How to configure MSDOS boot floppy + ramdisk + prgm copy + unzip ?
Kurt
DOS programs which do not fit on the remaining floppy space.
Is there a way to put them zipped (compressed) on the floppy.
Then, after having booted MS-DOS, I want to create a ramdisk
copy the zip archives to the ramdisk and unzip them.
This way it should be possible to extend the floppy space.
Question: How do I do that?
Read: Whyt kind of Ramdisk should I take?
Where should I declare the ramdisk (AUTOEXEC.BAT?)
How do I transfer the zipped programs to the ramdisk?
How do I add the PATH to the ramdisk to the standard PATH?
Any problems with this strategy?
cu
Kurt
John2WFA
=> Assume I have in addition to a "normal" MSDOS boot floppy some extra
=> DOS programs which do not fit on the remaining floppy space.
=>
=> Is there a way to put them zipped (compressed) on the floppy.
=> Then, after having booted MS-DOS, I want to create a ramdisk
=> copy the zip archives to the ramdisk and unzip them.
=>
=> This way it should be possible to extend the floppy space.
Consider: will PKZIP.EXE itself take up more space on the floppy than
you will save by compressing other files? (If you are willing to use
more than one floppy for your programs, zip sounds great!)
=> Question: How do I do that?
See below.
=> Read: What kind of Ramdisk should I take?
The one that comes with the DOS version you are booting.
=> Where should I declare the ramdisk (AUTOEXEC.BAT?)
In CONFIG.SYS
=> How do I transfer the zipped programs to the ramdisk?
See below
=> How do I add the PATH to the ramdisk to the standard PATH?
A number of ways - the problem is to identify which drive letter has
been assigned to the Ramdrive you created.
=> Any problems with this strategy?
No.
Create a bootable floppy, (delete any drvspace.bin from floppy)
copy to it Ramdrive.exe and Himem.sys, (from c:\dos or c:\windows)
copy to it Pkunzip.exe (or equivalent)
copy to it a Config.sys and Autoexec.bat as below
Add your zip files as desired
CONFIG.SYS (creates 4MB ramdrive on system's hard drive)
device=himem.sys
files=20
buffers=20
dos=high,umb
devicehigh=ramdrive.sys /E 4096
AUTOEXEC.BAT
@echo off
:: Looking for the ramdisk drive letter (allows for up to 5 non-empty
:: hard disks on the system)
set ramdrive=d
if not exist d:\nul goto error
if not exist d:\*.* goto setdrive
set ramdrive=e
if not exist e:\nul go to error
if not exist e:\*.* goto setdrive
set ramdrive=f
if not exist f:\nul go to error
if not exist f:\*.* goto setdrive
set ramdrive=g
if not exist g:\nul go to error
if not exist g:\*.* goto setdrive
set ramdrive=h
if not exist h:\nul go to error
if not exist h:\*.* goto setdrive
set ramdrive=i
if not exist i:\nul go to error
if not exist i:\*.* goto setdrive
goto error
:setdrive
%ramdrive%:
a:\pkunzip.exe a:\*.zip
copy a:\command.com /v
set COMSPEC=%ramdrive%:\COMMAND.COM
goto load
:error
echo ram drive could not be created.
echo ram test drive = %ramdrive%
echo.
:load
pkunzip.exe a:\*.zip
:: Repeat as necessary
Path can then use %drvspace%: for the ramdrive. Note that when the
above Autoexec.bat is done, it leaves you in the ramdrive.
--- JohnW Minneapolis
Clay Calvert
If you have access to Win98, create a Startup Disk and see how MS
handles creating RamDisks, etc. Instead of a zip file, they use a cab
file. I actually use Pkunzjr.com, which is only 3KB in size and can
handle zip files with up to 512 files, but no directories. Pkunzjr is
part of the PkZip 2.04g package.
Here is a routine of mine that loads Win3.0 from a diskette into a RAM
drive. FNDRMDRV.bat written by Michael Donn, who unfortunately no
longer frequents this group.
CONFIG.SYS
device=a:\himem.sys
dos=high
lastdrive=h
files=60
buffers=40
device=a:\ramdrive.sys 4096 512 512 /e
AUTOEXEC.BAT
:: CompWin 8-24-97
:: ccalvert
path=a:\
call FNDRMDRV.bat
if "%!R!%"=="" goto end
copy *.com %!R!%
copy *.zip %!R!%
%!R!%
set path=%!R!%\
set comspec=%!R!%\command.com
set temp=%!R!%\
pkunzjr compwin
if not exist config.sys del *.zip
doskey /insert
>>Winfile.ini echo %!R!%\*.*
:end
win
:: FNDRMDRV.BAT - Sets envvar !R! to the letter of the ram drive, if any.
:: 8-4-97 m donn
@echo off
%3
set !R!=|set !D!=!
ctty nul
for %%V in (C D E F G H I J K L M N) do call %0 %%V x goto:2nd
for %%V in (O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z) do call %0 %%V x goto:2nd
ctty con
goto end
:2nd
if .%!D!%.==.. goto end
set !D!=
> volume.bat echo if not .%%5.==.. %0 %%5 %1 goto:3rd
>>volume.bat vol %1:
for %%V in (call del goto:end) do %%V volume.bat
:3rd
set !D!=!
if .%1.==.MS-RAMDRIVE. set !R!=%2:
:end
Here is the contents of the A drive:
AUTOEXEC.BAT
COMPWIN.ZIP
FNDRMDRV.BAT
CONFIG.SYS
RAMDRIVE.SYS
PKUNZJR.COM
HIMEM.SYS
COMMAND.COM
DOSKEY.COM
EDIT.COM
Total bytes 987,447
CompWin.zip is 824,040 bytes in size, but contains 1,535,063 bytes
worth of files.
I decided against emm386 because it is somewhat large and can't be
compressed. The RAM drive and Doskey don't take up that much space.
Cheers,
Clay Calvert
CCal...@Wanguru.com
Replace "W" with "L"
Outsider
>
>
> CONFIG.SYS (creates 4MB ramdrive on system's hard drive)
Slight correction, that would be in memory, which is I'm sure
what yo meant to say.
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