Since I last posted I have been using the OS4 kernel (retail) with no trouble. Maybe the freeze I got then was from something else (Flash??). I did have a POPUPLOG from DMISL.EXE which is something I've never had before...
would be interesting to see
I have one question: Is os2krnl.ini necessary? I ask because I don't see anything in ___hlp$ that would make me think I need to add anything to os2krnl.ini, but maybe I don't understand the instructions....
OS/4 kernel with switched ON preload option will load all files which will be necessary on stage 1 of boot process into a kind of memory disk and then the hard drive will not be touched until the stage 2.
For this purpose kernel builds a list of such files. This list includes all BASEDEVs + PSD from config.sys, BASEDEVs which loads without config.sys, SNOOPERS from snoop.lst and files mentioned in os4krnl.ini
Actually os4krnl.ini serves for a user to enable him to add files which are needed to be preloaded and about which the kernel didn't guess.
If during boot kernel will try to load some file which was not preloaded - user will receive a message something like "Please add driver.sys to os4kernel.ini".
In majority of cases os4krnl.ini will be absent or empty. I personally can't imagine a situation when something has to be added there, but who knows.