03/08/94
This month's column concentrates on the Acorn PC Card, with various hints 'n' 
tips plus details of a software upgrade.

Software Upgrade

Some changes and improvements have been made since this product was introduced 
and are now being checked prior to general distribution. This revised software 
will be available from 1 September 1993. You can obtain it free of charge by 
returning the original Acorn PC Card Software Disc, and Windows Driver where 
supplied, along with your name and address, in an envelope clearly marked 
'PC Card Upgrade', to

Customer Services
Acorn Computers Limited
Acorn House
Vision Park
Histon
Cambridge CB4 4AE

Running DOS applications

There is a problem with the current version of the software which, under 
certain circumstances, may result in loss of data. However, this problem is 
unlikely to be encountered in normal use and can be avoided.

Using the current version of the software, when running Windows in enhanced 
(386enh) mode, you should not attempt to run DOS applications from within 
Windows itself. This operation is not supported and will cause Windows to 
crash, possibly resulting in loss of data from your hard disc.

It is recommended that you shut down Windows and return to the DOS prompt 
before starting up DOS applications. If you do need to run DOS programs from 
within Windows, do so by starting up Windows in standard mode by using the 
command WIN/s.

Certain benchmarks, such as those provided by Windows User magazine, attempt 
to run DOS applications from within Windows. Ensure that these are only run 
from within Windows when in standard mode.

Games Software

Please note that because games are not always written following good 
programming practice, there is always a possibility that a particular game may 
not run on your PC Card. This is less likely to be the case with commercial 
games than those obtained from free sources.

Using DOS hard disc partitions greater than 32MB

DOSFS, which is an integral part of RISC OS 3, does not support DOS hard disc 
partitions which are larger than 32MB in size. If you create a DOS partition 
which exceeds this size, it will not be possible to access it from the RISC OS 
desktop environment.

DOS partitions greater than 32MB can only be accessed from within the PC Card 
environment. Therefore if you wish to transfer files between a DOS partition 
greater than 32MB and a RISC OS-based filing system, this should be done via 
floppy disc(s) or another DOS partition which is 32MB or less in size. If you 
are unsure of how to copy files, please refer to the chapter 'Files and 
directories' in the Welcome Guide supplied with your computer.

Windows 3 and MemoryMAX

As supplied, by default, DR DOS provides access to additional memory via the 
use of MemoryMAX (MEMMAX) software. During the boot sequence you will be 
prompted to load this software by the command:

Load MemoryMAX software (y/n)

Replying "n" to this prompt will allow Windows to be started in enhanced mode, 
by entering the command

WIN

If you wish to run Windows with the MemoryMAX software enabled, you should 
ensure that Windows is started in standard mode, by entering the command:

WIN /s