Help with Real DOS, memory managers, and sound card drivers

bombboyer · 04-08-2003, 04:47 PM

I arranged Windows Me to enter Real Dos Mode at boot-up with shift-F8 with the help of this webpage: http://www.geocities.com/mfd4life_2000/.

Now I downloaded dos drivers for my ensoniq sound card. The only problem is that I need to put 2 lines in my config.sys which are about emm386.exe and himem.sys. When I load emm386, it says that Windows has already its own xms memory manager and the computer refuses to go further. If I cannot run this memory manager, the sound card will not work in Real Dos Mode. So what's the special lines I should enter in my config.sys to manage my memory properly?

MikeHunt79 · 04-09-2003, 06:43 AM

I think windows automatically loads Himem.sys and emm386.exe by default, even when there's no GUI.

bombboyer · 04-09-2003, 02:55 PM

It does, with the following lines in config.sys

SET DEVICE=C:\windows\himem.sys
SET DEVICE=C:\windows\emm386.exe

I still get the XMS error with those lines in place. If I rem out himem.sys, the computer just hangs when it tries to load DOS, and if I rem out emm386, it gives me the XMS error, then hangs.

MikeHunt79 · 04-09-2003, 03:17 PM

what happens if you rem out both lines?

I must admit, i've had no experience with windows ME and dos... maybe someone else here does?

Also, if you get really stuck, just find a win98 or win95osr2 machine, and format a floppy, and check the "copy system files box".... boot from this disk on your carputa, then type "sys a: c:"

bh76 · 04-10-2003, 10:33 PM

Windows Me's DOS is really weird. I try to avoid it like the plague. Without the Real Mode patch that you installed, Me's DOS completely ignores the config.sys and ignores everything except environment variables in the autoexec.bat It even uses the system.ini to load some of its settings.

XMS support gets loaded automatically. When you add device=himem.sys to the config.sys you're actually telling it to load himem.sys a second time.

It *may* do the same with emm386.

Try remming out both himem.sys and emm386.exe, in your config.sys Then reboot into real mode and run the mem command. Look for anything that it reports about upper and/or ems memory. Let us know what it says, then we can go from there.

frodobaggins · 04-11-2003, 03:59 AM

Get rid of ME, seriously. You'll thank me later

bombboyer · 04-11-2003, 03:15 PM

I actually switched to 98 DOS, and I got everything workin.

My problem now is, mpxplay takes forever to read all the ID3 tags from the files when I start it up. Is there any way to just make it load a .m3u list instantly like in Winamp?

MikeHunt79 · 04-11-2003, 06:10 PM

yeah, there is... i dont have ,my batch files on this comp, so i'm gonn\a 'ave to go @ 2nd best....................

look in the ,mpxplay faq

it shoews hoew 2 creayte a mxu platlist.

once u done that , you can load mpxplay instangtlywith thre*.mpx playlist.....

hmmmmmmmmmmm.........

i can help more when i get my other compeua runnnin, and am more sober

if u r sstilll stucj,, i cvan post asgain.

it was a ver good nit3 2nite tho....