[comp.sys.ibm.pc.misc] Question: DOS 5 and UMB's

wwitt@adara.intel.com (06/13/91)

Hi everybody!

Yesterday being the 11th, I, of course, had to run out and get my copy of
MS-DOS 5.0. I'm running DOS 5 in HMA under QEMM. Everything seems to be fine.
However, I've got a question...

Currently I'm using QEMM's loadhi utility to put drivers and TSRs into high
RAM (UMB's). I am not specifying DOS=UMB in my CONFIG.SYS file because I'm
not quite sure what this line is really supposed to do. The manual just says
something to the effect that DOS=UMB tells DOS to maintain a link to the
upper memory blocks. What are they talking about? What is this link? Should
I put DOS=UMB into CONFIG.SYS even though I'm using QEMM to manage high RAM?
It seems to work without it.

Thanks for any info you can provide.

Wolf

=> Wolf Witt, Design Engineer     <=> You say there is a bug in this chip?   <=
=> i860 Focus Group, Intel Corp.  <=> No, no, you don't understand...        <=
=> wwitt@smdvx1.intel.com         <=> This is a feature!                     <=
=> Intel knows nothing about what I say or do, but they pay me anyway.       <=

reisert@mast.enet.dec.com (Jim Reisert) (06/13/91)

In article <4685@inews.intel.com>, wwitt@adara.intel.com writes...
>
>Currently I'm using QEMM's loadhi utility to put drivers and TSRs into high
>RAM (UMB's). I am not specifying DOS=UMB in my CONFIG.SYS file because I'm
>not quite sure what this line is really supposed to do.
>[...]
>Should I put DOS=UMB into CONFIG.SYS even though I'm using QEMM to manage
>high RAM? It seems to work without it.

Wolf,

I went through a similar exercise last night.  When I ran DOS 5.0 with QEMM
and 4DOS using the UMB switch, I had 635K at the DOS prompt, but only 468K
available for DESQview tasks.  Taking the UMB switch out resulted in only
594K for DOS, but now a whopping 577K for DESQview tasks.  I have since done
away with the switch.

- Jim

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dlow@pollux.svale.hp.com (Danny Low) (06/15/91)

>Currently I'm using QEMM's loadhi utility to put drivers and TSRs into high
>RAM (UMB's). I am not specifying DOS=UMB in my CONFIG.SYS file because I'm
>not quite sure what this line is really supposed to do. The manual just says
>something to the effect that DOS=UMB tells DOS to maintain a link to the
>upper memory blocks. What are they talking about? What is this link? Should
>I put DOS=UMB into CONFIG.SYS even though I'm using QEMM to manage high RAM?
>It seems to work without it.

If you read the manual you would know what UMB does. :-) It enables
the devicehigh command which does what the QEMM loadhi command does.
You need to have EMM386.SYS loaded to use devicehigh. Since this
duplicates the QEMM loadhi function and that works for you, I would 
stay with QEMM.

			   Danny Low
    "Question Authority and the Authorities will question You"
	   Valley of Hearts Delight, Silicon Valley
	     HP NPCD   dlow@pollux.svale.hp.com