Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!nwnexus!amc-gw!intek01.UUCP!mark
From: mark@intek01.uucp (Mark McWiggins)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware
Subject: AMI Bios question on enabling memory
Message-ID: <1991Jan25.195012.476@intek01.uucp>
Date: 25 Jan 91 19:50:12 GMT
Organization: Integration Technologies, Inc. (Intek)
Lines: 25

A friend has a 386 with an AMI BIOS.  He's trying to run a DOS-extender
program that needs the full 2 MB in his machine, but the CMOS setup
program won't set bank 2/3 of his memory 'on'.  The startup sequence
counts to 2 MB, but when he tries to run the program, it dies, out of
memory.  The same program runs fine on another 2 MB 386SX.

(I guess it's possible that the 386 uses just a few K more than 386SX
for a different version of DOS or somesuch, but I think Friend has 
checked that & ruled it out ..)

I also have a machine (this one I'm typing on, in fact) with an AMI BIOS.
The settings on it look about the same (except that I'm using 1 MB DRAMS,
giving 8 MB), with "Bank 2/3 disabled", but Unix can find all 8 MB.

What gives?  Why won't the BIOS officially enable this memory?  How come
Unix can see it but (apparently) DOS can't?

Thanks in advance for any insight.


-- 
Mark McWiggins			Integration Technologies, Inc. (Intek)
+1 206 455 9935			DISCLAIMER:  I could be wrong ...
1400 112th Ave SE #202		Bellevue WA  98004
mark@intek.com    		Ask me about C++!