Configuration of DOS i Geobook
Hans Lindgren
Anybody who has a Geobook, please contact me. I have some questions
about Geobook and the configuration of it. I am especially interested in
the
configuration of DOS (Datalight ROM-DOS?) in Geobook. If there is any
possibility to view the configuration in any way?
Best regards,
Hans.L...@abc.se
or
Hans Lind...@udac.se
rt...@hotmail.com
> Hello,
Hello Hans!
> Anybody who has a Geobook, please contact me. I have some questions
> about Geobook and the configuration of it. I am especially interested in
> the configuration of DOS (Datalight ROM-DOS?) in Geobook. If there is any
> possibility to view the configuration in any way?
I don't have a Geobook, but a friend has a mono model and I do have a
diskette of ROM-DOS (which Datalight kindly sent me). It's ROM-DOS 6.22,
meant to be as compatible as possible with MS-DOS 6.22. And from my
experiments with it, it is. I've booted an AcerNote from the ROM-DOS boot
disk and been able to run a previous beta with no problems whatsoever.
I presume you want to view the config.sys and autoexec.bat files of the
Geobook. That shouldn't be a problem. Simply shell to the DOS command prompt
using a diskette with MS-DOS COMMAND.COM; use the file manager to view the
floppy and double-click on the COMMAND.COM icon. Then you can "TYPE
CONFIG.SYS" and "TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT" to view these two files. I suspect that
CONFIG.SYS contains lines with HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE to use the 4MB RAM as
extended memory.
--
Ravin' Ray
your friendly neighborhood paleontologist
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/9020
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Sharpie
rt...@hotmail.com writes:
> Hans Lindgren <Hans.L...@udac.se> wrote:
>
>> Hello,
>
> Hello Hans!
>
>> Anybody who has a Geobook, please contact me. I have some questions
>> about Geobook and the configuration of it. I am especially interested in
>> the configuration of DOS (Datalight ROM-DOS?) in Geobook. If there is any
>> possibility to view the configuration in any way?
>
> I don't have a Geobook, but a friend has a mono model and I do have a
> diskette of ROM-DOS (which Datalight kindly sent me). It's ROM-DOS 6.22,
> meant to be as compatible as possible with MS-DOS 6.22. And from my
> experiments with it, it is. I've booted an AcerNote from the ROM-DOS boot
> disk and been able to run a previous beta with no problems whatsoever.
>
> I presume you want to view the config.sys and autoexec.bat files of the
> Geobook. That shouldn't be a problem. Simply shell to the DOS command prompt
> using a diskette with MS-DOS COMMAND.COM; use the file manager to view the
> floppy and double-click on the COMMAND.COM icon. Then you can "TYPE
> CONFIG.SYS" and "TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT" to view these two files. I suspect that
> CONFIG.SYS contains lines with HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE to use the 4MB RAM as
> extended memory.
There is no autoexec.bat or config.sys on the GeoBook itself. There is
a command.com and a geos.ini and another ini file. The Geos.ini is the
file that has the startup settings in it. Interestingly enough, some DOS
programs will run on the GeoBook such as pkzip without using the method
you describe of double-clicking a DOS command.com. I have a batch file
that I edit depending on what file I want to unzip (or zip) and
execute the batch file. I plan on trying other DOS programs just to
see what happens.
Hans Lindgren
I dont own a Geobook. Could you please make a dump of CONFIG.SYS
and AUTOEXEC.BAT and e-mail it to me. This will help me alot.
Best regards,
Hans
e-mail:Hans.L...@abc.se
>Change to drive C: and type dir. You will see both COMMAND.COM and
>AUTOEXEC.BAT.
>There is no HIMEM.SYS or EMM386.EXE in the CONFIG.SYS though. There
>are other drivers which presumably do similar things.
>The drive allocation is as follows.
>A: Floppy
>C: Rommed boot drive (A: is not used).
>D: A half meg ram drive taken from the systems 4 meg of RAM. This is
>used for the clipboard, temp files, and fax printing.
>E: shows as read only error. This will appear if you add in a memory
>card.
>F: The computers own 1 meg solid state flash ram drive. Installing in
>the Internet utilities is magically stored here. (Sorry, don't know
>the details yet.) Most of the Geos directories on drive F appear to be
>empty. They probably replicate the real directories in the computers
>ROM (which is probably drive C: before the CONFIG.SYS gets through
>with it).
>Hope this helps.
>--Jim Brumbaugh <Sblue...@AwolfenetM.com>
>P.S. If anyone knows how to load a mouse driver on a Geobook (I havn't
>got any TSR to load,) or to set the hardware clock speed to a normal
>one when shelling out to DOS, and vice-a-versa, please let me know.
>** The glitch in the machine. /or/ Better living through software. **
> [Remove Monty Python reference (caps) in mail address to reply]
Jim Brumbaugh
hastily scribbled:
> In article <6tc2se$nu0$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>,
> rt...@hotmail.com writes:
> > Hans Lindgren <Hans.L...@udac.se> wrote:
[...]
> > I presume you want to view the config.sys and autoexec.bat files of the
> > Geobook. That shouldn't be a problem. Simply shell to the DOS command prompt
> > using a diskette with MS-DOS COMMAND.COM; use the file manager to view the
> > floppy and double-click on the COMMAND.COM icon. Then you can "TYPE
> > CONFIG.SYS" and "TYPE AUTOEXEC.BAT" to view these two files. I suspect that
> > CONFIG.SYS contains lines with HIMEM.SYS and EMM386.EXE to use the 4MB RAM as
> > extended memory.
>
> There is no autoexec.bat or config.sys on the GeoBook itself. There is
> a command.com and a geos.ini and another ini file. The Geos.ini is the
> file that has the startup settings in it. Interestingly enough, some DOS
> programs will run on the GeoBook such as pkzip without using the method
> you describe of double-clicking a DOS command.com. I have a batch file
> that I edit depending on what file I want to unzip (or zip) and
> execute the batch file. I plan on trying other DOS programs just to
> see what happens.
You are mistaken. There is indeed a config.sys and autoexec.bat on the
Geobook. They are on drive C.
When you shell out to the command prompt, you will find yourself on
drive F: at the root. ("F:\") This is where the Geos.ini files are
kept. They have to be there as they are writable. The CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT cannot be changed. [On the color Geobook the drive C:
bootup files will chain to two similarly named files stored on drive
F:. This is not the case on the monochrome unit.]
BBianch532
>Subject: Re: Configuration of DOS i Geobook
>From: Sblue...@AwolfenetM.com (Jim Brumbaugh)
Hi Jim,
Great information! Thanks from all of *us* : - )
Bob Bianchini
MCP Windows 95
a.k.a. tbcBob
The Breadbox Channel - Nightly 9 - 11PM
Download a FREE Meeting Room Chat Client from:
http://www.breadbox.com
New Deal Office (formerly Geoworks Ensemble) Supporter
Corrections & Comments Welcomed
Jim Brumbaugh
hastily scribbled:
> Sblue...@AwolfenetM.com (Jim Brumbaugh) wrote:
> I dont own a Geobook. Could you please make a dump of CONFIG.SYS
> and AUTOEXEC.BAT and e-mail it to me. This will help me alot.
>
> Best regards,
> Hans
> e-mail:Hans.L...@abc.se
OK..
Here are the startup files for the GeoBook NB-60
**************************************************88
>> CONFIG.SYS <<
DEVICE=DLFFS.EXE
BUFFERS=30
LASTDRIVE=G
>> AUTOEXEC.BAT <<
@SET GEOSDIR = F:\GEOWORKS
@ISCTFMT F: > NUL
@IF NOT ERRORLEVEL 1 GOTO SKPFMT
@DLFMT F: /C > NUL
:SKPFMT
@xipmove xipcmd > NUL
@initmem > NUL
@geos
>> XIPCMD <<
f50000 80000 14000
f64000 e4000 c000
f50000 180000 20000
f70000 1a0000 48000
>> DIR C:\ <<
Volume in drive C is ROM-DISK
Directory of C:\
LOADER EXE 54,992 07-28-97 6:54p
CONFIG SYS 43 07-28-97 6:54p
AUTOEXEC BAT 156 07-28-97 6:54p
COMMAND COM 28,547 07-28-97 6:54p
INITMEM COM 12,734 07-28-97 6:54p
ISCTFMT EXE 10,084 07-28-97 6:54p
DLFFS EXE 16,528 07-28-97 6:54p
DLFMT EXE 15,059 07-28-97 6:54p
XIPMOVE EXE 51,924 07-28-97 6:54p
XIPCMD 83 07-28-97 6:54p
SWAT EXE 21,088 07-28-97 6:54p
GEOS BAT 64 07-28-97 6:54p
G BAT 161 07-28-97 6:54p
NS BAT 143 07-28-97 6:54p
PS BAT 146 07-28-97 6:54p
SWATWAIT 3 07-28-97 6:54p
GEOWORKS <DIR> 07-28-97 6:54p
17 file(s) 211,755 bytes
0 bytes free
>> DIR C:\GEOWORKS <<
Volume in drive C is ROM-DISK
Directory of C:\GEOWORKS
<DIR> 07-28-97 6:54p
. <DIR> 07-28-97 6:54p
GEOS STR 678 07-28-97 6:54p
NET INI 3,852 07-28-97 6:54p
GEOS INI 4,006 07-28-97 6:54p
5 file(s) 8,536 bytes
0 bytes free
>> Notes about the startup files <<
First of all, when the computer boots, if you press "F8" while the
message "Initializing" comes up on the screen, you get asked for each
line in the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT if you want to execute that
line.
If you execute nothing, there is no drive F: (just C:). Drive F: is
the 1 Meg flash memory built into the system. (The system comes with 4
Meg RAM, 1 Meg Flash RAM, and 4 Megs working RAM.
Even if you execute nothing, drive C: is there in full (so as far as
it goes), and the RAM disk of 512K (taken from the 4 Meg RAM) is
already set up.
DLFFS.EXE in the CONFIG gives you access to drive F: Drive F: contains
your Geos.ini files, working documents and a full GEOS tree, but most
directories show empty. (They continue to do even after the the system
is fully booted.) If you install the optional Web Browser and/or the
mail program, the files are installed here deep in the GEOWORKS
directory tree.
Note that the contents of C:\GEOWORKS contain only a few small files.
These are master copies of system alterable files which are stored on
drive F: but apparently are copied from here if your system ever
becomes corrupted.
On to the AUTOEXEC.BAT.
The first command ISCTFMT.EXE simply means "Is card trick format?".
Card Trick is a flash card file system. This simply returns an error
level code for the IF statement.
The next DLFMT.EXE writes a card trick format to drive F: if the flash
memory system is corrupted. I don't know if this is a destructive
format.
The next, XIPMOVE.EXE apparently copies information in memory, using
the provided list using the contents of the file XIPCMD. What I
*think* is happening is that refereences to the actual Geos System,
not visible on any drive (except for the directory structure on drive
F:) is "linked" to the compressed file images in the system ROM.
[Note: These don't appear on drive C:.]
The last INITMEM.COM I havn't a clue at this time.
Anyway, there you have it. Hope this helps!
**************************************************88
--Jim Brumbaugh <Sblue...@AwolfenetM.com>
Jim Brumbaugh
hastily scribbled:
> I dont own a Geobook. Could you please make a dump of CONFIG.SYS
> and AUTOEXEC.BAT and e-mail it to me. This will help me alot.
>
> Best regards,
> Hans
> e-mail:Hans.L...@abc.se
BTW. I just tracked down a copy of MAPMEM for DOS, part of the TSR
Utilities Version 3.5 by Kim Kokkonen of TurboPower Software
(10/18/93). Now I can look at memory utilization with selective
execution of the AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS of the Geobook.
******************************************************************
>> With NOTHING loaded <<
MAPMEM 3.5, Copyright 1993 TurboPower Software
Psp Cnt Size Name Command Line Hooked Vectors
---- --- ------ ---------- -------------------
--------------------------------
1 21,616 DOS
055A 2 4,032 COMMAND /P /D 22 23 24 2E 2F F3
064D 2 624,512 ---free---
650,240 ---total--
>> With DEVICE=DLFFS.EXE from the CONFIG.SYS <<
MAPMEM 3.5, Copyright 1993 TurboPower Software
Psp Cnt Size Name Command Line Hooked Vectors
---- --- ------ ---------- -------------------
--------------------------------
1 44,896 DOS
0B09 2 4,032 COMMAND /P /D 22 23 24 2E 2F FB
0BFC 2 601,232 ---free---
650,240 ---total--
>> Now with the BUFFERS and LASTDRIVE statements run in addition.. <<
MAPMEM 3.5, Copyright 1993 TurboPower Software
Psp Cnt Size Name Command Line Hooked Vectors
---- --- ------ ---------- -------------------
--------------------------------
1 53,504 DOS
0D23 2 4,032 COMMAND /P /D 22 23 24 2E 2F
0E16 2 592,624 ---free---
650,240 ---total--
The output from MAPMEM remains unchanged with the execution of the
remaining statements in the AUTOEXEC.BAT. There is no additional
memory use.
One additional tidbit.
Here is the output of XIPMOVE.EXE command with no command line
arguments..
>>>
YAGO/ZOOM E2ROM XIP Locator Ver 2.4
Usage: xipmove [command file name]
>>>
Which is what gave me the clue that it links hidden information in the
system ROM to drive F: (or the internal RAM disk). The other clue is
that drive C: and a fresh drive F: (your only two drives are much to
small to hold the GEOS system as it stands.. (That and I heard
somewhere that the systems ROM is 4 Meg but I don't know where I
picked that up.)
******************************************************************
Now.. If anyone has managed to load a DOS based mouse driver on this
beasty, I'd sure like to know...