hannanp@mist.CS.ORST.EDU (Paula Hannan) (10/25/90)
Background: I am currently trying to increase the memory in my Zenith Z-286 machine in order to use Windows 3.0. This machine, which is two years old, currently has the minimum 512k. After contacting several Zenith dealears I have received conflicting answers and price quotes from 900.00 for 1 Meg to a *cheap* 525.00 for 2 Meg. My current working theory is that I am going to have to buy the Zenith card which expands the memory to 640 and fill the additional empty banks with Zenith memory. (Which would take me to 1.5M) Questions: Is there any way to avoid using Zenith memory and the associtated outrageous prices? Can I expand beyond the first 1.5M using standard Lotus/Intel memory? (According the the manual this memory goes into a standard AT slot) I am especially interested in hearing from anyone who has installed memory on the Z-286 or its close cousin the Z-248. Thanks in advance for your help! Paula Hannan
klee@nas.nasa.gov (King M. Lee) (10/26/90)
In article <21287@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> hannanp@mist.CS.ORST.EDU (Paula Hannan) writes: >Background: > I am currently trying to increase the memory in my Zenith > Z-286 machine in order to use Windows 3.0. This machine, > which is two years old, currently has the minimum 512k. > After contacting several Zenith dealears I have received > conflicting answers and price quotes from 900.00 for 1 Meg > to a *cheap* 525.00 for 2 Meg. My current working theory is > that I am going to have to buy the Zenith card which > expands the memory to 640 and fill the additional empty > banks with Zenith memory. (Which would take me to 1.5M) > >Questions: > Is there any way to avoid using Zenith memory and the > associtated outrageous prices? I have a Zenith 386/16 and purchased a memory board to go with it. It didn't work because the Zenith 386 does not refresh 1 Meg chips correctly. I believe the Zenith 286 that has a backplane has the same problem. I was told that they work with boards that takes 256K chips, but I that is hearsay. I find that Zenith computers are not as compatible as they claim to be.
dibb@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Jim Dibb) (10/29/90)
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dibb@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Jim Dibb) (10/29/90)
In article <21287@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> hannanp@mist.CS.ORST.EDU (Paula Hannan) writes: > I am currently trying to increase the memory in my Zenith > Z-286 machine in order to use Windows 3.0. This machine, > which is two years old, currently has the minimum 512k. > After contacting several Zenith dealears I have received > conflicting answers and price quotes from 900.00 for 1 Meg > to a *cheap* 525.00 for 2 Meg. My current working theory is > that I am going to have to buy the Zenith card which > expands the memory to 640 and fill the additional empty > banks with Zenith memory. (Which would take me to 1.5M) >Questions: > Is there any way to avoid using Zenith memory and the > associtated outrageous prices? > Can I expand beyond the first 1.5M using standard > Lotus/Intel memory? (According the the manual this memory > goes into a standard AT slot) >I am especially interested in hearing from anyone who has >installed memory on the Z-286 or its close cousin the Z-248. I used a "KW" (I'll get the full name and send it out later) board on my Z-248 to raise the 512k to 640 and add 2M of EXTENDED memory. Through our campus computer center the board was $90 and the chips were ~$45/0.5 Meg. For Windows, extended memory is the way to go,(Vs. expanded). >Thanks in advance for your help! >Paula Hannan No problem. jim
owens@acsu.buffalo.edu (bill owens) (10/31/90)
In article <DIBB.90Oct29090302@sunrise.clarkson.edu> dibb@sun.soe.clarkson.edu (Jim Dibb) writes: >In article <21287@orstcs.CS.ORST.EDU> hannanp@mist.CS.ORST.EDU (Paula Hannan) writes: > >> I am currently trying to increase the memory in my Zenith >> Z-286 machine in order to use Windows 3.0. This machine, >> which is two years old, currently has the minimum 512k. >> Is there any way to avoid using Zenith memory and the >> associtated outrageous prices? > >I used a "KW" (I'll get the full name and send it out later) board on my >Z-248 to raise the 512k to 640 and add 2M of EXTENDED memory. Through >our campus computer center the board was $90 and the chips were ~$45/0.5 Meg. I have a True Blue IBM memory expansion board in my Z-286, which pushes it up to 6.5M (started with 512k, backfilled, and used the remaining memory of the 6M board for extended, which is all it'll do). Since I'm running Minix 1.5.10 rather than mess-dos, I can use it all as real memory! (Now the next step is to replace the cpu board with a 386, once I find someone selling passive backplane 386 boards) I don't know enough about W3.0 to know whether extended will work for you, but there are programs (Above Disc?) which fake expanded using extended. BTW, the board has custom IBM 512k simms, so part numbers would probably be useless. Bill. Bill Owens owens@acsu.buffalo.edu 108 Computing Center uunet!acsu.buffalo.edu!owens Buffalo, NY 12460 716/636-3511
unhd (Roger Gonzalez ) (11/01/90)
Paula: I put a generic Everex 2 meg board in my '248, and only put in 512K, bringing my machine to 1 meg. The Everex board works fine, and the memory can be configured to be "extended memory" or "EMS". The whole deal was $239 for memory and board. Running Windows 3.0 on the '286 was tedious. It will be for you as well, assuming that you have the same 8MHz no wait state machine that I do. I'm biased, though, since I've decided that Windows is a piece of trash :-) For example; ever do this sequence of events? Run an unknown executable, decide you don't want to save it, and then delete it. In windows, this is a pain. If you have a disk space crunch, trying to decide what to save and what to nuke or move to floppy can make you pull out your hair. At work, where I *have* to run windows on a '386, at least the speed is tolerable. Save your money, or buy DesqView. Windows is all glitter and no substance. Just another opinionated flame-war instigating comment from - Roger -- "The question of whether a computer can think is no more interesting than the question of whether a submarine can swim" - Edsgar W. Dijkstra rg@unhd.unh.edu | UNH Marine Systems Engineering Laboratory r_gonzalez@unhh.bitnet | Durham, NH 03824-3525