Intel Aboveboard/MC
@70B0.ADF -
Intel Above Board MC32
C70B0.ADF
- Init file for @70B0.ADF
ABMC32.exe Option Disk directly
from Intel (required !)
Readme for ABMC32.exe
@70D1.ADF
- Intel Above Board MC
ABMC.exe Uh, I guess it's the
options disk...
Readme
for ABMC.exe
MCATST.exe Diagnostics disk,
MS-DOS Do not run IBM's diagnostic programs to test the Above Board's
memory. (This includes the "Test the computer" option in the main
menu of the Reference Diskette program.)
CHKMEM.exe This program reports
the amount of conventional, extended and expanded memory present in a system.
ADF Sections
Readme of Archive [ABMC.EXE]
MICRO CHANNEL ABOVE BOARD Installation Problems and Solutions
Using MCATEST to view Above Board MC ROM error messages
Installing an Above Board with an IBM Token Ring Adapter
About the Above Board MC ROM
Above Board Expanded Memory conflicts
Microsoft Windows 3.0
Quarterdeck QRAM
Notes on MCATEST and CHKMEM:
CHKMEM doesn't count all of the extended memory.
CHKMEM and OS/2.
CHKMEM shows no expanded memory.
Computer Type to select for non-IBM computers
Setting up the Above Board MC in NCR and Tandy computers
The Above Board ROM could not read drive C: to check for an
Above Board iADF
DOS 4.0 BUFFERS /X and SOFTSET
USING MCATEST TO VIEW ABOVE BOARD MC ROM ERROR
MESSAGES
If the Above Board MC ROM displays an error or warning
message, you can run MCATEST to view the message at your convenience.
MCATEST will automatically display any Above Board MC ROM error or warning
messages.
INSTALLING AN ABOVE BOARD WITH AN IBM TOKEN
RING ADAPTER
A memory conflict may occur when an Above Board
is installed in a system with an IBM Token Ring board. The IBM Token
Ring is compatible with the Above Board 2, Above Board 2 Plus, Above Board
MC, and Above Board MC32.
The Above Board MC32 and the Token Ring boards
can be installed by following the normal instructions. However, if
your Above Board is configured as expanded memory and you're installing
a Token Ring, you must take steps to eliminate conflicts.
Once you've installed the Above Board, there
are two ways to configure the Token Ring and Above Board so they don't
conflict. To decide which is best for your computer, boot with your
computer's Reference Diskette and select the options to "Set Configuration"
and "Change Configuration."
o Use option 1 if you have a board (other
than the Token Ring) using
addresses that begin with
"C".
o Use option 2 if you have a board (other
than the Token Ring) using
addresses that begin with
"D".
Option 1:
1. Boot with your computer's Reference Diskette.
2. Use the "Change Configuration" option to
reposition the "Packet Buffer
RAM Address" from the default
value D8000 to C4000 (or C8000 if
there's a conflict at C4000).
Leave the "ROM Address" for the Token
Ring board at CC000.
3. Press F10 to save the configuration.
Exit the Reference disk program,
then boot to a DOS diskette.
4. Edit your CONFIG.SYS file and make these
modifications:
o Add " ,C400" (or
C800 if that's the address you used in step 3)
to the
DXMC0MOD.SYS command line. You must add a space in front
of the
comma.
o Save the new CONFIG.SYS
file.
5. Reboot the computer and you're finished.
Option 2:
1. Boot with your computer's Reference Diskette.
2. Use the "Change Configuration" option to
reposition the "ROM Address"
for the Token Ring board
from the default value CC000 to DC000. Leave
the "Packet Buffer RAM Address"
at D8000.
3. Press F10 to save the configuration.
Exit the Reference disk program and you're finished.
ABOUT THE ABOVE BOARD MC ROM
The Above Board MC ROM configures the memory on
all Above Board 2, 2 Plus, and Above Board MC boards each time you
boot your computer. The "ROM" is actually an EEPROM that can be updated
by the SOFTSET program. SOFTSET will update the executable code in the
Above Board MC ROM if there are future revisions (all you need is a copy
of the new ROM.DAT file) SOFTSET also stores your Above Board configuration
in the Above Board MC ROM so that the ROM knows how to set up your memory.
ABOVE BOARD EXPANDED MEMORY CONFLICTS
The Above Board Expanded Memory Manager (EMM.SYS)
can conflict with ROM or RAM that is on another add-in board.
EMM.SYS searches reserved memory from C000 to DFFF to
find unused pages. EMM needs at least four 16K-byte pages of contiguous
memory, but will use as many free pages as it finds.
If your computer contains a ROM that isn't
active at start-up, EMM may assume the page is free for its own use and
a conflict will occur. In this case, you must use one of the
exclude page parameters on the EMM command line.
You can tell EMM where to start its free page
search, where to end its free page search, or to exclude a specific page.
The third option leaves EMM free to search for any unused pages.
Use this method when using Quarterdeck's QRAM, so the extra pages can be
used to load device drivers or TSRs into high memory.
To exclude a page, use the EP parameter to
specify the page or range of pages that EMM should not use. For example,
to exclude the pages from C000 up to C800, edit your CONFIG.SYS file to
add EP=C000-C7FF to the EMM command line as shown in the following example:
Device = EMM.SYS MOD65
EP=C000-C7FF
To specify an address where EMM should begin
it's free page search, edit your CONFIG.SYS file and add the parameter
EXPF=D000 to the DEVICE=EMM.SYS line. Check your Above Board manual
for other starting and ending addresses.
MICROSOFT WINDOWS 3.0
Above Boards are compatible with Microsoft
Windows 3.0. For 386 enhanced mode in a 386-based machine, set your Above
Board for all extended memory. A minimum of 2MB of memory is needed
to run Windows in this mode. Windows 3.0 provides expanded memory
for applications that run under Windows. You can install Microsoft's
EMM386.SYS to provide expanded memory for your applications that need expanded
memory but don't run under Windows.
For standard mode in a 286 machine, you can
set your Above Board for both extended and expanded memory if needed.
A minimum of 256K of extended memory is required to run Windows in this
mode. Be sure EMM.SYS is BEFORE HIMEM.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS.
Quarterdeck QRAM
EMM requires a minimum 64K-byte page
frame to supply expanded memory for applications. QRAM will use any
extra 16K-byte pages (beyond the 64K-byte page frame that EMM uses) to
load device drivers and TSRs out of conventional memory. The pages
QRAM uses are dedicated to what is loaded into them. QRAM will report
"Nothing useful to do" if there are no extra pages.
If there are no extra pages available,
you can configure QRAM to use EMM's page frame. This page frame could
then be used only to load drivers or TSRs into high memory. In this
case, there would be no expanded memory available for applications, so
a choice must be mad between having more conventional memory and any expanded
memory.
If you have problems with a program that
uses expanded memory, remove QRAM to see if the problem persists.
CHKMEM DOESN'T COUNT ALL OF THE EXTENDED MEMORY
When certain memory-resident programs (such as SMARTDRIVE,
IBMCache and PC-Kwik) are installed, CHKMEM reports less than the total
amount of extended memory in the computer. The difference between
the total memory in the computer and the amount that CHKMEM reports is
equal to the amount that the resident programs are using.
With M$ HIMEM.SYS installed, CHKMEM will report
0K-bytes of extended memory.
CHKMEM AND OS/2
CHKMEM reports "no extended memory available" when run
in OS/2's compatibility box, even when the Above Board is working and providing
extended memory. This is because OS/2 reserves all extended memory
for itself, so none is available when CHKMEM looks for extended memory.
Check your OS/2 documentation for directions on how to see the extended
memory amount available in your system.
CHKMEM SHOWS NO EXPANDED MEMORY
This problem means another device driver or program
is conflicting with EMM. Check the CONFIG.SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files
for other device drivers. Other EMM drivers, such as DEVICE=VEM.SYS
for a program called Above Disk, are incompatible with EMM.
COMPUTER TYPE TO SELECT FOR NON-IBM COMPUTERS
If you have a non-IBM computer, select the "Model
70" system type option in SOFTSET. Selecting the "Other" option will
cause EMM to ignore all parity errors and is not recommended.
SETTING UP THE ABOVE BOARD MC IN NCR AND TANDY
COMPUTERS
If you are installing the Above Board MC in an NCR or
Tandy computer, use the following installation instructions. Boot
with your computer's Reference Diskette. Select "Configuration" from
the Main Menu, then "Automatic" so your computer will recognize the Above
Board MC. Select "Change" on the Configuration Menu and select the
Above Board MC to configure the board for your computer.
THE ABOVE BOARD ROM COULD NOT READ DRIVE
C: TO CHECK FOR AN ABOVE BOARD iADF
The Above Board MC ROM displays this error
message when it cannot read drive C. This happens when the Above
Board MC ROM address is lower than the disk controller ROM address (for
example, if the Above Board MC ROM is located at C800 and the disk
controller ROM is at DC00). Be sure you have run SOFTSET. This
will remove any unneeded Above Board iADF file, but you will see this message
as long as the Above Board MC ROM executes before the disk controller ROM.
You can use your computer's Reference Diskette to move the ROMs for these
two boards to eliminate this warning message. Use one of the following
methods (the method you should use depends on your disk controller type):
1) If you can change the disk controller's
ROM address using your computer's Reference Diskette, move it to an address
below the address used by the Above Board MC ROM. For example, if
the Above Board MC ROM is located at CC00, move the disk controller ROM
to C800.
2) If you can't change the disk controller
ROM address using your computer's Reference Diskette but you have the option
to disable it, then disable the disk controller ROM and move the Above
Board MC ROM to the highest available address (usually DC00).
Enable the disk controller ROM again. This should force the disk
controller ROM to an address below the Above Board MC ROM.
3) If the disk controller ROM address can't
be changed and you can't disable the disk controller using your computer's
Reference Diskette, then follow these steps:
o Power down the system
o Remove the disk
controller
o Boot with your computer's
Reference Diskette and change the Above
Board
MC ROM address to the highest available address (usually
DC00 --
if there is a conflict at DC00, choose the next lower Above
Board
MC ROM address until you find a value which does not cause a
conflict).
o Power down the system
o Re-install the disk
controller
o Boot with your computer's
Reference Diskette. Answer 'N' to the
question
"Automatically configure the system? (Y/N)." Choose
"Set configuration"
from the Main Menu. Choose "Change
configuration"
from the submenu. Verify that the system setup
shown
is correct and press F10 to save the configuration.
The Above Board MC ROM should now execute after
the disk controller ROM,
and the warning message should no longer appear.
DOS 4.0 BUFFERS /X AND SOFTSET
If you are using the BUFFERS /X command under
DOS 4.0, you may have a conflict if SOFTSET needs to program the Above
Board MC ROM. Remove the "/X" from the BUFFERS command in your CONFIG.SYS
file before running SOFTSET.
ADF for Intel Above Board MC32
Version 1.00 to be used with ADP type programs
AdapterId 070B0h "Intel Above Board MC32"
System Type
A Model 80 (16MHz type 1) supports a fast memory cycle.
To see if you have
this model, check the front panel near the ON/OFF switch for a label
reading 'TYPE 8580-041'. If you are unsure what system you have,
choose the '70/80s (except 80 type 1)' option.
<"70/80s (except 80 type 1)>,
Model 80 (16MHz type 1)
SIMM (memory) Speed
The SIMMs in your Above Board supply the board's memory.
The DRAMs (memory chips) on these modules are usually labeled to show their
speed. This labeling typically consists of a part number, a dash,
and the speed number. The speed number is usually shown without the
last zero. For example '110000J-10' means a part number '110000J'
and a speed number '10' implying 100 nanoseconds. If you are not
sure what speed memory you have, choose the 'Slow (100ns) memory' option."
<Slow (100ns) memory>,
Fast (80 or 85ns) memory
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