🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <92209.210239U41602@uicvm.uic.edu> U41602@uicvm.uic.edu (Rich Chong) writes:
>In the PC-DOS5.00 User's Guide and Reference, under the commands
>reference section for DEVICEHIGH (chap14, p452) under the Notes
>under Installing Instaling HIMEM.SYS and a UMB provider, it states:
>"Before you can load a device driver into the upper memory area, you
>must use the device command once to install the HIMEM.SYS device
>driver and then again to install an UMB provider. ... On some
>computers, you might even be able touse HIMEM.SYS itself as a UMB
>provider."
>
>This lead me to think it meant to load HIMEM.SYS twice, but of course,
>it didn't work. I heard that I need something like QRAM or Move'em
>to provide such (UMB) services. Is there anything public domain to
>use that will work? Thanks in advance.
>rc

As a matter of fact, there are several shareware memory managers that
provide UMBS for many makes of 286, 386, and 486 motherboards!

To name a few, The Last Byte 2.02 and umb_drvr.sys come to mind.  My
overwhelming endorsement goes to umb_drvr.sys (which is currently
version 5.22, but a 5.23 should be out "late July").

The handy program, written by Chris Blum, provides UMBs through
your chipset (so certain motherboards will not work), but his list
of supported chipsets is extensive and thoroughly documented.  Not
only that, but umb_drvr.sys takes no conventional memory, allows you
to loadhi even HIMEM.SYS, and it doesn't slow down your machine like
QEMM.SYS, 386-To-The-Max, or QRAM!  Furthermore, since Mr. Blum's memory
manager is real mode based, there are no compatibility problems for 386 and
486 machines, making it attrative for people who run debuggers, or DOS
extenders, or so forth.

Version 5.20 can be found on wuarchive.wustl.edu in /mirrors/msdos/sysutl,
where The Last Byte can be found as we, as umbdr520.zip and tlb202.zip.

If youreally use umb_drvr.sys, there is a very reasonable $25 shareware fee
whichundercuts any commercial programs and provides more compatibility and
functionality.