[comp.sys.atari.8bit] ACTION! vs. 850 handler

ehs@jumbo.dec.com (Ed Satterthwaite) (08/24/87)

I am trying to turn a compiled ACTION! program into an AUTORUN.SYS file.
It needs the R: handlers that are downloaded from the 850.  When I use the
standard AUTORUN.SYS file to load these handlers, then compile and run the
program, everything is ok.

When I save the compiled program, using the ACTION! monitor's WRITE
command, and append the binary to the standard AUTORUN.SYS, I get a file
that doesn't seem to work.  Immediately after loading it from DOS, I get a
garbage screen and the keyboard locks up.

Since I have been able to save and run other ACTION! binaries that don't
need these handlers, I tried dumping the downloader, disassembling it to
verify that it looked relatively innocuous, and embedding it into my
ACTION! program as a ML insert.  This seems to work fine when I compile
and run from memory, without needing the old AUTORUN.SYS file, but the
saved binary does not seem to work any better.

I vaguely recall some discussion in this newsgroup of some sort of bad
interaction between ACTION! binaries and the 850 handlers.  Can anyone
explain the problem and/or suggest a workaround.

Much thanks for any help.

Ed Satterthwaite
DEC SRC, Palo Alto, CA
Arpa: ehs@src.dec.com
UUCP: (...)!decwrl!ehs