kwong@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Ka Chin Wong) (02/09/90)
Hi everyone.
I have a 286 using C&T NEAT chips set. Not long ago, I heard someone
mentioned that the EMS driver from NEAT, which is supposed to conform
EMS 4.0 standard, is not implemented correctly. The result is Windows can
use 64k of the expanded memory for itself, leaving 320k of conventional
memory. When I run Actor 2.0 with Windows, I have 15k conventional memory,
which is virtually unusable.
Does anyone have a simular problem with the NEAT EMS driver? Anyway
to fix or work around?
I am thinking of giving up the EMS driver. Set my 2 meg memory to
extended and use one of those EMS emulator (Turbo EMS, Above Disk ...).
Anyone have experience using them? What about the performance and
compatibility? Is it stupid to give up an EMS driver that the motherboard
support and use an emulator instead?
I mainly want to run Actor in Windows with more the 20k convention
memory free. Any comment would be greatly appreciated.
Rickphil@pepsi.amd.com (Phil Ngai) (02/10/90)
In article <25d2648d.1f86@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU> kwong@polyslo.CalPoly.EDU (Ka Chin Wong) writes: | I have a 286 using C&T NEAT chips set. Not long ago, I heard someone |mentioned that the EMS driver from NEAT, which is supposed to conform |EMS 4.0 standard, is not implemented correctly. The result is Windows can Actually, the NEAT chip set itself does NOT have the hardware you need to run full EMS 4.0. Some of the newer chip sets under development are much better at this but I doubt you want to throw out your motherboard. (although if you are in a position to return it that would be your best option.) Right now the only solution is probably the All Computer Chargecard. Unfortunately it is VERY expensive. It does seem to provide excellent memory management. |use 64k of the expanded memory for itself, leaving 320k of conventional |memory. When I run Actor 2.0 with Windows, I have 15k conventional memory, |which is virtually unusable. Your numbers don't sound too far off. I assume you have himem.sys in also? This is another serious flaw with the NEAT chip set. If you have megabit DRAMs, memory is allocated in chunks of 1 megabyte. So to get the 64 Kbytes of extended for himem.sys, you have to allocate an entire megabyte of extended memory when EMS is really much more useful. (any access to extended memory is very slow because of the required round trip through protected mode) | I am thinking of giving up the EMS driver. Set my 2 meg memory to |extended and use one of those EMS emulator (Turbo EMS, Above Disk ...). |Anyone have experience using them? What about the performance and |compatibility? Is it stupid to give up an EMS driver that the motherboard |support and use an emulator instead? The problem is that software EMS emulators can not do any better for you. You must have hardware support to get full EMS 4.0. However, I am not sure how much use Windows can make of full EMS 4.0. My experience is mainly from trying to make Desqview 286 run. | I mainly want to run Actor in Windows with more the 20k convention |memory free. Any comment would be greatly appreciated. If you want comments, I'd simply say that Windows is a PIG. I hope that Windows 3.0 will be better. Right now, Windows 286 is almost unusable without lots of standing on your head and maybe not even then. -- Phil Ngai, phil@amd.com {uunet,decwrl,ucbvax}!amdcad!phil When guns are outlawed, only governments will have guns.