Can't get oakcdrom to load into upper memory

[bbhaag]

I was hoping someone here could give some pointers on how to get my oakcdrom.sys driver to load into the upper memory area when using DOS6.22. I've been trying for hours and have had no success.

I do have himem and emm386 installed but for some reason I can't get the driver to load into expanded or extended memory when I use the DEVICEHIGH command in config.sys. Any tips or tricks would be very helpful.

Here is what my config.sys file looks like

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:OFF
DOS=HIGH, UMB
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE RAM AUTO
BUFFERS=15,0
FILES=30
LASTDRIVE=E
FCBS=4,0
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CTCM\CTCM.EXE
DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:MSCD001
SET BUFFERS=15

 

[Jimmy]

Here is my config.sys that loads the Oakcdrom.sys high.

Device=c:\dos\himem.sys
device=c:\dos\emm386.exe NOEMS HIGHSCAN I=B000-B7FF
buffers=15,0
files=100
dos=umb
lastdrive=z
FCBS=4,0
DOS=High
DeviceHigh=OAKCDROM.SYS /D:CDDRIVER /L:X

I tried on two virtual machines running VMWare workstation and my tweener running Dos 6.22 and all three load the driver high.

I do not need expanded memory so I excluded it, I also included B000-B7FF


Kinda late here now, but I will try you config.sys tomorrow and see how it works

 

[Chuck(G)]

What does MEM /C say about UMB usage? Could be that there's not enough to load CTCM and OAKCDROM both.

 

[Stone]

FWIW, I can't load the OAK driver high on my tweener either. It has several iterations of config.sys possibilities and none has the OAK driver loaded high. It might be because I also have the DOS USB drivers (usbaspi.sys and di1000dd.sys) loaded as well to enable a DOS USB port for flash drives on the tweener which I absolutely must have. Another FWIW, I can only load the di1000dd.sys driver high -- the usbaspi.sys also refuses to load high so it must be loaded into conventional memory. But everything works so I can't complain and I still have over 600,000 bytes free.

 

[bbhaag]

Can do. Sorry for the pictures and not text. I wasn't sure how to export the command line into editor.

Here is the first part:

And here is the second part:

 

[Stone]

You don't enough upper memory (as Chuck previously mentioned) to load the OAK driver.

I see you have a sh*tload of EMS that you probably don't need. Try adding NOEMS and removing RAM from the EMM386.EXE line in the config.sys file and see if that makes any difference.

 

[bbhaag]

You don't enough upper memory (as Chuck previously mentioned) to load the OAK driver.

I see you have a sh*tload of EMS that you probably don't need. Try adding NOEMS and removing RAM from the EMM386.EXE line in the config.sys file and see if that makes any difference.

This worked great man. Thanks! You guys were right I had to much allocated to the emm386. Once I got that sorted out I was able to load oakcd into xms and re-enable Smartdrv. I'm right at 619k of free conventional memory. I feel confident now that I should be able to load 99% of the games/programs I want without making special bootdisks or menus.

If I had your guys' help when I was 12 I would have been a god in my neighborhood.:-D haha

 

[Jimmy]

Oakcdrom

Oakcdrom





You might want to try a different CDROM Driver I found one that is only 5K named the original name of CDROM.sys

I also tried the MSCDEX replacement SHSUCDX.com which is 6K, I believe that came from the university in San Antonio.

The mem /c display above

 

[fallemarg]

View attachment 26906



You might want to try a different CDROM Driver I found one that is only 5K named the original name of CDROM.sys

I also tried the MSCDEX replacement SHSUCDX.com which is 6K, I believe that came from the university in San Antonio.

The mem /c display above

I used those on my packard bell. I encountered some issues with streaming data from the cd-rom when using the CDROM.sys, most noticeable in Anvil of Dawn where wall textures would drop out and disappear from the screen. I switched back to the Oak driver but I still use SHSUCDX as it is compatible with most software. I know there are some incompatibilities and they reference them over at VOGONS in a thread specifically about SHSUCDX.

 

[bbhaag]

View attachment 26906



You might want to try a different CDROM Driver I found one that is only 5K named the original name of CDROM.sys

I also tried the MSCDEX replacement SHSUCDX.com which is 6K, I believe that came from the university in San Antonio.

The mem /c display above

I found a similar sized driver and just deleted the oakcd driver and for the first time in my life properly installed a device driver under DOS. I now have 632k free and Smartdrv is fully loaded into extended memory. You guys are blowing my mind. Seriously just stop....I'm on the cusp of being addicted and if this continues my wife is gonna kill me. haha

 

[Trixter]

I see you have a sh*tload of EMS that you probably don't need. Try adding NOEMS and removing RAM from the EMM386.EXE line in the config.sys file and see if that makes any difference.

...OR, keep the EMS and use the /e switch with mscdex so that it only takes up 11KB of conventional RAM. That might also free up enough space to load oakcd high.

 

[njroadfan]

I found a similar sized driver and just deleted the oakcd driver and for the first time in my life properly installed a device driver under DOS. I now have 632k free and Smartdrv is fully loaded into extended memory. You guys are blowing my mind. Seriously just stop....I'm on the cusp of being addicted and if this continues my wife is gonna kill me. haha

Back in the day, I actually managed to get the advertised 634k number Quarterdeck used to throw around with QEMM. I didn't even have to use Stealth to do it either! I don't use the Oak driver anymore though, there are compatible drivers that use far less memory (I think it was vide-cdd.sys, uses only 6k!). Also, the Oak driver only seems to properly work with drives on the documented primary and secondary IDE I/O addresses. I had a soundcard IDE interface that only used the rare 3rd and 4th channel I/O addresses that oakcdrom.sys refused to see, with vide-cdd.sys I could specify the I/O address the drive was at.

 

[bbhaag]

That is the one I used(vide-cdd.sys). I found it over on Vogons in the memory thread. So far I haven't had any issues with it but admittedly I only have two cd's to try out. Day of the Tentacle and Warcraft 2. They're both games my wife has held on too from when she was a child. They both load fine though and play without issue.