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X-Hacker.org- dBsee 4.6 - The Library - Norton Guide http://www.X-Hacker.org [<<Previous Entry] [^^Up^^] [Next Entry>>] [Menu] [About The Guide]

   If, when using dBsee, memory problems arise, check the following:

LOADHIGH

   It is not necessary to run dBsee with DOS' LH (LoadHigh) command since
   dBsee is automatically uses all available memory. (LH is found in MS-DOS
   version 5.0 or higher).

Memory managers

   Install the EMM386, QEMM386, 386MAX or compatible memory managers.

     . If the memory management driver is EMM386, be careful with
       the /I option that, put at the end of the command, allows the
       memory area, not activated by default by EMM386, to be included. For
       example, by adding an area reserved to the Monochrome Display Adapter
       MDA (B000-B7FF):

     DEVICE = C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE ON NOEMS I=B000-B7FF

     . If you are using MS-DOS version 6 along with EMM386, the
       command previously described must be modified since version 6.0
       creates conflicts with CA-Clipper 5.2.

     DEVICE = C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE ... NOVCPI

     . If any frequently used program (ex. Lotus 123 or Ventura)
       needs Expanded memory, the RAM command instead of the NOEMS command
       can be used by specifying the size (of EMS) desired (ex. 2MB=2048Kb).
       EMS can also offer performance increase for dBsee and its applications
       produced. The command should be set in the following way:

     DEVICE = C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE ON RAM 2048

Contents of CONFIG.SYS

     . The HIMEM.SYS driver must be activated with the command

   DEVICE = C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS

     . Tell DOS to install High Memory Area (HMA) and to allow use
       of the Upper Memory Blocks (UMB). The command is the following:

     DOS = HIGH,UMB

     . You must set the number of files to open in order to allow
       each application to work without problems. To avoid DOS error 4 (too
       many open files) increase the number of files to open. dBsee can work
       with the following value:

     FILES = 89

     . Set the size of the DOS buffer. If the buffer is set to a
       high value, the system will work better. If a disk caching program
       (for example SMARTDRV.EXE) is used, the buffer size can be reduced,
       even to a value under 4, without reducing the applications'
       performance. If no caching program exists, the buffer size should be
       higher. Consult the DOS manual for further information.

     BUFFERS = 16

     . The following commands can be entered to increase the amount
       of conventional RAM memory (memory between 0 and 640Kb). The default
       values, which are set when DOS is installed are: STACKS=9,256
       and FCBS=16,8. The values set by the following commands increase
       the availability of free RAM:

     STACKS = 0,0
     FCBS = 1,0

     . Load each DEVICE in UMB (Upper Memory Blocks) using the
       command DEVICEHIGH:

     DEVICEHIGH = C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.SYS 2048 512
     DEVICEHIGH = C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS
     ...

     . Create a command shell that assigns a minimum number of
       bytes of conventional RAM memory to the environment variables. A value
       of 1024 is usually sufficient. If an OUT OF ENVIRONMENT SPACE error is
       given, increase this value.

     SHELL = C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS /E:1024 /P

     . Reduce the number of drives used by DOS. Many times this
       command does not appear in the CONFIG.SYS. For default, DOS reserves
       26 drives, identifying each of them with letters from A to Z. Each
       drive occupies a certain amount of conventional RAM. The less drives
       specified, the more RAM will be available. If there are applications
       that have difficulty in correctly recognising the drives, increase the
       value until the error disappears. Novell's Netware is not influenced
       by this setting.

     LASTDRIVE = E

Contents of AUTOEXEC.BAT

Note -n if not necessary, you should use a disk caching program, such
   as SmartDrive. dBsee is a very disk intensive program, and caching a disk
   appropriately can significantly increase its performances. The disk
   caching software should be loaded either from the CONFIG.SYS or from the
   AUTOEXEC.BAT file, and possibly be the first command executed in this last
   file.

     . If possible, load any TSRs (Terminate and Stay Resident)
       into UMB, by using the command LOADHIGH or LH. Even this command frees
       up conventional RAM (below 640Kb).

     LOADHIGH KEYB
     LH DOSKEY

     . Remove the TSRs that are not used when you are actually
       working with dBsee. These utilities can be for example, APPEND, SUBST,
       SHARE, MOUSE, etc. By using the DOS MEM.EXE utility it is possible to
       check the amount of RAM memory used by each application, and see its
       allocation in RAM. The command to set is the following:

     MEM /C

   By correctly setting the CONFIG.SYS file and the standard EMM386, a total
   of 616Kb of conventional memory can be saved plus 128Kb of UMB. Therefore,
   a total of 744 Kb of RAM. Including the first area of RAM (B000-B7FF), an
   additional 32 Kb are added. Therefore, the total RAM freed is
   approximately 776Kb.

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