Table of Contents

Menu Help

Clean Boot (DOS 6 Users Only)

DOS Game does not run in Windows

DOS4GW Protected Mode

EMS or XMS Memory

Freeing more EMS or XMS

Freeing more Memory

General Protection Fault

Insufficient Memory

Making a Boot Disk

No Mouse in DOS Programs

No Sound in Windows

Added Notes


Insufficient Memory

I have 8+ megs of RAM, how can I have insufficient memory ?

This is probably the number one reason to scrap your computer and buy a Nintendo.  Modern DOS machines carry certain restrictions that were imposed on DOS 1.0, the original thinking was 640 K!, no program uses that much memory, so well base our operating system on 640 K as the upper limit..  This is the kind of forward thinking that has made computer consulting a viable form of income.

Today, computer processors can push through so much data in so little time, running large files is no big deal.  Programmers take full advantage of this capacity and push the 640 K barrier to its limit.  To maintain backwards compatibility with older programs, this 640 K barrier remains.

DOS does not see your 8 megs of RAM as 8192 K of operating space, it sees it as 640 K Conventional + 384 Upper + 7168 Extended.  All of these have to be optimized for everything to run well.  Other operating systems are more kind to your mind, OS/2, Windows95, Windows NT and even Windows 3.1 are easier on your RAM configuration.

See :	Freeing more Memory

EMS Memory

Making a Boot Disk

Clean Boot

for detailed instructions on memory management.


Freeing More 640 K Memory

Making a Boot Disk

Fine, I understand why my program will not run, now what?

For some strange reason, new computers do not come to your house ready to run the latest game.  Oh no, you have to fight for hours and days just to get to the title screen before it crashes (Ever try to run Doom with 4 RAM or Wing Commander III with 8 ?).  So this is what you do:

-If you have a good sense of adventure and like to live on the edge, edit your startup files on your hard disk (not recommended) or copy them to a floppy:

Put a blank floppy in your a: Drive

from the DOS C:> type

COPY CONFIG.SYS A:\

COPY AUTOEXEC.BAT A:\

or just type BOOTER from the CD-ROM drive

-Next step is to edit these files.

once more from the DOS C:> TYPE:

A:

EDIT CONFIG.SYS

Big blue screen with very imposing script beckons you, this is where you can change your startup configuration.  Look for any lines that have the following words:

SETVER.EXE

ANSI.SYS

COUNTRY.SYS

If you see any lines with there words in them, put the letters REM at the beginning of that line, thereby remarking out that line.  These files are not needed for any games.

e.g.

DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE

becomes

REM DEVICE=C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE

Look for the lines on the left and change them to the lines on the right

FILE=##	FILES=20

BUFFERS=##	BUFFERS=10,0

STACKS=#,#	STACKS=0,0

The previous steps should have removed unneeded memory devices


No Sound in Windows

Where is the kaboom ? There is suppose to be an Earth shattering kaboom.

DOOM just isnt quite the same without the loving rattle of the chain gun now is it ?  If a DOS based fails to produce sound when running under windows or gives a message Sound Device is in use by another Application then a little editing is required.  When the install program is first run, it adds the line :

DMABuffersize=100

to a file called SYSTEM.INI.  For windows to register the change, you must exit windows and reload, this should fix the problem.  If it does not, then you must edit the file to change the buffer size, this is done as follows:

From program manager, click FILE, then RUN.

Type SYSEDIT then press enter.

Several windows will open, bring the one called :SYSTEM.INI to the front.

Scroll down until you see the section called [386Enh].

several lines down there should be a line DMABuffersize=100.

change this line to read DMABuffersize=150.

if the line is not there, add it in now.

Close Sysedit, save changes, then restart windows.

Changes can also be made to this file from DOS by entering the windows

directory and typing  EDIT SYSTEM.INI then press enter.

If this does not fix the problem, then check the setup options for the game.  Make sure you have the sound card type set correctly and the sound parameters set (usually IRQ 5, DMA 1, HEX 220 for a Sound Blaster 16).

Please note, sound options can only be set if you have installed or copied the program to your hard disk.  We had to set the programs that run off the CD to no sound in order to avoid a conflict with individual sound systems.

If a windows program is not producing sound, try these:

Make sure windows sounds are enabled through MAIN GROUP,

CONTROL PANEL, SOUNDS.

Make sure the program has its sound enabled.

The last option is to re-install the software that came with your sound card.

Generally, there should not be any problems with windows sounds.


DOS Game does not run in Windows

I tried to run a game through windows and it came back and said  This Application has Violated System Integrity, Exit Windows and Restart your Computer, is that bad ?

No, not bad really, just annoying.  If you get this message or the game just doesnt do anything, exit windows and start the game by launching the install program from DOS by typing in:

D:	[Enter] (Where D is the letter of your CD-ROM Drive)

ESTAR	[Enter]

  The DOS install takes less system memory and should avoid problems.


EMS or XMS Memory

I have 620k free memory, the game says it needs more memory, is this some kind of sick joke ?

Joke ? I never joke.  There are 2 ways memory can be set up under DOS, XMS for extended memory or EMS for expanded memory. Normally your machine is set up with XMS, this runs well with windows and does not interfere with conventional memory.  Lotus, Intel and Microsoft put a quick end to that in a hurry.  Enter EMS, EMS swaps memory back and forth from less than 1024k to above 1024k in 64k blocks, means it take 64k worth of valuable conventional.  EMS is used less and less the days, but if you run into it, change your CONFIG.SYS as follows:

#1 change to the drive with CONFIG.SYS on it ( A: if youre running from a boot disk, C: if from the hard disk).

#2 type EDIT CONFIG.SYS, then press enter.

#3 one of the top lines should be:

DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE

or something to this effect.  If it has NOEMS after it, then you are set for No EMS.  Change NOEMS to RAM if DOS 6 or 2048 if DOS 5 or below.

Save, then exit and reboot.


DOS4GW Protected Mode

Freeing more EMS or XMS

Great, what does that mean ?.

Nothing very exiting really, just another way of using memory.  Dont know who developed it or why, but it has gone into widespread use over the last 2 years.  DOS 4GW is less concerned with conventional memory than it is with everything above 1 meg.  If you encounter problems with a program that uses DOS4GW, here are a couple of suggestions:

Copy the program to your hard disk, then do a clean boot by pressing the F5 key

when your computer is booting and says Starting MS-DOS ( only works

with DOS 6).

Remove smartdriver from your AUTOEXEC.BAT as follows:

Go to your boot drive (A: for boot disk, C: for hard drive)

Type EDIT AUTOEXEC.BAT, then press enter.

Find the line C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE

Insert the letters REM in front of this line ( called remarking out)

Save, exit and Reboot.


General Protection Fault

I thought Windows was supposed to be easier, whats all this then ?

Abandon all hope ye who have seen this message of doom and despair.  Maybe not that bad, but a big pain to debug.  This error occurs when two programs try to use the same address in memory.  You have 2 options to try to fix this: hire a consultant, call the psychic hot line.  No, wait, 3 options: hire a consultant, call the psychic hot line, dont use the program.  Make that 4 options: hire a consultant, call the psychic hot line, dont use the program or try one of these:

•	If you only have 4 Megs. of RAM, an upgrade to 8 will increase overall windowsperformance and give the programs more room to run.  This may solve the GPF, but not always, and it is expensive to upgrade,

•	Increase the number of files in your CONFIG.SYS.  Edit the config.sys as follows:

Go to your boot drive (A: for boot disk, C: for hard drive)

Type EDIT CONFIG.SYS, then press enter.

Find the line FILES=##

Change it to FILES=80

Save, exit and Reboot

•	Increase the COMMAND.COM environment space, as follows:

Go to your boot drive (A: for boot disk, C: for hard drive)

Type EDIT CONFIG.SYS, then press enter.

See if you have a line that looks like this:

SHELL=C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\  /E:2048 /P

if you have it already, modify it by adding  /E:2048 to the end of it.

Save, exit and reboot.

•	Often the conflict will be with you Video Driver, When the GPF occurs it tells you the name of the offending file (if its GDI.EXE, move on folks, theres nothing to see here), if you recognize the file to be part of your video drivers (e.g. FLEXDISK, MACH32, MACH64, TRIDENT, S3) then you can install either default VGA (only 16 colors) or if you have Windows for Workgroups 3.11, then you can use SVGA.  Video drivers can be changed from MAIN GROUP, WINDOWS SETUP, CHANGE SYSTEM SETTINGS.  Chose the new driver , have your original windows disks ready.  Windows will then restart with the new drivers, see if the program runs.  Your old drivers can be restored the same way.  This is a fair amount of effort and you can mess up your system quite nicely if you make a mistake, so I dont advise doing this unless you are sure of your skills.

Okay, maybe more than 4 options.


Clean Boot (DOS 6 Users Only)

Clean boot ?  Ill show you a clean boot, right out the window.

Relax, this part is easy.  A clean boot may be  needed for some programs that need all your available XMS memory, use DOS4GW, or conflict with your device drivers or TSRs (Terminate and Stay Resident). Since CD-ROM Drives operate as device drivers, you must copy the program to the hard disk ( the CD Drive will not be active after a clean boot, you have to boot normally to get the CD Drive).  This is how a clean boot is done:

When you turn on your computer and it says Starting MS-DOS, press the F5 key.  The computer will say Bypassing Startup Files, then youre on your way.

As an added note, if you hit F8 instead of F5, the computer will ask you line by line, what you want to load and not load.


Added Notes

Where does he come up with these strange quotes?

Simple, I said them when I was learning how to do all this ( I had a lot of free time one year).  I have tried as much as I can to make thing easy for you, I hope you have learnt enough to get by and to get the most value out of this CD.  This help file will be constantly updated as feedback is received.  To get this feedback, you can contact us at:

Global Star Software

422 North Rivermede Rd, Unit #8

Concord, Ontario

L4K 3R5

Phone: (905) 738-5645

Fax: (905) 738-9964

E-mail: triad@interlog.com

Please be specific as to the nature of your problem, so it can be sorted out quickly.

Sometimes, when all else fails, here are some suggestions to solve memory problems.

*Upgrade to MS-DOS 6, this has some handy utilities such as memmaker and scandisk.

*Helix Software makes a great program called Multimedia Cloaking.  It frees up huge amounts of Conventional Memory at the cost of a little XMS and about $30-$40.

*Any starter book for DOS or Windows (i.e. DOS for Dummies, Windows for Dummies, etc.)

*Become a Buddest Monk and forgo all technology ( last resort).


No Mouse in DOS Programs

 I have a mouse in Windows, but it disappears when I go into a DOS game.  Does it just not like DOS ?

Well I mean who would ?  After all its so cold and lonely in DOS.  Believe it or not having a mouse loaded in Windows has nothing to do with having a mouse in DOS.  Trouble is, a lot of new computers dont come with DOS mouse drivers loaded, why,

I know not.  Oh, yeah, right, how to fix:

*If your mouse came with a driver disk, follow the instructions that came with it to load the DOS driver.

*If you do not have a mouse driver disk, attempt to find one on your system.

#1 go into the MAIN GROUP

#2 then FILE MANAGER.

#3 select Drive C:

#4 click File, then Search

#5 under Search For: type MOUS*.*

#6 under Start From: type C:\

#7 check Search all Subdirectories on

#8 click OK

#9 a list of programs that match the above parameters will be displayed

#10 look for a program that ends in .COM or .EXE, this is your mouse driver

#11 make a note of the location of the file (i.e. C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM)

#12 exit Windows and from the DOS prompt, type in the location of your mouse driver as follows:

C:\>LH C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.COM

or use whatever path was indicated by your search

If you copy that line into AUTOEXEC.BAT file, the mouse driver will load every time you turn your computer on.

*If the search comes up negative, try variations on the search (LMOUSE.* for Logitech), if you still cannot find your mouse driver, contact your computer dealer to get a mouse driver disk.


Menu Help

Look at it, its so beautiful, so easy to use, so amazing, how do I get one for my very own ?

New from Global Star, it slices, dices, cuts, pastes, copies and installs Julian files, its our new and vastly improved menu.  Well, maybe not that great, but its pretty good.

The object of our menu is to be able to launch all the applications, either from the CD or the hard disk, DOS or Windows.  If a program cannot work off a CD (it tries to write back to the CD), then we disable that feature and only allow it to be copied to the hard disk.  If a program will not work under Windows, we give warning.  If the program needs to be installed through its own setup, then that is the only option available.  In short, user friendly.

For instructions on specific features,

See :	This program may not work under Windows message

Install vs. Copy

Setup Button

DOS Menu


This Program may not work under Windows Messages

 Windows not good enough for you ? Maybe you would prefer a different shade of GUI, you nasty DOS application

Anything that acted funny (funny weird, not funny ha ha) was given a flag to display this message.  This does not mean the programs will defiantly not work, it means, depending on your system setup (RAM, largest executable program size, version of Windows (3.1 or 95), what you had for lunch) it may run.  The worst thing that will happen, is you will have to restart your computer, but more likely you can escape the program by using [Alt+Tab] then click on the DOS program icon, click Settings, then Terminate and OK.  It is also possible to get a Violation Error or a General Protection Fault.

Easiest way to solve this problem is to use the DOS version of the menu.  To load the DOS menu follow the following steps:

#1 exit Windows and return to DOS or, under Windows 95 click Start, Shutdown, Restart the Computer in DOS Mode

#2 change to your CD-ROM Drive by typing in D: [Enter], where D is the letter of you CD-ROM Drive

#3 type in ESTAR [Enter] and out of darkness shall come light


Install vs. Copy

 Isnt that, like totally, the same thing?

Same net result, different way to approach it.  Copy takes a program directly off the CD and puts it on the hard disk.  An Initialization file is then written to and the program can be run, deleted or configured with Setup.

Install is most often used with Windows applications.  Install will run the applications own install program, usually this will copy files into you Windows directory, modify your WIN.INI file and created a program group and icon.  Since the install is done outside our menu, the menu wont allow you to run or delete the program, you have to use Program Manager or Desktop.


Setup Button

 Very little witty to say about a setup button, very boring, that button

Most programs are initially set with no sound and keyboard control, anything else would crash a machine that didnt have a joystick or a Sound Blaster at non default settings.  Since a setup file has to write back to itself, it cannot be run with a program launching off a read only CD.  Setup will only work after a program has been copied to your hard disk.  Make sure you choose the proper settings for your sound cards IRQ, HEX and DMA (default for Sound Blaster 16 is IRQ 5, HEX 220 and DMA 1)


DOS Menu

 No, please dont make me !  I can hardly stand after that last DOS incident !

Come on now, DOS is harmless…mostly.  As long as you dont mind typing 30 to 40 characters to copy your documents to a floppy.  The DOS menu is provided as a fallback to the Windows menu.  Many DOS programs use your computers memory a certain way, Windows uses it another, the result is not suitable for print.  Anything gives you a rough time or you just happen to be hanging around the old DOS prompt then use the DOS menu as follows:

#1 exit Windows and return to DOS or, under Windows 95 click Start, Shutdown, Restart the Computer in DOS Mode

#2 change to your CD-ROM Drive by typing in D: [Enter], where D is the letter of you CD-ROM Drive

#3 type in ESTAR [Enter]

DOS programs do tend to run a little faster from DOS (a statement which does seem to make sense at a glance).