🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1993Jan20.002151.755@newshost.lanl.gov> masten@beta.lanl.gov (David A. Masten) writes:
>In article <1993Jan18.155720.131133@mswe.dnet.ms.philips.nl> klooster@mswe.dnet.ms.philips.nl writes:
>>I installed recently 4MB of RAM in my 386-33 Mhz computer.
>>When I switch the computer on it only says "3968 Kb OK".
>>Why doesn't it say 4096 Kb OK, which is what I installed?
>>Does this mean there is something wrong with the memory?
>>I have an AMI BIOS from 1990.
>
>Since you ask, I have a similar problem.  But mine says only 3712 Kb OK!
>And I had the same difference of 284 KB "missing" when I only had 2 MB
>of memory.  Since they were entirely different chips, I presume it is
>not a problem with the RAM itself.  I have an AMI BIOS date 5/5/91.
>
>BTW, I disabled the video and system shadowing (which was only about 
>96 KB total), and still got the same "3712".
>
>HELP!
>
>Dave
>masten@beta.lanl.gov


There was one article that almost got it right, but the ommision
started some other discussion on this thread regarding shadowing.

The real answer is;

Installed Memory   4096
Untested Ram Area - 384
		  -----
		   2712

Now, to get the remainder of memory, you must 'RELOCATE 256K'.
This may or may not even be a part of the BIOS SETUP.
If it doesn't exist, you are stuck at 3712 KB, however enabling
the ram relocation (which means that shadowing must be disabled)
results in;

Installed Memory   4096
Untested Ram Area - 384
		  -----
		   2712
Relocated Memory  + 256 (could have been used as shadow ram, I guess)
		  -----
		   3968

How the bios uses the remainder is known to AMI and those who
disassemble and analyze the bios rom.  It is probably used for
stack and temporary data storage during BIOS SETUP operations,
among other things (including 1 or 2 shadow operations).

Hope this helps...
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 Joseph G. Toth Jr.       |  uunet!tellab5.tellabs.com!toth
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