Introduction to Protected Mode

Quick look: A Brief Look at Protected Mode Advantages: The Benefits of Using Protected Mode

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1.1 A Brief Introduction to Protected Mode

What is Protected Mode? The 80386+ provides many new features to overcome the deficiencies of 8086 which has almost no support for memory protection, virtual memory, multitasking, or memory above 640K, and also remains compatible with the 8086 family. In DJGPP, the 386, 486, etc. are considered to be identical. The points made about the 386 apply to all its successors as well. The 8086 runs in only one mode - the real mode. When Intel engineers designed the 286, they wanted to support extra features that would be incompatible with the 8086. They also wanted to maintain 8086 compatibility. To satisfy these requirements, the 286 uses two modes - Real Mode and Protected Mode. Real mode, the default, makes the chip act like an 8086 with only minor enhancements. There is a huge difference when it comes to protected mode. Almost all programs designed to run on an 8086 won't run under protected mode without major changes. DOS is one of these programs. The 386 has all the features of the 8086 and 286, with many more enhancements. The default, as in the earlier processors, is real mode. Like the 286, the 386 can operate in protected mode. However, the protected mode on 386 is vastly different internally. Protected mode on the 386 offers the programmer better protection and more memory than on the 286. The 386 also supports a third mode, Virtual 8086 (V86) mode. In V86 mode, the 386 operates in protected mode but allows some programs it is running to use a simulated real-mode environment. That means programs like DOS can run in protected mode without the need for switching between real and protected modes. The V86 mode has several advantages over real mode which are mentioned in the chapters that follow.