DOSX on XP

[Michel1975]

Please help me on this one:

I have this dos-based program which I need to run on Windows XP.
As it needs 600k of memory I am unable to reach this.
Strangly enough I have this program running in Windows 2000 enviroment with
no probs. Even on XP on a different machine then mine.

This thing is this dosx.... my autoexec.nt tells to load high but as a
result it loads both high and in the upper mem. I tried editing the
the _default.pif but to no avail. Using a REM causes the entire program not to
start. Also changing the OS to a fresh win2000 pro was no solution.

Strangly enough the mem/c environment on my win20000 machines (dell desktops) which have this
program running is the same as my XP machine (dell notebook) both autoexec.nt & config.nt
but dosx is NOT loaded in the conventional mem but instead in the upper mem.

Conventional mem:

msdos (15.2k)
kbd (3.2k)
himem (1.2k)
command (3.3k)
dosx (33.9k)

free (583k)

Upper mem:

system (180k)
dosx (0.1k)
mouse (12.2k)
mscdexnt (0.5k)
redir (2.6k)

free (27.7k)

autoexec.nt

lh %systemroot%\system32\mscdexnt.exe
lh %systemroot%\system32\redir
lh %systemroot%\system32\dosx

config.nt

dos=high, umb
device=%systemroot%\system32\himem.sys
files=40

Any suggestions, advise or what so ever would be
HIGHLY appreciated!

Thank you

[Platypus]

Not my area of expertise, but it looks to me like your system might have a bit more ROM taking up Upper Memory. DOSX is looking for 34K, and only 27 is available, there is still a stub of memory owned by DOSX in Upper Memory, but it has had to load low. See if there are any shadowing options that can be turned off in the bios setup, but the extra may be being taken by a VGA bios extension or similar that you can't do anything about (other than try a different video card).

Otherwise, if mouse could be persuaded to load low, that could free up 12K of extra Upper Memory, and DOSX might load there then. According to:

<a href="http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314106" target="_blank">http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q314106</a>

there is a Registry key defining the device drivers loaded for the NT Virtual Dos Machine, you may be able to set mouse not to load high from there.

On the other hand, I could be on the wrong track entirely... <img border="0" title="" alt="[Frown]" src="frown.gif" />

[Michel1975]

Thanx for your reply.

Videobios is indeed shadowed but I am not able to
change that.
As for your theory about the mouse not to load high sounds very reasonable. Only problem is I cant find a way to have it not loaded high yet.
For me its quite hard to tell where the line in the registry is hidden.

Anyway, thanks for the help

Cheers

[Platypus]

A Google search brings up others asking where mouse is loaded from and not getting answers. The Microsoft link includes:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Contro l\ VirtualDeviceDrivers
This key stores the device drivers that are used in an NTVDM session. Windows Setup creates these entries when a device driver is installed.

This may be the place to start, but I only have access to Win98, so someone with an NT/XP system might like to have a look on their system.

[Michel1975]

Thanx again for responding.

Indeed there is a key present (VDD) exept the fact that its totally empty... :confused:

I tried to insert different values but I have no clue on what these supposed to look like.

Cheers,

[Mr_Miyagi]

from my experience of dos, from v3.3, it is possibly a good idea to try rearranging the order the devices are loaded.

sometimes the space required to load something is larger than that it eventually requires. so, a device wont load to upper mem even if you can see there is enough space available.

:)