207 lines
9.5 KiB
Plaintext
207 lines
9.5 KiB
Plaintext
ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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This text contains some informations and tips regarding dos problems/
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sessions. Some might find this really boring, so if you suspect you already
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know all this, skip this message right away.... If you DON'T know so much
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about dos and it's hazzles, you might want to read this. I found out that
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several I know, haven't figured these tips out already! The tips explained
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here ranges from VERY elementary to a bit technical, so if it's top obvious to
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you, don't say that you haven't been warned!
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The purpose of this text is to inform. Most of this information is documented,
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but a few tricks are not. Even the tricks that are documented are often
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hard to find and understand. This guide might help you to get the most
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valuable information, without reading and "decoding" all your manuals.. =*)
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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Don't blame me for typing-errors. I have NOT put so much resources into
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removing spelling-error, so don't expect the text to be errorfree!
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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HISTORY:
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[blahblah] - The contents between []'s are to be replaced with
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something suitable, like a program name...
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%a - Internal variable used by dos, replace if already
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in use by dos.
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%%a - Also an internal variable, except for the fact that
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%%a is required within a batch file, by lame
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command.com ofcourse. Stick with 4dos.
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; - Comments. Not to by typed.
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() - In the text, this contains comments.
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In the syntax'es, it means that the parameter
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is optional.
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{} - Only the contents is to be concidered as the
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command line.
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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I RESERVE MY RIGHT TO [ANYTHING] WITH THIS TEXT.
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ALL NAMES MENTIONED WITHIN THIS TEXT ARE PRODUCTS AND/OR NAMES OF THEIR
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RESPECTIVE OWNERS/COMPANIES. BUT, THEY MIGHT ALSO NOT BE...
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You might not sell this or blablabla, etc, etc..... =*) You know how it is!
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(If you don't, or are uncertain, delete this package right away...)
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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Anyway here goes... Scorpio's Universal Tips Guide v1.23! .....................
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(Hope you don't mind the spelling errors... I Hope you can live with it...)
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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If you can't afford hd-floppy disks, and still use floppies, buy
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dd ones, and drill a hole in the upper left corner where the hole for hd
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disks usually is. (old trick)
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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pressing ctrl+p has a devastating effect on those people that don't own a
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printer. Nothing will happen until you press another key. You might want
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to avoid this.
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This is actually turning printer echo on and off. Press ctrl+p, and
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what you type, will appear on the printer. If printer connection is not
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made, some os'es will refuse to turn back to dos!
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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If your computer uses really long time to check your disks when booting, and
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then i mean REALLY long time, create a program in the boot sector which jumps
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to your hd of your choice. A slight modification allows you to boot from
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different harddisks! If you can't code that, do this:
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put a disk in drive a: which you won't need for dos sessions anymore.
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(though you CAN use the rest of the disk as raw storage - tricky, not
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recommended........)
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a:
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c:\dos\debug
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l100 2 0 1
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w100 0 0 1
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q
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Of course, this won't have any real impact on machines other than most
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286, 186 and 808[6/8], plus the v30 and other slow machines....
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This trick only copies the boot sector of your hd to a fd! Replace the number
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"2" with any number, but not bigger than the number that corresponds with Z
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a=0 b=1 c=2 d=3. (You get the idea?)
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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a ctrl+[the C button] and a ctrl+[the BREAK button (really the pause)]
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is sometimes treated different. But it's really a general rule,
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if you want normal break of a program, and you want to let it end and clean
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up normal, you press ctrl+c. If you want INSTANT break, press ctrl+[break]
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rapidly, which sometimes is more powerful than the normal ctrl+c...
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Some programs even let you break the break process! This is a tricky bug,
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that usually appears in dos programs that exploit DPMI. Remember to press
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ctrl+c ONCE, and wait. If you press ctrl+c (or break) rapidly, you might
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hang the program, and dos itself...
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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Write a INT28 handler to allow processing while dos is IDLE. Remember to
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write your code 100% in conjunction with what microsoft says, or else something
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that works fine with you might not work on another machine, or may not work
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at all with Chicago... When dos is finished with it's core work, it's just
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sitting IDLE and checking for keypresses. You don't need so quick key-response,
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so do something useful in the background instead....
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{kinda technical, or what?}
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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use 4dos! use 4dos! use 4dos! or AT LEAST any CLI program to replace
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command.com, Virtually EVERYTHING is better than command.com.
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You can find 4dos on selected of BBS'es... If you can't afford the money you
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would have to spend on 4dos, use ndos if you own it. It's a souped-up version
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of 4dos, but as always... The original is better. NDOS is a part of the
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newer norton utilities packages.
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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If you use UMB's, AND own a 24-bit coloured-card (or 16bit), you might find
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out that you can run into trouble in some of your videocards exotic modes...
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Checking out your manual isn't always going to help you, since it usually
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tells you to exclude out the entire C0000-F0000 area, or does not say anything
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at all. Send your video-card through ALL the modes it's got, and write down
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every 4k block of memory it has been accessing. You might loose some
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UMB-memory, but you will at least (Let's hope so) loose your memory conflict
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problems too.
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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Format your fd's with sector sliding...
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If you can't do it yourself, let a program do it for you, (like fdformat).
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If you can't guess the best sector/track values, run test benchmarks
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and measure the time used to format disks.
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You can do this in a batch file. REALLY!!! I did it!
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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Pkzip files or directories directly to a ram drive. Now that's performance!
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You can create a batch file to pkzip all files in a directory and below
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+hidden/system +extra compression +automatically testing of zip file
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fits destination +automatically moving. All in a batch file! (It works....!)
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The packing speed usually rises from about 20-30k a second to 100-150k!
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I recommend a real 32bit ramdrive.
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(This applies of course only if your PC has 32-bit capabilities)
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Don't use the lame ramdrive supplied with msdos.....
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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You can improve your PC's performace by several hundred percent!
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(According to benchmark programs, that is....)
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Start Windows, and open a full-scale dos window, or shell to dos
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from a time-slicing product, then run Norton SI, or another benchmark product.
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I got 260 on norton SI, and according to landmark I have a 522 Mhz
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machine! According to CoreTest, a hard-drive benchmarking program, my hd
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delivers 16 megz per second and have a -0.1 track to track seek time!
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How's that! The controller delivers information even before any program
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requested it! WOOOW! That's intelligent!
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hehehe........, talk about dream machine, or what!
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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Ok, I guess i have said enough already....
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Most of the above mentioned programs are usually located in several bbs'es.
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Call the biggest one near you, and ask someone for it! I think I only have
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mentioned shareware programs here...., so they should all be available to
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the public... You will definitely find it on the internet. There is a great
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deal of utilityprograms for msdos at SIMTEL20. Can't remember the address,
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though..... =(
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If you want to contact me for comments or questions, do so and leave a
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message to me on a bbs. Preferably soundserver, Don't send any comments that
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are really not neccesary, or obvious. I get enough mail by modem already.....
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Soundserver has numbers of +47-22-57-16-XX, where XX applies to 00 and 04.
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Ok, I guess this have come to an end.
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My handle is Scorpio of Nocturnal, and our world head quarters is
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Dream of perfection. Se the tagline at the bottom for how to contact me.
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If you REALLY need to call me home. Call one of the above mentioned bbs'es
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and look up my name with "q info kristian skyberg". You can also find my
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address next to the lines where it says "send a postcard....."
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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Here goes the everchanging tagline:
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<${érPé> of <ïé‡â<E280A1>Rï/µÀ>
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{/µÀÀ ìDr’„m éf P’rŸ’‡âéïì * ïé‡â<E280A1>Rï/µÀ ×Q At:
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64-94-46-83 * We Are Arranging The Odyssey'95 Party!
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ððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððððð
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