Flopper 1.0.2 documentation addendum:


command line usage:

The following command line options are now available in flopper:


 -N no CPU throttling
 -C do not disable CPU L1 cache
 -F do not emulate floppy read/write delay
 -P do not reset the 82559 interrupt controller
 -Dx delay amount (1-Fh)
 -Ix RTC interval timer amount (3-Fh)
 -h or -? help


examples of usage:

 flopper -d2 jumpman.img         


This will load up jumpman with a new delay value of 2, or 1/2mS delay per
interval.  Delay values are in 1/4mS increments.


 flopper /n


This will load up flopper directly into chooser (the flopper control module)
with no delay whatsoever.  This is good for non games or debugging.

 flopper /i6 /c /f bcwolf.img


This will load flopper with a new interval value of 6 (see below chart for
details).  Flopper will not disable the L1 cache upon startup, and will not
emulate floppy disk access.



Note that the filename must always be after the command line switches.




Command lines switches:

-? Help!  This switch provides information on all the flopper command line
   switches in case you've misplaced (or never read) this document.

-h see above.

-F By default, flopper does a simple wait loop whenever the floppy drive is
   accessed.  This is delay does absolutely nothing other than provide the
   proper "look and feel" to some booting games.  If you're the impatient
   type, use a -F on the command line to turn this feature off.

-P Don't reset the PIC.  This was put in for safety and testing.
   Some games may reprogram the PIC to support special sound features or
   other enhancements.  The PIC is now reset back to what the BIOS should
   have it programmed to upon bootup, which may keep some machines from
   crashing after exiting back to DOS or using a new image.

-C Flopper will attempt to disable the level 1 cache inside the computer's
   CPU by default.  This is done to knock the computer's processing speed down
   significantly enough so that the throttling delay doesn't have to work
   so hard at slowing your computer down.
   If flopper locks up immediately after starting, it's possible that this
   is the cause of the problem.  Use this switch as a diagnostic tool only.
   If you find this fixes your problem, please contact the flopper team and
   tell us what kind of weird CPU you're using!

-Ix Override the delay interval by x.  By default, flopper programs the
    computer's real time clock (RTC) to pulse 8196 times per second.
    Each time the RTC pulses, the computer is delayed according to the setting
    of the /D switch. (see below)

    You can override this value, in case 8196 slows your machine down too
    much, although this value has been tested on machines as slow as 486-33s
    up to Pentium III 800's.


    Use the following chart to set the value for x:

    F  ==    500mS pulse    (2 per second)
    E  ==    250mS pulse    (4 per second)
    D  ==    125mS pulse    (8 per second)
    C  ==    62.5mS pulse   (16 per second)
    B  ==    31.25mS pulse  (32 per second)
    A  ==    15.625mS pulse (64 per second)
    9  ==    7.8mS pulse    (128 per second)
    8  ==    3.9mS pulse    (256 per second)
    7  ==    1.95mS pulse   (512 per second)
    6  ==    .976mS pulse   (1024 per second)
    5  ==    .488mS pulse   (2048 per second)
    4  ==    .244mS pulse   (4096 per second)
    3  ==    .122mS pulse   (8192 per second) <--- Default

    Values 2,1 and 0 are invalid.


-Dx Override default delay amount by x.  For each value of x, the machine is
    does a simple wait-delay loop that lasts for 1/4mS each time the RTC
    interval pulses.  (A mS is 1/1000th of a second)

    With a value of 4, the machine is delaying 1/2mS each time the RTC pulses.

    The higher the value of /Dx, the slower the machine will run.

    [Logically, having the RTC pulse 8196 times per second and the delay routine
    waiting 1/2mS per pulse, leads one to wonder how any other processing can
    be accomplished!  Don't ask us how this works, but I've seen delay values
    all the way up to a full 3mS per pulse and the machine still doesn't halt
    completely.]

    This value can be changed inside of flopper by pressing the F12 key and
    using the increase/decrease delay amount keys.
    




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New chooser menu items:

6. Increase delay amount    - Increases the pulse-delay by 1/4ms.
7. Decrease delay amount    - Decrease by 1/4ms


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New install command line switch:

 run "install /2" (exactly like that; no extra spaces!) to force install
 to jump to the vector table retrieval portion of the install process.

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Add to credits:
 Jeremy Kapp  - for endless hours of testing slowdown support and suggestions
                for making a better user interface.






