Common questions

Q: The description claims, PTS-DOS is ROM-able. How can I do that?
A: One cannot make PTS-DOS ROM-able with own hands. This problem may be solved only with our specialists. You may contact us to sign a contract on this particular theme.

Q: I read in the manual something over a boot manager. Does this bootmanager work also with more than one other DOS. Like OS/2, so that I can use MS-DOS, DR-DOS, PC-DOS and PTS-DOS on the same computer?
A: The bootmanager of PTS-DOS 6.65 is a very simple program. It only starts a boot of a system installed on active partition from a file and then this system is booting itself. As for coexistence of several DOSes PC-DOS and MS-DOS may not be able to boot from the same logical disk. This is due to system files of PC-DOS must be in the same place as MS-DOS ones. Due to this reason most all of MS-like DOSes may not be started by PTS-DOS' bootmanager from the same partition.

Q: Will Windows resources increase under PTS-DOS? In what way?
A: As for Windows resources, there is no difference between PTS-DOS and MS-DOS. All resources are depend upon Windows only when Windows applications are started. If one is starting MS-DOS applications under Windows, there is one main difference: as You probably know, such drivers as ANSI, DISPLAY, KEYBOARD, SHARE and FASTOPEN are embedded into PTS-DOS' kernel. In addition to this most of programs/utilities try using XMS memory instead of conventional one. That's why there is much more conventional memory for DOS applications under PTS-DOS/Windows. Usually applications under PTS-DOS/Windows approx. 10% faster than under MS-DOS/Windows.

Q: Is there any experience in using PTS-DOS with PCMCIA-Cards?
A: There is no difference for PCMCIA drivers under which DOS to work. Notebook users have no serious problems with PTS-DOS.

Q: Would it be possible to mix PTS-DOS with the MS-DOS-adaptation-software?
A: Due to some reason, the syntax of CONFIG.SYS file have been changed slightly from MS-DOS' one. For example commands in CONFIG.SYS written by MEMMAKER will cause errors while booting, though most all of the command lines in CONFIG.SYS will work normally.

Q: When I delete CONFIG.SYS, CONFIG.PTS, AUTOPTS.BAT, and AUTOEXEC.BAT I get "Incorrect DOS Version".
A: PTS-DOS found MS-DOS' COMMAND.COM in root directory and executed it. This resulted in "Incorrect DOS Version" message, output by Microsoft's COMMAND.COM. In order to run PTS-DOS without any configuration files, you must copy our COMMAND.COM to the root directory.

Memory Management

Q: Conventional memory is a little more available as in MS-DOS 5.0, HMA/UMB is nearly the same. How can I achieve more free memory?
A: You may try to use SYSGEN command of CONFIG.SYS file. If You check most of the variants You maybe find some configurations with a little bit more free memory.

Q: How much memory does the PTS-DOS Windows mode occupy as compared to a MS-DOS/Windows machine?
A: Both experiments were done with the same 486SX-50/8M machine. MS-DOS running with EMM386 with EMS size of 3,072K, SmartDrive with 256K cache size, Genius mouse driver leaves free 564K conventional and 6,688K extended memory (total 7,252K). PTS-DOS running with EMM386 with 3,072K EMS size, PTSCache with 256K cache size, Genius mouse driver leaves free 597K(!) conventional and 6,658K extended memory (total 7,255K).

Q: After booting PTS-DOS NumLock on the keyboard is off! Why this?
A: Use command SHIFTSTATE of CONFIG.SYS. Please, refer to manual how to make NumLock on in booting PTS-DOS.

Q: I wish PTS-DOS had an interactive boot like the F8 key in MS-DOS so that I could isolate the problems better.
A: PTS-DOS does have an interactive boot. It can be invoked by holding Alt key and then pressing the number of a section to be traced. For example, to trace a second section, press Alt-2. It's important, that interactive boot is available, when there are several section in configuration file (i. e. you can't trace plane CONFIG.SYS). In addition to this, the bootmanager does tracing of chosen CONFIG.SYS' section only and then starts all traced commands consequently without prompting user.

Q: Is there a function like MS-DOS' DOSKEY available?
A: There is equivalent utility called HISTORY. See user's manual for help on how to use it.

Q: The average user wants the option to disable the startup screen and run his computer normally without having to hit any keys in the beginning.
A: There are such commands in CONFIG.SYS file:

[BootMGR]
AutoCheck=No ; set to YES if You want to save selection
Storage=File


LotLAN

Q: We are using PTS-DOS 6.xx in our company, and on our LotLAN-Server there should run Windows 95. The only problem is that we could not figure out how to make LotLAN work under Windows 95. We have encountered several system breakdowns, while using LotLAN with Windows 95. With Windows 3.11 we don't have any (major) problems.
A: LotLAN will not work with Windows 95 due to it's VxD is not intended to work under Windows 95. No work is done to write such a module for LotLAN to work properly under Windows 95.

Q: Is it possible to configure two PCs in a RS232 net such (possibly using two ports), that each computer can access the other's hard disks; i.e. both using server and login?
A: Yes, You may use LotLAN with RS232 the same way as if You have NE2000 card, so You can use simultaneously disks from another machine on both computers. All You need to do is configuring the LotLAN for Your RS232. See manual for details.

DoubleSpace, Stacker and Folder

Q: Will it be possible to install PTS-DOS on a computer that has MS-DOS working with DoubleSpace?
A: Since there is no compatibility with calling convention of DoubleSpace (it runs not as a driver) there is no way to use it under PTS-DOS.

Q: Can I use Stacker under PTS-DOS or must I really take Folder? Otherwise I must reorganize the whole hard disk.
A: Of course, You can use Stacker under PTS-DOS. Stacker 4.0 works without major difficulties under PTS-DOS. There exists Stacker driver that can be started from CONFIG.SYS. You may use it instead of standard one (see manual on Stacker). This driver is included in Stacker package for some DOS versions which don't support DoubleSpace calling convention (or not MS-DOS).