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How do I enter a nondeprivated processor state on an 386 (or higher)?

I.e. all standard 32-bit x86 instructions and 32-bit memory access, a nondeprivated processor state where you do NOT have to worry about ANY modes-whatever-bullshit, the state in which most other processor start, where the processor is ready to execute any of it's standard instructions without any unecessary and troublesome messing about.

I truly wish MIPS or PPC had become the standard architecture, the PC is too cumbersome T_T argh! Or at least that someone would make a PURE 32-bit PC processor...*sigh* I'm so close to writing yet another rant, but I better not!

I think you might want to read up on the architecture...

http://www.osdev.org/wiki/Protected_mode

lol, yes I do! I know quite little about x86 in general, only somewhat familiar with the instruction set, but that's it, and all these modes and registers, etc. kind of make my head go round and round ^^

At first I thought the unreal mode was my best option, but after reading a bit about it, I got confused again O_O

*sigh* backwards compatibility does have some benefits I guess, but it sure has its problems too, or for whatever reason they've made it so messy ^~^;

kenna wrote:*sigh* backwards compatibility does have some benefits I guess, but it sure has its problems too, or for whatever reason they've made it so messy ^~^;

Perhaps the transition to 64 bit was a bit of a missed opportunity for reducing the amount of backwards compatibility required - for example making a transition to chips that start in long mode.

I know it's not all that simple, but if you get a 64 bit chip, you need a new mobo, ram, arguably a PCI-E graphics card, SATA hard drive etc.. Seeing as so much hardware was required to change anyway, maybe that would have been a time to 'de-clutter' the internals of the architecture a bit. I guess getting mobo vendors, os developpers etc... to adopt the new architecture at once would be a bit tricky

But when else will this happen. In 25 years, will we be on native 1024 bit chips, but have to enable A-20, go through rmode, pmode, long-mode et. al. to get there

Cheers,
Adam