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Hi,

build used : latest available 374

Config used : IBM PS/2 Model 50, 286/10, 1 Mo RAM, no timesync, no FPU, internal video, PS/2 mouse, no network, no sound, Parallel port 1 & serial port 1 enabled, MCA ESDI HDD controller, ESDI hard drive, 3 1/2 floppy drive.

black screen at launch :

Config used : Commodore SL386SX-16. 2 Mo RAM, VGA
Bug could be related to #69.

EMS disable / enabled in chipset config. No RAM relocation.

Using MSDOS 6.22, HIMEM.SYS returns : unable to control A20 line.

EMS enabled and using Commodore utility returns error:

Hello!

I tested Hercules graphics card with XT machines and Neat 286. The game Testris (spectrum holobyte, 1987), does not work but worked with older versions of Varcem/86box. I think a regression might be needed.
For Hercules graphics mode, type "ctetris h" at DOS prompt

TETRIS.zip

Using 1.7.0 : video is set to none and Tandy 1000 SL/2 is starting with a blank screen
Using 1.7.2 : video is set to internal but screen remains black.

Is it possible to get with VARCem a functionality similar to shared folders, when the emulated OS is MSDOS? Did you try any network-based approach for this? (through Samba for example). Or maybe the VFAT implementation in QEMU, that seems to be also available in Bochs? Or is there any other means of achieving it? Thanks!!

Host : Windows 10
Guest : IBM XT286, AT Fixed disk adapter, 1 disk existing (MFM/RLL)
Creating a new disk crashes with dump :
Exception details:
NTSTATUS code: 0xc0000005
Address: 0x0073BBEA
Number of parameters: 2
Exception parameters: 0x00000000 0xFFFFFFFF

Register dump:

EIP:0x0073bbea
EAX:0x000000ff EBX:0x00000000 ECX:0x00000000 EDX:0x00000000
EBP:0x00000000 ESP:0x18f2e6a4 ESI:0x76b04090 EDI:0x000000ff

I'm trying to use XTIDE with Amstrad PC 1640 emulation. I do not have any HD icon showing and no boot on HD.

I have roms in doms/disk/Xtide...

Config : EPOX P55-VA, 32 Mo RAM, P133, PCI Diamond 3D Stealth 3000 4mb, PCI 3dfx Voodoo, ES1371 PCI sound card, PS2 mouse,no network, game port, 2 COM, 1 LPT port, HD internal controller, 12X CDROM PIO/DMA, 1 3,5 1.44 Mb floppy.
OS : Win 95 OSR2 OEM.

Bug : WIndows can't detect PCI cards.
With the very same configuration (same nvr also) under 86Box, everything is detected correctly.

Build used : 220, Varcem 0.1.6.2

Hello!

First, I would like to thank you for the effort you put in this emulator.
This emulator has the better Hercules video card emulation so far.

Beforehand, I must say I use CGA emulation on the HGC card because nostalgic reasons and because the graphics of monochrome amber monitors of CGA and Hercules looks different one from the other.

1. The bug

The problem is a small speed problem that is noticeable in Bubble Bobble and Prince of Persia:

In Varcem Bubble Bobble in CGA mode is playable with some slowdowns. But when I use the CGA emulator with bubble bobble the game starts, but the music is too slow and on "round 1" the bubble of the dragon never blasts, and enemies never appears.
I attach the file Mono2.com which contains the CGA emulator for the Hercules card and it seems to be the only emulator that works with BB.

MONO2.zip

I forget to metion the emulated machine is Schneider Europc 8088/9.54 mhz with Hercules card and 640kb RAM.

2. Games in Hercules mode that works better than other emulators:
   PD: (I know the autors of the other emulators done more effort in improving Pentium and Voodoo emulation, for example, and that's great too)

What I tested and works on Varcem but not yet on, 86box/PCem:

1. Outrun works correctly in Hercules graphics mode: I think this game has an internal CGA emulation because the interlaced graphics on Hercules. It did not work even on Dosbox in that mode.

2. Tom & Jerry cat-astrophe: On Dosbox the game does not even detect correctly the CGA mode natively ( although, it supports EGA 16 color graphics). In Varcem I can use SIMCGA 4.2 with the Hercules card emulation in the same way than on my 8086/XT with the "real" Hercules card.

Thanks!

This will be necessary to use MDA and CGA in the same machine, as was done in some real machines back in the day.

However, I can use floppy images with Unicode characters in their filenames perfectly.

Hello
I tested versions of Varcem and none of them works. The commit 111 (ver 0.5.1) was the last that worked.

I tested them in two machines with the same result

Desktop computer SO: Windows 7 x64 CPU: i3 2120 4 GB RAM
Laptop: SO: Windows 8.1 x64 CPU: i5 4210U 6 GB RAM

Thanks in advance!

Build tested : 1.7.3 & 1.7.3.1

Select : Tools -> Settings -> Network -> Network card to "None" then push "Configure" button.
Application is crashing.

Video resolution changes and guest hangs.

I can't have sound output with MT32 or CM32-L emulation.
Went as far as 0.1.6 version and still no sound output.
Tested with a sierra-on-line game and here is varcem midi log :
MPU-401: starting as INTELLIGENT (mode is INTELLIGENT)
MPU-401:Reset FF
MPU-401 end of input callback
MPU-401:Set UART mode 3F
MPU-401 reset callback
MPU-401:Set UART mode 3F

86Box log in order to compare :
Starting as INTELLIGENT (mode is INTELLIGENT)
Read Status (0x331) bf
*** 1 repeats ***
MPU-401: Reset FF
Write Command (0x331) ff
Read Status (0x331) 3f
EOI handler dispatch
MPU-401 end of input callback
Read Data (0x330) FE
Read Status (0x331) bf
*** 6674 repeats ***

Issue: When memory is bigger than accepted by machine, malloc corrupts and segfaults.
Configuration:

[Machine]
machine = ibm_pc
mem_size = 32768

Expected behaviour: Fail gracefully informing user of incorrect configuration or automatically reduce memory to maximum allowed.

VARCem build 111.
OS/2 2.0 and 2.1 install disk boots fine but cursor is blinking when it starts loading Disk 1.
OS/2 2.11 pass Disk 1 but crashes with TRAP 000e.

Config used
[Machine]
machine = ibm_ps2_m55sx
cpu_use_dynarec = 0
cpu = 2
enable_sync = 0
[Video]
video_speed = 0
video_card = none
[Input devices]
mouse_type = ps2
[Other peripherals]
hdc = esdi_mca
[Floppy drives]
fdd_01_type = 35_2hd_ps2
fdd_02_type = none
fdd_03_check_bpb = 0
fdd_04_check_bpb = 0
[General]
vid_renderer = ddraw
[Ports (COM & LPT)]
parallel0_enabled = 1
[Hard disks]
hdd_01_parameters = 26, 6, 762, 0, esdi
hdd_01_fn = OS2.img
hdd_01_esdi_channel = 0

Build : 0.1.7.3

Configs Used : Award 430VX (also Intel Advanced/EV), 64 Mb RAM, S3 Trio32 (also 64 and Virge), IDE (also SCSI controller), 2 (also 4 Gb drive), no sound, no network.

Freshly installed NT 3.51 (no sp1) crashes after sucessfull user login with message
"STOP 0x00000050 - PAGE_FAULT_IN_NONPAGED_AREA"

I can't compile successfully dev_build current code.
It is looking for some files not existing anymore :
devices/sound/midi_mt32.c:44:10: fatal error: c_interface/c_interface.h: No such file or directory
44 | #include <c_interface/c_interface.h>

devices/sound/midi_fluidsynth.c:55:10: fatal error: fluidsynth.h: No such file or directory
55 | #include <fluidsynth.h>

Hello!

I tested the Gravis Ultrasound's software (installed from disks ver 4.11). I believe I found a bug. The Sound Blaster emulator SBOS (v3.8) locks up the system if EMM386 or QEMM is installed. The problem,also, occurs with the SETUP utility, if a 386 memory manager is installed it crash when testing the Sound Blaster emulated ports. Both of them works if EMS emulation is disabled.
The drawback is without the EMM386 or QEMM I cannot run games that require EMS memory or load high the device drivers to free conventional memory in DOS.

Thanks!

When an amstrad PC 1640 boot, it display a localized message (depend on setting) like:
Please Wait...... while System Tests.

Varcem do not display it (display not initialised ?)

More over Systems test are far slower than real system.

PC1512 emulation only display grey screen, no boot; no beep.

Using 1.7.0 : video is set to none and Olivetti M24 is starting with a blank screen
Using 1.7.2 : video is set to internal but screen remains black.

Hello again!

It may be off topic, but I tested the EMS boards with 86box (because the issue I mentioned in the earlier post)

I also would like to ask you

a. how to configure the AMI 286 with neat chipset, because that BIOS, from 1989 (it has a lot of options) seem more complex to configure that some 1990 BIOS whith has SCAT(sx), Headland and DTK 386 SX The last one is NEAT(sx) but I don not know if it is implemented.
(For the AMI 286 machine I have the NEAT device driver versions 1.5 and 1.52.)

b. I tested The Everex EMS board but I think I am doing some wrong because I could not get it working. I also don't know witch direction use in "start address" (is the page frame?) and the amount of memory in "countiguos size". (The manual says it can be 128kb or 1024kb)

c. Is it compatible with 8088/86 machines, if 8-bit transfer mode is selected?

d. What the "EMS mode" do? ( the manual say its memory can be used as EMS or XMS and can combine both types of memory and the motherboard XMS memory can be used with it)

For this board I have a device driver from 1989 and two from 1990 named EMM.SYS and EMML.SYS all of them says "everex" but they do not detect the board.

I added the "device=" statement to config.sys obviously, but don't know if I have to specify a page frame and port or if the device driver detects it automatically (like the Toshiba machines.)

Thanks for patience. I know they are a lot of questions!

Start on a full grey screen, nothing else...

Build Used : 1.7.6.1

ALI1429 machines (Olystar LIL1429 & AMI WinBIOS 486) don't seem to save setup correctly in CMOS.

To reproduce : boot an ALI1429 machine, modif setup, write CMOS and restart.
Machine should save setup but it doesn't work.

Using either a dev build or a custom built dev one, if you configure AMI Sis 471 or AMI Sis 496, Varcem stops giving this type of message :

It seems to be normal as BIOS aren't part of current romset.

Solution : either provide BIOS in romset or remove theses two "generic" machines.

Hi,

I tried Build#317. It can print text data correctly, but still generated pgm image(s)
even I do have the libpng16.dll in the same folder as VARCem.exe.
Then I tried to print graphics data -> run "TYPE README.DOC > PRN:" under ETEN 24x24 font
environment, but failed and VARCem hangs.

By the way, on a real printer, when the ribbon is faded, we can print the same thing twice or more times
without line feed to deepen the color. Such actions can make certain lines or words more visible (more stressed). Can such an effect be simulated?

The \ at the end of this line isn't supposed to be there.

Hello!

1. I found a bug. The movetest.exe utility which checks the transfer speed between conventional and expanded memory report an EMS driver error with Everex drivers ver 4.03 from 1989 and ver 4.05 from 1990. The driver version 4.01 from 1988 works.

2. Also the driver 4.05 does lock up the system if the CPU is 8088/8086. But I don't know if it contains 80286 code.
   Here is the link to the test utilities. (It can be used with any EMS chipset/board and systems with EMM386 installed too.)

testems.zip

And the three versions of the drivers:

Everex RAM deluxe 3000.zip

Tested with build 1.7.3.2, 1.7.3.1, 1.7.2 and 1.7.0
Machine boots on a black screen.

Hi all,

There is an uninitialized return value by Qihoo360 CodeSafe Team.

Cheers
Qihoo360 CodeSafe Team

Norton Utilities complains that the drive is not really seeking when a seek is requested.

Hi all,

There is a 'sizeof' issue found by Qihoo360 CodeSafe Team.

the sub expression of operator size 'gesn_event_header' is a pointer type.
Do we really need a size of a pointer here or should it be actually the size of the type which is pointed by the pointer (as line 2333)?

Using latest Varcem build available.
Configuration :
IBM PcJr
Display Type : RGB
Video : Internal (using ISA CGA is the same)
CPU : 8088 4.77
Memory : 512 Kb

Crash is there
"0x0065e23b in cga_comp_update (priv=0x0, cgamode=0 '\000')
at devices/video/vid_cga_comp.c:224
224 if (state->new_cga) {

1. I can't send a Ctrl+Alt+Esc to the Acer V30 from the Actions menu. I have 1.7.0 installed.
2. Just curious, why is the V30 classified as a Socket 7 HX machine? It's definitely Socket 5 FX.

Hello!

Sorry for writing again about this issue!

I installed Varcem 1.6.3 (win 32 installer) and I found the emulator crashes at startup. I installed all the components except the virtual machines, because I wanted to save some disk space.
I don not know If i am some dll file, in Windows, is missing, but 86box works.

PD: I remebered having the same issue with some automated builds of 86box last year, but this year all builds I tried worked.

I attach the screenshot and the dump file here

20180904-01-43-41-987.zip

I'd like to be able to demo and create videos on ancient NetWare and Banyan VINES, but there's been a long set of ongoing issues that have made this a bit of a pain point. Some of these are from 86Box and PCem, so I'm going to list what I ran into.

1. With Advanced NetWare 2.x and NETX 2.x, the NE2000 emulation entirely bugs out and generates null packets on PCAP (Wireshark dump attached). The one IPX packet at the end was loading the ODI stack from NetWare 3.x but I couldn't get it to work either. I think this is a problem with how the NE2000 emulation is implemented, and I can reproduce this bug on PCem, so its likely been around for awhile.

The NETX client works properly under QEMU's ne2k-isa emulation, although I can't run Advanced NetWare under it to test. The attached SHGEN-2 disk has IPX.COM and NET3.COM. Use with PC-DOS 3.3 to reproduce. This should still generate frames even if a NetWare server isn't present. I can provide a pre-installed VM if needed. As the behavior is identical between Advanced NetWare 2, and the NETX shell, I suspect its the same root cause.

2. It's impossible to change VACRem's MAC address. This is mostly a problem when running multiple apps to form a network, but should be easy enough to fix. It should be noted that if this is fixed, it would probably be a smart idea to have optional MAC ranging for adapters, as I've seen some software get upset if a 3COM card for instance doesn't have the correct prefix.

3. (Unconfirmed) 86Box had revised PCAP code, that, for want of a better word, was broken. Under 86box had a very small packet queue, and if the PCAP network was bridged with a busy interface, it would constantly drop packets. This would also cause hangs quitting as 86Box would get stuck trying to disconnect an interface.

I took a brief look at the VARCem code, and it does look revised, but I don't know how much the root cause was fixed. I did manage to reproduce the hangs, but I haven't had a chance to run a comprehensive packet load test. I also am running through WINE ATM (winpcap-wine bridge), which works fine for PCem. The pull request I sent the other day was necessary to fix the description bug needed for that to work at all.

I'm primarily a YouTuber who also does archive preservation, so being able to have working PCAP in VARCem would go a very long way in documenting the early days of PC networking. @claunia pointed me at this project in my Discord, so I figured I'd get in touch to see if we can work to help fix some of these issues.

broken_pcap.pcapng.zip
SHGEN-2.img.zip

I tried to install NT4 SP1 from CDROM on a newly created disk (blank not partitioned).
NT4 setup format drive (FAT or NTFS) but it can't write on it after:

Problem does not appear using any other IDE controller (either PCI or ISA, single or dual channel).

Emulator config:
Machine: EPOX P55VA / ASUS P55T2P4 (Intel VX) / Asus P/I P55T2P4 (Intel HX)
CPU: Intel Pentium 120
Graphics/sound cards: VGA
HDD : 400 Mb HDD sparsed VHD
HDD Controller : Internal controller
CDROM : ATAPI CDROM on slave IDE0 (0:1)
SCSI : Adaptec 1542C
Installed OS : None

Host machine

OS: Windows 10
Emulator version : 1.7.6.1

Since Varcem version 1.7.4 (including 1.7.41), if there's a dll missing, Varcem display error message like this :

User can click OK but focus on main display Window is lost and you need to click on main window (or do alt-tab) to "capture" keyboard and mouse.

Tested with latest build and build 1.7.2 / 1.7.0
Machine Commodore PC-30 just boots on a black screen.

Hello!

In the last two or three commints, Varcem creates a config.varc that is empty (0 kb) , so never saves the configuration. The emulator works if I add the config.varc file form an older commit creted in novebember, 2018.

Thanks!

Error "Bad or missing Command Interpreter" when booting. Tested with PCDOS 3.3 and MSDOS 5 on latest build.
Config used :
IBM XT286, 640 kb, HDD Type 2 (20 Mb MFM 615/4/17)

Dev Env : Mingw
Host : Win 7 x64 under vbox

NO config file to make sure that it generates default values.

Latest source code is compiling fine but when launching Varcem.exe, it crashes :
gdb backtrace
0 get_string (id=id@entry=3903) at misc.c:63
#1 0x00681f5d in menu_floppy (part=part@entry=0, drive=drive@entry=0)
at ui/ui_stbar.c:330
#2 0x006836fc in ui_sb_update () at ui/ui_stbar.c:709
#3 0x00402537 in pc_reset_hard_init () at pc.c:953
#4 0x00402749 in pc_reset_hard () at pc.c:986
#5 0x0066c059 in ui_init (nCmdShow=nCmdShow@entry=10) at win/win_ui.c:678
#6 0x00684d25 in WinMain@16 (hInst=0x400000, hPrev=hPrev@entry=0x0,
lpszArg=0x1e84d85 "", nCmdShow=10) at win/win.c:229
#7 0x0074e4dd in main (flags=1, cmdline=0x1e61b80, inst=0x1e61e28)
at C:/repo/mingw-w64-crt-git/src/mingw-w64/mingw-w64-crt/crt/crt0_c.c:18

Hi,
I can't make MFM Hard drive works with IBM XT286.
Hard Drive is configured with diagnostic disc but does not appear when restart.
Works on 86Box.

Config :
[Machine]
machine = ibm_xt286
mem_size = 640
cpu_use_dynarec = 0
enable_sync = 0
[Other peripherals]
hdc = mfm_at
[Hard disks]
hdd_01_parameters = 17, 6, 615, 0, mfm
hdd_01_mfm_channel = 0

Do you have any direction/explanation how to build Varcem under VCC 2017 ?
Libriairies needed, where to put them, etc ?

Thanks.

Hello!

I saw you are adding support for the NEAT chipset and also the Everex AT 3000 deluxe, and they are a great addition for 80286 machines!.

Adding the Mainframe EMS-5150T, would be interesting, if it is possible ,and if the documentation exists because, back in the day, it was the only board that was compatible with Tandy 1000 series machines and also was compatible with any IBM PC/XT machine.

(I read that most Tandy 1000 machines were not compatible with the use of the upper memory regions required by most EMS boards)

I don't know if it easier or not to implement.

It is an LIM EMS 3.2 ISA 8-bit board, it has a memory limit of 2mb of EMS memory (and up to 4mb with a daugtherboard) and has not backfilling capabilities or XMS support. A freeware EMS device driver ver 4.1 exist. I think this driver allows Windows 2.x and Win 3.0 in real mode to use its memory.

Thanks for this great work!

Using latest build.
Select any configuration and enable Voodoo

Accep configuration then Exit.
Start again settings => voodoo is unchecked

VARCem v1.7.0

When trying to copy some files from floppy (tested from 3.5) to hard drive, message sector not found appears sometimes (together with failure in INT24).
MSDOS 5.00
ST506 drive created from VARCem menu (CHS 615,4,17)
Advanced config Disk used and hard drive type 2 selected.

Config used
machine = ibm_xt286
mem_size = 640
cpu_use_dynarec = 0
video_card = vga
mouse_type = mssystems
hdc = st506_at
hdd_01_parameters = 17, 4, 615, 0, st506
hdd_01_st506_channel = 0
fdd_01_type = 525_2hdf
fdd_02_type = 35_2hd

I unable to start the build 524 of Varcem, because it says an entry point to DLL file is missing.
Here is the screenshot: (it is in spanish)

Also. I would like to test the NEAT chipset emulation on Varcem. Older versions of Varcem had bugs in the NEAT emulation. (#69)
(However The other Two EMS boards work flawlessly) It would be interesting, if it is complete, to port this to 86box, and obviously, if you and the 86box authors agree with this.

Thanks in advance!

Hello.

I found a utility called "Neat quick setup" to configure the AMI 286 machine with the EMS driver.
The EMS driver checks the memory and install successfully.
But when I try to load any software that requires EMS it freezes.

The configuration is:

• EMS driver version 1.52 beta,
• 4MB RAM
• 286 at 12 mhz.

The configuration selected is:

• Port used 208/209h
• Ram configured as 100ns not interleave.
• Shadow, Video and BIOS enabled

Actually, I don't know if I configured something wrong or if it is a bug.

Here is the Quick setup utility.

Neat Quick Setup.zip.

Thank for your effort in writing this amazing emulator!