DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender - FAQ
Question #1:
What is DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender?
Answer #1:
DOS Extender is a 32-bit, high-performance, high-speed protected
mode Run-Time program that allows 32-bit DOS applications to run
in a 32-bit flat protected mode environment. Due to the
limitations placed by the standard real mode DOS, such as 64KB
segments and 1MB top memory barrier, the programmers and
application software developers seek an extensions and tools that
fully allow them to exploit the features and capabilities found
in the modern computers. DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender is such a
tool.
When designing
and programming DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender, we felt that the
most important goals that were to be reached and requirements to
be met, were the Speed, Compatibility and Flexibility. Today,
DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender is the fastest commercial DOS
Extender available on the market, featuring incredible
flexibility through numerous configuration options and being
fully compatible with such industry standards as DOS/4GW DOS
Extender by Tenberry Software and WATCOM C/C++ development
package. Breaking the 1MB real mode DOS barrier, DOS/32 Advanced
DOS Extender allows you to manage up to 2GB of physical memory.
32-bit protected mode applications can exploit all the features
found in the most recent processors. And of course compatibility
with older software ensures that a large software database can be
used without requiring any changes to be done, just Plug and
Play. All in all, DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender is a fast and
solid solution for protected mode programmers, application
software developers and high end users looking for a way to
discover the true power buried in their computers.
Question #2:
What features are available in DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender?
Answer #2:
DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender features a very fast protected mode
Kernel, based on DPMI (DOS Protected Mode Interface)
specification version 0.9, which provides applications with DPMI
subset and supports well over 60 different functions. DOS/32
Advanced is the number one DOS Extender when it comes to fast mode
translation operation and interrupt processing, the essential
factors that directly affect the speed of your protected mode
programs. DOS/32 Advanced extends over 60 DOS interrupts allowing
the 32-bit applications to directly issue commands to for example
read and write disk drive without worrying about real mode DOS
limitations. In addition, DOS/32 Advanced has a built-in support
to extend such features as Windows® 95/98 Long File Names and
VESA VBE 2.0 functions. Finally, DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender
takes only as little as 28KB of disk space and can run on
computers with only 640KB memory available, making it an
excellent candidate for running embedded systems on low end
machines, even though it has been designed to take advantage of
the latest Pentium(TM) technology.
Question #3:
Must I bind DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender to my applications?
Answer #3:
DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender can be bound to your 32-bit
protected mode applications, making it possible to have the DOS
Extender and the program to reside in one and the single file.
DOS/32 Advanced can also be executed on a program, allowing you
to run programs on CD-ROMs and other non-writeable devices.
Additionally you can bind a specially designed stub file, less
than 1KB in size, to your applications, effectively saving the
disk space.
Question #4:
How much extended memory does DOS/32 Advanced require to maintain its full functionality?
Answer #4:
DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender does not require any extended memory at all. In fact, the
DOS Extender will function properly and be able to run your protected mode applications
on computers with only 640KB base memory available.
Question #5:
Can I allocate more than 64MB of memory installed in my computer
with DOS/32 Advanced?
Answer #5:
Yes, DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender supports allocation of up to
2GB of memory when running under the XMS system software and up
to 256MB when running under the VCPI system.
Question #6:
Does DOS/32 Advanced support 16-bit segments in a 32-bit
protected mode application?
Answer #6:
Yes, it does. You can even have an entry point in a 16-bit
protected mode code segment, and your application is not at all
required to be 32-bit.
Question #7:
Does DOS/32 Advanced support auto passup of hardware interrupts
in range IRQ 8..15?
Answer #7:
Yes. DOS/32 Advanced built-in DPMI server will automatically
allocate a callback for an IRQ when you install a protected mode
handler for that hardware interrupt. The hardware interrupts in
range IRQ 0..7 and 8..15 are always automatically passed up to
the protected mode if the respective protected mode handlers are
installed. Additionally you can manually allocate and install
real mode callbacks by using DPMI functions 0303h and 0201h,
which are natively supported by the DOS Extender.
Question #8:
Can I debug protected mode programs which use DOS/32 Advanced DOS
Extender with WATCOM debugger?
Answer #8:
Yes, you can. Simply specify the -tr=rsi option on
the command line and debug the application as usual. Note that
the debugger provided with WATCOM C/C++ is the default
debugger for DOS/32 Advanced, because of the DOS Extender's
excellent emulation of DOS/4GW DOS Extender.
Question #9:
Does DOS/32 Advanced support protected mode executable
compression?
Answer #9:
Yes, DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender supports compression of "LE"- and
"LX"-style protected mode executables converting them
into a custom Linear Compressed "LC" file format.
The SUNSYS Compress Utility program, specially developed for this
purpose is included with DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender.
Note that the "LC" compressed executables,
once compressed, cannot be decompressed back to the original
state, which provides you with a good protection against unwanted
intrusion into your application's code.
Question #10:
Can I run programs that are bound other DOS Extenders, for example
DOS/4GW Professional, under DOS/32 Advanced?
Answer #10:
As long as the program you intend to run is not compressed,
DOS/32 Advanced will without problems be able to run it. However
if a program is written to run under a particular DOS Extender
(ie it uses special resources that are not available in other DOS
Extenders), DOS/32 Advanced will most likely report an error.
Question #11:
I am getting these annoying warnings every time I run my program:
DOS/32A warning (9003): real mode interrupt vector had been modified: INT 00h
DOS/32A warning (9003): real mode interrupt vector had been modified: INT 22h
Can I disable them, and if yes, how?
Answer #11:
There are several ways to disable the warnings issued by the
DOS Extender. One way is to add an option /QUIET
to the DOS/32 Advanced environment variable DOS32A which
is usually defined in your autoexec.bat file. This option
will effectively disable all the warnings. Another option, /NOWARN:nnnn
allows you to disable warning with a particular number, in this case
9003. Yet another way to disable warnings for only one application
that uses DOS/32 Advanced DOS Extender is to use the SUNSYS Setup
Utility program provided with the DOS Extender. Run the Setup
Utility on the application you wish to reconfigure, press the F2-key,
then 4-key and turn off the Report Modified Real Mode INTs
option by pressing the ENTER key. Exit the Setup Utility program by
selecting Apply Changes and Exit option (F10-key).
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