> At 01:32 PM 12/26/99 -0500, you wrote:
> >I've got some DOS games that will not run when Windows is running and
> >require the full DOS environment. I've tried it and the game will not
> >run and will crash Windows 3.11 on my 386. It's even documented in the
> >games' user manuals.
> Try the PIF files, they should do it. Edit the pif for the game and set it
> to exit windows then return after. That's what it's for I believe. Pif
> Editor.
There are 3 different ways to specify a large dos environment in a dos
box. One can set a variable in system.ini, one can use the environment
switch for the command.com command, or one can specify a large environment
in a PIF (program information file) file.
However, this only enlarges the RAM that command.com uses to store variables.
There is a larger sense of environment that the original quote may refer to:
A DOS box creates a ``virtual machine'' in so called ``protected'' rather
than ``real'' DOS mode. Each dos box is given its own 650K of conventional
memory to work with, which will not interfere with other DOS boxes or windows
programs -- up to the limits of your ram.
But ordinary DOS programs in real mode have virtually all of your ram
available as ``Extended memory'' to run a single program in. Im not sure
what the practical limit is on total memory (conventional plus extended)
in a dos box is. Clearly is is a lot smaller than it is for DOS in real
mode since lots of windows system software, other programs, other dos
boxes are, or can be running, before you open a dos box to play a game.
The game may well require more dos memory than a dos box can provide.
Howard Schwartz
-------------------------------
theo "at" ncal.verio.com
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