Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 13:48:37 -0800 (PST)
From: Reece Sellin <R_SELLIN AT cariboo DOT bc DOT ca>
Subject: Re: install Win3.1 over Open DOS HELP
To: opendos-support AT delorie DOT com
Message-id: <01IRH5OXBF86003LP3@ARTHUR.CARIBOO.BC.CA>
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Hello!

    If I recall correctly, you do not need HIMEM.SYS to install Windows under
OpenDOS; the driver EMM386.EXE under OpenDOS provides both support for 
XMS (Extended) and EMS (Expanded) memory.  In other versions of DOS, such as
MS DOS, HIMEM.SYS provided XMS support while EMM386.EXE provided EMS support.
Under OpenDOS, they are kind of "bundled together" into one driver.  

    Since Windows was made before OpenDOS, Microsoft built the Windows Setup
program to add HIMEM.SYS to the config.sys and SMARTDRV.EXE (Disk Cache) as
well.  Since it will obviously not detect presence of DEVICE=HIMEM.SYS in
your CONFIG.SYS, it will want to add it.  To avoid this, before you install
windows choose the custom configuration option.  This will let you change
a fair amount of other settings as well, such as installation directory,
what components to include (ie, if you hate the Flying Windows Screen Saver,
why install it?), etc.  There will be, once you enter the "GUI Mode" an option
near the end of installation that will ask you if you want to change
AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS.  Choose NO to this option -- the only important
thing you will have to add is your windows directory to the end of the path
in AUTOEXEC.BAT.  (ie, if PATH=C:\OPENDOS;C:\FILES;C:\FILES2 it would become
PATH=C:\OPENDOS;C:\FILES;C:\FILES2;C:\WINDOWS.)  That will allow you to 
type "win" from the dos prompt, and have windows started from any directory,
and it will allow files in the Windows directory to be put in the default
search path, which is quite important.

     Since OpenDOS does not need HIMEM.SYS, there is no need to have it in
the CONFIG.SYS -- you can set up all the options for using a Disk Cache,
Extended/Expanded Memory use, etc., from OpenDOS Setup.  (\OPENDOS\SETUP).

     One final note; before you install Windows it is probably a good idea
to boot without any drivers loaded -- even if you do not have extended
memory supported loaded before you start Windows Setup, Windows *will* in fact
load its own driver for use during installation.  This should be able to
be accomplished with a boot disk w/o autoexec.bat and config.sys on it, or
you may even be able to use F8 when the system says Starting OpenDOS (answer
"N" for no to all prompts).

     Hope that helps explain what is happening with the lack of HIMEM.SYS, 
and why you do not need it, and how to install Windows.  Good luck!

    Sincerely,

    Reece Sellin