Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!samsung!noose.ecn.purdue.edu!stable.ecn.purdue.edu!yorkw From: yorkw@stable.ecn.purdue.edu (Willis F York) Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware Subject: Beginer Questions (How Does the amiga use MEMORY?) Summary: How, Chip Vs Fast, Vs Public. Keywords: how, beginer, non-techie,ect. Message-ID: Date: 7 Jan 91 02:17:51 GMT Sender: news@noose.ecn.purdue.edu (USENET news) Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network Lines: 81 Well I have gotten Good responce in the past from my "Idiotic" questionss. Hers some more. Todaya topic, MEMORy, How does the amiga know what's going on. Definitions i "Think" i know. (Info for REALLY Non-techies.) RAM - Random acess memory, Where the "Programs" go.No Power and it's gone. ROM - Read Only Memory, Where the "OS" goes, the amiga has 512k of ROM. But not all 512 is used. (yet) Note, I'm a Beginer KInda, I want to get some "Grass-Roots" info and to help teach other amiga owners, SO they know more then just how to play games!. << If my line of discussion is "out of line" let me know, I'll Shadup>> Chip RAM - That little part of the amigas memory that the chips (Gary, paula,agnes, others?) can acess directly. This is where stuff like Sounds,pictures,ect. go. Run out of this and you are in trouble. (I've seen 2 meg Chip expanders for the 2000) But in most cases an Amiga has 512 (Or 1 meg) of Chip. Autoconfig RAM - Memory over the 512K Chip, where other data is stored. No "Program" needs be run for the amiga to see it on boot up. Public RAM- (Got a better name?) NON-AutoConfig, if ya use ADRAM, and other programs to tell the computer the memory is there it's Public. Fast RAM - Same as Autoconfig Ram (RIGHT???) Static RAM - No idea.... 32 bit RAM - Better then the normal 16 bit RAM normally used. (More info??) ZIPS,DIPS,4x16, ect... NO idea..., My ADRAM board needs 4 chips to add 512K so it's a 16x4 Chip right??? And on a chip is a Number and the last didgets tell the speed in nano-seconds, 120ns is slow, 90-80 is ok, 60ns is fast and big $$$. If ya have slow memory chips then ya get into wait states. ------------------- Anyone wanna elaborate go ahead PLEASE, CORRECT ME -- Questions: Upon Boot up. Does the "ROM" get copied to "RAM" and get run (Bad word) from there? (I heard this and it "seems" silly) What's so important about "Fastmemfirst" ? Does it prevent the using up of "CHIP" befor "Other" memory is full? How does it do it? Is there any problems with a program being "over a seam" ie. what if myeditor loads into a section of memory that's half fast and half public. (Or un-Powerpacks over the seam) Patches Everywhere... I seem to have about 5 patch programs in my startup-sequence, what do they all do? Why not 1 big patch program, Must they be ran first? befor or after i add my extra memory? ----- Overlaying themes to my questions/post --- I can COldBoot up fine (To non-tecies that means hit the powerswitch) but upon a Warm boot (Via Controll Amiga-Amiga) the machine crashes EVERYTIME at the programs FACCII, FACTION, and ??? Somthing else. anyone know WHY? ---- Well all ya non-techies send me mail, i'll gladely share my knowledge with ya. ---- Thanx, -- yorkw@ecn.purdue.edu Willis F York ---------------------------------------------- Macintosh... Proof that a Person can use a Computer all day and still not know ANYTHING about computers.