Need Help Identifying 8 bit ISA RAM card

[VERAULT]

This is the Driver Disk from my RAMbank card & manual...
>>> Charles

I recognize those files names. Those are the ones referenced in my Rambank manual. Thank you Charles! I will give these a try! This is great. I Could not find these anywhere on the internet. You may want to put them up on Archive.org for the RAMBANK and RAMBANK-AT as they seem to both use the same settings and files.

 

[twolazy]

I kinda remember QEMM allowing XMS on a 186, not sure if it work on an 8088 though... So guess point is look for an early version of QRAM...

 

[VERAULT]

Yeah I think I have to look for a copy.

 

[VERAULT]

I used the files Dawsoca provided. They work. I can run Banktest and it tests and confirms the RAM is all good. And I can Load one of 2 EMS Drivers. I loaded EMS40.sys


When I type MEM I get the same info as the previous EMS driver. 640KB conventional and 1664KB Expanded.

Checkit can see the EMS ram and tests it fine. Im glad I have the original software now but seems I am relatively in the same place as far as memory management. I will still look for an ancient copy of Qemm.

Just curious. What Programs or games can I run on an 8088 that will natively use EMS memory?

 

[dieymir]

You need QRAM not QEMM (386)

https://winworldpc.com/product/qram/2x

It can use (E)EMS 4.0 memory mapping abilities to fill memory into UMBs Works perfectly on all my 286s and should work with 8088/86

XMS isn't a memory technology It's an API to access memory which can be extended, expanded or whatever. QRAM has a XMS memory driver which uses EMS memory and it should work on any computer equiped with an EMS memory card

 

[jafir]

There is an FTP site linked in that youtube video as well. It would be interesting to know if the DFI drivers support this... and if so, does that mean they could be used on Intel cards, instead of the Intel drivers?

I need to dig up some DIP RAM for wherever I've stashed it.

 

[VERAULT]

You need QRAM not QEMM (386)

https://winworldpc.com/product/qram/2x

It can use (E)EMS 4.0 memory mapping abilities to fill memory into UMBs Works perfectly on all my 286s and should work with 8088/86

thank you I just tried it out. Unfortunately it wont work either.

 

[VERAULT]

I guess I kinda knew it wouldnt work as the text file in the disk states:
Quarterdeck QRAM 2.02
Released in 1991 by Quarterdeck
For DOS

QRAM 2 is a memory manager for 286 computers and later. It can be
used to free up base 640K memory.

serial 290-T2-3870-290766

 

[Plasma]

If you use the Above Board EMM.SYS I think you can make an extra large page frame between your video ROM and BIOS ROM. It should be something like:

DEVICE=EMM.SYS XT 208 EXPF=CC00 EXPL=EC00

Then use QRAM to provide UMBs with the extra pages while keeping 4 pages for EMS 3.2.

 

[VERAULT]

I have a VGA card in my XT, I think the video bios takes up that portion.

 

[Plasma]

Your EMS 4.0 driver put the page frame at CC00 so it should be available. The VGA BIOS does not usually go past CBFF.

 

[dieymir]

Hmm, the problem is that you have an EMS 3.2 memory board It is not capable of mapping memory outside the 64kb page frame ... Use the FL=0 parameter as instructed, get 64kb of UMBs and forget the rest of the memory

 

[VERAULT]

Hmm, the problem is that you have an EMS 3.2 memory board It is not capable of mapping memory outside the 64kb page frame ... Use the FL=0 parameter as instructed, get 64kb of UMBs and forget the rest of the memory

Ok Let me make sure I am following. Add the setting to get an additional 64KB of Upper memory on top of my 640KB conv memory and forget the other 1.6MB of EMS RAM?

 

[dieymir]

Ok Let me make sure I am following. Add the setting to get an additional 64KB of Upper memory on top of my 640KB conv memory and forget the other 1.6MB of EMS RAM?

Yes The problem is that, unlike EMS 4.0 cards, 3.2 ones do not allow to map memory outside of the page frame so either you use that 64k for UMBs or you use it to bank switch EMS memory pages To be able to have both you need a real EMS 4.0 card

 

[VERAULT]

Thanks Dieymir. I get it. But I dont think keeping a card in there with 72 occupied RAM chips to get 64KB of Upper memory makes much sense.

 

[dieymir]

Sure, it's much better to use the EMS memory for cache or a RAM disk but, if you want to test UMBs on that 808x this is your only option. There are more capable EMS (4.0) cards able to achieve both aims.

 

[VERAULT]

I understand. I just want to utilize cards I already own. I have an AST RAMPAGE 8 bit card in the box. I have a feeling its not going to be EMS 4 compliant either.