Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!cis.ohio-state.edu!ucbvax!idsvax.ids.com!paulcn
From: paulcn@idsvax.ids.com (Paul Coen)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.zenith
Subject: Re: DOS 5.0 gives 35M of extended memory to Zenith PC
Message-ID: <9106280539.AA20698@ray.com>
Date: 28 Jun 91 05:48:41 GMT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 33

Heh.  A possible reason, plus a question.  Hope the theory isn't a repeat, 
but it's hard to tell since the local newsreader/UUCP combo sometimes 
truncates messages.

There's a program called SYSID, or something to that effect, and a program 
based on it called INFO or SYSINFO.  It's basically a piece of software 
that gives you some 15 screens of information on your hardware, DOS setup, 
etc.  It's fairly useful.

Except that it tells me that my Zenith z-157 has (guess what?) 35M of 
extended memory, as well as, if I remembmer correctly, a Micro Channel bus. 
Boy, wasn't Zenith ahead of their time?  I've had a terrible time getting 
Desqview to recognize the 35M, though :-).

My theory is that the hooks or memory location that the monitor program 
intrudes into somehow looks like extended memory, depending on how the 
software checks for the presence of the memory.

This sort of problem could also partially explain why Zenith had to modify 
Windows 2.11 to run properly on Zenith PC's.

Having a built-in debugger is great, but sometimes the compatability 
problems can be a pain.  One example is on a 157 with 512K, Wordperfect 5.1 
(which SHOULD run with 512K installed), works normally, until you have the 
gall to try to enter the thesaurus.  Then, it dumps you into the monitor 
program and gives that pretty display of the memory registers.  You type g 
for go, and it goes into the thesaurus and acts normally.  Go figure.  

The One Question:  Does Zenith, or are they planning to, OEM OS/2?  Can any 
Zenith PC's even RUN OS/2, or are they not quite compatible enough?  Just 
curious.  I'm thinking of running OS/2 2.0 when it goes into final release, 
and I'm examining non-IBM hardware alternatives.  Please don't suggest I 
use Windows, or any other cludge that runs on top of MS-DOS!