Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!sdd.hp.com!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!wuarchive!mit-eddie!uw-beaver!sumax!halcyon!ralphs From: ralphs@halcyon.wa.com (Ralph Sims) Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware Subject: Re: Speeding up Message-ID: Date: 18 Aug 90 18:13:04 GMT References: <1990Aug18.024948.14042@maytag.waterloo.edu> Organization: The 23:00 News Lines: 41 dmurdoch@watstat.uwaterloo.ca (Duncan Murdoch) writes: > In article ralphs@halcyon.wa.com (Ralph Sims) wr > >Also, here's a little snippet to add a 1/10th of an SI or so. Run this > >through debug. Call it something and then debug > > >////clip here//// > > > > N SPEEDSTR.COM > > I certainly wouldn't recommend that anyone run this program. What it does > is reprogram the timer chip to change the rate of RAM refresh. However, it > tries to make itself appear as if it's doing much more - all those repeated > bytes don't do a thing, and it prints a misleading message about installing > a driver. > > I didn't look into it in enough detail to know whether the reprogramming it > does is safe or not - the fact that it's trying to deceive is enough > reason to avoid it. > > Duncan Murdoch I can empathize with your concerns. First, I did not write the utility and I am not a hardware hacker (at least via software). This thing has been used on a number of different machines with a variety of BIOS chips and video adapters. While the extra code may be superfulous, the intent was to confuse the casual fellow who would dis-assemble it for whatever reason. The utility functions as a TSR and lurks somewhere in the video RAM (at least I _think_ that's where it resides, as PMAP and MAPMEM haven't told me an address). I have used it for three years without any known problems. I guess I should have included my usual 'mileage may vary...caveat everybody...void where prevented' tag. Thanks for expressing your concerns and reminding us that TANSTAAFL is in effect. -- "Reality is for people who lack imagination."