Windows 98 setup, no PS/2, no USB working,only serial mouse, how to inject Computer name and Windows serial

[ruthan]

1) Its simple unattended install file is using its own syntax, different that System.ini or System.cb.. its has hints where to place these values.) 

If you want make these changes later / manually after install is finished and edit System.ini and System.cb . You can copy these value to them - but they have their own sections hinted in the unattended strings.., so you cant just copy them at the end of the file as they are, but have to place them to section hinted + remove the start of string for unattended file, remove "" and end of the string.. and adjust to be compatible with System.ini and System.cb format.. 

Unattended file syntax:
%10%\system.ini,386Enh,,"MinSPs=8" ;
vs [WindowsDir]\System.ini syntax:
// find [386Enh] section
place there this value:
MinSPs=8

  It make sense to limit Ram size to 512 MB as in you unattended script values above, to finish installation which crashes, but later it make sense to install HimemX or Rloew memory patches to enable more than 512 MB.

  Im also not sure, if System support description after ";" at the same line as actual value, or it would end by parsing error and have to make comments on its own lines.. or not use space " " character in front of ; .. I got some blue screens, it could be some other typo / or wrong value.. or not compatible comment on the same line of contain space before ";" 
  I mean:
; Comment MinSPs is very nice parameter 
MinSPs=8
vs 
MinSPs=8 ; Comment MinSPs is very nice parameter 

  2) There is most interesting thing vcache max size, above is this value:
%10%\system.ini,vcache,,"MaxFileCache=56320" ; Q108079
  If im not wrong its decimal - 56 MB, i had 256 MB and IO.sys patch also is hinting to use 256 MB if you have more than 512 MB ram. If understand bigger cache is better, as far as you not hit to max limit. If you have 2GB of RAM, sacrifice 256 MB for cache does not seems more. 
   Im not entirely sure that this cache is for.. because more WIndows does not have such cache options and manage caches automatically regarding of info which task manager is printing. If seems that WIndows  7/10 are trying to use cache quite aggressively and free some of it if needed for some program - example i have now 19 GB of ram used - 17.7 GB cache and i Run just chrome - 6 GB ram and some resident programs like Email client, MS Antivirus, Dropbox, Afterburner etc.
 

[deomsh]

Now I think I understand you better.

About the comment semi-colon: both ways should work.

About 512 MB: I never said that for SYSTEM.INI, the MaxPhysPage=20000 was ment for SYSTEM.CB, so for Safe mode (setting MaxPhysPage in SYSTEM.CB is known as Usher's method - please correct me if I am wrong).

About MaxFileCache=56320: this is the officially highest value tested by Micosoft and described in Q108079. MDGX mentions this value it too.

My entries in MSBATCH.INF were not ment for running Windows 98 SE in general, but for during Setup. Which is the purpose of MSBATCH.INF

Edited Saturday at 09:26 PM by deomsh

[ruthan]

There was other method, patch for io.sys to support more than 512 MB, look here and use some Translate plugin:

https://rayer.g6.cz/os/os.htm ; its in the block containing these:
[vcache]
MaxFileCache=261120
MinFileCache=32768
ChunkSize=4096
  
  Rloew has partition patch IO.sys to support bigger disk too, maybe it also include mem patch.. Or its mem patching is patching other files, which are actually avoiding safe mode to crash by some other way.
  Method above was in age of max 1124 MB ram for Win9x, Rloew made even 2 GB working, or maybe even.. im not sure, i maybe saw 2.75 GB free ram.. and of course he has ramdisk to use the rest of ram, there are other Ramdisk to do some too.

[jumper]

On 6/14/2025 at 2:26 PM, deomsh said:

About MaxFileCache=56320: this is the officially highest value tested by Micosoft and described in Q108079.

Q108079 only applies to Windows 3.11 and 95 and states: "Please note that Microsoft's testing did not include cache sizes greater than 40MB." Oddly, they do provide this 51200/56320 example:

Quote

NOTE: The value for these settings are in kilobytes. For example, if you want to create a 50-MB cache that cannot exceed 55 MB, the lines would be as follows:

[VCache]

MinFileCache=51200

MaxFileCache=56320

 

[deomsh]

@jumper You are right, it's even lower than I remembered.

On the other hand the article is stating too: 'Although the user interface is limited to 24 MB, the theoretical maximum size of the cache is actually 2GB.' However Q253912 stated: 'Vcache is limited internally to a maximum cache size of 800 MB.'

[SweetLow]

10 hours ago, deomsh said:

the theoretical maximum size of the cache is actually 2GB

Vcache uses system arena with 1GiB size.

[deomsh]

@SweetLow I cited Microsoft.

Do you think their '2GB' is a mistake?

[SweetLow]

28 minutes ago, deomsh said:

Do you think their '2GB' is a mistake?

Yes. Cache realization in vcache is limited both by physical and virtual memory. And virtual is more restrictive with maximal available values.

[ruthan]

Well, is there some test, can test performance without and which vcache used? If yes we can test with its size make a difference impact, if it has even some reasonable effect.