Cristian Burneci wrote:
. > A second explanation is that you're maybe dealing with a hardware modem
. > which can't be configured in any way but Plug'n Play. Since plain DOS
. > can't do that, and there is a good chance for BIOS to fail when trying to
. > configure it, (if it tries, at least), Windows is totally responsible for
. > assigning the modem the port and IRQ it should use.
While watching my MS-DOS 6.22 (w/WFWG 3.11 installed) computer boot, I was
sure that I saw Plug and Play for DOS being loaded. And, sure enough, there
is a "PlugPlay" directory on my C: drive!
The appended "Readme" file describes MS-DOS Plug and Play. (Sorry it's so
long.)
Roger Turk
Tucson, Arizona USA
*******************************************************************
*README.TXT Release Notes for Plug and Play Kit *
* for MS-DOS(R) and Windows(TM) *
*Release 1.23 October June 1994 *
*******************************************************************
Introduction
============
This kit contains Release 1.23 of the Plug and Play Kit for
MS-DOS and Windows. The components of this kit are:
Plug and Play Configuration Manager (CM) for MS-DOS and Windows.
Provides configuration services to real-mode and protected-
mode drivers and to applications in MS-DOS and Windows
environments.
Plug and Play ISA Configuration Utility (ICU) for MS-DOS and
Windows.
Provides a way to assign system resources to add-in cards
before the card is installed. This assignment avoids
resource conflicts and keeps track of system resources so
that Plug and Play cards do not conflict with non-Plug
and Play cards in a system. A full description of ICU
features and use is available in the ISA Configuration
Utility (ICU) User's Guide.
Documentation.
Contains manuals and specifications to support using products
with the previously listed components.
The documents on the Documentation diskette are:
- ISA Configuration Utility (ICU) User's Guide
- Before You Add a Card
- Plug and Play ISA Specification
- On-line ICU User's Guide source
Installation Notes
==================
1) On systems with MS-DOS version 6.0 or later that use a multipath
config.sys file, the MS-DOS installation procedure might corrupt
the config.sys file by duplicating sections of the file and
corrupting the duplicate sections. If you have this type of
config.sys file, verify the integrity of the config.sys file
before rebooting your system. If you see this problem, perform
the following steps:
a) Replace the config.sys file with the backup file made by the
installation, config.bak.
b) Edit the config.sys file and add a line to load the CM driver to
the beginning of the file. Here is an example line that assumes
the default installation:
DEVICE=C:\PLUPGPLAY\DRIVERS\DOS\DWCFGMG.SYS
2) The installation procedures in this kit assume that C: is
the boot drive of the system. Therefore, the procedures
create, make changes to, or overwrite boot drive files on C:.
In particular, the procedures create or modify the config.sys
file in C:\.
On systems without the Plug and Play BIOS, if the boot drive
is not C:, but some other drive, the user must move the
escd.rf file to the root directory of the boot drive.
Also, the user must add line that loads the CM driver
(dwcfgmg.sys) to the config.sys file in the root directory
of the boot drive.
Some utilities, for example, the Stacker disk compression
utility, can change the boot drive from C: to another drive.
Such drive changes are not always obvious to the user. In
order to avoid the user having to move and edit files, the
installation procedure must make an INT 21 call to detect
the boot device before installing the escd.rf file or
changing the config.sys file.
3) If you have already installed one version (MS-DOS or Windows)
of the kit, install the other version in the same directory as
you installed the first version. By default, both versions of
the installation use the same directory: c:\plugplay.
If you use a different directory, the system configuration
information displayed when you invoke the Windows ICU might
look different than that displayed when you invoke the
MS-DOS ICU.
MS-DOS Installations
--------------------
1) To install and run the Plug and Play Kit for MS-DOS, your
system must have a minimum of 488 KBytes of free conventional
memory.
2) Run the MS-DOS installations for the kit components from MS-DOS,
not from an MS-DOS window under Windows.
3) The MS-DOS install program on these diskettes is incompatible
with the expanded memory manager (emm386). Before installing
the Plug and Play kit for MS-DOS, disable your expanded memory
manager. After you have finished the installation, you can
enable the expanded memory manager again.
4) The MS-DOS installation fails during an overinstall of a
previous version of the Kit if the user has changed the file
permissions of the previously installed version to read-only.
5) During MS-DOS installations, you are offered the opportunity
to select from one or more choices. The highlighted choice
(that is, the choice selected when you press the Enter key)
is lighter than the other choices. On many, but not all,
displays, the highlighted choice flashes.
Windows Installations
---------------------
1) If the Windows screen saver becomes active during the Windows
ICU setup, the index generator that runs at the end of the
setup program is iconized as an MS-DOS icon. To complete
the setup procedure, return to Windows and maximize the
MS-DOS icon.
2) The Windows ICU installation fails on a system that has MS-DOS
6.0 installed with the VSafe virus scanner active if the VSafe
scanner checks executable files and protects executable files
(VSafe options 4 and 8).
3) A problem might occur if a previously installed version of
the Windows ICU was deleted. The Windows ICU installation
does not put the proper device driver entries into the
windows/system.ini file if there is an entry in the win.ini
file under [ConfigMgr] of Installed=yes.
Delete this entry from the win.ini file and run the Windows
installation again, or edit the windows/system.ini file and
insert the driver entries in the [386Enh] section of the file:
device=VCAD.386
device=VCMD.386
For PCMCIA support in the Windows ICU, also add (to the
same section):
device=pccardrm.386
******************************************************************
*Plug and Play Kit for MS-DOS and Windows *
******************************************************************
The components of the Plug and Play Kit for MS-DOS and Windows are:
- The Plug and Play Configuration Manager (CM)
- The ISA Configuration Utility (ICU)
Plug and Play Configuration Manager (CM)
========================================
The Plug and Play Configuration Manager provides all of the
functionality defined in the "Plug and Play Device Driver
Specification for Microsoft(R) Windows(TM) and MS-DOS".
The Configuration Manager also complies with the specifications
and definitions in:
"Plug and Play ISA Specification", Version 1.0a
from Intel Corporation and Microsoft Corporation
"Plug and Play BIOS Specification", Version 1.0a
from Intel Corporation, Compaq Computer Corporation,
Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.
"Plug and Play BIOS Extensions Guide", Version 1.21
from Intel Corporation
"PCI BIOS Specification", Version 2.1, from Intel Corporation
"Extended System Configuration Data Specification"
Version 1.02A, from Intel Corporation, Compaq Computer
Corporation, and Phoenix Technologies, Ltd.
This release of the Configuration Manager supersedes all previous
releases.
ISA Configuration Utility (ICU)
===============================
The ISA Configuration Utility provides a way to assign system
resources to add-in cards before the card is installed. This
assignment avoids resource conflicts and keeps track of system
resources so that Plug and Play cards do not conflict with
non-Plug and Play cards in a system. A full description of ICU
features and use is available in the ISA Configuration Utility
(ICU) User's Guide.
NOTE
The ISA Configuration Utility is for ISA systems
only. Do not run it on EISA systems. To configure
EISA systems, use an EISA Configuration Utility.
New Functionality
*****************
This release adds the following functionality to the R1.1
Plug and Play Kit for MS-DOS and Windows:
New /NODCD Option.
When the /NODCD option is specified and no DCD (Plug and Play
ISA or PCI device) is present in the system, the driver
deinstalls itself from memory.
New /STATIC Option.
When the /STATIC option is specified, the Configuration Manager
remains resident in memory and is not unloaded when there is
no runtime function active.
New /NOVCPI Option.
When the /NOVCPI option is specified, the Configuration Manager
does not use the Virtual Control Program Interface (VCPI) to
switch from virtual 8086 mode to real mode (via protected mode)
prior to calling ACFG BIOS or Plug and Play BIOS run-time
functions.
Detection of PCI Devices.
Any PCI device missing from the ESCD image is added and
any PCI device no longer present is removed from the ESCD
image.
Configuration of PCI Devices.
Any non-boot/non-PC Compatible PCI device not configured by the
BIOS is configured and activated by CM.
New ISA Configuration Utility Functionality
===========================================
- The ICU complies with the following three specifications:
- that defined by the Plug and Play ISA Specification V1.0.
- that defined by the Plug and Play BIOS Specification V1.0
- that defined by the Plug and Play BIOS Specification V1.0a
- Support is now provided to set the DEVICE_RECONFIGURABLE and
the DEVICE_DYNAMIC flags in the Config_Info dFlags.
- The ICU now provides support for DevNode configuration
information retrieval and setting via interfaces defined in the
Plug and Play BIOS V1.0a specification. The ICU can now modify
configurable motherboard system devices.
- The ICU now provides support for displaying PCMCIA cards and
their resource usage (if PCMCIA Card Services that recognizes
the Configuration Manager is also running on the system).
- The ICU now displays names for PCI devices. These names
describe the device's functionality.
- The ICU now supports enabling and disabling PCI devices. This
feature is available when Version 1.21 of the ACFG BIOS is
running on the system.
NOTE
If you find that you cannot disable any PCI
devices, then you have an outdated system BIOS.
Contact your system vendor for a new version of
the BIOS.
- The ICU now includes the conflicting resource value when it
reports conflicts, as well as the conflicting card and resource
type.
- The Windows ICU now provides an online User's Guide in Windows
Help format.
- Messages that notify the user of conflicts display a resource
value as well as a resource type.
PCMCIA VxD
----------
The Windows version of this release installs the following file:
<drive>:\windows\system\pccardrm.386
This file is a PCMCIA Card Services virtual device driver (VxD).
This VxD allows the ICU to receive PCMCIA card events for Card
Services clients in Windows, thus allowing the ICU display to
include PCMCIA cards. For this VxD to work properly, real mode
Card Services must be running on your system.
An entry for this VxD is put into the \windows\system.ini file
under [386Enh] but is commented out. Edit the file and
remove the comment character(;) to activate the VxD.
Plug and Play Kit Notes and Limitations
***************************************
Release 1.23 of the Plug and Play Kit for MS-DOS and Windows
has the following limitations:
- The CM and ICU do not support more than one PCI bus.
- When the CM or ICU move a PCI card, they allocate memory resources
according to the run-time memory requirement of the card. If this
value is smaller than the PCI card's boot-time memory requirement,
the BIOS relocates the PCI card the next time the system is booted.
Therefore, the system boots in a different configuration than that
last assigned by the CM and ICU.
- The CM and ICU do not take into account the Shadow attribute of the
memory blocks. So, there may be incompatible ROMs in the same
shadow region. A workaround for this is to have all off-board
ROMS use the same mode - shadowed or not shadowed. The preferred
mode is not shadowed, since not all cards support ROM shadowing.
- The CM and ICU do not differentiate between 8-bit and 16-bit devices.
Thus, both device types can be allocated memory in the same 128K
block. Due to ISA bus addressing, this memory allocation method can
cause cards to not work. To work around this problem, design your
devices to require memory in 128K blocks.
Configuration Manager Notes and Limitations
===========================================
- Whenever the Configuration Manager executes a 32-bit I/O read to
the Plug and Play BIOS the system may hang and/or reset.
The problem occurs only on systems with a Plug and Play BIOS, Plug
and Play software Release 1.21, and EMM386 versions prior to 4.49.
To fix this problem, use version 4.49 or higher releases of the
EMM386 memory manager. End-users with earlier versions of the
EMM386 memory manager should contact their OEM or Microsoft for
information on obtaining an updated EMM386 device driver.
- Using the DOS 6.21 or 6.22 Memmaker program with a Plug and Play
system may cause system reboots. Selecting the Memmaker program's
"Aggressive" memory scanning option causes Memmaker to specify
HIGHSCAN as an option parameter to EMM386 in the config.sys file.
The HIGHSCAN option may cause EMM386 to map memory into the F000:0 BIOS
space used by the system BIOS. In this instance, EMM386 does not
recognize that the BIOS may be using the entire 64 KB range from
F000:0 to F000:FFFF. Typically, the system reboots when the
Configuration Manager begins initialization, however the behavior
may vary from system to system depending upon the BIOS.
To work around this problem, do not select the "Aggressive" memory
scan option on Memmaker.
- Some Plug and Play platform BIOS memory map ESCD into the E000:0
block. Unfortunately, EMM386 does not recognize the presence of
ESCD information in the E000:0 range and maps memory on top of the
ESCD area. This corrupts the ESCD storage area.
To work around this problem, end-users should contact their system
OEMs. OEMs should determine where their BIOS stores ESCD. If the
BIOS maps ESCD into the E000:0 range then end-users and OEMS should
exclude the E000:0 range on the EMM386 command line. A permanent
workaround involves BIOS vendors including a BIOS signature in front
of the ESCD header when using the E000:0 range.
- In the absence of the Intel Plug and Play BIOS extensions, Plug
and Play boot devices are not reconfigured by the Configuration
Manager.
- Software exists that is incompatible with proper Configuration
Manager operation. The interaction between this software and
the CM might cause unusual system behavior or system delays
when both the CM and the software are running on the system.
If you suspect such interaction is causing problems on your
system, try adding the /STATIC and/or the /NOVCPI options to
the dwcfgmg.sys driver line in the config.sys file. Either
or both options might remedy the problem.
- The VCAD Windows driver provides protected-mode EISA interfaces.
when the /PMEISA CM option is specified. Since not all EISA
systems provide this level of BIOS functionality, these
functions might not work correctly on all EISA systems.
- If you use the /FILE option of the Configuration Manager on a
system with the ACFG BIOS, and you don't provide motherboard
information for the system in an escd.rf file, the ICU cannot
run. This option is normally needed only for testing on
EISA systems.
ISA Configuration Utility Notes and Limitations
===============================================
- When you save an image file (Save Image File or Save Image File
As.. on the Advanced menu), the icu.ndx index file is not
updated. So, if the configuration you saved contained one or
more unlisted cards, when you load the image file you saved,
the card resources for these unlisted cards are in the loaded
configuration image. However, cards of this type might be listed
as "Unknown Card," instead of by the name you assigned
when you added it. You can avoid this behavior by choosing the
Save item on the File menu before you save the image file. In
addition, if you copy the image file to another system, you
must also copy the icu.ndx index file to avoid this behavior.
- Pressing the F1 key invokes the ICU help facility from the
ISA Configuration Utility window (the main window) only.
- When you are modifying a function of a Plug and Play card in
preparation for locking it, you might see a conflict message
that indicates the card is conflicting with itself. Try
reconfiguring the card functions in a different order.
- If a function has two or more resource types that must be
configured together, the ICU might not be able to configure
that function, even though there might be a valid configuration
available. If you encounter this problem, see the discussion
on resolving conflicts in the Troubleshooting section of the
ICU User's Guide for ways to successfully configure functions
in this category.
- When you pick a resource for a new card that is currently used
by an existing card, the ICU reconfigures the Plug and Play ISA
cards first, then the PCI cards. However, PCI cards are
restricted to specific interrupts. Sometimes, the configuration
fails because the ICU assigns Plug and Play cards to all the
valid PCI card interrupts. Then, The ICU cannot configure the
PCI cards. Use the ICU to reconfigure the Plug and Play cards
to different interrupts, then try again to configure your new
card.
- If a boot function on a Plug and Play card causes a conflict
error on a system without the Plug and Play BIOS, one of two
messages appears after you Modify the card and change the
function:
This card will be configured when the system is rebooted.
This may not be true. If this message appears, there
is a configuration that works. However, systems
without the Plug and Play BIOS lack the ability to
configure boot functions of Plug and Play cards, and
cannot find the working configuration for you.
Find the working configuration and configure the Plug and
Play card using jumpers, switches, or a software
configuration utility provided by the card manufacturer.
Inspect the resources currently used in the system to
determine a working configuration.
A conflict has been detected with <conflicting_card>. The
conflicting resource is <resource_and_value>.
This message might be inaccurate. It might not inform
you of the conflict keeping the card from being configured.
Inspect the resources currently used in the system and use
the conflict resolution techniques described in the Chapter
5 of the ICU User's Guide to discover and correct the conflict.
If in the course of resolving a conflict reported by this
message you see the message discussed previously, use the
techniques described to continue.
- Because of ISA architecture limitations, ISA cards cannot use
Interrupt 2, but must use Interrupt 9 instead. The ICU takes
this limitation into account and only allows users to choose
Interrupt 9 when Interrupt 2 is listed as a valid resource value
in a configuration file. When this substitution occurs, the
interrupt value is offered as "Interrupt 9(2)."
- When you are configuring an unlisted card, if the card
manufacturer's documentation lists Interrupt 2 as a valid
resource value, you must instead choose Interrupt 9.
- A set of reserved resources is standard on ISA systems.
However, the ICU mistakenly allows these resources to be
allocated by the user. Please do not allocate the following
resources:
I/O Ports 279h, A79h
- You can increase the size of the Smartdrv buffer to make the ICU
faster.
MS-DOS ICU Limitations
----------------------
- The MS-DOS ICU installation might fail if some Terminate and
Stay Resident (TSR) programs or drivers are resident in memory.
If this happens, remove all TSRs from memory and restart the
install process. Some example TSRs and drivers are: Borland
Side Kick and network drivers that are not loaded from
config.sys.
- You might see this message:
N100: Not enough memory to run the ICU.
In a few cases, 488 KBytes of free memory is insufficient.
In these cases, ICU operation ceases suddenly and you see an
MS-DOS "Out of Memory" error. In this situation, use the
Windows version of the ICU if it is available. If the Windows
ICU is not available, use the Save item on the File menu
after each card operation to avoid losing too much work.
- You might see this message:
N110: Please run the ICU from its directory.
You must invoke the ICU from the directory that contains the DB
directory (default placement C:\PLUGPLAY\ICU).
- You must execute the MS-DOS ICU from MS-DOS only, not from an
MS-DOS window.
- If you rearrange the ICU dialog boxes on the screen, you might
see spurious lines, characters, or buttons. Do not click the
mouse on these spurious entities. Clicking the mouse here
causes the system to hang.
- Double-clicking to select an item in a list is not supported.
- The scroll box (the square slider inside the scrollbar)
occasionally does not work. Use the arrow keys.
- If you initiate an action such as Add Card when the System
Resource Usage dialog box is visible, the dialog box might
close.
Windows ICU Limitations
-----------------------
- If you have no mouse, you might not be allowed to make a
choice from the Choices for Configuration list on the Settings
screen if the choices above and below the choice you want cause
conflicts. The Windows keyboard interface selects each entry
instead of just highlighting it. If this happens try using the
arrow keys and/or the Page Up/Page Down keys to move in the list.
Configuration Assistance Utility Notes and Limitations
======================================================
- cassist operation is incompatible with network operation.
Disable network drivers on your system before running
cassist. Enable the network drivers after you have run
cassist.
- cassist creates the escd.rf file in the root directory of the
current drive (that is, the drive on which the cassist utility
is run). On systems without the Plug and Play BIOS, if the
current drive is not the boot drive, the user must move this
escd.rf file manually to the root directory of the boot drive.
- cassist does not detect interrupt resources used by ISA video
cards.
*******************************************************************
* Trademark and Copyright Citations *
*******************************************************************
MS-DOS is a registered trademark, and Windows is a trademark of
Microsoft Corporation.
The program used for MS-DOS installation of components of the
Plug and Play Kit for MS-DOS and Windows, INSTALL, is licensed
software provided by Knowledge Dynamics Corp., P.O. Box 780068,
San Antonio, Texas 78278 (U.S.A.). INSTALL is Copyright (c)
1987-1993 by Knowledge Dynamics Corp., which reserves all copyright
protection worldwide. INSTALL is provided to you for the exclusive
purpose of installing the MS-DOS components of the Plug and Play
Kit for MS-DOS and Windows. Intel Corporation is exclusively
responsible for the support of the Plug and Play Kit for MS-DOS
and Windows, including support during the installation phase.
In no event will Knowledge Dynamics Corp. provide any technical
support for the Plug and Play Kit for MS-DOS and Windows.
Other names and trademarks are the property of their respective
companies.
<END>
