QEMM Not Working on Core 20.09.07

[NightShadowPT]

Hi,

Seems like my MS-DOS with QEMM stopped working with the version released today.

On my MS-DOS boot menu, when I select my QEMM config it does like a soft boot (?) and if I select it again it says "Configuration too large for memory".

If I select QEMM on my first run and then EMM on the second run, my available memory is showing 120Kb (!!!)

Not sure if it's just me, but I'm leaving it here just in case other people are having problems.

P.S.: And yes, I have updated to the latest "Main" and "boot0.rom"

[Chris23235]

Same here.

[janosch]

Same on my setup

[Sorgelig]

i use QEMM and don't have problems. May be it's some specific config.

[Sorgelig]

config.sys:

Code: Select all

device=c:\qemm\dosdata.sys
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM BE:N X=CE00-CFFF ARAM=D000-DFFF R:2 ARAM=B000-B7FF
device=c:\qemm\dos-up.sys @c:\qemm\dos7-up.dat
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QDPMI.SYS SWAPFILE=DPMI.SWP SWAPSIZE=1024
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS /R:2 /RES=864 /SQT=FC00-FDFF /SIZE=19248 C:\DOS71\SETVER.EXE
COUNTRY=007,866,C:\DOS71\COUNTRY.SYS
SHELL=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.COM /R:0 /LO COMMAND.COM /P /E:640
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FCBS=4,0
FILES=30
BUFFERS=20,0
LASTDRIVE=26
STACKS=10,256
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS /R:2 /SIZE=4000 .\IFSHLP.SYS

[NightShadowPT]

i use QEMM and don't have problems. May be it's some specific config.

May be... but it was working flawlessly before this last update.

For the record,here are my config files:

Autoexec.bat

Code: Select all

@ECHO OFF
PROMPT $E[s$E[1;1H$E[0;1;37;44m$E[K$E[1;29H NightShadow's Magic DOS$E[37;40m$E[u$P$G$E[37m
C:\TOOLS\QEMM\LOADHI /RF C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE 2048 /L /X
C:\TOOLS\QEMM\LOADHI /RF C:\DOS\DOSKEY.COM
C:\TOOLS\QEMM\LOADHI /RF C:\DRIVERS\CTMOUSE.EXE /R2
rem C:\TOOLS\QEMM\LOADHI /RF C:\TOOLS\SOFTMPU\SOFTMPU.EXE /MPU:330 /OUTPUT:COM1
SET TEMP=C:\DOS
SET SOUND=C:\SBPRO
SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1
SET DIRCMD=/A
C:\SBPRO\SBP-SET /M:12 /VOC:12 /CD:12 /FM:12 /LINE:12
PATH C:\TOOLS\SOFTMPU;C:\TOOLS\QEMM;C:\DOS;C:\Tools;C:\Tools\XTG;C:\Tools\ARJ;C:\Tools\PKZIP;C:\Tools\RAR;C:\Tools\Shortcts

Config.sys

Code: Select all

device=c:\tools\qemm\dosdata.sys
SET LOADHIDATA=C:\TOOLS\QEMM\LOADHI.RF
device=c:\tools\qemm\qemm386.sys aram=b000-b7ff st:f ram aram=d000-dfff rf
device=c:\tools\qemm\dos-up.sys @c:\tools\qemm\dos-up.dat
DEVICE=C:\TOOLS\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS /RF C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS
DEVICE=C:\TOOLS\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS /RF C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FILES=40
FCBS=1,0
BUFFERS=10,0
LASTDRIVE=E
SHELL=C:\TOOLS\QEMM\LOADHI.COM /RF C:\DOS\COMMAND.COM C:\DOS\  /p

Janosch and Chris23235, since you are also having the same problem, could you post your files to compare?

Cheers,
Bruno

[bbond007]

i use QEMM and don't have problems. May be it's some specific config.

Which version of QEMM are you running?

9.01 seemed to quit working for me, but I have not tested 8.03...

[Chris23235]

I have different menu entries in my config.sys, the QEMM part ist:

Code: Select all

device=c:\qemm\dosdata.sys
SET LOADHIDATA=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.RF
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM ARAM=A000-C7FF ARAM=D000-EFFF RF
device=c:\qemm\dos-up.sys @c:\qemm\dos-up.dat
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS /RF C:\QEMM\QDPMI.SYS SWAPFILE=DPMI.SWP SWAPSIZE=1024
SHELL=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.COM /RF C:\COMMAND.COM C:\ /P

I use QEMM 7.5.

[NightShadowPT]

I am using QEMM 8.0.

[Sorgelig]

use of A000-CFFF area is quite tricky. If you don't know this well, better to exclude whole this area and stealth mode as well.

[pcfreak324]

I wonder if there are noticeable performance differences between EMM386 and QEMM. Does anybody have some benchmarks that measure games running EMM386 vs QEMM?

[Chris23235]

config.sys:

Code: Select all

device=c:\qemm\dosdata.sys
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS RAM BE:N X=CE00-CFFF ARAM=D000-DFFF R:2 ARAM=B000-B7FF
device=c:\qemm\dos-up.sys @c:\qemm\dos7-up.dat
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QDPMI.SYS SWAPFILE=DPMI.SWP SWAPSIZE=1024
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS /R:2 /RES=864 /SQT=FC00-FDFF /SIZE=19248 C:\DOS71\SETVER.EXE
COUNTRY=007,866,C:\DOS71\COUNTRY.SYS
SHELL=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.COM /R:0 /LO COMMAND.COM /P /E:640
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FCBS=4,0
FILES=30
BUFFERS=20,0
LASTDRIVE=26
STACKS=10,256
DEVICE=C:\QEMM\LOADHI.SYS /R:2 /SIZE=4000 .\IFSHLP.SYS

This config also doesn't work for me, but I noticed that this is for DOS 7.1, while I use 6.22 maybe this is the reason why it isn't working anymore.

[flynnsbit]

I did a full fresh install of DOS 7.1 and then installed QEM 8.3 with Sorg's Config. The only thing I had to do is re-run optimize once I got everything in. It seems to be working.

[janosch]

I'm using 9.01 as well, maybe using older version will fix it. Nevertheless it's a regression from previous core. Worked flawlessly before.

But other tools that crashed before do work now (like UFO, Universal File Commander for example).

[flynnsbit]

previous core as in the one where Robert changed with the prefetch fix or the changes that sorg just made? Can you see if this version still has the issue? https://github.com/MiSTer-devel/ao486_M ... chfix2.zip

[Sorgelig]

It's not exactly regression. It can be coincidence it worked before.

[Sorgelig]

line:

Code: Select all

STACKS=10,256

Is very important. Without it many apps including QEMM will crash.

[NightShadowPT]

line:

Code: Select all

STACKS=10,256

Is very important. Without it many apps including QEMM will crash.

Added it, but unfortunately still does not work.

And I am also using MS-DOS 6.22, so it seems this new core has compatibility issues with QEMM under MS-DOS 6?

[janosch]

Yupp also using 6.22 and QEMM 9.01.

[flynnsbit]

If you want someone to look at it, would be helpful to know which release this started with. I gave a simple link above to the version before Sorg's recent changes that has just the self-modifying code. Or people can just keep checking in that DOS 6.22 and QEMM aren't working...

[bbond007]

If you want someone to look at it, would be helpful to know which release this started with. I gave a simple link above to the version before Sorg's recent changes that has just the self-modifying code. Or people can just keep checking in that DOS 6.22 and QEMM aren't working...

For me ao486_prefetchfix2.rbf works with QEMM 8.03 or QEMM 9.01 and DOS 6.22 and ao486_20200907.rbf does not...

[janosch]

Checked it, yes, ao486_prefetchfix2.rbf does fix it. Awesome! Now even stuff like VGA-Copy does work. Very cool!

[flynnsbit]

So it's interesting that it was something in the very latest changes, the addition of the secondary floppy option or something in the sys/ changes. I thought for sure it would have been the prefetch stuff.

[Sorgelig]

I know why QEMM may stop working. While creating config QEMM search for holes (large array of 00 or all FF) in ROM areas to insert RAM/page there. And once BIOS or VGA ROM are updated, these areas will be changed and then it will hang or crash.
So basically you have to run optimize utility after each BIOS/VGA ROM update.

[flynnsbit]

I did a full fresh install of DOS 7.1 and then installed QEM 8.3 with Sorg's Config. The only thing I had to do is re-run optimize once I got everything in. It seems to be working.

Oops, I guess I didn't make this clearer! That was the step I had to do. Will be interesting to see if that fixes it for others.

[Chris23235]

I know why QEMM may stop working. While creating config QEMM search for holes (large array of 00 or all FF) in ROM areas to insert RAM/page there. And once BIOS or VGA ROM are updated, these areas will be changed and then it will hang or crash.
So basically you have to run optimize utility after each BIOS/VGA ROM update.

I tried it with Dos 6.22 and QEMM 7.5 it didn't work, while optimizing the Computer restarts several times, but after the second time I get the same message as before:

"Configuration too large for memory".

[Sorgelig]

It only means that your config doesn't fit into available high ram.
You can add C800-CDFF region to available

[NightShadowPT]

I know why QEMM may stop working. While creating config QEMM search for holes (large array of 00 or all FF) in ROM areas to insert RAM/page there. And once BIOS or VGA ROM are updated, these areas will be changed and then it will hang or crash.
So basically you have to run optimize utility after each BIOS/VGA ROM update.

This makes sense.

I've tried it, but unfortunately, while running optimize, QEMM hangs during the "Software Detection Phase" with the same error "Configuration too large for memory" (the same error I get during regular boot).

Changing the exception regions (or removing them) does not work as well.

Other than reverting back to the old core, I'm out of ideas, but happy to try new suggestions.

Cheers,

[NightShadowPT]

To add, I've tried installing QEMM97 (aka QEMM 9.0) and it get's stuck in the optimization cycle, as it goes into the "Software Detection Phase" it gives the same "Configuration too large for memory" error, reverting back to the previous step.

In a nutshell, it get's into a loop and does not finish installing.

[Sorgelig]

There is nothing wrong with new core actually. Don't look at me, i won't solve your problem.
So study QEMM options and find how to configure it right - this is the only way to solve.