[comp.sys.ibm.pc] QEMM386 problem

SRWMJGB@windy.dsir.govt.nz (John Burnell, Applied Maths Division, DSIR) (09/21/89)

I wonder if anyone can help me with a problem that I am having with
Quarterdecks expanded memory manager QEMM386 Ver 4.23. Whenever I install the
driver QEMM.SYS in my CONFIG.SYS it locks the machine up, and the only way out
is to reboot.

I am using a no-name '386 clone with a Phoenix 386 Bios V1.10 (dated January
1988), 4Mb of memory and a VGA card. The bios uses 384K for shadow ram. I have
tried a large number of possible combinations of parameters for QEMM, together
with disabling the shadow ram, but with no effect whatsoever. The store where
I purchased the product feels that the problem is that QEMM wants to use some
of the high memory (between 640K and 1M), and this is conflicting with the
shadowing.

I am reluctant to phone Quarterdeck unless I am certain that they can solve my
problem, as a 10 minute phone call from New Zealand will be a substantial
portion of the purchase price.

Does anyone have any experience of using QEMM with Phoenix Bios and shadow
ram? Or would it be better to try another product such 386MAX?

Thanks in advance for any help

John Burnell

dlf@thumpr.UUCP (Dave Fritsche 438-3726) (09/22/89)

In article <674@windy.dsir.govt.nz> SRWMJGB@windy.dsir.govt.nz (John Burnell, Applied Maths Division, DSIR) writes:
>Whenever I install the driver QEMM.SYS in my CONFIG.SYS it locks the 
>machine up, and the only way out is to reboot.
>
>I am using a no-name '386 clone with a Phoenix 386 Bios V1.10 (dated January
>1988), 4Mb of memory and a VGA card.

We bought a Micronics 386 mother board with Phoenix Bios V1.10.07 (the
'.07' at the end IS significant).  When installing QEMM.SYS, the system
reacted exactly the same way you described.  Another identical system,
but with Award BIOS worked just fine.

I called QuarterDeck and asked about the problem.  The answer was that
QEMM will work with Phoenix BIOS versions 1.10.10 and above.  Phoenix
did indeed have a bug in the earlier versions of BIOS that prevented
QEMM from working properly.  Don't know exactly why it didn't work.
Just know that upgrading the Phoenix BIOS to 1.10.10 solved the problem.

73 . . . Dave Fritsche (wb8zxu)