AXCEL216's MAX Speed
MS-DOS 7.xx MEMory Specs

Take Control of Your System at DOS Level!

* LOL [:-)]: The Shadow knows...

"640K ought to be enough for anybody." = Bill Gates, 1981.

* FYI: Now seriously, did YOU know?!

Take control of your Windows 95/98/ME machine at DOS level!
After all Windows 95/98/ME is a MIXED (read "partially enabled") 32-bit AND 16-bit [for backward compatibility with MS-DOS (DOS16 and DOS32) and older 16-bit Windows/WfWG 3.xx (Win16) programs] Graphical User Interface (GUI) protected mode virtual environment [... sorry, Operating System :)], which still depends on the good ol' MS-DOS 7.xx TSR modules (IO.SYS + COMMAND.COM), MS-DOS mode memory manager (HIMEM.SYS) and compatibility (legacy) drivers (IFSHLP.SYS) to load on top of the plain DOS command line based layer!
The good news is Microsoft released Windows XP (eXPerience), a true 32-bit multitasking, multithreading and Symmetrical MultiProcessing (SMP) graphical OS, which does away once for all with the "ancient" 16-bit MS-DOS command line OS.
But the bad news is WinXP does NOT support native/real MS-DOS mode, necessary for old DOS based programs/games that require full VGA screen and/or exclusive access to hardware resources, and most of which are still memory "hungry", especially the ones that canNOT run from a DOS session/box/window inside Windows.
Therefore master your CONFIG.SYS + AUTOEXEC.BAT command lines and your MSDOS.SYS + SYSTEM.INI parameters to BOOT into your system the way YOU want!

Overview


My MS-DOS 7.10 [Windows 98 SE]
Native DOS Mode MEMory Screen

First take a look at my MS-DOS 7.10 [a.k.a. MS Windows 98 SE] "MEM /A /C /P" screen, in native/true/real MS-DOS mode, using Microsoft's HIMEM.SYS v3.95 High/Extended MEMory Manager, Uwe Sieber's UMBPCI.SYS v3.56 Upper MEMory Extender + HIRAM.EXE v1.9 (to load HIMEM.SYS in Upper Memory Area) in my CONFIG.SYS:


Modules using memory below 1 MB:

 Name           Total            Conventional       Upper Memory
 --------   ---------------   -----------------   ----------------
 SYSTEM      16,064   (16K)	  9,712   (10K)      6,352    (6K)
 HIMEM        1,120    (1K)	      0    (0K)      1,120    (1K)
 NANSI        3,264    (3K)	      0    (0K)      3,264    (3K)
 IFSHLP       2,864    (3K)	      0    (0K)      2,864    (3K)
 VIDE-CDD     5,024    (5K)	      0    (0K)      5,024    (5K)
 COMMAND      9,664    (9K)	      0    (0K)      9,664    (9K)
 RECALL       2,544    (2K)	      0    (0K)      2,544    (2K)
 MSCDEX      48,704   (48K)	      0    (0K)     48,704   (48K)
 SMARTDRV    35,072   (34K)	      0    (0K)     35,072   (34K)
 ZENO174      1,120    (1K)           0    (0K)      1,120    (1K)
 CTMOUSE      3,584    (3K)	      0    (0K)      3,584    (3K)
 XMSDSK         688    (1K)	      0    (0K)        688    (1K)
 NOOFF          336    (0K)           0    (0K)        336    (0K)
 Free       682,976  (667K)	644,048  (629K)     39,184   (38K)

Memory Summary:

 Type of Memory       Total         Used          Free
 ----------------  -----------   -----------   -----------
 Conventional          654,336        10,304       644,048
 Upper                 163,888       124,704        39,184
 Reserved                    0             0             0
 Extended (XMS)    267,255,760    30,310,352   219,086,848
 ----------------  -----------   -----------   -----------
 Total memory      268,040,192    30,445,840   219,756,240

 Total under 1 MB      818,224       135,248       682,976

 Largest executable program size	644,022	  (629K)
 Largest free upper memory block	 30,944	   (30K)
 Available space in High Memory Area	  2,624	    (3K)
 MS-DOS is resident in the high memory area.

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My Windows 98 SE [MS-DOS 7.10]
DOS Box Mode MEMory Screen

Now take a look at my MS-DOS 7.10 [a.k.a. MS Windows 98 SE] "MEM /A /C /P" screen, in a DOS box/session/window under Windows 98 SE GUI, using Microsoft's HIMEM.SYS v3.95 High/Extended MEMory Manager, Uwe Sieber's UMBPCI.SYS v3.56 Upper MEMory Extender + HIRAM.EXE v1.9 (to load HIMEM.SYS in Upper Memory Area) in my CONFIG.SYS:


Modules using memory below 1 MB:

 Name           Total            Conventional       Upper Memory
 --------  ----------------    ----------------   ----------------
 SYSTEM      16,096   (16K)	  9,712   (10K)      6,352    (6K)
 COMMAND      9,728   (10K)	     64    (0K)      9,664    (9K)
 WIN          2,624    (3K)	  2,624    (3K)          0    (0K)
 vmm32       47,024   (46K)	  7,840    (8K)     39,184   (38K)
 COMMAND      7,424    (7K)	  7,424    (7K)          0    (0K)
 HIMEM        1,120    (1K)	      0    (0K)      1,120    (1K)
 NANSI        3,264    (3K)	      0    (0K)      3,264    (3K)
 IFSHLP       2,864    (3K)	      0    (0K)      2,864    (3K)
 VIDE-CDD     5,024    (5K)	      0    (0K)      5,024    (5K)
 RECALL       2,544    (2K)	      0    (0K)      2,544    (2K)
 MSCDEX      48,704   (48K)	      0    (0K)     48,704   (48K)
 SMARTDRV    35,072   (34K)	      0    (0K)     35,072   (34K)
 ZENO174      1,120    (1K)           0    (0K)      1,120    (1K)
 CTMOUSE      3,584    (3K)	      0    (0K)      3,584    (3K)
 XMSDSK         688    (1K)	      0    (0K)        688    (1K)
 NOOFF          336    (0K)           0    (0K)        336    (0K)
 Free       622,752  (608K)	622,752  (608K)          0    (0K)

Memory Summary:

 Type of Memory       Total         Used          Free
 ----------------  -----------   -----------   -----------
 Conventional          651,264        28,512       622,752
 Upper                 163,888       163,888             0
 Reserved                    0             0             0
 Extended (XMS)    267,255,760             ?   219,086,848
 ----------------  -----------   -----------   -----------
 Total memory      268,040,192             ?   219,756,240

 Total under 1 MB      815,152       192,400       622,752

 Largest executable program size	   622,736   (608K)
 Largest free upper memory block		 0     (0K)
 Available space in High Memory Area	     2,624     (3K)
 MS-DOS is resident in the high memory area.

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... And this is how I did it:

My MS-DOS 7.10 [Windows 98 SE]
CONFIG.SYS File

; Skip 2 seconds boot delay [/F] + load part of IO.SYS high [/E:xxx] SWITCHES line:
SWITCHES=/F /E
; Load DOS HIGH + enable DOS UMA (Upper Memory Area):
DOS=HIGH,UMB,AUTO
; UMBPCI.SYS v3.56 Upper MEMory Extender [enables UMA]:
DEVICE=C:\MAX\UMBPCI.SYS
; HIRAM.EXE v1.9 Upper MEMory Provider [maps UMA and loads HIMEM.SYS high]:
DEVICE=C:\MAX\HIRAM.EXE
; HIMEM.SYS v3.95 HIGH + Extended MEMory Manager [MANDATORY for Windows 9x!]:
DEVICEHIGH=C:\W95\HIMEM.SYS /NUMHANDLES=128 /TESTMEM:OFF /Q
; Optimal BUFFERS line when using SMARTDRV:
BUFFERS=11,0
; Optimal FILES line:
FILES=60
; My LASTDRIVE line:
LASTDRIVE=I
; Disable old FCBS support:
FCBS=1,0
; Disable DOS STACKS support:
STACKS=0,0
; VIDE-CDD.SYS v2.14 "universal" MS-DOS mode IDE/ATAPI CD-ROM driver:
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:DVD--ROM /D:CD--RW
; Enable MS-DOS mode NANSI.SYS v4.0a CONsole accelerator driver [ANSI.SYS replacement]:
DEVICEHIGH=C:\MAX\NANSI.SYS /X
; Enable MS-DOS support for Windows 32-bit Disk Access [MANDATORY for Windows 9x/ME!]:
DEVICEHIGH=C:\W95\IFSHLP.SYS
; Zeno v1.74 DOS text mode VGA BIOS accelerator:
DEVICEHIGH=C:\MAX\ZENO174.EXE /Q
; Increased COMMAND environment SHELL line:
SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /E:1280 /L:160 /U:160 /P /F
; Disable files last ACCessed DATE in DOS:
ACCDATE=C- D- E- F-
; My PATH line [I installed Windows 98 SE in C:\W95]:
SET PATH=C:\;C:\W95;C:\W95\COMMAND;C:\W95\SYSTEM;C:\BAT;C:\MAX;C:\ZIP;C:\3D;
; TEMPorary files path [next 2 lines]:
SET TEMP=H:\TEMP
SET TMP=H:\TEMP
; Disable last typed command in DOS:
SET CMDLINE=
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My MS-DOS 7.10 [Windows 98 SE]
AUTOEXEC.BAT File

:: Disable CONsole display [similar to using > NUL]:
@CTTY NUL
:: Enable FastVid v1.10 DOS/Windows video acceleration [Pentium Pro/II/III/IV ONLY!]:
C:\3D\FASTVID.EXE XX1 128 C0000000
:: Enable Sound Blaster AWE64 Gold ISA sound card Audio + MIDI in all MS-DOS modes [next 7 lines]:
SET CTCM=C:\AWE64
SET SOUND=C:\AWE64
C:\AWE64\CTCM.EXE /B
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 H5 P330 E620 T6
SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0
C:\AWE64\AWEUTIL.COM /S
C:\AWE64\MIXERSET.EXE /P /Q
:: LFNs [Long File Names] DOS BATch support:
LFNFOR ON
:: MicroSoft CD-rom EXtensions driver v2.25 [using VIDE-CDD.SYS in CONFIG.SYS]:
LOADHIGH=C:\W95\COMMAND\MSCDEX.EXE /D:DVD--ROM /D:CD--RW /M:16
:: MS-DOS SmartDrive v5.02 disk cache driver:
LOADHIGH=C:\W95\SMARTDRV.EXE 6144 16 A- B- C+ D+ E+ F+ G H- /N
:: DOS Mouse driver INItialization path [location of MOUSE.INI]:
SET MOUSE=C:\MAX
:: Logitech Mouse INItialization path [location of MOUSEDRV.INI]:
SET LMOUSE=C:\MAX
:: Cute Mouse v2.0 DOS Mouse driver:
LOADHIGH=C:\MAX\CTMOUSE.EXE /R44
:: Fastest MS-DOS mode Keyboard response:
C:\W95\COMMAND\MODE.COM CON: RATE=32 DELAY=1
:: DOS Recall v1.2c driver [DOSKEY.COM replacement]:
LOADHIGH=C:\MAX\RECALL.COM -I
:: XMSDSK v1.9i RAM Disk driver [RAMDRIVE.SYS replacement]:
LOADHIGH=C:\RAM\XMSDSK.EXE 24576 H: /T /Y
IF NOT EXIST H:\TEMP\NUL MD H:\TEMP
:: NoOff v1.4 OSR2/Win98 ATX shut down to MS-DOS TSR:
LOADHIGH=C:\MAX\NOOFF.COM
:: Quantum3D Obsidian2 X-24 PCI TV 3dfx Voodoo2 SLI 3D video card SET <variable> [next 3 lines]:
SET FX_GLIDE_NO_SPLASH=1
SET FX_GLIDE_SWAPINTERVAL=0
SET SSTV2_GRXCLK=100
:: Disable COPY/MOVE/XCOPY commands confirmation prompt:
SET COPYCMD=/Y
:: DIR command sort settings:
SET DIRCMD=/A/O:GEN/P/V
:: MS-DOS + Windows PROMPT [next 2 lines]:
SET PROMPT=UMBPCI: DOS 7.10 + Windows 98 SE$_$P$G
SET WINPMT=DOS Box: Hit Insert 2 return 2 Windows!$_$P$G
:: Reenable CONsole display:
CTTY CON
:: F1-F12 remapped keys [using NANSI.SYS in CONFIG.SYS]:
@TYPE C:\MAX\KEY.TXT
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My MS-DOS 7.10 [Windows 98 SE]
MSDOS.SYS File

Take a look at my "Complete MSDOS.SYS Reference" page to learn how to master ALL MSDOS.SYS parameters [even those UNDOCUMENTED], and how to tweak them to MAXIMIZE your Windows 95/98 machine performance.


; MSDOS.SYS [Paths] section:
[Paths]
; Set Windows 9x OS Directory:
WinDir=C:\W95
; Set Windows 9x OS Boot Directory:
WinBootDir=C:\W95
; Set Host Windows 9x OS Boot Drive:
HostWinBootDrv=C
; MSDOS.SYS [Options] section:
[Options]
; Disable ScanDisk check after system lockup [OSR 2.x + Win98/ME ONLY!]:
Autoscan=0
; Skip 2 seconds boot delay [In Win98/ME defaults to 0!]:
BootDelay=0
; Boot to MS-DOS mode:
BootGUI=0
; Enable Startup Menu keys:
BootKeys=1
; Display Windows 9x Startup Menu:
BootMenu=1
; Select Normal boot option [loads Windows 9x]:
BootMenuDefault=1
; 5 seconds boot delay:
BootMenuDelay=5
; Enable Dual-Boot:
BootMulti=1
; Enable Windows 9x as OS:
BootWin=1
; Disable DoubleSpace:
DblSpace=0
; Disable BOOTLOG.TXT creation:
DisableLog=1
; Disable Double Buffer:
DoubleBuffer=0
; Disable DriveSpace:
DrvSpace=0
; Disable loading of COMMAND.COM at top of conventional RAM:
LoadTop=0
; Display bootup Logo:
Logo=1
; Enable boot with Network/TCP/IP support:
Network=1
; Disable System Registry scan:
SystemReg=0
; Windows 98/ME version check [Win98/ME ONLY!]:
WinVer=4.10.2222

;The following lines are required for compatibility with other programs.
;Do not remove them (MSDOS.SYS needs to be >1024 bytes).
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxb
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxc
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxd
;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxe
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;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxi
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;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxl
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;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxr
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©1996-2004 AXCEL216: Everything here is copyrighted FREEware, SOLELY for PROFIT-FREE use! I have created [August 1996], maintain and update these web pages entirely by hand using Programmer's File Editor [replaced MS Notepad]. I do NOT promote, speak in the behalf of, advertise or work for ANY computing, news or internet profit business. All ®registered ©copyrights and ™trademarks referred herein retain the property of their respective owners.

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