From: bodoh@xraylith.wisc.edu (Daniel J. Bodoh)
Subject: DESQview/QEMM Frequently Asked Questions: READ BEFORE POSTING
Expires: 1 Feb 1993 23:59:00 GMT
Reply-To: bodoh@xraylith.wisc.edu
Date: 8 Jan 93 11:09:32 CST
Followup-To: comp.os.msdos.desqview
Summary: FAQ list for the MS-DOS multitasker DESQview and memory manager QEMM
Originator: bodoh@sun-4.cae.wisc.edu
Keywords: faq Q&A
Supersedes: <1992May31.144029.17734@xraylith.wisc.edu>

Archive-name: desqview-faq
Last-modified: 1992/06/30
Version: 10
                   DESQview/QEMM Frequently Asked Questions
                                  Release 10
                        Last update: December 2, 1992
                                       
                          Edited by Daniel J. Bodoh
                      Posted on the first of every month
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT IS THIS ARTICLE? 

     This article is a regularly posted compendium of topics that have been 
     discussed in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.msdos.desqview since its 
     birth.  Although many of the questions are truly ``Frequently Asked'', 
     others are questions that experienced DESQview users recognize as 
     questions a beginner might ask. If you are new to DESQview or this 
     group, please read this FAQ before posting your question.  Even if your 
     question isn't answered here, you'll probably learn something new about 
     DESQview. 
     
     Although I edit this FAQ, a majority of the information contained in it 
     was contributed by other comp.os.msdos.desqview readers.  The many 
     contributors are listed at the end of the document.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHERE CAN I GET THE FAQ LIST? 

     This FAQ list is published in a number of places.  In file archives, it 
     is named DVFAQx.ZIP, where ``x'' is the release number.  The DVFAQx.ZIP 
     file also contains a DESQview/X help file (hypertext) version of the FAQ 
     list.  The FAQ list is available from 
          (1) its birthplace, the Usenet newsgroup COMP.OS.MSDOS.DESQVIEW as 
              NEWS.ANSWERS with the subject line ``DESQview/QEMM Frequently 
              Asked Questions: READ BEFORE POSTING''; 
          (2) all NEWS.ANSWERS archives, as ``desqview-faq'' (the only 
              exception to the naming rule); 
          (3) SIMTEL20 and mirrors (see Q7) in the DESQVIEW directory; and 
          (4) DVNet (see Q7).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
SUGGESTIONS, ERRORS, CRITICISMS... 

     Please, send me any comments on this FAQ list.  Since this FAQ is being 
     distributed beyond Usenet, here's how to reach me from other networks. 
          From the Internet or Usenet: write to ``bodoh@xraylith.wisc.edu''. 
          From Fidonet: write to ``Daniel Bodoh 1:121/99.0'' 
          From Compuserve: write to ``>INTERNET:bodoh@xraylith.wisc.edu''. 
          From DECnet: write to ``cxrl::bodoh'' 
          From Bitnet: write to ``bodoh@xraylith''
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
FORMAT OF FAQ  (Important!) 

     Questions are listed in the ``QUESTIONS'' section, and are labelled Q1 
     through Q33.  Answers, labelled A1 through A31 are given with the 
     labelled question in the following section.  Finally, the contributors 
     are credited. Cross references are made, for example, with ``(see Q2)''. 
     
     Because Quarterdeck sells a variety of DESQview products, the term 
     "DESQview" can be vague.  In this FAQ list, "DESQview" refers to any of 
     the DESQview packages that Quarterdeck sells.  References to specific 
     packages will be made with either the package name or with a shorthand 
     notation: 
          DVC     refers to the original DESQview package, now informally 
                  called ``DESQview Classic''. 
          DV386   refers to DESQview/386 or the DESQview Classic and QEMM-386 
                  combination (see Q2). 
          DVX386  refers to DESQview/X-386. 
          DVX286  refers to DESQview/X-286. 
          DVX     refers to both DESQview/X-286 and DESQview/X-386. 
     At the end of some of the questions, there may be a note of the form 
     ``QW:216:QRAM.TEC''.  This is a cross reference to the Quarterdeck White 
     Papers, which are published by Quarterdeck.  QW:216:QRAM.TEC refers to 
     Quarterdeck White Paper #216, file name QRAM.TEC.  The White Pages are 
     available on Quarterdecks BBS and on SIMTEL20 (see Q7).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS 

Q1:  What is DESQview? 
Q2:  Besides DESQview, what other products does Quarterdeck sell, and what 
     are the current versions? 
Q3:  What types of programs can DESQview run? 
Q4:  What type of computer is required for DESQview? 
Q5:  How can I upgrade my 80286 for best DESQview performance? 
Q6:  Does DESQview and DESQview/X support Super VGA or video coprocessors? 
Q7:  Where can I get freeware and shareware DESQview programs? 
Q8:  I want to write software for DESQview and DVX.  Where can I get the API? 
Q9:  I've heard that DESQview does preemptive multitasking.  What does that 
     mean? 
Q10: Why do the other windows slow to a virtual halt when one window accesses 
     the floppy disk? 
Q11: Can Windows run under DESQview? 
Q12: Can I make something like AUTOEXEC.BAT for DESQview, so that certain 
     windows open every time I run DESQview? 
Q13: Can text and graphics be displayed at the same time with Hercules? 
Q14: How do I use two monitors under DESQview? 
Q15: What are Exceptions 12 and 13? 
Q16: What determines the amount of conventional memory that DESQview claims 
     for itself and takes away from programs? 
Q17: What are some programs that are incompatible with DESQview? 
Q18: I'm having a problem {configuring DESQview, running a program, etc.}. 
     How do I fix it? 
Q19: How can I contact Quarterdeck? 
Q20: What books are available on DESQview? 
Q21: What are the command-line switches for DESQview/QEMM/QRAM? 
Q22: How can I configure DESQview for maximum window memory? 
Q23: What is NOFF.SHP {NOFF.SHR}? 
Q24: How can I increase DESQview's performance? 
Q25: My {9600 or greater} BPS modem drops characters under DESQview.  Is high 
     speed communication possible under DESQview? 
Q26: Why doesn't ANSI.SYS work in DESQview? 
Q27: Why does the mouse pointer disappear after running certain programs? 
Q28: What are those files SWAP*.DV in my DV directory?  Can I delete them? 
Q29: What does ``Optimize Communications'' in DESQview's setup program do? 
Q30: What do I need if I want to use DESQview/X's networking features? 
Q31: What do each of the four Protection Levels mean? 
Q32: How can I load two or more shared programs in a window? 
Q33: When running Windows under DESQview, I get an ``Incorrect DOS Version'' 
     message.  How do I fix this? 
Q34: How can I make the tilde (~) character work when I open an Xterm window 
     on my unix machine?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 

Q1:  What is DESQview? 

A1:  DESQview is a program written by Quarterdeck Office Systems of Santa 
     Monica, California, USA.  It allows true preemptive multitasking (see 
     Q9) on 8088, 8086, 80286, 80386, 80486, V20 and V30 machines running 
     MS-DOS (see Q4). While MS-DOS is still considered the PC's operating 
     system, DESQview provides services similar to more advanced multitasking 
     operating systems. 

     QW:195:286.TEC, QW:266:DV&DVX.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q2:  Besides DESQview, what other products does Quarterdeck sell, and what 
     are the current versions? 

A2:  [Versions are the latest known as of the date of the FAQ.  If you see a 
     newer version, please let me know.] 

     Quarterdeck has two types of ``upgrades'': major upgrades and 
     compatibility updates. The former involves a changing of the digit 
     before or immediately after the decimal point and represents significant 
     enhancements to the product's performance. The latter reflect minor 
     changes generally of interest to a small number of users. 
     
     DESQview (DVC)        2.42 (2.52 with DVX386, not available otherwise) 
          An excellent DOS multitasker.  If you are wondering why it has such 
          a funny name, here's the official explanation from Quarterdeck: the 
          original product was called DESQ (the Q was from Quarterdeck). When 
          Quarterdeck made it TopView-compatible (see Q23) the "view" was 
          added. 
          
     QEMM-386              6.02 (6.03 with DVX386, not available otherwise) 
          A memory manager for 80386+ machines.  QEMM will convert extended 
          memory to XMS memory (replacing HIMEM.SYS) and LIM EMS 4.0 memory. 
          With the associated utilities, you can load TSRs, device drivers, 
          and DOS data structures into high memory in order to gain 
          conventional memory for large programs. Manifest is provided with 
          QEMM.  QEMM is a VCPI server and can also be a DPMI host with the 
          QDPMI product (see below).  If you plan to use DESQview on a 386, 
          you should choose QEMM over other memory managers.  It is smaller 
          and faster than other memory managers, can give you more upper 
          memory, and certain functions in DESQview will only work if QEMM is 
          the memory manager.  It is also the only memory manager that allows 
          you to run Windows in Standard mode inside or outside of DESQview. 
          
     QDPMI                 1.0 
          In conjunction with QEMM, QDPMI acts as a DPMI host for programs 
          that require DPMI.  QDMPI is available to registered QEMM users 
          free of charge from the Quarterdeck BBS (see Q7) or for a nominal 
          price with documentation from Quarterdeck. 
          
     QEMM-50/60            6.0 (not sure about minor version number) 
          Similar to QEMM-386, but specifically for PS/2 models 50 and 60 
          which are 80286-based machines.  It will only work with certain 
          memory expansion boards and requires disabling of motherboard 
          memory.  For more details, get the QOS tech note QEMM5060.TEC, 
          available from SIMTEL20 and other sites (see Q7). 
          
     DESQview/386 (DV386)  2.42 
          Actually DESQview/386 is a copy of DESQview and QEMM in the same 
          package.  If you already have DESQview, purchasing QEMM will give 
          you DV386. 
          
     QRAM                  2.0 
          A memory manager for 8088 through 80286 machines.  QRAM will 
          provide UMBs (Upper Memory Blocks, memory greater than 640K but 
          less than 1024K). To do this requires either LIM EMS 4.0, EEMS, a 
          memory management chip or a 286 motherboard with C&T's NEAT, LEAP 
          or SCAT chip set.  The UMBs can be used to load TSRs, device 
          drivers, and DOS data structures into high memory in order to gain 
          conventional memory for large programs. Manifest is provided with 
          QRAM.  BTW, QRAM is pronounced like ``cram'' (I always called it 
          ``kee-u-ram''). 
          
     MANIFEST              1.12 (1.14 with DV/X, not available otherwise) 
          Manifest is a ``system information'' utility.  It displays hardware 
          information, memory usage, internal DOS structures and much more. 
          
     DESQview Companions   1.1 
          A set of utility programs, including a calculator, datebook, 
          notepad, and terminal emulator. 
          
     DESQview/X-386 (DVX386)  1.02 
          DESQview/X-386 is DV386 with an industry-standard graphical user 
          interface.  It contains an X-windows server, which allows you to 
          interact with X-windows programs running on Unix machines, or DOS 
          text and X clients running on other DESQview/X machines (see Q30). 
          Using the fonts provided, you can make use of your SVGA to have 
          many small 80x25 windows open on the screen simultaneously. 
          
          The DVX386 package contains DESQview/386 2.52, QEMM-386 6.03 and 
          Manifest 1.14.  These versions are not available separately. It 
          also contains 4 DESQview/X Companions: an Application Manager (like 
          Window's Program Manager), a File Manager, the Adobe Type Manager 
          and an Icon Editor. 
          
     DESQview/X-286 (DVX286)  (Rumored) 
          This will be DESQview/X for the 286.  DVX286 will actually DVX386 
          packaged with QRAM.  Quarterdeck hasn't released because of memory 
          difficulties. 
          
     OSF/Motif Window Manager 1.0 
          Replaces the native DESQview/X window manager for a different look 
          and feel. 
          
     OPEN LOOK Window Manager 1.0 
          Replaces the native DESQview/X window manager for a different look 
          and feel. 
          
     DESQview and DESQview/X programming tools 
          See Q8. 
          
     QW:186:QEMM5060.TEC, QW:216:QRAM.TEC, QW:266:DV&DVX.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q3:  What types of programs can DESQview run? 

A3:  There are three types of DESQview programs: DESQview-oblivious programs, 
     DESQview-aware programs, and DESQview-specific programs. 

According to the DESQview manual, DESQview-oblivious programs are those which 
are ``written without any consideration for DESQview''.  These include 
standard DOS programs like word processors and spreadsheets. 

Some standard DOS programs have the ability to detect the presence of 
DESQview.  These programs are considered DESQview-aware.  The advantage of 
DESQview-aware programs is better system performance, because DESQview does 
not have to make conservative assumptions about the program.  A 
DESQview-aware program gives up the CPU when it doesn't need it, and if it 
writes directly to the screen it instead writes to a DESQview-provided video 
buffer so it can run in a small window (see Q23).  If you'd like to make your 
program DESQview-aware, there is code provided in Appendix J of the DESQview 
manual. 

DESQview-specific programs can only be run while DESQview is active. These 
programs use the window management, interprocess communication and other 
services that are built into DESQview (called the DESQview Applications 
Program Interface (API)). 

DESQview will multitask all programs, regardless of type.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q4:  What type of computer is required for DESQview? 

A4:  DESQview Classic can multitask programs on an 8088, 8086, 80286, 
     80386sx, 80386dx, 80486sx, 80486dx, V20 or V30.   DVX386 will only run 
     on an 80386sx or better. 

     8088/8086/80286/V20/V30 
          DVC will run in one of three ways one these machines. For 
          additional information, get the file DV286.ZIP from SIMTEL20 (see 
          Q7). 
          
          (1) If you have true hardware compatible LIM EMS 4.0 (or EEMS) 
          memory board and are able to disable some conventional memory, DVC 
          will remap expanded memory to conventional memory addresses to 
          multitask ``well-behaved'' programs in. 
          
          (2) If you use a plug-in memory management chip such as a 
          All-Charge Card or a SOTA POP card, it will provide the memory 
          mapping needed to allow DVC to multitask programs beyond 640K. 
          
          (3) If you have neither a LIM EMS 4.0 memory card or a memory 
          management chip, DVC will still multitask as many programs as 
          possible in the available conventional memory (see Q5). 
          
          Besides the memory problem, on a machine less than an 80386 and 
          without QEMM, DESQview will not be able to run programs in a small 
          window or in the background if the program writes directly to video 
          memory (see Q2). If the program has a switch to allow BIOS screen 
          output, use it, or convince the programmer to make the program 
          DESQview-aware (see Q3). 
          
     80386sx/80386dx/80486sx/80486dx 
          DV386 (or the combination of DESQview and QEMM (see Q2)) and DVX386 
          will multitask programs in all of the available extended memory. 
          
     Although DVC can multitask on any machine, the minimum suggested 
     configuration is an 80386sx with 2 megabytes of memory and QEMM.  For 
     breathing room, at least 4 megabytes of memory is suggested. 
     
     DVX386 requires at least 4 megabytes and an 80386sx.  Eight megabytes of 
     memory is roughly equivalent to 4 megabytes under DVC. 
     
     QW:195:286.TEC, QW:231:DV386.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q5:  How can I upgrade my 80286 for best DESQview performance? 


A5:  A 80286 can be upgraded with LIM EMS 4.0 expanded memory, a memory 
     management chip, a plug-in 386 adapter, or a new 386 motherboard.  The 
     cost of all these ``upgrades'' is about the same. All of them have some 
     negatives as well. 

     (1) If you are unsure how much of your 286 conventional memory can 
     disabled, getting LIM EMS 4.0 memory may not help you. For the record 
     the listed 286 motherboards can be set to the minimum conventional 
     memory as follows: 
          AST Premium 286  0K 
          IBM AT (6 Mhz) 256K 
          COMPAQ 286     256K 
          
     Most AT clones have a minimum of 512K (eighteen 256Kx1 DRAMs).  The 
     motherboard can only be disabled to 256K or lower if it supports 64K 
     DRAMs, or if the system setup allows you to specify a value less than 
     the actual amount of memory installed. 
     
     If you have information on the minimum conventional memory of any other 
     286 motherboard, please forward it to the editor (see above). 
     
     (2) If you get a memory management chip, an All-Charge Card or a SOTA 
     POP, you will still not get the memory protection available with the 
     80386 (see Q4). 
     
     (3) If you get a 386 Adapter to replace the 286 CPU chip, there has been 
     ``some reported'' compatibility problems.  Also, it will not run as fast 
     the corresponding 386 motherboard of the same clock speed. 
     
     (4) If you get a new 386 (or 386SX) motherboard, there is some hassle to 
     get it installed and working but probably no more than with the 386 
     Adapter kits. 
     
     QW:195:286.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q6:  Does DESQview and DESQview/X support Super VGA or video coprocessors? 

A6:  This issue has two answers: one for DVC and another for DVX. 
     DESQview Classic 
     Yes and no.  When DVC is placing windows on the screen, it cannot use 
     any of the 132 column modes provided by Super VGA cards.  The smallest 
     text font that DVC and DV386 provides to VGA+ users is 60 rows by 80 
     columns.  Since video support is hardcoded into DVC and DV386, there is 
     no way to write a video driver for Super VGA cards. 
     
     Inside a window, any resolution can be used.  The problem occurs when 
     you switch away from the window and come back.  DESQview will corrupt 
     the window unless it has a resolution of 800x600x16 or less.  Except in 
     rare cases, DESQview cannot handle 256 colors at more than 320x200.  A 
     few cards will reportedly work at 1024x768x16 as well.  Note that at 
     these higher resolutions,  ``Graphics Pages'' in Change A Program must 
     be set to 4. 
     
     Quarterdeck is currently researching solutions to this problem. 
     
     
     DESQview/X 
     All DESQview/X output is in graphics mode, so it benefits greatly from 
     Super VGA.  Performance is increased significantly with video 
     coprocessor cards.  However, DESQview/X currently supports only a 
     limited set of VGA chip sets. 
     
     DESQview/X 1.0 supports the following SVGA chipsets: 
     
          Manufacturer             Chipset Number      Highest Resolution 
          --------------------------------------------------------------- 
          ATI                      28800               800x600 
          Chips and Technologies   82C451              800x600 
          Chips and Technologies   82C452              1024x768 
          Genoa VGA                ET3000, 6400        800x600 
          Western Digital Imaging  PVGA1a, WD90C00,WD90C10, WD90C11, WD90C31* 
             800x600 
          Trident                  8800, 8900          800x600 (256 colors 
          unsupported) 
          Tseng Labs               ET3000              800x600 
          Tseng Labs               ET4000              1024x768 
          Headland Technologies    VEGA                800x600 
          Headland Technologies    V7VGA               1024x768 
          
          * The WD90C31 can support the modes of the WD90C11. DVX will NOT 
          detect its presence but you can put the values in using Setup / 
          Advanced / Display / VGA Custom 
               800 600 256 305C 
          and then save your changes. 
          
     8514/a and hardware compatibles and DGIS boards are also supported. 
     These boards significantly increase video speed (see Q24). 
     
     DESQview/X does not currently support the S3 chip, but may in the 
     future.  However, you *may* be able to use the VESA 800x600x16 mode by 
     editing the DVX.CFG file and changing the ``screen'' line to ``screen 
     800x600:6ah'' You may also need to change the ``type VGA'' line to 
     ``type VG8''.  This is not guaranteed to work. 
     
     The TIGA interface is not yet supported, but will be in a future 
     release. However, the DGIS interface is supported. 
     
     For reference, here is an incomplete list of video coprocessor cards and 
     their compatibilities.  If you know of any that are not in this list, 
     please forward the information to bodoh@xraylith.wisc.edu. 
     
     Model                      Chipset Manufacturer    Driver Interface 
     --------------------------------------------------------------------- 
     Desktop AGA 1024           TI                      TIGA, application 
     interface level drvr for 8514 
     ATI 8514/Ultra             ATI 8514/A              Relies on 8514 drvr 
     Spectragraphics Squeegee                   TI                       DGIS 
     National Volante AT1000    TI                       TIGA 
     SOTA 340i                  TI                       DGIS, adapter 
     interface compatible--8514 
     Appian Rendition II        TI                       TIGA 
     ADEX 8514/AT256            Western Dig. 8514/A      Relies on 8514 drvrs 
     Western Digital 8514/A     W.D. 8514/A              8514 
     Hercules Graphics Station 
     Card GB 1024+2             TI                       TIGA 
     NEC Multisync 
     Graphics Engine            TI                       DGIS 
     Nth Engine /150          Chips & Technology 8514    relies on 8514 
     HP Intelligent Graphics   Controller 20            TI                    
        TIGA, DGIS 
     Vermont Cobra Plus         TI                       TIGA, adapter 
     interface compatible--8514 
     Artist XJS-1024            TI                       relies on TIGA 
     Rasterex Liberty 810AT     TI                       TIGA, adapter 
     interface compatible--8514 
     
     Most TIGA & DGIS have custom drivers for their supported software eg. 
     WP, HG CAD 
     
     QW:148:VGA.TEC, QW:256:XVIDEO.TEC, QW:208:XGA.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q7:  Where can I get freeware and shareware DESQview programs? 

A7:  There are quite a few DESQview repositories available, depending on what 
     network access you have. 

     BBS 
          The official Quarterdeck BBS can be reached at (310) 314-3227.  It 
          supports 1200-9600 baud, 8 data bits, no parity. 
          
          SIMTEL20 files (see below) are available for downloading from 
          Detroit Download Central (313) 885-3956.  DDC has multiple lines 
          which support 300/1200/2400/9600/14400 bps (103/ 212/ V22bis/ HST/ 
          V32bis/ V42bis/ MNP).  This is a subscription system with an 
          average hourly cost of 17 cents.  It is also accessable on Telenet 
          via PC Pursuit and on Tymnet via StarLink outdial. 
          
     Fidonet 
          Many Fidonet nodes belong to DVNet, the DESQview File Distribution 
          Network. It is coordinated by Peter Stern at 1:17/38.  A monthly 
          posting to the DESQview echo on Fidonet lists the nodes 
          participating in DVNet. 
          
     Internet (via anonymous ftp) 
          WSMR-SIMTEL20.ARMY.MIL [192.88.110.20] 
          Three directories on SIMTEL are of interest to DV/QEMM users: 
               PD1:<MSDOS.DESQVIEW> 
                    Many DESQview programs, .DVPs, etc. 
               PD1:<MSDOS.DV-X> 
                    DVX-specific programs, icons, etc. 
               PD1:<MSDOS.QEMM> 
                    QEMM programs, information 
               PD1:<MSDOS.QTRDECK> 
                    Information relating to all Quarterdeck products.  The 
                    Quarterdeck White Pages are stored here as QW920327.ZIP. 
                    They are very useful for solving problems. 
                    
               Other directories may contain DESQview-aware (see Q3) 
               programs. In each of the three directories, the file 
               00-INDEX.TXT contains a list of all the files available in 
               that directory. 
               
          OAK.OAKLAND.EDU [141.210.10.117] 
               A SIMTEL20 mirror.  The DESQview directory is 
               /pub/msdos/desqview. This is the most up-to-date mirror of 
               SIMTEL20. 
               
          WUARCHIVE.WUSTL.EDU  [128.252.135.4] 
               Another SIMTEL20 mirror.  The DESQview directory is 
               /mirrors/msdos/desqview. 
               
          NIC.FUNET.FI [128.214.6.100], SRC.DOC.IC.AC.UK [146.169.3.7], 
          RANA.CC.DEAKIN.OZ.AU [128.184.1.4], ARCHIE.AU [139.130.4.6], & 
          NIC.SWITCH.CH [130.59.1.40] 
               SIMTEL20 mirrors for non-North Americans 
               
          HAYES.IMS.ALASKA.EDU [137.229.40.200] 
               Contains some of the programs available on DVNet in the 
               directory /dvnet. The file ``prog.dvn'' is a list of all the 
               programs available on DVNet.  The file ``dvnet.lst'' is a list 
               of all the Fidonet BBSs that participate in DVNet. 
               
     UUCP 
     
          SIMTEL files can be requested via UUCP from UUNET's 1-900-GOT-SRCS. 
          See UUNET file uunet!~/info/archive-help for details. 
          
     Email-only 
     
          If you do not have FTP access to SIMTEL20, files may be ordered by 
          e-mail from LISTSERV@VM1.NODAK.EDU or LISTSERV@VM.ECS.RPI.EDU. 
               If you are on BITNET: LISTSERV@NDSUVM1 or LISTSERV@RPIECS 
               If your mailer knows domains: listserv@vm1.nodak.edu or 
               listserv@vm.ecs.rpi.edu 
               If your mailer wants bang paths: uunet!vm1.nodak.edu!listserv 
               or uunet!vm.ecs.rpi.edu!listserv 
               
          If you use bang paths, substitute your nearest neighbor which is 
          also on the Internet for uunet in the examples above.  Some 
          examples are: ames, decvax, decwrl, harvard, hplabs, nosc, rutgers, 
          sharkey, sun, ucbvax, ucsd, udel, uw-beaver, wuarchive. 
          
          Send this command to the server to get its help file: 
          
          GET PDGET HELP 
          
          Sample command (which gets the catalog of MS-DOS files): 
          
          /PDGET MAIL PD:<MSDOS.FILEDOCS>SIMLIST.ARC UUENCODE 
          
          These commands should be sent as the body of a regular email 
          message. Do not include a signature because it confuses the server. 
          If you have xxdecode, you may wish to specify XXENCODE instead of 
          UUENCODE to avoid character translation problems. 
          
          To get a catalog of the DESQview files only, use 
          /PDGET MAIL PD1:<MSDOS.DESQVIEW>00-INDEX.TXT UUENCODE
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q8:  I want to write software for DESQview and DVX.  Where can I get the API? 

A8:  There are two separate programming paths: DESQview API programming and X 
     Windows programming. 

     Programming under the DESQview API allows you to use all the 
     multitasking features of DVC and DVX - process and task creation, 
     interprocess communication and character window output. 
     
     X programming is only available under DESQview/X.  X Window programming 
     allows you to write computer-independent graphics interfaces. You can 
     combine DESQview API programming and X Window programming if you write 
     small real-mode programs.  Quarterdeck has ported only part of the API 
     to protected-mode X programming. 
     
     The DESQview API is built into every copy of DESQview and DESQview/X as 
     INT 15h calls.  A list of the documented and undocumented INT 15h calls 
     is available for free in DVINT, a DESQview/QEMM-specific excerpt of the 
     Interrupt List maintained by Ralf Brown. 
     
     Also for free is DVGLUE, a DESQview 2.01 API for Turbo C.  DVGLUE and 
     DVINT make a good combination for freeware and shareware programmers who 
     want to get into DESQview programming at a small cost. 
     
     Recently, Quarterdeck has significantly reduced the prices for their API 
     and associated tools.  The tools include the API reference manual ($25), 
     various language-specific libraries (C, Pascal, Dbase, etc., $100 each 
     including the API manual), a panel designer for screen layout, and other 
     tools (see Q19).  Third party reference books are also available (see 
     Q20). 
     
     Although the X Windows interfaces are available in every copy of 
     DESQview/X, the INT 15 and mailbox interface to it is not published and 
     is not completely known yet.  However, there is still an inexpensive 
     option. 
     
     DJGPP, an MSDOS 386 port of the GNU C compiler is available on the 
     Internet.  Quarterdeck has released DJGPP-compatible X libraries without 
     documentation for free with GNU C.  This free version is available on 
     the Internet and on BBSs: 
          The Batchelor Pad BBS 
          The complete qddvx101.zip file, and the complete DJGPP 2.2.2 
          development environment are available via modem at 310-494-1024. 
          login: qddvx password: gnuc 
          This account has five hours per day, and can only download files 
          from the Quarterdeck directory on the batpad.  When the five hours 
          are used up, you must wait until the next day.  The login dumps you 
          directly into the correct directory to find these files.  The 
          default protocol is ZModem MobyTurbo (DSZ), and speeds from 
          2400-14,400 bps V.32bis are supported. If you change the protocol, 
          please set it back to ZModem when you are done. 
          
          The Internet 
          The file qddvx101.zip can be downloaded from these anonymous ftp 
          sites: 
          hpb.mcc.ac.uk                   /pub/djgpp 
          du9ds4.fb9dv.uni-duisbugr.de    /pub/gnu/gnuMSDOS/djgpp 
          sun0.urz.uni-heidelberg.de      /pub/msdos/simtel/djgpp 
          utsun.s.u-tokyo.ac.jp           /ftpsync/djgcc/dj 
          akiu.gw.tohoku.ac.jp            /pub/msdos/djgpp/dj 
          src.doc.ic.ac.uk                /computing/systems/ibmpc/djgpp 
          rigel.acs.oakland.edu           /pub/msdos/djgpp 
          ifs.kuis.kyoto-u.ac.jp          /DOS-EXTENDER/386/djgpp/mirror 
          
     A special base-level DESQview/X X11 Starter Toolkit, for use with the 
     DJGPP GNU C/C++ compiler only, includes disks containing the full X11 R4 
     programming libraries, the DESQview/X system library with Berkeley 
     Socket Interface, sample programs, make files for  GNU, the DESQview/X 
     Roadmap documentation, and the GNU C/C++ compiler. The starter kit sells 
     for $50. 
     
     The complete DESQview/X X11 Toolkit, priced at $750, includes: X11 R4 
     programming libraries, the DESQview/X system  library with Berkeley 
     Socket Interface, sample programs, make files and library support for 
     Microsoft C, Borland C++, Zortech C++, Rational Instant C, Watcom C/386, 
     Metaware High C, and GNU C/C++ compilers, the DESQview/X Roadmap, 
     O'Reilly X Reference and Programming Guides (Volumes 1, 2, 4, and 5), 
     Rational Systems DOS/4GX DOS extender tools, Instant C development 
     environment, Oxygen, and Quarterdeck's Developer Passport Support. 
     
     There is also an a la carte version of the toolkit available.  Contact 
     Quarterdeck (see Q19) for prices. 
     
     Quarterdeck's OSF/Motif (v. 1.1.5) Development Toolkit, priced at $150, 
     includes: Motif Widget libraries, Motif Resource  Management library, 
     Motif User Interface Language (UIL) compiler, sample programs, O'Reilly 
     Volume 6, Motif Programming Manual, the DESQview/X OSF/Motif Roadmap and 
     the DESQview/X end user OSF/Motif Window Manager.  The Motif libraries 
     can be used to build applications with a standard look and feel. 
     
     The prices above are Quarterdeck prices; the price on the street is 
     usually a lot better.  One source of API tools is the Programmer's 
     Connection, at 
          Programmer's Connection, Inc. 
          7249 Whipple Ave. NW 
          North Canton, OH  44720-7143 
          1-800-336-1166 (US and Canada) 
          (216) 494-8715 (International) 
          (216) 494-5260 (FAX) 
          
     QW:211:APIBRO.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q9:  I've heard that DESQview does preemptive multitasking.  What does that 
     mean? 


A9:  Let's say you have one toy (the 80x86 processor in our case) and 5 
     children (5 programs that you want to run under DESQview 
     simultaneously).  There are two ways that Dad (DESQview) can let each 
     child play with the toy. 

     (1) Dad gives the toy to one of the children, who plays with it until 
     she gets bored.  Then she returns the toy to Dad, who gives it to one of 
     the other children.  This repeats until all the children have played 
     with the toy, and then Dad starts over with the first child. 
     
     (2) Dad gives the toy to one of the children, and starts a timer.  If 
     the child gets bored with the toy before the timer expires, she gives it 
     back to Dad.  However, if she still holds the toy when the timer 
     expires, Dad reminds her that good children must share, and takes it 
     away from her.  He then gives it to the next child and restarts the 
     timer.  When all the children have played with the toy, Dad returns it 
     to the first child. She continues playing with it where she left off. 
     
     Sometimes one of the children may want to take the toy apart. Since none 
     of the other children wants to play with a disassembled toy, the child 
     will request that Dad not take away the toy until the child says he can. 
     In that way, the child can re-assemble the toy before any other child 
     gets it. 
     
     The first method is called ``non-preemptive'' and conversely, the second 
     is called ``preemptive''.  It is generally agreed that preemptive 
     multitasking is much better because one program cannot accidently 
     ``hog'' the CPU.  One of the major technical differences between 
     DESQview and Windows is that DESQview preemptively multitasks all 
     programs, while Windows does non-preemptive multitasking of Windows 
     applications. 
     
     When a program running under DESQview calls a DOS or BIOS function, it 
     effectively ``disassembled the toy''.  DESQview recognizes this and 
     temporarily suspends any other program that attempts to make a DOS or 
     BIOS call until the current DOS or BIOS call ends (see Q10). 
     
     DESQview-oblivious programs (see Q3) can act like selfish children when 
     they are waiting for keyboard entry.  Even though they aren't playing 
     with the toy, they keep hold of it.  Shareware and freeware programs are 
     available for forcing these programs to share the toy (see Q24). 
     
     QW:152:MULTI-T.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q10: Why do the other windows slow to a virtual halt when one window accesses 
     the floppy disk? 


A10: Both DOS and the BIOS disk access functions are non-reentrant, i.e. they 
     may not be called again while one call is in progress.  DESQview thus 
     handles both as ``serially reusable resources,'' and suspends a window 
     making such a call until any current call completes. 

     Since programs make many DOS calls other than disk I/O, they can become 
     blocked while another window is accessing the disk even when they 
     themselves are not trying to access the disk.  The same suspension 
     occurs when a program accesses the disk via BIOS calls, but only when 
     some other window is also accessing the disk; thus, a non-disk DOS call 
     can execute at the same time as a disk-related BIOS call. 
     
     When the disk being accessed is a hard disk, the call completes so 
     quickly that there is no obvious degradation in the performance of other 
     windows.  When accessing a floppy disk, however, the call can take 
     multiple seconds to complete, during which time it is highly likely that 
     other windows will be suspended for a noticeable length of time. 
     
     To minimize the impact of copying or formatting, try using shareware 
     programs such as DVCOPY, LTFORMAT and FDFORMAT (see Q7). 
     
     QW:230:DVFLOPPY.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q11: Can Windows run under DESQview? 


A11: Yes, Windows can run under DESQview, but only in Real and Standard mode. 
     Windows in Enhanced mode becomes an 80386 DPMI control program and there 
     can only be one such control program at a time (see Q17). 

     Under DESQview/X, Windows can be run in a small window, because 
     DESQview/X can convert the Windows output into X requests.  Page 143 of 
     the DVX manual discusses how to run Windows under DVX. 
     
     QW:170:WIN3.TEC, QW:242:WIN31.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q12: Can I make something like AUTOEXEC.BAT for DESQview, so that certain 
     windows open every time I run DESQview? 


A12: Yes.  In DESQview Classic there are basically two methods: 
          (1) Use the ! method in the script language. 
          (2) Use a batch file in the first (BD) window. 
          
     Method (1) is more useful in turnkey applications - method (2) is better 
     (i.e., more flexible) for general use. 
     
     To use method 1, do something like this: 
     
     copy con foo.dvt 
     {Learn {F12} "!Startup"} 
     ... 
     {Finish} 
     ^Z 
     convscr t foo.dvt desqview.dvs 
     
     (``...'' are your DV script commands to do what you want to do) 
     
     To use Method 2, get hold of one of the many ``start a window from the 
     command line'' utilities.  One of these is RUN, part of the DVSI package 
     available on SIMTEL20 and mirrors (see Q7). 
     
     Then write a batch file that uses RUN to create the windows you need, 
     and put that batch file in the Program field of BD-PIF.DVP.  Then you 
     can start up the windows just by hitting return twice when DV starts up 
     (assuming BD is the first program on your open menu).  This is what I 
     do. Or, for total automation, you can make a startup script as above, 
     consisting of OBD. 
     
     Under DESQview/X, edit the file ``DVX.CFG'' which is in the \DVX 
     directory.  Add the name of the DVP (without the .DVP extension) to the 
     CLIENT line.  Or, use the SETUP program which will edit DVX.CFG for you. 
     DESQview/X assumes that the DVP you specify in the CLIENT line is in the 
     directory \DVX\DVPS. 
     
     QW:153:AUTOSCRI.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q13: Can text and graphics be displayed at the same time with Hercules? 


A13: Yes, as long as 90x43 mode display mode is used.  If the graphics bleeds 
     through from the background, you can switch to 80x25 mode. 

     However, there is no way to detect whether or not the Hercules card is 
     currently in text or graphics mode if a program switches between these 
     two modes by manipulating the registers of the card. In this case 
     DESQview will not notice that the graphics mode has changed. Quarterdeck 
     has put a utility DVHERC on the distribution disk that is intended to 
     help users switch to the correct mode in such events. DVHERC is a TSR 
     program.  However DESQview can sometimes be very stubborn and will not 
     recognize this change.  In such cases it will again switch to the wrong 
     mode as soon as one switches to a different window. 
     
     QW:203:DVHERC.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q14: How do I use two monitors under DESQview? 

A14: You can use two monitors only in DVC and DV386.  DVX does not support 
     two monitors. 

     DVC and DV386 will only control one of your monitors, and by default all 
     programs will use the monitor that DESQview controls.  There are a 
     number of ways to make programs start up on the ``other'' monitor. Since 
     you will usually want DESQview to control the color monitor (except 
     perhaps in the case of a CGA), the following discussion assumes that 
     DESQview is controlling the color monitor and not the monochrome 
     monitor. 
     
     First, you can use a batch file and include a ``MODE MONO'' statement to 
     switch the program to the monochrome monitor.  Second, you can use the 
     ``initial mode'' field to specify the monitor on which the program will 
     start (however, this setting is ignored unless you also set ``writes 
     directly to screen'' to Y and ``virtualize'' to N).  By setting the 
     initial mode to 7, you force the program to use the monochrome monitor 
     until it explicitly switches monitors.  Note that DESQview tends to stop 
     updating the monochrome screen while the program is in the background if 
     the program ever switches to the color display (including starting on 
     the color display with the first method above). 
     
     The initial mode can also be set to 21 or 22 for Hercules Graphics mode. 
     These modes only allow one page of mono graphics (see Q13).  Mode 21 is 
     Page 0 at address B000h, and Mode 22 is Page 1 at address B800h.  Hence, 
     Mode 22 is not available with two monitors (it conflicts with color 
     video).
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q15: What are Exceptions 12 and 13? 

A15: An exception 12 (or 13) is caused by the program you are running doing 
     something that it is not allowed to do on a 80386 while in Virtual 8086 
     (V86) mode. Since QEMM is the 386 ``control program,'' it can only 
     report the error caused by the user program. The main cause is operand 
     wrapping past the last address in segment, 65,535 (FFFF in hex) 

     Note that exceptions are only reported by QEMM, and are not caused by 
     either QEMM or DESQview.  They are caused by old programs that assume 
     they are running on an 80286 or less; or by a program that ``crashed''. 
     
     From the INTEL ``80386 Programmer's Reference Manual,'' 
        PART III - COMPATIBILITY 
          chapter 15, VIRTUAL 8086 MODE 
             Section 15.6 DIFFERENCES FROM 8086 
               Stated ``reasons'' 6, 7 & 8 
                  (pages 15-10 & 15-11) 
                  
     Quoting from the INTEL manual: 
     
          15.6 DIFFERENCES FROM 8086 
          In general, V86 mode will correctly execute software designed for 
          the 8086, 8088, 80186 and 80188. Following is a list of the minor 
          differences between 8086 execution on the 80386 and on an 8086. 
          
               ... (only those causing exception 12 or 13 are listed) 
               
          6. Redundant prefixes. 
          The 80386 sets a limit of 15 bytes on instruction length. The only 
          way to violate this limit is by putting redundant prefixes before 
          an instruction.  Exception 13 occurs if the limit on instruction 
          length is violated. The 8086/8088 has no instruction limit. 
          
          7. Operand crossing offset 0 or 65,535. 
          On the 8086, an attempt to access a memory operand that crosses 
          offset 65,535 (e.g., MOV a word to offset 65,535) or offset 0 
          (e.g., PUSH a word when SP = 1) causes the offset to wrap around 
          modulo 65,535. The 80386 raises an exception in these cases - 
          exception 13 if the data segment (i.e., if CS, DS, ES, FS, or GS is 
          being used to address the segment), exception 12 if the segment is 
          a stack segment (i.e., if SS is being used.) 
          
          8. Sequential execution across offset 65,535. 
          On the 8086, if sequence execution of instructions proceeds past 
          offset 65,535, the processor fetches the next instruction byte from 
          offset 0 of the same segment. On the 80386, the processor raises 
          exception 13 in such a case. 
          
     In order to fix an Exception 13, you can try to load the program causing 
     it into a different area of memory.  To do this, try increasing your 
     FILES or BUFFERS, or loading some TSRs low rather than high, etc. 
     However, the best solution is to contact the programmer.  Another 
     possible solution is to increase the amount of memory specified in 
     Change A Program. 
     
     QW:142:EXCEPT13.TEC, QW:232:EX13FLOW.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q16: What determines the amount of conventional memory that DESQview claims 
     for itself and takes away from programs? 

A16: Using XDV.COM, DESQview Classic or DESQview-386 can load most of itself 
     into upper and high memory so conventional memory is preserved. However, 
     loading many TSRs or DOS high (see Q22) will reduce the amount of 
     DESQview that can be loaded high (i.e. in the XMA - the first 64K of 
     extended memory).  DVX386 automatically loads itself into high memory. 

     DESQview also sets aside a portion of conventional memory and calls it 
     ``Common Memory''.  The amount that DESQview allocates can be decreased 
     in DVSETUP, but the minimum is about 14K.  Certain programs such as DVSI 
     (a set of shareware utilities by Daniel Bodoh) require the amount of 
     Common Memory to be larger than the minimum.  A large Open Window menu 
     or many ``shared programs'' will also increase the required amount of 
     Common Memory. 
     
     Each window has an area of memory called ``System Memory''.  The amount 
     of System Memory available to a program is controlled by three separate 
     entries on the Change A Program screen.  First, since DESQview stores 
     the window image in System Memory, decreasing the number of text pages 
     and maximum window size decreases System Memory usage.  Second, since 
     most programs do not explicitly use System Memory, the System Memory 
     field can be set to 1K or 0K. 
     
     The pool of System Memory only reduces the maximum window memory for 
     that particular window, and does not affect the other windows.  You can 
     see this using the Memory Status program.  It will report, say, 592K of 
     conventional memory available, but part of that is used for System 
     Memory so the actual amount available is less. 
     
     QW:161:WINSIZE.TEC, QW:252:MAXWINDO.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q17: What are some programs that are incompatible with DESQview? 


A17: [Please forward any other known incompatibilities to the editor of this 
     FAQ list (see above).] 
     Any ``386 Control Program'' that is not VCPI compliant (see Q15). 
     
     BitFax 
     
     Borland C++ 3.0 
     Borland has a patch on Compuserve and the Borland BBS.  This patch is 
     also available on SIMTEL20 as DPMIFI.ZIP in PD1:<MSDOS.CPLUSPLUS> (see 
     Q7). 
     
     Colorado Memory Systems, Inc.'s TAPE.EXE 
     Incapable of finding a tape drive piggybacked to a floppy adapter when 
     run in a DVC window. It does not crash the system, but backups are not 
     possible when inside DESQview.  Colorado will be fixing this in the 
     future.  Under DVX, it can find the tape drive. 
     
     ConFormat 
     
     Diagnostic programs that try to go into protected mode to tested 
     extended memory will fail under QEMM.  These include QAPLUS and RAMTEST. 
     Diagnostic programs should be run from a boot floppy. 
     
     DJGPP/DJGPP-compiled programs 
     Finally, DJGPP 1.09 available via anonymous FTP from 
     BARNACLE.ERC.CLARKSON.EDU [128.152.28.12] in /pub/msdos/djgpp, works 
     with DESQview/X (and probably DESQview, too). For those of you who don't 
     know, DJGPP is a full 32-bit C/C++ compiler for DOS with a DOS extender 
     which allows you to use *all* your 386 memory and your disk as memory.  
     DJGPP 1.09 can compile X windows programs written for DESQview/X with 
     the companion X libraries (see Q8). 
     
     DR DOS 6.0 history feature 
     DR DOS works great with DESQview, except for the history feature. 
     
     DVFormat by SLR Systems 
     Has problems with DESQview/X which Quarterdeck are trying to fix. 
     
     Games that use digitized sound without extra sound hardware.  Digitized 
     sound requires that the timer interrupt be sped up to 8000 or more 
     interrupts per second, which DESQview can't deal with.  The only 
     workaround is to turn off the sound or buy extra sound hardware. 
     
     Micronics rev 1.10.05 and 1.10.06 motherboards with Phoenix BIOS 
     Incompatible with QEMM-386.  The first rev that worked again with QEMM 
     was 1.10.10.  Contact Phoenix for a BIOS upgrade. 
     
     Mountain FileSafe 4000 Tape Backup Software 
     
     Microsoft C/C++ 7.00 
     MSC requires a DPMI host which until now QEMM did not provide. You can 
     now use QDPMI to allow QEMM to become a DPMI host. 
     
     MS-Kermit 3.11 
     Try setting Optimize Communications in DVSETUP to No.  If that doesn't 
     work, use the Kermit SET COM command to set the exact interrupt request 
     and I/O port used.  The problem will be fixed in 3.12. 
     
     QA Plus (see above note on Diagnostic programs) 
     
     RAMTEST (see above note on Diagnostic programs) 
     
     Soundblaster 
     Games that use Soundblaster require ``Share CPU'' be set to N or the 
     music will be choppy.  Some games do work OK, though. 
     
     Speed (LandMark Tests 2.00) 
     Crashes DESQview 
     
     Windows Enhanced Mode 
     (see Q11)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q18: I'm having a problem {configuring DESQview, running a program, etc.}. 
     How do I fix it? 


A18: First of all, take a look at the manual.  This may seem obvious, but 
     you'd be surprised at the number of people that post problems which they 
     could have solved themselves by glancing at the manual. 

     If you still can't figure it out, post a complete description of your 
     problem.  Don't just say, for example, ``foo.exe doesn't run''.  Be 
     specific.  Post the Change A Program screens, or portions of 
     AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS if relevant.  But use some restraint.  Don't 
     post 18 pages of system configuration information just because you can't 
     get foo.exe to print ``Hello, world''.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q19: How can I contact Quarterdeck? 


A19: Quarterdeck Office Systems 
     150 Pico Boulevard 
     Santa Monica, CA, USA 90405 
     
     Technical Support: 
          Phone:    (310) 392-9701 
          Fax:      (310) 399-3802 
     Sales: 
          Phone:    (310) 392-9851 
          Fax:      (310) 399-3802 
     Customer Service or Orders: 
          Phone:    (800) 354-3222 
          
     QOS BBS:  (310) 314-3227 (24 hours/day, 1200-9600, HSD 14.4k and V32bis, 
     8 bits, No parity) 
     
     E-mail (for Tech Support): 
          Internet/Usenet/UUCP: support@qdeck.com 
          Quarterdeck BBS:    Sysop 
          CompuServe:         76004,2310 
          BIX:                QOS.REP2 
          MCI Mail:           QUARTERDECK 
          Smartnet:           DESQview Conference - Quarterdeck USA 
          
     Public Message forums for Quarterdeck Tech support: 
          QOS BBS:       <T>echnical Support Message System 
          CompuServe:    ``GO QUARTERDECK'' 
          BIX:           ``JOIN DESQVIEW'' 
          SmartNet:      DESQview Conference 
          FidoNet:       DESQview Echo (currently no QOS support online) 
          RelayNet:      DESQVIEW - Quarterdeck USA or Quarterdeck Canada 
          ILINK:         Multitaskers 
          Usenet:        comp.os.msdos.desqview - QOS techs are active 
          
     Ireland 
     ------- 
     European Headquarters 
     Quarterdeck International Ltd. 
     B.I.M. House, Crofton Terrace 
     Dun Laoghaire, Co. 
     Dublin, Ireland 
     Phone:    +353 1 2844-144 
     Fax:      +353 1 2844-380 
     BBS:      +353 1 2844-381 
     QFAX:     +353 1 2844-383 
     Product Information/Registration Cards: 
     Phone:    +353 1 2841-444 
     Fax:      +353 1 2844-380 
     
     
     United Kingdom 
     -------------- 
     Quarterdeck Office Systems UK Ltd. 
     Widford Hall, Widford Hall Lane, 
     Chelmsford, Essex, CM2 8TD, United Kingdom 
     Technical Support 
     Phone:    + 4471 973-0663 
     Fax:      + 4471 973-0664 
     BBS:      + 4471 973-0661 
     QFAX      + 4471 973-0665 
     Product Information/Upgrade/Registration Cards: 
     Phone:    + 44 245 496699 
     Fax:      + 44 245 495284 
     BBS:      + 44 245 263898 
     
     
     Canada 
     ------ 
     Quarterdeck Office Systems Canada, Inc. 
     70 York St., Suite 1220 
     Toronto, Ontario M5J 1S9 
     Phone:    +1 (416) 360-5758 
     Fax:      +1 (416) 360-4885 
     Upgrades: +1 (800) 268-5181 
     
     
     Germany 
     ------- 
     Quarterdeck Office Systems GmbH 
     Willstaetter Strasse 15 
     D-4000 Duesseldorf 11 
     Germany 
     Technical support: 
     Phone:    +49 211 / 59790-40 
     Fax:      +49 211 / 59790-60 
     QFAX      +49 211 / 59790-65 
     Product info, upgrades: 
     Phone:    +49 211 / 59790-0 
     Fax:      +49 211 / 594126 
     
     France 
     ------ 
     Quarterdeck Office Systems S.A.R.L., 
     4, Rue de General Lanrezac, 75017 Paris, France. 
     Technical Support 
     Phone:  Int + 33 144-09-03-40 
     Fax:      + 33 144-09-00-69 
     BBS:      + 33 144-09-01-07 
     QFAX:     + 33 144-09-00-81 
     Product Information/Upgrade/Registration Cards 
     Phone:    + 33 144-09-03-91 
     Fax:      + 33 144-09-03-47 
     
     
     Cyprus / Eastern Mediterranean 
     ------------------------------ 
     Quarterdeck Office Systems Middle East Ltd. 
     1 Souliou Street, Suite 103, Strovolos, 
     Nicosia, Cyprus. 
     Product Information/Upgrade/Registration Cards/Support 
     Phone:    + 357 2311-630 
     Fax:      + 357 2311-560 
     
     
     Spain 
     ----- 
     Quarterdeck Office Systems S.A., 
     Gran Via de les Courts, Catlanes, 617, 10-3A 
     08007 Barcelona, Spain. 
     Product Information/Upgrade/Registration Cards/Support 
     Phone:    + 343-412-29-45 
     Phone:    + 343-412-44-41
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q20: What books are available on DESQview? 


A20: ``DESQview - A Guide to Programming the DESQview Multitasking 
          Environment'', by Stephen R. Davis, M&T Books Publishing, 501 
          Galveston Drive, Redwood City, CA 94063. 346 pages. 1st Edition, 
          1989. 
     [This is a review from Quarterdeck.  I've heard from others that this 
     books is really not that good and doesn't have many examples.  Look it 
     over well before you spend any money.] A very good source on programming 
     in C using the DESQview API.  This is a tutorial book with lots of 
     examples.  Would be useful to programmers who find the QOS API manuals 
     somewhat daunting.  All examples are in C, however there is lots of 
     general information  which would be useful for developers programming in 
     any language.   Available direct from M&T and bookstores which 
     specialize in technical works.  Can be ordered from Quarterdeck order 
     line at (310) 392-9851 for $24.95 ($39.95 with disk - 5 1/4 inch only). 
     
     ``The Official DESQview Sourcebook'', Larry Joel Goldstein, Bantam 
          Computer Books, 666 Fifth Ave., New York, NY 10103. 351 pages. 1st 
          edition - Sept. '89, price $22.95 ($27.95 Canada). 
     A comprehensive guide to the use of DESQview, QEMM and the  DESQview 
     Companions.  Contains a section on the DESQview API that  may serve as 
     an introduction, but this is not a programmer's book.  A useful adjunct 
     to the Quarterdeck manuals when you want similar information from 
     another view. 
     
     ``DOS Beyond 640K'', Second Ed. James Forney, Windcrest Books, Division 
          of TAB Books Inc., Blue Ridge Summit, PA 17294-0850. 1989.  235 
          ISBN 0-8306-9717-9, ISBN 0-8306-3744-3 pbk. pages.  Price $19.95. 
     Not a DESQview/QEMM book specifically, but an excellent book on  the 
     subject of memory, with many references to DESQview and QEMM. Highly 
     recommended to users who really want to understand the use of memory in 
     their PCs. 
     
     ``The Best Book of DESQview'', Jack Nimersheim, Howard W. Sams & 
          Company,  11711 North College, Suite 141, Carmel, IN 46032.  1st 
          Edition 1990, 396 pages.  Price $24.95 
     A user-friendly guide to DESQview, the Companions, QEMM and Manifest. 
     Contains many tips and a good discussion of the DESQview Learn feature. 
     
     ``Mastering DESQview'', Jonathan Kamin,  Scott, Foresman IBM Computer 
          Books,  1900 E. Lake Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025.  1st Edition 1990, 
          387 pages.  Price $24.95. 
     A comprehensive guide to the use of DESQview, with emphasis on hints and 
     techniques which enhance the use of DESQview.  Special emphasis on 
     creative use of DESQview's Learn (macro) facility. 
     
     ``Extending DOS,'' Ray Duncan, Charles Petzold, M. Steven Baker, Andrew 
          Schulman, Stephen R. Davis, Ross P. Nelson, Robert Moote, 
          Addison-Wesley Publishing Co., Second edition, 1992. 
     An excellent work on DOS memory usage and some of the options for 
     extending DOS.  For advanced users and programmers.  Quite a bit of 
     example source code included.  Covers IBM PC Programming Architecture, 
     EMS, XMS, DOS Extenders, Windows, DESQview, VCPI, DPMI and Multitasking. 
     
     ``DESQview Instant Reference,'' Paul J. Perry, 1991, Sybex, 166 Pages. 
          Price $9.95 
     This is a basic, short reference guide to DESQview, QEMM-386, and 
     Manifest. It covers up to versions 2.3 of DESQview and version 5.1 of 
     QEMM-386.  It describes the use of all the DESQview functions, QEMM-386 
     switches, and switches for LOADHI, QEMM.COM, VIDRAM.  All the 
     information provided is in the Quarterdeck manuals. 
     
     ``Understanding DESQview,'' Richard Altman, 1991, Sybex, 307 pages. 
          Price $24.95 
     
     ``DESQview Unleashed'', Dave Williams, SAMS. 
     Coming in August 1992.  Will include part of this FAQ! 
     
     ``Memory Management for All of Us'', by John M. Goodman, Ph.D.  SAMS, 
          1992. ISBN 0-672-27366-7. Price $29.95. 
     Discusses virtually all aspects of PC memory and memory management, 
     including how DESQview uses memory. 
     
     ``XView Programming Manual,'' Dan Heller, etal., O'Reilly & Assoc. 586 
          pages. Price:  $34.95 
     
     ``X Window System Programming,'' Naba Barkakati, 1991, Howard W. Sams & 
          Co.  600 pages.  Price:  $29.95 
     Good introduction to X programming, with many helpful example programs. 
     Covers xlib, xt Intrinsics, and some discussion of OSF/Motif widgets is 
     provided. 
     
     ``Introduction to the X Window System,'' O. Jones, 1989, P-H.  Price: 
          $38.00 
     
     ``The X Window System in a Nutshell'', 1990, O'Reilly & Assoc.  Price: 
          $24.95 
     
     
     [If you know of any more, please let me know] 
     
     QW:132:BOOKS.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q21: What are the command-line switches for DESQview/QEMM/QRAM? 


A21: The file QOSSWIT3.ZIP from SIMTEL20 (see Q7) in the PD1:<MSDOS.INFO> 
     directory contains a list of the documented and undocumented switches 
     for Quarterdeck's products. 

     QW:178:ALL-HELP.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q22: How can I configure DESQview for maximum window memory? 


A22: The answer to this question is very system dependent.  However, you 
     should use QEMM rather than EMM386 and HIMEM.SYS (on a 386), because 
     QEMM is smaller and will provide the same services.  Also, without QEMM 
     screen virtualization is not possible (see Q2).  Loading DOS high will 
     not necessarily help, because that reduces the amount of DESQview kernel 
     that can be loaded high (see Q16). 

     When you test using DOS=HIGH, make sure you add I=0800-0FFF to QEMM 
     line. This will allow QEMM to map the area vacated by DOS, so you may 
     see a gain in window size. You almost have to be using stealth to see a 
     net gain. 
     
     Also, if you don't need graphics, you can use the VREMS parameter on the 
     QEMM line, and add VIDRAM ON to the DV.BAT file. This will give you 
     about 64k more for each window. DV.BAT should actually have a VIDRAM ON 
     before calling DV, and VIDRAM OFF after DV. 
     
     Experiment.  Use Manifest to judge the results.  If your high memory is 
     very fragmented (i.e. many small contiguous blocks rather than a few 
     large blocks), keeping DOS and TSRs low and putting DESQview high might 
     work better. 
     
     Do not set up your path and environment variables until all the TSRs 
     have been loaded.  A copy of the environment is made for every TSR, and 
     if the TSR does not give this area of memory back to DOS, it is wasted. 
     
     QEMM's STEALTH feature should be used if it is compatible with your 
     machine.  There are three different STEALTH modes: 
          ST:F - Frame stealth.  Compatible with many machines, but offers 
                 the least amount of memory gain.  Also known as ``Female 
                 Stealth''. 
          
          ST:M - Mapping stealth.  It offers significantly more memory gain 
                 but will not work on all machines.  Also known as ``Male 
                 Stealth''. 
          
          ST:P - Protected mode stealth.  Undocumented and unsupported by 
                 Quarterdeck, because it has many incompatibilities.  If you 
                 can get it to work on your machine, you could get an 
                 additional 25K or so over ST:M.  You cannot run any other 
                 protected mode programs with ST:P (the DVX stuff seems to 
                 work, though). 
          
     Here's a neat trick to save memory under DVX.  This is from David Granz. 
     
     How to Maximize your memory space for programs under DVX 
     --------------------------------------------------------- 
     
     In order to use DV/X on a TCP/IP network, the FTP software TCP/IP 
     drivers must be loaded.  Unfortunately, these TSRs can take up over 100K 
     of precious DOS memory space.  In addition a mouse driver is needed 
     (another 12-16K of memory used up).  And then, DV/X itself chews up a 
     significant amount of DOS memory. Even with the new QEMM stealth 
     features that allow most of the upper memory space to be used to LOADHI 
     these TSRs, the memory actually left for a program (or DOS window) under 
     DV/X can end up being quite small.  In my particular setup, the best I 
     was able to get was a 320K DOS window. 
     
     After much experimenting and some suggestions from Quarterdeck, I have 
     come up with the following procedures that allow you get very close to a 
     full 640K of program space in a DOS window (somewhat less if you don't 
     have a 8514 video card).  Note that although this method seems to work 
     fine (for me at least), it is not in anyway a supported method.  Please 
     DO NOT call Quarterdeck for help with this setup, they are not 
     supporting this technique at this time.  If you have problems with 
     things crashing, put things back the way they were before, and see if 
     the problems go away.  Then, if the crash still occurs, you have a valid 
     reason to call Quarterdeck. 
     
     Before doing any of the following modifications, make a safe copy of 
     \DVX\STARTUP.DVP and \DVX\DVPS\PCTCP.DVP.  These copies can be used to 
     restore the system in case you have problems. 
     
     Step 1, Saving the space occupied by the MOUSE driver: 
          Create a file called \DVX\SERVER.BAT that contains the following 
          lines: 
          
               MOUSE   (or whatever is needed to run your mouse) 
               SERVER 
               
          Then with the DVPMAN program (under DV/X), modify the file 
          \DVX\STARTUP.DVP. Change the reference to SERVER.EXE to SERVER.BAT. 
          Also increase the memory size by enough to cover the added size of 
          the mouse driver (about 30k should be plenty). 
          
          Modify your CONFIG.SYS and/or AUTOEXEC.BAT to not load the mouse 
          driver when you boot your computer. 
          
          Restart the computer, and then DV/X...  The mouse driver should now 
          load in the process space of the server. 
          
          A 'mem/c' command in a DOS window, should show more memory 
          available and no copy of the mouse driver. 
          
          
     Step 2, Saving the space occupied by the TCP drivers: 
          In a manner similar to the above mouse modifications, you need to 
          create a batch file:  \DVX\NETWORK\NETWORK.BAT.  This batch file 
          should contain all the drivers and network programs needed to 
          support TCP/IP.  The last step should be to run the 'nsftp' 
          program. 
          
          For example, my NETWORK.BAT looks like this: 
               c:\dvx\device c:\ftp\ifcust.sys 
               c:\dvx\device c:\ftp\ipcust.sys 
               c:\ncsa\drivers\wd8003e -w 0x62 7 0x280 0xD000 
               c:\ftp\ethdrv -t 20 -p 26 -u 2 
               nsftp 
               
          Using DVPMAN, modify the \DVX\DVPS\PCTCP.DVP parameters to run 
          NETWORK.BAT rather than NSFTP.EXE.  You should add enough memory 
          allocation to allow for the extra memory of the network drivers.  
          In my case a 350K allocation seems to work fine but you may need 
          more. 
          
          Remove all the network drivers and TSRs from your CONFIG.SYS and 
          AUTOEXEC.BAT, and reboot DOS and DV/X. 
          
          If all goes correctly, the DOS windows under DV/X should now 
          contain none of the network drivers.  With this arrangement I am 
          able to get about 550K available in the DOS window. 
          
          The only limitation of this arrangement, is that only Quarterdeck 
          supplied network programs (telnet, ftp, etc) will work.  This is 
          because the network drivers are running in a different address 
          space than the DOS windows.  The normal FTP software's and Packet 
          driver's access interrupts are not available in any process other 
          than the PCTCP process. 
          
     Step 3, Getting even more space: 
     
          If you have a 8514 type video card (I have a ATI Graphics Ultra), 
          you can get even more space for DOS programs.  As an added 
          advantage, the video performance is much better with this card 
          (1024x768x256). 
          
          Add the 'VREMS' parameter to your QEMM386.SYS line in CONFIG.SYS. 
          This will allow the \QEMM\VIDRAM program to steal the address space 
          at A0000-AFFFF for DOS use. 
          
          Before starting DV/X, do a "\QEMM\VIDRAM ON" command.  Just ignore 
          the message that DV/X cannot find a graphics card.  DV/X will run 
          just fine without this video ram area.  The DOS window will be 64K 
          bigger. 
          
          The only limitation of this, is that graphic programs (ie ones that 
          take over the entire screen) must not be run.  Text programs and 
          programs that use X windows calls will work just fine. 
          
          QW:161:WINSIZE.TEC, QW:252:MAXWINDO.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q23: What is NOFF.SHP {NOFF.SHR}? 

A23: NOFF.SHR is an older version of NOFF.SHP.  So what's NOFF.SHP? 

     DESQview is the child of an older IBM program called TopView.  Because 
     Quarterdeck wanted DESQview to run all the old TopView programs, they 
     made DESQview compatible to TopView, in much the same way you can run 
     programs written for DOS 3.3 in DOS 4.0. 
     
     If a program writes directly to the video memory, TopView (and DESQview) 
     cannot run it in a small window.  So IBM allowed programs to be TopView- 
     aware (similar to DESQview-aware (see Q3)) by giving them ``virtual'' 
     video memory on request.  This memory looks like video memory, but 
     characters written into it do not get displayed on the screen. 
     
     Since DESQview is a much smarter program that TopView ever was, DESQview 
     can automatically update the window from the virtual video memory.  But 
     TopView did not have that ability.  The TopView-aware program had to 
     make another call which would manually update the window from the video 
     memory. 
     
     Quarterdeck wanted to make DESQview look as much like TopView as 
     possible, so they decided that if a TopView-aware program makes this 
     call to update the window, then the automatic updating of DESQview would 
     be turned off. 
     
     DESQview can do a better job of updating the window from the virtual 
     video buffer than *some* programs.  So the purpose of NOFF.SHP is to 
     capture the TopView update call before it gets to DESQview and not let 
     DESQview see the call.  That way, DESQview never turns off the automatic 
     updating, and your window output is less jerky. 
     
     Whether or not you should use NOFF.SHP depends on how the TopView-aware 
     program updates its screen.  If it changes only small parts of the 
     screen at a time but requests that the entire screen be updated, use 
     NOFF.SHP.  But if the program tells TopView (DESQview) exactly which 
     part of the screen changed, output may look smoother without NOFF.SHP 
     because an automatic update doesn't take place until the end of each 
     program's time slice (see Q9). 
     
     Although NOFF.SHP is included in the Quarterdeck-supplied DVP for 
     Wordperfect, it is not required if you are using a 386 or better and you 
     turn on text virtualization. 
     
     QW:247:SHARED.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q24: How can I increase DESQview's performance? 


A24: DESQview's performance depends on many different factors.  We will try 
     to highlight some of the important areas here. 

     DESQVIEW-OBLIVIOUS PROGRAMS 
          Performance is especially degraded by DESQview-oblivious programs 
          (see Q3), because they do not give up the CPU when they are not 
          doing useful work (see Q9). 
          
          Some programs, while waiting for keyboard input, continuously ask 
          if a keystroke is available instead of giving up the CPU. 
          Quarterdeck provides a way to force programs to give up the CPU 
          after a specified number of keystroke queries.  One of the bytes in 
          the DVP file (the file edited by Change A Program) specifies the 
          number of keyboard polls before the CPU is taken away. 
          
          Unfortunately, Quarterdeck has never put a field on the Change A 
          Program screens to change this number.  DvpEdit, a freeware 
          replacement for Change A Program, is available on SIMTEL20 (see Q7) 
          and allows you to change this ``Max Keypolls'' value. 
          
          Another well-known program is TAME.  TAME does much more than watch 
          for keyboard polling; and can do a good job of increasing 
          performance. 
          
          System performance can be measured with the PS utility available in 
          the DVSI package (also on SIMTEL20 and DVNet).  Using PS, an 
          offending program can be quickly identified. 
          
     DISK ACCESS 
          Since disk access can slow down the system significantly (see Q10) 
          using a disk cache can also increase performance.  HyperDisk, 
          available on SIMTEL20 (see Q7), is especially popular among 
          DESQview users. 
          
     FOREGROUND/BACKGROUND TICKS 
          With the ``Tune Performance'' menu you can set the number of 
          foreground and background ticks.  These numbers indicate how much 
          time DESQview is to allocate to a given task before moving on to 
          the next in a round-robin fashion. The default setting is 9:3, 
          which means DESQview gives the foreground task 9 ``ticks'', or 
          roughly half a second, of CPU time, then gives each of the 
          background tasks 3 ticks. A more common setting with today's 
          hardware is 1:1 or 2:2 -- each task gets 1 (or 2) ticks. 
          
          There's no single, optimal setting. Smaller numbers generally 
          provide smoother performance, but may overwhelm the CPU on less 
          powerful systems. In addition, time-sensitive applications like 
          communications programs may need to be serviced frequently by the 
          CPU. In short, experiment. 
          
          Here's an undocumented trick:  Go to ``Tune Performance'' and 
          backspace to erase the numbers that are in the ticks fields.  This 
          will set them to ``H0'' (next time you bring up the ``Tune 
          Performance'' window).  This trick seems to set the ticks to 1/2 
          and 1/2 (although this claim has been disputed -- more 
          experimentation will have to be done). 
          
          Setting 0 background ticks will cause background windows to never 
          run.  Setting 0 foreground ticks will cause background windows to 
          run only if the foreground window explicitly gives up its 
          timeslice, or if it blocks (i.e. waits for a keystroke or other 
          event). 
          
     SCREEN DISPLAY 
          There are three primary reasons why your screen may appear jerky. 
          First, you may be virtualizing the window. While this prevents 
          bleed-thru (when used in conjunction with QEMM-386), it does 
          increase the workload on DESQview, and the screen output only 
          occurs at the end of the program's timeslice. If this is a problem 
          for you then configure your application to use BIOS screen writes 
          and turn virtualization off. Second, you may need to adjust your 
          tick settings. DESQview updates the screen display at the end of a 
          task's CPU allocation. Thus, a setting of, say, 99:99 will result 
          in extremely jerky screen updates compared with 2:2 or so.  Third, 
          you may be unnecessarily using NOFF.SHP (see Q23). 
          
          DESQview/X is a GUI and therefore screen output is much slower. 
          This is due to the poor design of the PC's video.  In order to get 
          better display performance, you may want to purchase a graphics 
          accelerator or coprocessor board. 
          
     MEMORY USAGE 
          The memory usage of individual programs can be tuned in Change A 
          Program.  For maximum window size, you must balance your TSR and 
          device driver usage (see Q16 and Q22).  The PS utility in the DVSI 
          package available on SIMTEL20 (see Q7) can show which windows are 
          not using all their allocated memory. 
          
          Certain DESQview/X programs which use the built in DOS extender can 
          use the disk as memory.  This is called virtual memory.  You can 
          configure the DESQview/X Server to use virtual memory to save on 
          real memory.  To do so, change the ``maxmem='' line in the 
          \DVX\SERVER\XB16.VMC file (XC16.VMC for the high-resolution 
          server).  This line specifies the maximum number of kilobytes of 
          real memory that should be used.  Increase the number to to 
          increase speed; or decrease the number to increase available 
          memory.  Note that DESQview/X gets flaky if the number is less than 
          1000K or so.  The default value of 1000K is optimized for a 4 
          Megabyte machine.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q25: My {9600 or greater} BPS modem drops characters under DESQview.  Is high 
     speed communication possible under DESQview? 


A25: Yes, high speed communication is possible.  First, you must go into the 
     DESQview setup program and set ``Optimize Communications'' to Y (see 
     Q29).  If you still lose characters, you may have to get a new serial 
     board.  The characters are coming in too fast for DESQview and your 
     communications program to process them. 

     The chip that controls serial communication is known by many names.  On 
     an XT (or an 8-bit I/O board) it is an 8250.  Most ATs contain the 
     16450. The problem with these chips is that they can only buffer one 
     character at a time, so if DESQview doesn't allow your communications 
     program to respond fast enough, you'll lose that character. 
     
     The solution is to get a board with the National Semiconductor PC16550CN 
     chip.  This chip buffers up to 16 characters, so character loss is less 
     likely to occur.  If you are the handy type, you can even swap your 8250 
     (or whatever) for the NS16550AN yourself, for the chips are 
     pin-compatible. 
     
     Do not get a 16550 non-A chip.  It is an old, buggy chip.  Also, Western 
     Digital makes a 16550 which is rumored to be buggy at speeds of 2400 BPS 
     or less. 
     
     Note that the 16550x will act like an 8250 unless you have software that 
     supports it.  Most communication packages today do support the 16550x. 
     
     QW:237:COMMPROG.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q26: Why doesn't ANSI.SYS work in DESQview? 

A26: ANSI.SYS doesn't work inside DESQview because DESQview takes control of 
     all the screen writes.  Quarterdeck has provided a solution, however. 
     Provided with DESQview is DVANSI.COM.  Run this program in the window in 
     which you need ANSI.SYS. 

QW:110:DVANSI.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q27: Why does the mouse pointer disappear after running certain programs? 

A27: If a DESQview-aware or DESQview-oblivious program (see Q3) uses the 
     mouse, DESQview must turn off its own mouse handling in that window. 
     Unfortunately, DESQview cannot detect when the program is finished with 
     the mouse, so your DESQview mouse pointer will never reappear while that 
     window has the keyboard.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q28: What are those files SWAP*.DV in my DV directory?  Can I delete them? 

A28: They're used by DESQview to store your application when it gets swapped 
     to disk. If the file's date and time are older than the last time you 
     started DV then you can safely erase the files. There is no way to 
     restart an application using a swap file.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q29: What does ``Optimize Communications'' in DESQview's setup program do? 

A29: The cards that you install in your computer use ``hardware interrupts'' 
     to tell the CPU that the card has or needs data.  The hardware 
     interrupts are like grade school students raising their hand in class. 
     When they teacher recongizes a student with his hand up, that student 
     can ask/answer a question. 

     Like many teachers, DESQview has a ``teacher's pet.''  This pet is 
     hardware interrupt 0.  If a bunch of hardware interrupts raise their 
     hands at the same time, DESQview will always recognize 0 first, then 1, 
     then 2, and so on. 
     
     However, most COM ports use hardware interrupt levels 3 and 4.  So by 
     answering ``Y'' to ``Optimize Communications'', you force interrupt 
     level 3 to become the teacher's pet.  DESQview will then recognize the 
     interrupts in this order: 3, 4, 5, ... 0, 1, 2.  Rather than answering 
     ``Y'', you can put in any interrupt number you prefer.  For example, if 
     you answer ``5'',  DESQview will recognize the interrupts in the order 
     5, 6, 7, ... , 0, 1, 2, 3, 4. 
     
     Setting ``Optimize Communications'' to ``Y'' can reduce or eliminate 
     dropped characters in communication programs (see Q25). 
     
     8086/8088 machines have 8 available hardware interrupts (0-7), while 
     80286+ machines have 16 (0-15). 
     
     QW:251:OPTCOM.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q30: What do I need if I want to use DESQview/X's networking features? 

A30: DVX allows you to interact with programs running on other DVX and Unix 
     machines, if the machines are networked. 

     Three parts are required on a PC to make this work: 
          (1) DESQview/X 
          (2) One of the DESQview/X Network Managers sold by Quarterdeck 
          (3) A networking protocol stack available from another 
          manufacturer. 
          
     DESQview/X is packaged with a Network Manager that allows you to 
     communicate with other DESQview/X machines.  This DVX-to-DVX Network 
     Manager will not allow you to communicate with Unix machines.  It 
     requires a Novell or Netbios-compatible network protocol stack. 
     
     To communicate with Unix machines, you must purchase the 
     DVX-to-other-systems Network Manager ($200 list) from Quarterdeck. 
     Packaged with this Manager is a coupon for a free copy of Novell's 
     TCP/IP Transport for DOS, one of the possible protocol stacks that are 
     compatible with the DVX-to-other-systems Network Manager.  Current users 
     of the DVX-to-other-systems Network Manager can receive a free copy of 
     Novell's TCP/IP stack by contacting Quarterdeck (see Q19). 
     
     Other TCP/IP protocol stacks that the DVX-to-other-systems Network 
     Manager is compatible with include FTP Incorporated's PC/TCP (version 
     2.03 or version 2.05 patch 3 or greater), Beam and Whiteside's package 
     in Lan Workplace emulation mode (unsupported by Quarterdeck), and 
     Novell's Lan Workplace for DOS (version 4.01 or greater). 
     Quarterdeck is currently beta testing 
          PathWay Access (from The Wollongong Group Inc.) 
          BW-TCP and BW-NFS (from Beame & Whiteside Software Ltd.) 
          PC-NFS (from Sun Microsystems) 
     Contact Quarterdeck for more details (see Q19). 
     
     Many have asked about SLIP support.  Here's a post from someone who has 
     it working (Phil Kemp): 
     
          There are a small group of us, 3 or 4, that are in throes of using 
          slip with FTP inc.'s stack and DV/X. There are some problems but it 
          is useable. The configuration I am using right now (writing this 
          note in fact) is over a 9600 bps V.42bis connection to cisco 
          Trouter. I'm using FTP inc. generic kernel vers. 2.05 pl4. 2.10 is 
          now shipping and I am awaiting delivery. 2.10 is much less low 
          memory intensive. 
          
          The trick just now is to use the packet driver ethersl.com and the 
          ethdrv.exe stack. Attempts to use the 16550.com and slpdrv.exe 
          stack from ftp result in x-windows spontaneously disappearing. A 
          maximum of 12 sockets can be configured in the FTP/DV-X combination 
          due to some software issues. Hopefully this will be corrected in 
          the future. I still get the occasional disappearing session, once 
          or twice a week, but contrast that to two or three times an hour 
          before we went to the ethdrv stack. FTP and Qdeck are working on 
          the slpdrv problem. The ftp inc. packet driver 16550.com seems to 
          be about 20% better in performance than the ethersl.com packet 
          driver, so I would like to go back to it one day. Note that 
          ethersl.com does make use of the 16550afn fifo buffers. I see ftp 
          transfers of compressed files in the range of .9 Kbytes/s if I 
          leave the other network windows alone. 
          
     QW:263:DVX2XSYS.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q31: What do each of the four Protection Levels mean? 


A31: In ``Change A Program'' or DVPMAN, you can set a program's protection 
     level.  Here are the meanings: 

     Level 0 means no protection at all. 
     
     Level 1 will keep a process from locking interrupts for too long if the 
     WD parameter is set correctly in QEMM, and your hardware supports it. 
     
     Level 2 will bring up an error if a process writes outside of the memory 
     that DESQview thinks the process owns. If the process attempts this, 
     DESQview will ask the user if the process should be aborted, 
     unprotected, or be allowed to continue (but remain protected). 
     
     Level 3 will keep a process from reading outside of its memory, with a 
     similar interface as Level 2.  It also grabs all interrupt vectors and 
     complains if the program points the vector outside of its memory 
     (including back at the original handler) and then calls it.  Level 3 
     will crash Borland's floating point libraries. 
     
     If a program crashes with Level 0 it will also crash with Level 3 set, 
     but you might find out about it a little sooner, and it may prevent the 
     system from being locked up. 
     
     QW:120:PROTECT.TEC
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q32: How can I load two or more shared programs in a window? 


A32: In Change A Program or DVPMAN, you can only list one shared program and 
     its data.  To load more than one shared program, you must create a file 
     which lists the shared programs.  Each shared program you want to load 
     requires two lines in the file -- one for the shared program name, and 
     one for the shared program data.  For example, let's say you want to 
     load DGNASI.SHR and 1COPY.SHR.  Create a text file called SHARED.TXT (or 
     whatever) with four lines that look like this (the parenthetical 
     comments should not be added): 

     DGANSI.SHR          (line 1) 
     blah blah blah      (Text that would be in ``Data'' field for DGANSI) 
     1COPY.SHR           (line 3) 
     blah blah blah      (Text that would be in ``Data'' field for 1COPY) 
     
     Then, in Change A Program or DVPMAN's "Shared Program" field, place the 
     name of this text file preceded by the ``+'' sign.  In our case, we 
     would put 
     
                                  Shared Program 
     Pathname..:  +C:\DV\shared.txt 
     Data......: 
     
     If the shared.txt pathname is not specified, it defaults to the 
     ``Default Directory'' path in the DVP.  However, the default place to 
     look for shared programs is always the DESQview directory.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q33: When running Windows under DESQview, I get an ``Incorrect DOS Version'' 
     message.  How do I fix this? 


A33: Rather than using LOADHI FILES in AUTOEXEC.BAT, you must set FILES=15 or 
     so in CONFIG.SYS.  Windows requires that some FILES be loaded low.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q34:  How can I make the tilde (~) character work when I open an Xterm window 
     on my unix machine? 
A34:  On the Unix machine, put the following line into your .Xdefaults file 
     (or whatever your default resource file is): 
\HC\ML40\xterm*allowSendEvents: True
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CONTRIBUTORS 

     The following people have sent suggestions for entries in the FAQ.  On 
     behalf of all the readers of comp.os.msdos.desqview, I thank you.  If 
     the person is credited with a ``Q'', he/she suggested a question.  If 
     part of an answer was contributed, the contributor is credited with an 
     ``A''. An asterisk indicates that the contributor wrote a significant 
     portion of the answer.  If a particular question and answer is not 
     credited, I wrote it. 
     
     If you see your name here and you didn't actually send me something, I 
     probably stole a posting of yours for the FAQ. 
     ---- 
     The information in A7 on access to SIMTEL20 is from regular postings to 
     the Usenet newsgroup comp.binaries.ibm.pc.archives by Keith Peterson. 
     
     The electronic contacts in A19 are from the QOS note ``CONTACT.TXT'' 
     
     The international addresses in A19 are from "DESQview User, The 
     Quarterly Journal for PC and DOS productivity", Issue 4, Spring 1992 and 
     were sent to me by Klaus Hartnegg. 
     
     Most of A20 was copied from Quarterdeck's tech note ``DVBOOK.TEC'' 
     
     Some of A25 is from Appendix B of the FOSSIL driver manual sent to me by 
     Stephen Lee. 
     
     Information in A8 and A30 was grabbed from Quarterdeck press releases. 
     
     The White Pages cross references were provided by Michael Bolton of 
     Quarterdeck Canada. 
     
     alheid@pittpa.cray.com (Greg Alheid)              A2*,A4*,A5*,A11,A13*, 
     A15*,A17,A20 
     aml@world.std.com (Andrew M Langmead)             A31*,A32* 
     anasaz!crow@asuvax.eas.asu.edu (Jerry Crow)       A2,A21 
     arnd@zeus.informatik.rwth-aachen.de                               (Arnd 
     Gehrmann)     A19 
     arr@stat.ph.albany.edu (Andrew A. Reilly)         Q22 
     burge@qdeck.com (Bill Burge)                      A6 
     Carl Anderson 1:106/7674                          A17 
     chaz@chinet.chi.il.us (Charlie Kestner)           Q4,Q17,Q19,Q20 
     dave@monitor.larc.nasa.gov (Dave Hinde)           A34* 
     Dave Osborne 1:123/27.0                           A29 
     dave.williams@chaos.lrk.ar.us (Dave Williams)     A20 
     docw@qdeck.com (Doc Williamson)                   A19 
     dj@ctron.com (DJ Delorie)                         A17 
     dvss!jtroy@udel.edu (Jay Troy)                    A17 
     em21@cunixf.cc.columbia.edu (Eben Moglen)         A17 
     esiever@world.std.com (Ellen C. Siever)           A20 
     granz@junkyard.uucp                               A22* 
     hartnegg@ibm.ruf.uni-freiburg.de (Klaus Hartnegg) A13,A19* 
     january%polari@uunet.uu.net (Jamie Pehling)       A2,A7 
     jcorr@splash.princeton.edu (Jim Orr)              A20 
     jerry@rat.nrl.navy.mil (Jerry Nash)               A17 
     jmaynard@oac.hsc.uth.tmc.edu (Jay Maynard)        A17 
     john@stanton.cts.com (John Goodman)               A20 
     kemp@convex.com (Phil Kemp)                       A30* 
     kneply@mozart.cs.colostate.edu (Jim Knepley)      A2,A4,Q8,Q17,Q18 
     lsuc!ontmoh!rwh@cs.toronto.edu (Russell Herman)   A19 
     Mark Hockings 1:102/824                           A2,A6,A17,A19,A22,A24, 
     A25 
     Michelle at Quarterdeck Canada                    A6 
     mike@batpad.lgb.CA.US (Mike Batchelor)            A8,A17,A22,A30 
     mtbb136@ms.uky.edu                                Q2,Q12,Q13 
     mvjrs@mvgpk.att.com (Rick Sladkey)                A4,A17 
     nickw@syma.sussex.ac.uk (Nick Watkins)            A2,A6,A17,A20 
     noesis@ucscb.ucsc.edu (Kyle ?)                    A13 
     peterson@csc.ti.com (Bob Peterson)                A6 
     phealy@swift.cs.tcd.ie (Paul ?)                   A19 
     ralf@cs.cmu.edu (Ralf Brown)                      A2,A6,A7*,A8*,Q9,A10*, 
     A13,A14*,A17,A21*,A25, A31,A32* 
     reisert@mast.enet.dec.com (James J. Reisert)      A25 
     rreiner@nexus.yorku.ca (Richard Reiner)           A2,A17 
     s2942275@techst02.technion.ac.il (Yaniv Golan)    A17 
     Saar Blitz 2:403/139.0                            A17 
     schuster@panix.com (Mike Schuster)                A17 
     seant@ratsys.com (Sean True)                      A8 
     senf_ltd@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Stephen Lee)     A25* 
     smsmith@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Stephen Smith) A13 
     spit@neuro.duke.edu (Mike Burdick)                A33 
     support@qdeck.com  (Gary Rich)                    A6 
     support@qdeck.com  (Doc Williamson)               A8,A24 
     stern@denali.ims.alaska.edu (Pete Stern)          Q25,Q26,Q27 
     steveg@orl.mmc.com (Steve Gabrilowitz)            Q8,Q15 
     theall@gdalsrv.sas.upenn.edu (George A. Theall)   A2*,A3,A4,A7,A17,A19, 
     A20,Q22,A23,A24*,A28*, A32* 
     thuben@kiera.ericsson.se (Thomas Nilsson)         A25 
     valley@gsbsun.uchicago.edu (Doug Dougherty)       
     A2,A4,A10,Q11,A12*,Q14, Q16,A17,A20,A25 
     w8sdz@wsmr-simtel20.army.mil (Keith Peterson)     A7*,A17 
     wiget@switch.ch (Margel Wiget)                    A17 
     4carroll_j@spcvxa.spc.edu (Jim Carroll)           A25
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HOW THE FAQ LIST IS CREATED 

     This document is maintained as a collection of psuedo-DESQview/X help 
     source files.  By psuedo, I mean that they contain the DESQview/X 
     formatting commands, but do not contain paragraphs that are delimited by 
     carriage returns.  This makes editing much easier (IMHO, the input 
     source format is pretty dumb in that respect). 
     
     These *.TXT files are converted to pure DESQview/X help files with a 
     program I wrote called HPREP, which creates *.PRP files.  The *.PRP 
     files are concatenated into the DESQview/X help file with Quarterdeck's 
     HELPLIB (although I may write my own, since the interface to HELPLIB 
     isn't easy to use with MAKE). 
     
     To get the text version of the FAQ that is posted, I run DVXH2TXT to 
     extract the formatted text from the help file.  This is a program I 
     wrote and that is still in development. 
     
     My DESQview/X help file tool suite will be released in the future when I 
     get it into a release-able state.  If you need something, let me know 
     and I might be able to help you.
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.desqview