SMARTDrive /double_buffer Cannot Load into UMBs (81377)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Windows 3.1
  • Microsoft Windows 3.11
This article was previously published under Q81377

SYMPTOMS

Attempting to load SMARTDrive version 4.0 (SMARTDRV.EXE) as a double-buffer driver into the upper memory area (UMA) generates the following error message:
Double buffering driver cannot be loaded into a UMB. Do not use the devicehigh command or other load-high utilities to load Smartdrv.exe.

CAUSE

When loaded in the CONFIG.SYS file as a device driver to provide double buffering, SMARTDRV.EXE must be loaded in conventional or low memory. Even if a memory manager is present that allows programs to be loaded into the UMA, SMARTDRV.EXE must be loaded low if it is being used as a double-buffering device driver.

NOTE: There is no workaround for this problem.

MORE INFORMATION

The double buffering that SMARTDRV.EXE provides is required for certain Bus Master disk controllers when running in the Virtual 8086 mode of the 80386 and 80486 processors.

Improved compatibility between Virtual 8086 mode and these older controllers depends on the fact that the buffer (approximately 2K) that SMARTDrive uses for the purposes of double buffering loads into an address that is identical to its location in physical memory.

386 memory managers, such as EMM386.EXE, allow you to load device drivers and terminate-and-stay-resident (TSR) programs into upper memory blocks (UMBs) by using the ability of 80386 and 80486 processors to remap addresses between 640K and 1024K into physical extended memory. Because this reassigning of addresses would prevent SMARTDRV.EXE's double buffer from residing at an address compatible with its location in physical memory, SMARTDRV.EXE must remain in conventional memory.

NOTE: This information does not apply if you are using SMARTDRV.EXE version 4.0 as a disk cache in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file. The ability to provide double buffering is independent of SMARTDRV.EXE's role as a disk cache. You can load SMARTDRV.EXE with the /double_buffer option low in the CONFIG.SYS file, and load SMARTDRV.EXE, the disk cache, high in the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.

For more information on double buffering and SMARTDRV.EXE, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

smartdrv.exe and double and buffer and bus and mastering

KBCategory: kbother kbinterop
KBSubcategory: win31
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:10/13/2003
Keywords:KB81377
©2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.