Using Quarterdeck QEMM386 with Windows 3.0 (65794)

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Quarterdeck's QEMM386 is a 386 expanded/extended memory manager that provides a "loadhigh" capability.

QEMM386 versions 5.10 and later support Windows 3.0 in all of its modes (real, standard, and enhanced). QEMM386 versions earlier than 5.10 may be used with Windows 3.0 only in its real mode of operation.

The version of QEMM386 that you have can be identified by the version number it displays during the system boot, or by the presence of a QEMM386.SYS statement in the CONFIG.SYS file. Versions of QEMM386 earlier than 5.10 use the filename QEMM.SYS rather than QEMM386.SYS.

QEMM386 versions 5.10 and later provide functionality that duplicates the Windows 3.0 HIMEM.SYS driver. In effect, QEMM386 replaces HIMEM.SYS. Loading both QEMM386 and HIMEM should cause no problems, but does waste the 2.8K of conventional memory occupied by HIMEM. It is necessary to load only QEMM386 for operation in any Windows mode.

The QEMM386 upgrade booklet gives some specific instructions for the setup of QEMM386 to ensure Windows compatibility. If you follow these instructions you should find that Windows 3.0 operates correctly with QEMM386 in all three modes. Quarterdeck reports that for the most part, QEMM386 setup demonstrates no problems when run in real or standard modes. However, due to the broad range of hardware and software that can be combined in some systems, Quarterdeck has encountered configurations that have experienced various problems when trying to run QEMM386 with Windows 3.0 in enhanced mode.

These problems include the following:

• Failure of Windows to start up in enhanced mode
• System crashes when exiting Windows in enhanced mode
• Problems while running Windows, which do not occur when QEMM386 is not used

Use the following troubleshooting techniques if you experience problems using QEMM386 with Windows 3.0 in enhanced mode. Note that if you receive memory paging errors from Windows, an upgrade to QEMM386 version 5.11 or later may be necessary, especially on IBM PS/2 machines.

Windows Will Not Start in Enhanced Mode, or Crashes on Exit

Check your system to be sure that it has been set up as suggested in the "QEMM 5.10 Upgrade Booklet." The following are some items that are important to enhanced mode operation:

1. Be sure the QEMM386 statement in the CONFIG.SYS file includes the RAM command-line parameter. Or if the RAM parameter is not used, the parameter "X=B000-B7FF" must be used to exclude QEMM386's use of the monochrome video area.
2. If you have a machine that has different speeds of memory, you need to use the NOSORT parameter. Examples of such configurations include 386 machines that use 16-bit memory boards (such as the Intel Above Board or AST RAMPage), in addition to 32-bit motherboard memory. If you are not sure, use the parameter; it has no negative effect.
3. If you are running on a machine that would normally have less than 640K conventional memory (such as the original Intel SYP302, which is limited to 512K conventional memory), you must use the NOFILL parameter to prevent QEMM386 from backfilling conventional memory to 640K. If you are not sure, use the parameter; it has no negative effect.
4. If you have a machine such as an IBM PS/2, HP Vectra, or micro channel bus compatible, which has an extended BIOS data area (EBIOS), you must use the NOXBDA parameter so that the extended BIOS data area isn't moved. QEMM386 versions 5.11 and later do not require this parameter.

Problems or Crashes While Running Windows in Enhanced Mode

QEMM386 is mostly disabled while enhanced mode Windows is running. However, QEMM386 may have made changes to the system before being disabled which may later cause problems for Windows. If you suspect QEMM386, first try disabling QEMM386 entirely by making a backup copy of your CONFIG.SYS file and temporarily removing the QEMM386.SYS line for testing purposes.

If removing QEMM386 seems to correct the problem, restore QEMM and try undoing some of the changes to the system that QEMM has made.

1. Try loading QEMM386, but not loading any of your resident programs or drivers into high memory.
2. If you are using Quarterdeck's FILES.COM and/or BUFFERS.COM, try loading normal files and buffers instead.
3. If the system has shadow RAM, try the QEMM386 NOSHADOWRAM parameter.
4. Try using the QEMM386 X=F000-FFFF parameter to exclude any mapping in the F000-FFFF area.
5. If, when starting Windows 3.0 in enhanced mode, unreadable characters appear on the display, the computer beeps, and you are returned to the MS-DOS prompt, verify that the file WINHIRAM.VXD is present in the QEMM directory on your hard disk. Make sure this file is the same version as present on the distribution disks for the QEMM386 version that you are running. New versions of this file are shipped with each QEMM386 update.
6. Windows 3.00 enhanced mode will not function with an EMS page frame located at 9000 hex. Check the location of the page frame by running QEMM.COM. If the frame is at 9000, see if you can move it somewhere between C000 and E000 hexadecimal. If you have a page frame at 9000, problems may occur when running DOS programs that use expanded memory under Windows 3.0.
7. If you are running QEMM386 5.10 and have trouble running Novell's XMSNET, or anything that uses XMS memory before entering Windows 3.0 enhanced mode, update to QEMM386 version 5.11.
8. In some cases, adding the following line to the [386Enh] section of the Windows 3.0 SYSTEM.INI file may be helpful in resolving memory conflicts between Windows and QEMM386:

         [386Enh]
         EMMExclude=E000-EFFF
         DualDisplay=true