[comp.sys.ibm.pc.programmer] Defining a VDISK

dkb@cs.brown.edu (Dilip Barman) (03/15/90)

     I  am  having  problems  with  DOS 4.0 in installing a virtual disk
(this used to be easy in DOS 2.x!).  I am running on a PS/2-70  E61  and
normally  run  OS/2  1.1 (there's no way to have a VDISK from within the
DOS box under OS/2, is there?) but sometimes boot DOS 4.0.

     I would like to specify that DOS use all the memory (I have  8  Meg
installed)  not  normally  accessible  as  virtual disk.  By the way, is
there any reason I should create 2  disks,  say  @  2  Meg  and  6  Meg?
Actually,  I  should  be  able  to  use  6  Meg + (1 Meg - 640K), right?
Anyway, VDISK won't install (the "Using DOS" book isn't  very  helpful).
I'll  include  my CONFIG.SYS file and the resulting output.  Can anybody
suggest what might be wrong??  Thanks in advance!

     Dilip Barman


 P.S. I know that my VDISK invokation  below  specifies  a  1  Meg
      disk.  VDISK with no parameters and VDISK with just /X don't
      work, so I finally copied the sample they had in the book.

------My CONFIG.SYS file------------------------------------------------
REM Dilip Barman  March 14, 1990 CONFIG.SYS for DOS 4.0 bootable disk
REM
DEVICE=C:\DOS40\XMAEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS40\XMA2EMS.SYS P254=C000 P255=C400
REM XMAEM then XMA2EMS allows use all of memory above 1 MB line
REM (i.e., expanded memory)
REM Now specify that it all be used by a virtual disk
DEVICE=C:\DOS40\VDISK.SYS 1024 512 256 /X:8
------Resulting output messages-----------------------------------------

80386 XMA Emulator Version 1.10
         (C) Copyright IBM Corporation 1987, 1988  All rights reserved

80386 XMA Emulator installed
XMA2EMS: Expanded Memory Manager
(c)Copyright IBM Corporation 1988                           All rights reserved

IBM DOS Version 4.00, VDISK virtual disk D:
VDISK not installed - Insufficient memory
WARNING! SHARE should be loaded for large media
-----------------------------------------------------------------------


Dilip Barman     dkb@cs.brown.edu
U.S. mail: Brown University                       Home: 19 Elton Street 
           Dept. of Computer Science, Box 1910          Providence, RI 02906
           Providence, RI 02912 (401)863-7666           (401)521-9731