PC-TaskDemo 4.1 =============== Copyright © 1992-7 Chris Hames All Rights Reserved ReadMe.Demo rev 2.0 4/02/1997 Copyright © 1997 Quasar Distribution & Chris Hames Published exclusively by Quasar Distribution Distribution and License ------------------------ This demo distribution may be freely copied as long as all files are included and the following conditions are adhered to. No more than USD $5.00 may be charged for a floppy disk containing it. This distribution is for evaluation purposes only, any use beyond that requires purchase of the complete PC-Task 4 package. All references describing/advertising this distribution must clearly state that it is a Demo version. This demo distribution may be freely placed on any CD-ROM as long as the above conditions are adhered to. This demo distribution may not be placed on any Magazine Cover Disk or Cover CD-ROM, without the express written permission of Quasar Distribution. You may not decompile, dissasemble, reverse engineer, modify, or translate the program or documentation. About the Program ----------------- Even though the world computer market is still dominated by PC's, the Amiga range of computers is excellent. You may wish to run PC software but do not want to purchase a second computer. This is where PC-Task is ideal. It allows you to run the majority of PC software packages making use of the peripherals and memory which you already own. This new, enhanced version of PC-Task breaks new ground by including advanced Dynamic Compilation, giving PC-Task faster emulation than previous versions. You can expect triple the performance in some programs. Program Description ------------------- PC-Task 4 is the fastest software 80486 emulator for the Amiga range of computers. The following features are included in this release: - Compatible with the 80486 processor - The fastest software PC emulator for the Amiga - Uses advanced Dynamic Compilation methods for speed - Support for up to 16MB RAM (15MB extended) of PC memory under MS-DOS - Up to 2 floppy drives and 2 hard drives supported - Supports hard disk files and hard disk partitions - High density floppies and CD-ROM support - Select from MDA, CGA, EGA, VGA and SVGA (512K-2MB) video modes - Support for up to 256 colours on AGA machines - Compatible with graphic boards (eg. Cybergraphics, EGS Spectrum, Picasso) - Parallel, Serial and PC speaker emulation - Mouse support, including Serial Mouse emulation - Run multiple PC-Task processes on the same machine - Run MS-DOS applications in a window on a public screen (eg. Workbench) - Transfer files between your Amiga and MS-DOS - Support for David Salamon's GoldenGate bridge cards - Compatible with MS Windows 3.0 - 3.11 * * MS Windows 3.1 requires 1.5 MB contiguous RAM and sufficient hard disk space (around 10MB) NOTE: Neither MS-DOS or MS Windows are included. About this Demo --------------- This demo has been released to give you some idea of the speed and functionality of the PC-Task package. You will not be able to run software that needs to write to disk (such as MS Windows, FDisk, Format etc.). There are two versions of PC-Task included in this demo release. One, called PC-TaskDemo_Dynamic and the other called PC-TaskDemo_Interpretive. PC-TaskDemo_Dynamic uses advanced dynamic compilation methods in order to achieve much faster emulation speed. Usually you would use this Dynamic version as it is normally faster than the Interpretive version (slower loading but faster running), but at a cost (it uses more memory) PC-TaskDemo_Interpretive is included for those who are low on memory, but it is unable to do paging. This means you will not be able to run programs such as EMM386, games such as Descent, and most programs which use a swap file with the Interpretive version. The Dynamic version does not have this restriction, and does implement paging. The full package contains the following features which have been removed from this demo: - A comprehensive user reference manual - Writing to Floppy/HardDiskPartition/HardDiskFile enabled. - Parallel port emulation enabled. - The hardfile.device so you can use a Filesystem to access your PC-Task or Bridgeboard HardDiskFile from AmigaDOS. - An MS-DOS program to copy files from AmigaDOS to PC-Task - An MS-DOS program to copy files from PC-Task to AmigaDOS - An MS-DOS program to show AmigaDOS directories under PC-Task - An MS-DOS program to quit PC-Task - An MS-DOS program to start the mouse driver - A CD-ROM driver allowing access to CD-ROMs under PC-Task's emulation - Full technical support Using the Demo -------------- - System Requirements PC-TaskDemo 4.1 requires an Amiga computer with at least 2MB of RAM and AmigaOS 2.0+. Some display features will also be unavailable if you do not have an AGA compatible Amiga or a third party graphics card. - Running the Demo The PC-Task 4.1 Demo can easily be run by double clicking either the PC-TaskDemo_Dynamic or the PC-TaskDemo_Interpretive icon. The program will load and display an option screen. Click on the START button to start the emulation. Insert a bootable DOS system disk into the drive specified as A on the option screen. Pressing return should now boot DOS just like a real PC. - Creating a Bootable MS-DOS Disk In order for you to be able to use the PC-Task emulation (or even a real PC) a bootable MS-DOS disk is needed unless you have a bootable HardDiskFile or partition from which to boot. To create a system disk (720K bootable) for use with PC-Task, you can insert a 3.5" DSDD (double sided double density) disk in a real PC's drive A: and enter at the MS-DOS prompt: format A: /s Or format A: /s /f:720 Or format A: /s /n:9 Insert this disk when you boot the emulator. A Brief Guide to some of PC-Task's Options ------------------------------------------ - The Option Screen The option screen allows you to change the various functions of PC-Task. To start the emulation just click the start button or press the return key, after you have set the options to suit your preferences. - Dynamic Buffer Options If you are running the Dynamic version of PC-Task4 Demo, you will be given an option in the top right of the Option screen as to the size of the Dynamic Buffer (Tiny, Small, Medium, Large, and Huge). The actual memory these use range from approximately 512Kb for Tiny, right up to approximately 1Mb + 4 times the memory you are allocating to the emulation. See above for more information on the Dynamic version. - Floppy Disk Options On the bottom left of the option screen are two text gadgets used to assign PC-Task's floppy drives A and B for use during emulation. The floppy drives can be assigned to any device, by entering the name of the drives into the text gadgets. People who mount their drives as MS-DOS drives, so they can read and write files using the AmigaOS 2.1+ MS-DOS filesystem, or other such software, can enter the device names that they use for that (e.g. PC0: & PC1:) in the text gadgets. - Hard Disk Options If you have an existing bridgeboard hard disk file, click the left mouse button on one of the hard disk text gadgets and enter the file name (including path) in the text gadget e.g. "Work:IBMHardDiskFile". PC-Task does not work with JLink virtual drives. You can also specify an existing MS-DOS partition that has been FDisk'ed and formatted. Make sure that you do not have a CrossDOSFileSystem line in your mountlist for that partition. - Graphics Adapter Options You can emulate five different display adapters with PC-Task. You can toggle between modes by clicking the left mouse button on the gadget right of the Graphics Adapter text. MDA is a monochrome, text only adapter that gives faster screen updates. CGA is the default graphics option and has the most complete implementation and compatibility. EGA will do the same modes as MDA and CGA and adds some higher resolution graphics modes. VGA will do all the modes of MDA, CGA, EGA and higher resolution graphics modes. One VGA mode requires a machine with the AGA chipset (such as the A1200 & A4000) or with a graphic board capable of 256 colours in order to display the correct colours. Other machines will display the mode but with incorrect colours. SVGA modes are high resolution graphics modes, some of which require a machine with the AGA chipset or a graphics board capable of 256 colours in order to display the correct colours. Other machines will display the mode but with incorrect colours. - Advanced Video Options Underneath the Graphics Adapter options you are able to select Advanced Video Options. This will bring up another window allowing you to select the Amiga screen mode for each graphics mode available and whether to open a window on seperate screen. The method of screen update may also be changed. - Video Modes The modes supported by PC-Task are listed below: Mode Type Size Graphics Adapters Colours Mode $00 Text 40*25 CGA,EGA,VGA,SVGA 2 Mode $01 Text 40*25 CGA,EGA,VGA,SVGA 16 Mode $02 Text 80*25 CGA,EGA,VGA,SVGA 2 Mode $03 Text 80*25 CGA,EGA,VGA,SVGA 16 Mode $04 Graphics 320*200 CGA,EGA,VGA,SVGA 4 Mode $05 Graphics 320*200 CGA,EGA,VGA,SVGA 4 Mode $06 Graphics 640*200 CGA,EGA,VGA,SVGA 2 Mode $07 Text 80*25 MDA,EGA,VGA,SVGA 2 Mode $0D Graphics 320*200 EGA,VGA,SVGA 16 Mode $0E Graphics 640*200 EGA,VGA,SVGA 16 Mode $0F Graphics 640*350 EGA,VGA,SVGA 2 Mode $10 Graphics 640*350 EGA,VGA,SVGA 16 Mode $11 Graphics 640*480 VGA,SVGA 2 Mode $12 Graphics 640*480 VGA,SVGA 16 Mode $13 Graphics 320*200 VGA,SVGA 256 Mode $100 Graphics 640*400 VGA,SVGA 256 Mode $101 Graphics 640*480 SVGA 256 Mode $102/6a Graphics 800*600 VGA,SVGA 16 Mode $103 Graphics 800*600 SVGA 256 Mode $104 Graphics 1024*768 SVGA 16 Mode $105 Graphics 1024*768 SVGA (1Mb),SVGA (2Mb) 256 Mode $106 Graphics 1280*1024 SVGA (1Mb),SVGA (2Mb) 16 Mode $107 Graphics 1280*1024 SVGA (2Mb) 256 - Mouse, Parallel, Serial & Sound Options You can toggle the Parallel, Serial, Mouse and Sound gadgets to on or off by clicking the left mouse button on these gadgets at the top right of the option screen. The Mouse option emulates a Microsoft compatible serial mouse on COM2. The Sound option emulates basic PC motherboard sound. (simple beeps etc.) - Memory Options In the bottom right of the option screen there are three sets of left/right gadgets that allow you to change memory options of the PC. Conventional Memory Sets the amount of memory PC-Task will allocate for emulation with the maximum base memory allowed being 704K, if MDA or CGA graphics adapter selected, and 640K if EGA, VGA or SVGA is selected. For best compatibility select 640K. If the emulator fails to get the amount set it will try for a smaller amount until it gets too low to be functional. Extended Memory Sets the amount of extended memory which will be allocated for emulation. You are able to select up to 15MB of extended memory. It is best if you do not allocate all available fast RAM on your Amiga for emulation. If you allocate more, PC-Task may use Chip memory, which will slow down the emulation. To use extended memory you must use HIMEM.SYS. Consult your MS-DOS manual for futher details. Minimum Leave Available This is the minimum amount of memory that the emulator will leave available for other Amiga programs, after it has allocated the main memory. - ToolTypes and Keywords LANGUAGE = ENGLISH, DEUTSCH or FRANÇAIS - Forces PC-Task's language PUBSCREEN = (PUBSCREEN NAME) - Select which Public Screen PC-Task windows will open on. FORCEFASTMEM Force PC-Task to get the PC memory from Fast RAM. This is only of use if you have more chip memory than fast memory. Normally Fast RAM is allocated first, but if you have more Chip memory than Fast Memory, Chip will be used first. But Chip memory is slower than Fast memory, so sometimes you may wish for speed over memory. TIMERFACTOR keyword/tootype allows changing of the PC system timer. Normally a timer interrupt happens 18.2 times a second. The problem is when games and other programs change this to a more frequent value and then excute a large amount of code in the interrupt causing slowdown or halt of the CPU emulation if PC-Task cannot keep up. So this keyword fixes the timer to the factor you set eg:- TIMERFACTOR=1 Timer 18.2 times a second and never change from this TIMERFACTOR=2 Timer 9.1 times a second and never change from this etc - Rebooting & Quitting the Emulator PC-Task can be rebooted just like a real PC, using the same keys as a PC. To do this, press the Ctrl-Alt-DEL keys all at the same time. To quit the emulator press LeftAmiga-RightAmiga-DEL or RightAmiga-DEL. General notes ------------- It is very important for speed that PC-Task is not using chip(graphics) memory for CPU emulation make sure you are not trying to get too much PC memory (or Dynamic Buffer) and ending up have some of it allocated in your slower memory. You can if in doubt use the FORCEFASTMEM keyword/tooltype which will make sure PC-Task will not use slow memory to get the PC memory you requested. PC-Task_Dynamic takes a long time to execute a CONFIG.SYS with a HIMEM.SYS line that doesn't have the option /TESTMEM:OFF in it. eg:- PC-Task_Dynamic is considerably slower loading/start software but excels when all that is done and code is just executing (but not continually self modifying like some games do including Doom). PC-Task_Dynamic is very memory instensive so performance may be disappointing with some programs compared to PC-Task_Interpretive if you have slow memory (like A3640 that is in stock A4000/040/25). PC-Task_Dynamic's buffer settings currently use Tiny(512K), Small(1.5Meg), Medium(5Meg), Large(9Meg), Huge (PC memory round up to nearest power of two plus 1 Meg) memory. The amount is never more than 1 Meg plus 4*PC memory (640K conventional counts as 1 meg). The huge setting is usually gives the fastest CPU emulation. PC-Task_Interpretive does not do paging so you cannot run emm386, Windows in 386 enhanced, and generally programs that have a swap file with that version. If you are unhappy with graphics update please go to advanced options and change the update method (for every PC mode or just the one you are unhappy about) to after 4 frames and see if that is better, or if already at that setting try the immediate update method. Don't run EMM386 (check your config.sys) unless you really want to as it slows doesn PC-Task. Windows runs faster in standard mode so if you don't need 386 enhanced you might want to use win/s command line to force windows into standard mode. Purchasing the full PC-Task product ----------------------------------- - Availability PC-Task 4 is available from Quasar Distribution, Authorised Distributors and their dealers. PC-Task is available as: PC-Task 4.1 - PC-Task 4.1 English program and documentation PC-Task 4.1 DEU - PC-Task 4.1 German program and documentation PC-Task 4.1 is NOT available directly from Chris Hames - Ordering from Quasar Direct Current pricing from Quasar Distribution is: PC-Task 4.1 AUD $114.00 (including shipping) Quasar Distribution are able to accept payment in the following forms: Visa / Mastercard (please include expiry) International Money Order (made payable to Quasar Distribution) Bank Draft (made payable to Quasar Distribution) Cash (we don't recommend sending cash through the mail) Bank Cheque drawn in US or Australian Dollars Orders should be forwarded to Quasar Distribution at the address below. Please contact your local Authorised Distributor for local pricing and availability. - Upgrades from previous versions Registered users of Version 3.0/3.1 of PC-Task are currently being mailed update offers via the mail. The cost of an upgrade from Version 3.0/3.1 is AUD$60 (including delivery). Feel free to order PC-Task before you receive your update offer by calling/faxing/emailing us at the details listing above. Please remember to supply your registration number. Users of the Quasar Distribution package who have not returned their product registration card, should contact Quasar Distribution, or their local authorised distributor for upgrade pricing and availability. Registered users of version 2.0 or before are also being mailed out an offer. The cost to register these version is AUD$84.00 including delivery. Contact Information ------------------ Quasar Distribution (Publisher) can be contacted at: Quasar Distribution P.O. Box 101 Vermont Victoria 3133 Australia Phone +61 (0)3 9887 2411 Fax +61 (0)3 9887 2511 BBS +61 (0)3 9587 5004 InterNet: pctask@ozemail.com.au WWW: http://www.ozemail.com.au/~pctask Authorised Distributors (as of 4/2/97) ---------------------------------------- Australia (and anywhere else not listed) Quasar Distribution P.O. Box 101 Vermont Victoria 3133 Australia Phone +61 (0)3 9887 2411 Fax +61 (0)3 9887 2511 BBS +61 (0)3 9587 5004 France France-Festival-Distribution 3 Rue Anatole France FR 13220 Chateauneuf-Les-Martigues France Phone +33.4.42.76.18.70 Fax +33.4.42.76.18.70 Germany Casablanca Multimedia Wiemelhauser Straße 247a 44799 Bochum 1 Germany Phone +49 (0)234 7 20 35 Fax +49 (0)234 7 20 60 U.K. Wizard Developments PO Box 490, Dartford, Kent England DA1 2UH Phone +44 (0)1322 527800 Fax +44 (0)1322 527810 Italy AG Computer Via Plebis Rea, 25 A/B Agrigento 92100 Italy Phone 0922/21954 Fax 0922/27805 New Zealand Haydon Computers P.O. Box 12018 Christchurch New Zealand Phone/Fax ++64 3 3899674 All distribution enquiries should be directed to Quasar Distribution. Trademarks ---------- PC-Task is a trademark of Chris Hames used under exclusive license by Quasar Distribution. IBM, VGA, EGA, CGA & MDA are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp.. MS-DOS is a registered trademark and Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Inc.. All other trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Disclaimer ---------- No responsibility or liability will be accepted for any damage that may appear to have resulted from use of this program. All use is at your own risk. The software is provided "as is" without any warranty implied or otherwise to the fitness or accuracy of the software and documentation. The documentation is believed to be correct but the author and/or publisher reserves the right to update the software and/or documentation without notice. PC-Task History --------------- V4.0 Version 4.0 Commercial Release V4.1 Changed default to update after 2 frames for some PC display modes because it is usually faster for them. Improved after # frames EGA/VGA 2/16 color modes compatability, for some games. Now more compatible than immediate update. Fixed some CPU problems with some DPMI's. Improved CPU emulation speed when paging. Improved CPU emulation speed a bit when in protected/virtual86 mode. Improved cybergfx support for some PC display modes. Fixed Dynamic CPU emulation for some BASIC programs.