Category : Tutorials + Patches
Archive   : STAC0694.ZIP
Filename : 4516.TXT

 
Output of file : 4516.TXT contained in archive : STAC0694.ZIP
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STACKER NOTE STACKER NOTE
WHAT IS "PRELOADING" STACKER?
(Applies to Stacker 4.0)
STAC FAX 4516 (04-08-1994)
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BACKGROUND

During a computer's Startup process, certain things load into
memory in a specific sequence. As a simplification, your computer
firsts tests hardware, reads some hardware configuration
information, loads the Disk Operating System (DOS) into memory,
then reads and executes the boot files, CONFIG.SYS and
AUTOEXEC.BAT. If the Stacker driver is loaded after DOS but
before the CONFIG.SYS file executes, it is said to be
"preloading".

What is required to preload Stacker?

You need a version of Stacker that is capable of being preloaded,
and a version of DOS that supports preloading. Stacker versions
3.1 and 4.0 may be preloaded. MS-DOS version 6.x, Novell DOS 7,
and PC-DOS version 6.x with system file dates 9/30/93 or later,
support preloading compression.

How do I know if Stacker is preloading?

Examine the CONFIG.SYS file. Type ED /C . Look for the
Stacker lines in the file. If one of them is similar to the line
below, then Stacker does NOT preload:

DEVICE=C:\STACKER\STACKER.COM
If you do not see a STACKER.COM statement, and you have access to
your Stacker drives, then your Stacker version is preloading. A
typical CONFIG.SYS entry for preloading Stacker includes the
line:

DEVICEHIGH=C:\STACKER\STACHIGH.SYS
Also note that if Stacker is preloading, there will typically be
no CONFIG.SYS on the uncompressed boot drive.

When does Stacker load into memory?

The preloading Stacker driver loads into memory during the
execution of IO.SYS (or its equivalent), and before the
CONFIG.SYS. IO.SYS calls the Stacker device driver. The actual
Stacker device driver is contained in a hidden file in the root
directory of the physical drive called DBLSPACE.BIN. The Stacker
banner displays on the screen right after the "Starting xx-
DOS..." message. Preloading Stacker does have lines in the
CONFIG.SYS (see the STACHIGH.SYS line above) but these lines are
primarily for memory management. Even if they are accidentally
deleted, Stacker will still load.

Non-preloading Stacker loads into memory when its STACKER.COM
line is executed in the CONFIG.SYS.

What are the advantages of preloading?

The primary advantage of preloading is safety. The Stacker driver
(contained in DBLSPACE.BIN) is a file with the System, Hidden,
and Read-only attributes. It is difficult to accidentally delete
or damage this file. Also, the Stacker loading process cannot be
interrupted by accidentally deleting the CONFIG.SYS file or
inadvertently removing the Stacker lines from it.

The new generation of DOS products that support preloading also
support the use of DPMS. This will save precious memory resources
when loading the Stacker driver.


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Copyright 1994 Stac Electronics


  3 Responses to “Category : Tutorials + Patches
Archive   : STAC0694.ZIP
Filename : 4516.TXT

  1. Very nice! Thank you for this wonderful archive. I wonder why I found it only now. Long live the BBS file archives!

  2. This is so awesome! 😀 I’d be cool if you could download an entire archive of this at once, though.

  3. But one thing that puzzles me is the “mtswslnkmcjklsdlsbdmMICROSOFT” string. There is an article about it here. It is definitely worth a read: http://www.os2museum.com/wp/mtswslnk/