[comp.windows.ms] more himem.sys facts

mcdonald@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Doug McDonald) (07/29/90)

More info on the Win 3.0 distributed himem.sys:

Before using any program - or .sys file - that uses extended memory,
the bios call 0x88 that returns the amount of extended memory
gives the correct result. After using Windows or if the Win 3.0 smartdrive.sys
is used, it returns ** zero ** amount of extended memory. It or Win 3.0
is not releasing the extended memory it uses.

This proves that it is indeed a bug.

Microsoft: When will this bug be fixed?? How do we get fixes?
Didn't they TEST this?


Doug McDonald

rommel@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de (Kai-Uwe Rommel) (07/30/90)

In article <1990Jul29.135510.5423@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> mcdonald@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Doug McDonald) writes:
>More info on the Win 3.0 distributed himem.sys:
>
>Before using any program - or .sys file - that uses extended memory,
>the bios call 0x88 that returns the amount of extended memory
>gives the correct result. After using Windows or if the Win 3.0 smartdrive.sys
>is used, it returns ** zero ** amount of extended memory. It or Win 3.0
>is not releasing the extended memory it uses.

>This proves that it is indeed a bug.

>Microsoft: When will this bug be fixed?? How do we get fixes?
>Didn't they TEST this?

>Doug McDonald

PLEASE READ THE XMS DOCUMENTATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!     
and stop your bug reports ! :-)
(I can send it to you if needed.)

Kai Uwe Rommel
--
/* Kai Uwe Rommel
 * Munich
 * rommel@lan.informatik.tu-muenchen.dbp.de
 */

chrisg@microsoft.UUCP (Chris GUZAK) (07/31/90)

In article <1990Jul29.135510.5423@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> mcdonald@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Doug McDonald) writes:
>More info on the Win 3.0 distributed himem.sys:
>
>Before using any program - or .sys file - that uses extended memory,
>the bios call 0x88 that returns the amount of extended memory
>gives the correct result. After using Windows or if the Win 3.0 smartdrive.sys
>is used, it returns ** zero ** amount of extended memory. It or Win 3.0
>is not releasing the extended memory it uses.
>
>This proves that it is indeed a bug.
>
>Microsoft: When will this bug be fixed?? How do we get fixes?
>Didn't they TEST this?
>
>
>Doug McDonald

HIMEM.SYS replaces the INT 15 extended memory services built into
the AT BIOS.  It does so by first allocating all extended memory
using INT 15, after this INT 15 will report that there is no
memory free.  You can still allocate memory (and free it) from
himem using the XMS services described in the XMS spec.  This
is not a bug, this is the way it is designed.  

Windows and the drivers that come with windows allocate their
memory using himem, not INT 15, that is why HIMEM is necessary.

HIMEM does other things as well such as provide a device independant
way to switch the A20 line on and off.

To find out more about the XMS spec call MS tech support or perhaps
AST, INTEL or others that were no the committee that defined it.

Chris