EMM386 with RAM option

[la...@cloud9.net]

I'm using EMM386 as my memory manager. Can anyone
tell me the difference between typing EMM386.EXE by
itself and typing it with the RAM option? Let's assume that
I don't need any expanded memory. What does the RAM
option do exactly?

Thanks,
Lance Whitney

[Steve Cantillon]

This is well described in my DOS users manual, which is at home, so this reply may
be a bit inexact.

The RAM option tells EMM that you want Expanded memory, and it will use Extended
memory (managed by HIMEM.SYS) to allocate it. You can specify a figure e.g. 2048
after RAM to limit the amount of extended used up in this way. (Things like SMARTDRV
and Windows 3.1 and DOOM like having Extended. Wing Commander, Flight Sim and others
need Expanded.)
EMM with RAM or NOEMS (I think NOEMS is default) will also make your upper memory
area (between 640K and 1M) available for loading drivers with devicehigh or
loadhigh, which frees up basic memory under 640K. The disadvantage when you need
the RAM option is that EMM then takes 64K of this upper area for itself, leaving
little for your drivers, which then eat into your memory under 640K. A good trick
when needing both RAM option and space for drivers is to use the I=B000-B7ff
parameter, which steals the space reserved for monochrome monitors. This is not used
if you have a VGA.
However, as you say you don't need expanded memory, use NOEMS so you can load
as much as possible between 640k and 1M. Remember DOS=HIGH,UMB too. And DOS 6.2
allows startup menus where you can define the alternative config.sys files needed
for each different use of the PC.