Site Map
Complete index of every page and section in the Tech Help! electronic reference book.
The Tech Help! electronic reference book serves as a comprehensive guide for developers working with DOS and assembly language programming. Its structured content covers a wide array of essential topics, from BIOS interrupts and port mappings to memory usage and register conventions. The reference is particularly valuable for those writing low-level code in MASM or exploring the intricacies of the x86 architecture. Each section is designed to present technical data in a clear, accessible manner, allowing programmers to quickly locate the specific information they need without wading through unrelated material. This systematic approach to documenting system internals has made it a trusted resource for both hobbyists and professionals alike.
One of the standout features of this reference is its thorough treatment of interrupt vectors and service routines. The documentation maps out the full spectrum of BIOS and DOS interrupt calls, detailing the input and output register requirements for each function. This level of detail is crucial for assembly programmers who need precise control over hardware interactions. The material also covers error codes returned by various system services, helping developers debug their code more effectively. By consolidating this information into a single, well-organized volume, the reference eliminates the need to consult multiple disparate sources when working on low-level system programming tasks.
Beyond interrupts and system services, the reference delves deeply into data structures and memory organization. Detailed explanations of the Program Segment Prefix, File Control Blocks, and standard file handles provide essential context for understanding how DOS manages programs and data. The section on memory usage clarifies how the system allocates and tracks available RAM, while the coverage of effective address calculation and addressing modes helps demystify one of the more challenging aspects of assembly programming. These foundational topics are presented alongside practical examples that illustrate how the theoretical concepts apply to real-world coding scenarios.
The reference also includes valuable supplementary material that extends beyond pure system programming. Tables of ASCII characters and special drawing characters support text-mode interface development, while color and keyboard information aids in creating more polished applications. The section on pseudo-ops and operator precedence clarifies the assembler directives that control code generation, and the documentation of instruction sets provides a quick lookup for opcode details. A complete sitemap and credits section round out the volume, making it easy to navigate and acknowledge the contributors who helped assemble this comprehensive technical resource.
Below is the full navigation structure of Tech Help! — an electronic reference book for DOS programming covering assembly language instructions, BIOS services, DOS functions, and low-memory data structures.
Assembly Language
- Assembly — Instruction Set
- Assembly — ROM BIOS
- Assembly — Low Memory Usage
- Assembly — Flags Register
- Assembly — Addressing Modes
- Assembly — Effective Address
- Assembly — System ID Byte
- MASM — Pseudo Ops
- MASM — Operator Precedence
- MASM — Reserved Words
Reference Tables
- Tables — ASCII Chart
- Tables — Line-Drawing Characters
- Tables — Special Characters
- Tables — Color Charts
- Tables — Keyboard Codes
- Tables — Credits
Use the navigation bar above or the links on this page to reach any section. Each topic page includes cross-references to related material throughout the reference book.