HIRAM.EXE - Upper Memory Extender for Older 80x86 CPUs


Users who really want to free the last byte of low memory can try the old
HIRAM package [74 KB, German freeware]:
http://www.uwe-sieber.de/files/hiram.zip

HIRAM is similar to UMBPCI, but from 1993, and made for 286, 386 and 486
computers.
The functions of UMBPCI are splitted here into two programs. One enables the
memory and the other makes it visible to DOS.

The latter one is called HIRAM.EXE and works fine with MS-DOS 5.00 - 7.xx [MS
Windows 95/98] and the memory enabled by UMBPCI.

To make this work, you need these Config.sys lines in this EXACT order:

dos=high,umb
device=c:\umbpci\umbpci.sys	// This enables the upper memory.
device=c:\umbpci\hiram.exe	// This makes the upper memory visible to DOS
				// through a small XMS 2.0 handler.
devicehigh=c:\windows\himem.sys	// Yes, you can load HIMEM.SYS high!

The trick is that HIRAM implements the function "Request XMS UMB" without
HIMEM.SYS, while UMBPCI does it in the official way, by extending HIMEM.SYS
with this function.

When "DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS" comes, DOS takes all XMS-UMBs from
HIRAM.EXE, and HIRAM deactivates its XMS function to allow the real HIMEM.SYS
to load.
Without "DOS=HIGH,UMB" HIMEM.SYS would stop with something like "Another XMS
driver is already installed" because HIRAM has no reason to deactivate its
small XMS handler.

Using HIRAM.EXE you can save 1 KB of low memory in comparison to loading
UMBPCI by itself.
Wow! ;-)


mail@uwe-sieber.de
uwe.sieber@gmx.de

7th July 1999