NewDeal Hot Tip 1527

[Hot Tips for...] General Use

TSR, Terminate and Stay Resident

What is a TSR?
MSCDEX.EXE
Cosmi Virus Terminator
CPAV
Direct Access Version 3
DPATH
DMP 2.02 Print Spooler
Lightning Cache
LOGIMENU and CLICK
Norton DISKMON and DISKREET
Ontrack Disk Manager
Paul Mace Utilities
PC-Kwik Power Pak
PC Resume
PCTools Delete Tracker
RapidMeg LIM 4.0 driver
Sidekick 2.0
SoftLogic Solutions Cubit
Stacker
TechMar Anti-Virus Plus
QEMM

What is a TSR?

TSR stands for "Terminate and Stay Resident." Most software programs run and then shut down completely, either automatically when they are finished running, or when the user chooses the Close or Exit option. The user is only then returned to the command line. A TSR is a program which continues to run in the background, while returning the user to the command line, allowing the user to run other additional programs. TSRs are frequently run from a command in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

A common example of a TSR is the mouse driver named MOUSE.COM. When you run MOUSE.COM, the program loads and continues to run invisibly in the background, intercepting mouse movements and controlling the mouse pointer, even while you run other software like a word processor or a game software. TSRs are used for many things, from providing support for your hardware devices, to pop-up accessories like calculators or notepads that you can access with special keypresses while you are running other programs.

Many TSRs, such as most mouse drivers and CD-ROM extensions, work well with NewDeal. Some TSRs, however, are not compatible with NewDeal. Some may simply be inaccessible from within NewDeal, because NewDeal intercepts the special keypress required by the TSR. Other TSRs cannot be used with NewDeal, because they interfere with the normal operation of NewDeal.

This document contains notes about specific TSRs and their use in conjunction with NewDeal software. If you use a TSR successfully in conjunction with NewDeal, or if you experience trouble with a TSR when used with NewDeal, please let us know.

MSCDEX.EXE

MSCDEX is an acronym for Microsoft CD-ROM Extensions. It is a TSR that enables CD-ROM's to be accessed as DOS drives. What it does is talk to your CD-ROM drive via a device driver in your CONFIG.SYS, and interfaces the CD-ROM drive to MS-DOS as a Network drive. So, if you do not have a network and get network related messages, now you know why.

The command to load MSCDEX is placed in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file and should be automatically included when installing your CD-ROM software. It will look something like this:

C:\CDROM\MSCDEX /D:SONY001 /M:10 /L:E /V
In the example above: If you use MS DOS 6.0, you may have to use the MSCDEX version 2.22 driver in your MS DOS 6.0 directory. The PATH to your MSCDEX file will then be C:\DOS\MSCDEX. If you install or reinstall a legacy driver for your CD-ROM, it might also install an older version of MSCDEX, in which case you may have to change the path to aim at the newer version.

If you run Windows 95 or Windows 98, you do not need MSCDEX on most computers.

Cosmi Virus Terminator

There have been reports that Virus Terminator by Cosmi causes an error when running NewDeal software: Error could not locate Kernel - Reinstall. Removing Virus Terminator seems to solve the problem.

CPAV

"File LOADER.EXE was changed" is a message caused by Central Point Anti-Virus. You can usually press c twice to continue and NewDeal will start up just fine. For a more permanent solution, you can disable the TSR by removing the CPAV lines from the AUTOEXEC.BAT file or you can use CPAV to update the file LOADER.EXE.

Direct Access Version 3

NewDeal has an apparent TSR conflict with Direct Access menu version 3.0. Symptom is the error message: "system error: fatal error in K: BHP"

DPATH

DPATH is a TSR that allows DOS programs to call up files located in subdirectories other than the current active subdirectory. It is similar to the DOS APPEND command. On certain computers, DPATH causes NewDeal to report "File Not Found" if the file attribute is set to Read-Only.

DMP 2.02 Print Spooler

There is a DOS print spooler called "DMP 2.02" from DMP Software in Santa Monica that does not work with NewDeal software. The first printout comes out just fine, but after that, the computer slows to a crawl. This continues until the machine is powered down and back up. The only solution is to remove the spooler when using NewDeal.

Lightning Cache

You may need to run NewDeal with the /nomem switch in order to run it with the Lightning disk cache. The problem shows up as un-recoverable errors in File-Read when trying to launch applications. The only way we've gotten Lightening Disk Cache to run successfully with some versions of NewDeal software is to use these parameters when launching Lightning:
L T=0 BACK OFF
The T=0 deactivates delayed writes, BACK OFF turns off background writes.

LOGIMENU and CLICK

Logimenu and Click are both Logitech mouse TSRs. Logimenu attempts to implement mouse support for certain well-known apps (such as Lotus 1-2-3) that don't have built-in mouse support. The TSR generates on-screen menus that you click on and it sends simulated keystrokes to the program. Click is a mouse TSR control panel.

NewDeal has not generally suffered any compatibility problems with either LOGIMENU or CLICK.

Norton DISKMON

NewDeal may not work properly with floppy disks if Norton's Utilities DISKMON is enabled. DISKMON protects system files against viruses. When the protection feature of DISKMON is turned off, NewDeal works properly again.

Norton DISKREET.SYS

Norton DISKREET may cause NewDeal to generate a spurious error message like "Error reading drive D:" on a computer that has no drive D. Look for a line like this in the CONFIG.SYS file and remove it:
DEVICE=C:\NORTON\DISKREET.SYS

Ontrack Disk Manager

DOS normally allocates 512 bytes per buffer (BUFFERS=30 in the CONFIG.SYS file). Ontrack's Disk Manager software (DMDRVR) changes that to 2048 bytes per buffer. You should be able to run NewDeal successfully with BUFFERS=10 if you're using Disk Manager to partition your hard drive.

Paul Mace Utilities

NewDeal may be incompatible with the MCACHE utility that comes with the Mace Utilities.

PC-Kwik Power Pak

NewDeal may be incompatible with the screen accelerator provided by PC-Kwik Power Pak. Disable the screen accelerator and NewDeal should work with the rest of the PC-Kwik package.

PC Resume

NewDeal appears to be compatible with PC Resume, which claims to be a timesaving automatic resume utility that saves the computer environment with a hotkey. Supposedly, it lets you quickly shut down your PC in the middle of your work and resume later on.

PCTools Delete Tracker

If you have PC Tools Delete Tracker enabled, you may find yourself unable to drag files to the trash without causing a crash or lockup. In that case, go into PC Tools, turn off the data monitor, and turn it back on. That may update the Tracker file sufficiently; if not, delete the Tracker file.

RapidMeg LIM 4.0 driver

board and driver from STB There have been unconfirmed reports that NewDeal may be incompatible with the RapidMeg LIM 4.0 expanded memory driver from a company named STB. The driver is used to support the RapidMeg expanded memory board.

Sidekick 2.0

Sidekick is one of the few pop-up TSR's you can even get to come awake from within NewDeal. This is because Sidekick watches the BIOS modifier bits, which is the only part of the keystroke that NewDeal passes on. NewDeal passes these bits on so that the little lights on your keyboard will function correctly.

If you have mouse problems upon returning from Sidekick 2.0 to NewDeal, try pressing and releasing the CTRL key, then press and release the ALT key.

Pressing CTRL+ALT simultaneously is the way to return to NewDeal from Sidekick. It won't have much effect when typed after returning from Sidekick, except doing so will allow NewDeal to recognize that those modifier keys are now released, because Sidekick steals the keyboard interrupt away before they are released when switching to Sidekick.

Since NewDeal has its own variables tracking the state of these modifier keys, Sidekick's changing of the ones in the BIOS data area has no effect, so when the user returns from Sidekick and clicks the mouse, NewDeal thinks the click is being modified with the CTRL or ALT keys.

Sidekick may leave random dots on the screen upon return to NewDeal, probably due to a problem inherent in Sidekick: it sets its own character set in the video RAM without saving it, so when it "restores" the video, some of it is trashed.

SoftLogic Solutions Cubit

Cubit is a file compression program made by SoftLogic Solutions in New Hampshire. They're the same people who make Software Carousel. It has a resident portion: the TSR named CUBITR.

We've had at least one report from a user who was seemingly unable to run NewDeal with the TSR loaded. However, we've been successful at running NewDeal after interactively compressing it with Cubit. Note that this is file-level compression software, not disk compression like Stacker or SuperSTOR.

Stacker

NewDeal may be incompatible with Stacker on some computers when Stacker is using EMS memory. If NewDeal will not load (using the /log parameter stops at "initializing drive module"), remove the /EMS switch from the Stacker device line in the CONFIG.SYS.

If you get the message "Insert STACVOL_DSK In Drive C" when starting NewDeal, make sure each of your hard drives or partitions has a unique name (use the DOS command LABEL to change the names).

If NewDeal displays phantom drives (drives which do not actually exist on your computer) see technical support document 227.

TechMar Anti-Virus Plus

There is an unconfirmed report that running the program Anti-Virus Plus from TechMar Enterprises as a TSR causes NewDeal to crash about half the time when re-entering from running a DOS program. The anti-virus TSR is typically loaded in AUTOEXEC.BAT with lines like these:
prevent1 -c immune2

QEMM

Stealth is a feature of QEMM that hides ROM code that is resident in the upper memory area (640k to 1MB region of RAM) in order to make more upper memory blocks (UMBs) available for loading TSRs and device drivers high.

This frees up room in conventional memory, 0-640k, for programs to run in. QEMM uses one of two methods in enabling Stealth:

  1. The ST:M (ROM mapping) method usually creates the most addresses to use in upper memory, but can also cause some incompatibilities depending on your hardware architecture or the type of memory resident programs present.
  2. The ST:F (Frame method) is more compatible on most systems, but fewer UMBs are made available for loading TSRs.
Run OPTIMIZE /STEALTH in your \QEMM directory and follow the on-screen prompts to see which Stealth method you can use. NewDeal software supports both methods. Use whichever works best for you.

Geoworks Quick Start (or Geoworks Ensemble 1.2 or Geoworks Pro)

Stealth mode is fundamentally incompatible with the way Geos 1.x uses EMS memory. Basically, it hides your BIOS until you make a call to it through the appropriate interrupt vector, at which point it steals part of the EMS page frame and maps the BIOS in there, makes the call to it, and restores the EMS page map to its original condition.

Unfortunately, Stealth doesn't perform this mapping using the int 67h vector, so GEOS 1.x has no idea it's happened. The problem, as noted in Adam de Boor's PC Memory Description, is that Geos 1.x expects the low 48K of EMS to remain as it mapped it, permanently. The Geos 1.x EMS swap driver has code in it to detect the altering of this page map via int 67h and refuses to allow any other thread to execute until the map is restored to the state in which Geos 1.x expects it to be.

Since stealth mode alters this mapping without telling Geos 1.x about it, Geos 1.x will merrily change to another thread while the map has been changed, sometimes landing itself right smack in the middle of some random BIOS routine where it expected its own code to be.

There's nothing Geos 1.x can do to protect itself without greatly increasing the overhead of every context switch, or fundamentally restructuring the way it uses EMS memory.

Geos 1.x can use XMS memory provided by QEMM. Be cautious of caches in expanded memory, however, as Geos could still context-switch away from them, run something that needs BIOS, have QEMM map that in, context-switch back to the thread that was using the cache and suddenly get BIOS data instead of cache data.

It's true that most things in Geos that go to the BIOS also grab the lock that would allow another thread to go to DOS, but not all of them do, so this situation could arise.

One customer reports:

"I use QEMM Stealth mode ST:M ALL the time with Geos 1.x and DESQview. I turn LIM/EMS support OFF in Preferences, Computer. I run DESQview with the command: DV /xb:88.

"If the ST:M parameter does not work for you, try using ST:F instead. You will loose about 16k or so, but compatibility should improve. Using ST:M, I have 192k of upper memory blocks available with a maximum of 224K possible if I did not exclude my video memory. Here is what I have on the QEMM command line in my CONFIG.SYS file:

DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS R:1 ST:M RAM FR=C800 X=C000-C7FF
"Using the FR=C800 (Frame Address) is possible for me since I use an IDE drive. MFM and RLL drives will most likely have their BIOS code located at that address and you will run into conflicts. The reason I selected this address was to give me the largest possible single block based on my setup and consequently I can load quite few TSR's high including the Complete Communicator background code and most of the DV code leaving me with more available conventional RAM. Other TSR's loaded high include my mouse driver, timed hard disk head parker, Nansi.sys, and Share.exe. My video ROM address is excluded with the parameter X=C000-C7FF."

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Last Modified 11 Mar 1999