[sci.electronics] Help needed with Compaq 386/16!!!

asplund@castor.usc.edu (Daryl Asplund) (04/05/89)

Can someone PLEASE help me?  I posted a message about 3 months ago
regarding my Compaq 386/16.  A few responses came in, and I learned
a great deal, but nothing to fix the situation.

My problem is this:  I purchased a Compaq 386/16 about a year ago
and have never been able to access any of the extended memory in 
the machine!  The computer came with 1024K (1 Megabyte).  --Of this
1 Meg. the Compaq Operations Guide, and Technical Reference say:

(1) "The first 640K (addressed from 0 to 640) is assigned to base 
     memory for use by DOS"

(2) "The next 128K (addressed from 16000 to 16128) is set aside for 
     internal reserved functions"  (e.g. ROM shadowing, Video, etc.)

(3) "The last 256K (addressed from 16128 to 16384) is set to extended 
     for use by the customer"

--The **ONLY** programs that recognize the extended memory are the Compaq
setup program from the "users" disk and my Advanced Diagnostics v 6.02.
               (See listing of programs below)
When I run the Advanced Diagnostics it checks ALL the memory and 
completes the tests without ANY error messages!
--Again, when I run any other program, (i.e. install (see run below))
WHETHER FROM COMPAQ OR A THIRD PARTY, it says that I just have 640K 
in the machine!

MANY, MANY, MANY, MANY TOLL calls to Compaq and misc. advice from 
my dealer has not solved (or even helped in any way) the situation.  
Compaq still claims that the machine should be able to access the 
extended memory, BUT my dealer tells me that it's hopeless!  


Does ANYONE have ANY help/advice/suggestions/etc?

--By the way, I have opened the machine and have VISUALLY seen ALL
1024K worth of memory so I DO know it is there.  
--Lastly I have removed ALL my expansion boards (except for the Compaq
VGA card and drive controller, of course), deleted my autoexec and 
config.sys, and rebooted thinking that there might have been a memory 
conflict.  Again, NOTHING has worked!

PLEASE, if anyone can help in anyway please send a response
TO ME DIRECTLY:  ASPLUND@CASTOR.USC.EDU.

Again, ANY responses are welcome and my thanks in advance!
                              Daryl Asplund


==========================================================================
Here are the runs of Install (version 3.0) and Setup (version 5.05):
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                      Current Configuration Information                       
                                                                                
Your current configuration file (CONFIG.SYS) is kept on the system drive (C:).
To modify your configuration, select Configure from the Action Bar (F10).     
To change the system drive, select Options from Action Bar (F10).             
Press F1 to obtain additional information.                                    

                                                                                
         Base Memory           Expanded Memory            Extended Memory     

Total installed:   640K   Total installed:     0K    Total installed:     0K  
                                                                                
          CACHE:     0K             CACHE:     0K              CACHE:     0K  
          VDISK:     0K                                        VDISK:     0K  
   DOS+RESIDENT:   118K                                         CEMM:     0K  
                -------                   -------                    -------  
Total allocated:   118K   Total allocated:     0K    Total allocated:     0K  
    Amount free:   522K       Amount free:     0K        Amount free:     0K  
                                                                                
Enter  Esc=Cancel  F1=Help  F3=Exit  F10=Actions                              

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

SETUP Version 5.05 (C)Copyright COMPAQ Computer Corp. 1985, 86, 87              
                                                                                
 Options have been set as follows:                                              
                                                                                
 1 - Current date and time     - 04-04-1989        -  18:29:51                  
 2 - Diskette Drives        A: - 1.2 Megabyte   B: -  360 Kbyte                 
 3 - Fixed Disk Drives      C: - Type  17       D: -  Not Installed             
 4 - Numeric Coprocessor       - Not Installed                                  
 5 - Memory size                                                                
       Base (addressed between 0 and 640 Kbytes)   -  640 Kbytes                
       Additional Built-In User memory             -  256 Kbytes                
       COMPAQ Reserved memory                      -  128 Kbytes                
       Extended (addressed above 1 Megabyte)       -    0 Kbytes OR  0 Mbytes 
 6 - Primary monitor is:                                                        
      -  the current monitor                                                    
                                                                                
--------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                                                

NOTE: If I manually place CEMM in the config.sys file, upon bootup
      I receive the message:  "CEMM not installed - Insufficient memory"                                                                                
--The same holds true with VDISK.SYS with the /E option.

P.S.  The memory jumpers and switch settings are set to the factory
      position and have never been altered.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------                                                                                

                                               Thanks again,
                                                   Daryl

Asplund@castor.usc.edu