Description ----------- MEMSIM is an Expanded Memory Manager (EMM) which provides the functions described in the LOTUS/INTEL/MICROSOFT (LIM) Expanded Memory Specification (EMS), version 3.2. ( Lotus is a trademark of Lotus Development Corporation Intel is a trademark of Intel Corporation Microsoft is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation ) MEMSIM creates a file on the hard drive that you designate and treats this file as Expanded Memory. You can specify a maximum of approximately 32 megabytes for the file length. MEMSIM does not attempt to manage any Extended Memory which may be present on your system; if you invested thousands of dollars in add-on memory boards for your system, MEMSIM is probably not for you. Also, programs that already provide disk paging schemes will probably run more efficiently with their own built-in paging. MEMSIM is being distributed as SHAREWARE. This means that you are allowed to try the program and then, if you find it useful and intend to use it, register your copy by sending $25.00 to: Harris Computer Consulting 6779 Beadnell Way #103 San Diego, CA 92117 You are also allowed to distribute the program, provided that you do not modify it and that all accompanying files (including this documentation) are distributed with it. You may not charge any fee for use, copying, or distribution of MEMSIM. Clubs and user groups may distribute MEMSIM, charging a nominal fee not to exceed eight dollars to cover the cost of media and handling, provided that it is made clear that the charge is not in lieu of the $25.00 registration fee paid to Harris Computer Consulting. Companies requiring billing should send a purchase order to the above address, along with the name, address, and phone number of a person to contact regarding payment. Registering this version of MEMSIM automatically registers you for any future versions of MEMSIM. Whether future versions will be developed depends upon the number of registrations received for this version. If you would like a disk containing the current version of MEMSIM, please add $1.00 to the $25.00 registration fee and specify whether you need a 360K or a 1.2M 5¬" floppy disk. Purpose MEMSIM was designed to give your programs access to memory beyond DOS's limit of 640KB. Many programs provide support for this extra memory access by calling on an EMM. MEMSIM is an EMM which uses your hard disk to simulate the Random Access Memory (RAM) managed by other EMMs. Examples of software that can use MEMSIM are spreadsheet and word processor programs. Disclaimer of Warranty ---------------------- Harris Computer Consulting hereby excludes all warranties relating to this software and documentation, whether express or implied, including, without limitation, any implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose. Harris Computer Consulting shall not be liable for any damages, whether direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential, resulting from the use of this software and documentation, due to loss of data or any other reason. In no event shall Harris Computer Consulting's liability for any damages ever exceed the price paid to Harris Computer Consulting for the license to use this software, regardless of the form of the claim. The person using this software bears all risk as to its quality and performance. MEMSIM Operating Instructions ----------------------------- There are two versions of MEMSIM: MEMSIM32.286, which contains 80286 machine instructions and MEMSIM32.08X which contains machine instructions suitable for 8086, 8088, and V-20 microprocessors. PCE NOTE: Only the .08X file is distributed by PC Enterprises as this is the only file tested on PCjr computers. These operating instructions apply equally to either file but this documentation shall refer, from now on, to MEMSIM32.08X, which works with any of the microprocessors; you select the file that's right for your computer. MEMSIM is loaded into your computer's memory at boot time with an entry in your CONFIG.SYS file, and remains resident until you turn off the machine. You should first copy memsim32.08x to a BOOTABLE FLOPPY disk and modify its CONFIG.SYS to include the following: device=memsim32.08x This is the simplest CONFIG.SYS entry you can use, and it requires that you have at least 262,144 bytes free on drive D: to accommodate the simulator data file. I recommend that you try it with a floppy disk first, until you get the configuration you require. Then you can move it to the hard drive, if you so desire. When you boot from this floppy disk in drive A:, a file will automatically be created on drive D:\ called MEMSIM.SIM large enough for 16 pages of expanded memory. Each expanded memory page is 16,384 bytes (16KB) in size, so there needs to be at least 262,144 bytes (16 * 16KB) of free space on your hard disk when you boot for the first time. Two switches are allowed in the CONFIG.SYS entry: one to supply the name and location of the simulator data file and the other to control its size. The format for the pathname switch is: DEVICE=MEMSIM32.08X /D:\SIM.DAT which would create and use a file named sim.dat in the root directory on drive D: 262,144 bytes in size. It is important that you specify the full pathname for the data file: /D:\MYDIR\SIM.DAT would be an acceptable pathname switch, but /D:MYDIR\SIM.DAT would not. The format for the size switch is: DEVICE=MEMSIM32.08X /D:\SIM.DAT /50 which would create a file large enough for 50 16KB Expanded Memory pages (50 * 16,384 = 819,200 bytes) provided enough space was free on drive D:. The pathname, in this case, would be D:\ and SIM.DAT would be the name of the file created. The minimum recommended number of pages is 16 (default); the maximum possible number is 2048. The CONFIG.SYS entry: DEVICE=MEMSIM32.08X /D:\SIM.DAT /10 would create a 10 page file (10 * 16,384 = 163,840 bytes) on D:\ named SIM.DAT, again, if enough free space existed on the drive. The entry in CONFIG.SYS can be placed before or after any other entries that are present there. If you have extended memory installed in your system, it will not be treated as expanded memory by MEMSIM. If you are using MEMSIM, you should use your extended memory as a disk cache, a RAM disk, and/or with an EXTENDED Memory Manager. Loading any other Expanded Memory Manager, before or after MEMSIM, should not cause any problems, but it would simply be a waste of "conventional" memory: only the last Expanded Memory Manager loaded would actually be used by your programs. A sample CONFIG.SYS file is included, named S-CONFIG.SYS. This file assumes a system with an 80286 microprocessor and 384K of extended memory present (an AT class machine with 1 Mbyte of total memory) and utilizes all available extended memory. It also creates a 100 page (1,638,400 byte) EMM simulator file on D:\. I would suggest that you copy your current CONFIG.SYS file to another file (for example NORMAL.SYS) and then replace it with S-CONFIG.SYS (by typing "copy s-config.sys config.sys") when you want to use the simulated EMS memory provided by MEMSIM, and then restore your original system configuration (by typing "copy normal.sys config.sys") when you don't. Of course, you should modify S-CONFIG.SYS to meet your own system needs. PCE NOTE: The S-CONFIG.SYS file provided by the author would not work on a PCjr because it required a 286 computer and did not take into account PCjr Memory Management and Megaboard software. For this reason S-CONFIG.SYS has been replaced with the CONFIG.EMS file provided on your diskette. Also, if you use the MEMSIM program and you find it helpful, PC Enterprises encourages you to make the requested donation to its author. The price of the PCE product you purchased does not include the suggested donation. The MEMSIM program works with the PCE Megaboard. In addition, may PCjr users report success using this program with the PCE Complete Hard Drive Expansion system, however, the performance improvement when using a MEGABOARD is substantial.