is not enough extended memory following that address.
not enough memory There is not enough conventional memory for
VRAM. Read about memory requirements in the section,
Introduction.
program not found The program specified on the VRAM command
line was not found in the current directory or in the path. The
program name you specified must be an exe or com file.
If you use a batch file to execute a program, put the vram
command in the batch file.
vram is already installed VRAM is already installed as a memory
resident program.
18
Notes
VRAM uses DOS to read and write your hard disk. This
greatly improves its reliability and its compatibility with
non-IBM PCs and non-standard hard disks at a cost of a small
reduction in speed. For this reason, VRAM is not
compatible with memory resident programs that use expanded
memory while interrupting DOS.
19
Site License
VRAM can be licensed on a per location basis which allows a
company to use it on a network or use multiple copies of VRAM
without purchasing them individually. Pricing is dependent on
the number of copies and is very reasonable. Please contact
Biologic for further information.
20
Your Turn
We value you opinions. Please let us know what you like and
dislike about the VRAM program and documentation. We're
dedicated to developing the most innovative and useful software
available- and selling it at reasonable prices. Your support
helps make this possible.
Please send all comments and suggestions to
Biologic
P.O. Box 1267
Manassas, VA 22110
USA
THANK YOU.
P C - S I G
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or at your local newsstand or computer bookstore. In conjunction with
PC-SIG, there are special benefits for subscribers as well as
opportunities for discount purchases from PC-SIG.
To Order, in the U.S.A.: Call 800-245-6717 and ask Customer Service.
Outside the U.S.A. call (408) 730-9291 for the name of the dealer in
your country.
[B]
FROM: ___________________________
___________________________
___________________________
[A] [B]
___________________________
PC-SIG Inc.
[A] [B]
1030-D East Duane Avenue
Sunnyvale California
94086
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THANKS FOR TAKING THE TIME TO PRINT THIS FORM -*- MAIL YOUR ORDER TO:
PC-SIG Inc. 1030-D East Duane Avenue Sunnyvale CA 94086
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Non-member $3.25 for 5.25" or $3.75 for 3.5"
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____ total ______
One year subscription to Shareware Magazine $12.95 ______
Super Saver Membership $34.95 ______
(includes a 1 year subscription to Shareware Magazine )
(also The Encyclopedia of Shareware, and 5 free disks )
The Encyclopedia of Shareware special price at $14.95 ______
The Essential Home & Business Collection for $59.00 ______
*** PC-SIG Library on CD-ROM 11th Edition *** $159.00 ______
NEW LOWER PRICE!
Upgrade to the 11th Edition from ANY previous edition
of the PC-SIG Library on CD-ROM! $85.00 ______
Upgrade from ANY other shareware CD-ROM just $99.00 ______
Subtotal ______
If you want 3-1/2 inch disks please add .25 cents per disk ______
Shipping and Handling $4.00
California residents add 8.25% sales tax ______
TOTAL ______
If you have any comments or suggestions, please let us know!
To order by phone with VISA or MASTERCARD call (800)245-6717
Ask for operator #2316
*****
TO PRINT THIS ORDER FORM, PRESS ANY KEY AND
THEN "Quit" ONCE TO RETURN TO THE MAIN MENU.
SELECT "Print Reply Form."
Volume in drive A has no label
Directory of A:\
MEMKIT ZIP 138979 2-02-92 1:59p
DISKPACK ZIP 54827 3-03-90 9:38a
COMX ZIP 32578 3-03-90 9:38a
UNBLINK ZIP 2460 7-14-90 10:36a
CDROM TXT 3972 6-24-92 1:25p
SHAREMAG TXT 1837 1-21-92 6:11a
PCSIG TXT 2335 1-21-92 6:09a
GO EXE 26022 1-10-92 12:14p
SIGORDER TXT 3332 6-25-92 2:28p
PKUNZIP EXE 23528 3-15-90 1:10a
GO-FORM DAT 3109 6-29-92 3:26p
GO-STRT DAT 545 12-03-92 9:57a
12 file(s) 293524 bytes
23552 bytes free