********************************************************************* SYSTEM WORKSHEET/CHECKLIST WITH DEFAULTS: BOARD ADDRESS I/O IRQ DMA VGA/EGA A000-B000 3B4-3DA 2 B800-C000 CGA B000-C000 3D0-3DF HERCULES B000-C000 ? MONO B000-B100 3B0-3BF? OTHER VIDEO CARD TARGA (DEFAULT:A000) 220 VISTA 228 HD CONTROLLER 320-32F 14 FD CONTROLLER 3F0-3F7 6 SCSI CONTROLER C800-CB00 220-22F 15 5 LPT1 3BC-3BF 7 LPT2 378-37B 5 COM1 3F8-3FF 4 COM2 2F8-2FF 3 COM3 3E8-3EF 4 COM4 2E8-2EF 3 GAME 200-20F MOUSE SOUND CARD GPIB/PCII 2B8 7 1 GPIB/PCIIA 2E1 1 IOMEGA (PCIIB/50:CE00) 340-345 3 TAPE CONTROLLER CO-PROCESSOR 0F0-0FF 13 NETWORK CARD REMEMBER: ALWAYS CHECK AND DOUBLE CHECK YOUR CABLES! ********************************************************************* SYSTEM BOARD: WHEN IN DOUBT: IT'S A CABLE ERROR! Power connectors to mother board: black pair of cables go towards center. Check that all chips are firmly seated and re-install any boards. Some boards, like old Targas, can be seated in 8-bit slots even though they have 16-bit connectors. Due to "bad power" superstitions, avoid the slot furthest from the power supply. PC ERROR CODE (abridged) 01xx SYSTEM BOARD 101 interrupt failure 102 bios rom checksum error (pc,xt),timer (at,mca) 103 basic rom checksum error (pc,xt), timer interrupt (at,mca) 104 interrupt controller (pc,xt);protected mode (at,mca) 105 timer (pc,xt), keyboard controller (mca) 106 system board 107 system board adapter card or math coproc, hot nmi test (mca) 108 system board, timer bus (mca) 109 dma test, memory select (mca) 110 system board memory (isa); system obard parity check (mca) 111 adapter memory (isa);memory adapter parity check (mca) 112* adapter, watchdog time-out (mca) 113* adapter, dma arbitration time-out (mca) * = if seen during advanced diag, replace device being tested when error code appeared on screen. 115 80386 protect mode 121 unexpected hardware interrupt 131 cassette wrap test (pc) 132 dma extended registers 133 dma verify logic 134 dma arbitration logic 151 real-time clock (or cmos ram) 152 system board (isa); real time clock or cmos (mca) 160 system board id no recognized (mca) 161 system option (dead battery) (cmos chip lost power) 162 system options (run setup) (cmos checksum or crc error) 163 time & date (run setup) (clock not updating) 164 memory size (run setup);(cmos does not match system) 165 adapter id mismatch (mca) 166 adapter time-out;card busy (mca) 167 system clock not updating (mca) 199 user - indicated device list not correct 02xx MEMORY (SEE ALSO 110,111,164) 201 memory error 202 memory address line 0-15 203 memory address line 16-23;line 16-31 (mca)204 relocated memory (psw2) 205 error 1st 128k (ps2 isa);cmos (ps2 mca) 207 rom failure 211 system board memory;system board 64k (mca) 215 memory address error;64k on daughter/sip 2 (70) 216 system board memory;64k on daughter/sip 1 (70) 221 rom to ram copy (mca) 225 wrong speed memory on system board (mca) 03xx KEYBOARD 301 keyboard no respond 302 user-indicated error from keyboard test (pc,xt) 302 keyboard locked (at, ps2 model 25,30) 303 keyboard/system board interface 304 keyboard or system unit error; keyboard clock (mca) 305 keyboard fuse on system obard (50,60,80);++5v error (70) 341 keyboard 342 keyboard cable 343 enhancement card or cable 365 keyboard (replace it) 366 interface cable (replace cable) 367 enhancement card or cable (replace) 04xx MONOCHROME DISPLAY 401 memory, horizontal sync frequency or vertical sync test 408 user-indicated display attributes 416 user-indicated character set 424 user-indicated 80x25 mode 432 monochrome card parallel port test 05XX COLOR/GRAPHIC DISPLAY 501 memory, horizontal sync frequency or vertical sync test 508 user-indicated display attributes 516 user-indicated character set 524 user-indicated 80x25 mode 532 user-indicated 40x25 mode 540 user-indicated 320x200 graphic mode 548 user-indicated 640x200 graphic mode 556 light pen test 564 user-indicated screen paging test 06xx DISKETTE DRIVES &/OR ADAPTER 601 disk/adpater test fail, drive or controller (mca) 602 disk test (pc,xt); disk boot record (mca) 603 disk size error 606 disk verify function 607 write protect disk 608 bad command;disk status returned 610 disk initialization (pc,xt) 611 timeout disk status returned 612 bad nec; disk status returned 613 bad dma disk status returned 614 dma boundary error 621 bad seek; disk status returned 622 bad crc;disk status returned 623 record not found; disk status returned 624 bad address mark; disk status returned 625 bad nec seek; disk status returned 626 disk data compare error 627 disk change line error 628 disk removed 630 drive a index stuck high 631 drive a index stuck low 632 drive a track 0 stuck off 633 drive a track 0 stuck on 640 drive b index stuck high 641 drive b index stuck low 642 drive b track 0 stuck off 643 drive b track 0 stuck on 650 drive speed 651 format fail 652 verify fail 653 read fail 654 write fail 655 controller 656 drive 657 write protect stuck protect 658 change line stuck changed 659 write protect stuck unprotected 660 change line stuck unchanged 07xx MATH COPROCESSOR 713 voltage/temperature sensitivity test 09xx PARALLEL PRINTER ADAPTER 10xx ALTERNATE PRINTER ADAPTER 11xx COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ADAPTER SYSTEM BOARD ASYNCHRONOUS PORT (MCA) 16550 INTERNAL MODEM (PS2) 12xx ALTERNATE COMMUNICATIONS DEVICES ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ADAPTER (ISA) DUAL ASYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS (DAC) ADAPTER (MCA) 16550 INTERNAL MODEM 13xx GAME CONTROL ADAPTER 1301 adapter fail 1302 joystick test 14xx COLOR/GRAPHICS PRINTER 15xx SDLC (SNCHRONOUS DATE LINE CONTROL) COMMUNICATION ADAPTER 16xx DSEA (DISPLAY STATION EMULATION ADAPTER) IN CASE OF 16XX ERROR TRY REMOVING NON-IBM ADAPTER & THEN REPEAT THE TEST 17xx FIXED (HARD) DISK/ADAPTER 1701 drive not ready (pc,xt); fixed disk/adapter test (at,ps2) 1702 tiem-out (pc,xt);fixed disk/adapter (at,ps2) 1703 drive (PC,XT,PS2) 1704 controller (pc,xt);adapter or drive error (at,ps2) 1705 no record found 1706 write fault 1707 track 0 error 1708 head select error 1709 bad edd (at) 1710 read buffer overrun 1711 bad address mark 1712 bad address mark (pc,xt);error of undetermined cause (at) 1713 data compare error 1714 drive not ready 1730-2 adapter 1750 drive verify 1751 drive read 1752 drive write 1753 random read test 1754 drive seek test 1755 controller 1756 controller ecc test 1757 controller head select 1780 hard disk drive c fatal;time out 1781 hard disk drive d fatal;time out 1782 hard disk controller (no ipl from hardfile) 1790 drive c nonfatal error (can attempt to run ipl from drive) 1791 drive d non fatal error (can attempt to run ipl from drive) 18xx EXPANSION UNIT (PC,XT ONLY) 20xx BSC (BISYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS) ADAPTER 21xx ALTERNATE BISYNCHRONOUS COMMUNICATIONS ADAPTER 22xx CLUSTER ADAPTER 23xx PLASMA MONITOR ADAPTER 24xx ENHANCED GRAPHICS ADAPTER SYSTEM BOARD VIDEO (MCA) 25xx ALTERNATE ENHANCED GRAPHICS ADAPTER 26xx PC/370-M ADAPTER 27xx PC/3277 EMULATION ADAPTER 28xx 3278/79 EMULATOR 3270 CONNECTION ADAPTER 29xx COLOR/GRAPHICS PRINTER 30xx LAN (LOCAL AREA NETWORK) ADAPTER 31xx ALTERNATE LAN ADAPTER 32xx PC DISPLAY ADAPTER 33xx COMPACT PRINTER (PC,XT ONLY) 35xx ENHANCED DISPLAY STATION EMULATION ADAPTER 36xx IEEE 488 ADAPTER 38xx DATA ACQUISITION ADAPTER 39xx PROFESSIONAL GRAPHICS CONTROLLER ADAPTER 44xx 5278 DISPLAY ATTACHMENT UNIT & 5279 DISPLAY 45xx IEEE INTERFACE ADAPTER (IEEE 488) 46xx ARTIC MULTIPORT/2 INTERFACE ADAPTER 48xx INTERNAL MODEM 49xx ALTERNATE INTERNAL MODEM 56xx FINANCIAL COMMUNICATION SYSTEM 70xx CHIP SET (PHOENIX BIOS ONLY) 71xx VOICE COMMUNICATION ADAPTER 73xx 3.5 INCH DISK DRIVE 74xx 8514/A DISPLAY ADAPTER/A 76xx PAGE PRINTER 84xx PS/2 SPEECH ADAPTER 85xx 2MB MEMORY ADAPTER 86xx PS/2 POINTING DEVICE (MOUSE) 89xx MIDI ADAPTER 100xx MULTIPROTOCOL COMMUNICATIONS ADAPTER 112xx SCSI ADAPTER 129xx PROCESSOR CARD FOR MODEL 70 TYPE 3 149xx PLASMA DISPLAY & ADAPTER 165xx 6157 STREAMING TAPE DRIVE OR TAPE ATTACHMENT ADAPTER 194xx ADAPTER MEMORY MODULE 210xx SCSI FIXED DISK & CONTROLLER 215xx SCSI CD-ROM SYSTEM POST Diagnostic Beep Codes for XT/AT Computers ---------------------------------------------------- The codes are shown as a-b-c where 2-2-1 represents 2 beeps - pause - 2 beeps - 1 beep Fatal Errors ------------ 1 - 1 - 3 CMOS failure 1 - 1 - 4 Bios Checksum failure 1 - 2 - 1 8253 Timer failure 1 - 2 - 2 DMA setup failure 1 - 2 - 3 DMA page register failure 1 - 3 - 1 RAM refresh not verified 1 - 3 - 3 Low 64K RAM failure 1 - 3 - 4 Low 64K RAM even/odd failure 1 - 4 - 1 Low 64K RAM address line failure 1 - 4 - 2 Low 64K RAM parity error 2 - 1 - 1 Low 64K RAM Bit 0 error 2 - 1 - 2 Low 64K RAM Bit 1 error 2 - 1 - 3 Low 64K RAM Bit 2 error 2 - 1 - 4 Low 64K RAM Bit 3 error 2 - 2 - 1 Low 64K RAM Bit 4 error 2 - 2 - 2 Low 64K RAM Bit 5 error 2 - 2 - 3 Low 64K RAM Bit 6 error 2 - 2 - 4 Low 64K RAM Bit 7 error 2 - 3 - 1 Low 64K RAM Bit 8 error 2 - 3 - 2 Low 64K RAM Bit 9 error 2 - 3 - 3 Low 64K RAM Bit 10 error 2 - 3 - 4 Low 64K RAM Bit 11 error 2 - 4 - 1 Low 64K RAM Bit 12 error 2 - 4 - 2 Low 64K RAM Bit 13 error 2 - 4 - 3 Low 64K RAM Bit 14 error 2 - 4 - 4 Low 64K RAM Bit 15 error 3 - 1 - 1 DMA #2 register error 3 - 1 - 2 DMA #1 register error 3 - 1 - 3 8259 #1 error 3 - 1 - 4 8259 #2 error 3 - 2 - 4 8042 KB Controller error 3 - 3 - 4 Video initialization error 3 - 4 - 1 Video retrace failure 3 - 4 - 2 Video ROM scan in progress 3 - 4 - 3 Video ROM scan error Non-Fatal Errors -------------- 4 - 2 - 1 8253 Timer tick test 4 - 2 - 2 Shutdown/Restart sequence 4 - 2 - 3 Gate A20 failure 4 - 2 - 4 Unexpected Virtual Mode interrupt 4 - 3 - 1 RAM Test in progress 4 - 3 - 3 8253 Timer Channel 2 test 4 - 3 - 4 Time of Day Clock test 4 - 4 - 1 Serial Port test 4 - 4 - 2 Parallel Port test 4 - 4 - 3 Coprocessor test ********************************************************************* WINDOWS: For Windows 3.1, check that you have the following in your AUTOEXEC: FILES=50 BUFFERS=30 DEVICE=C:\?\HIMEM.SYS STACKS=9.256 Also, these are the default, non-modified SYSTEM.INI statements: [boot] shell=progman.exe system.drv=system.drv keyboard.drv=keyboard.drv mouse.drv=mouse.drv display.drv=vga.drv Be sure your system BIOS are dated later than 1988 If you experience conflicts or system crashes, you can try running SETUP.EXE from DOS in a specific mode. Type SETUP /? to see the options available. Windows itself can also be forced into different modes with WIN /S for Standard and WIN /3 for Enhanced modes. Otherwise you can try the WIN /D:XVS command. If Windows works, try each of the switches independently or in pairs. WIN /D:X (excludes the entire upper memory block region from A000-FFFF. Same as EMMExclude=A000-FFFF. Be sure to disable your EMM from config.sys first) WIN /D:V (Same as VirtualHDirq=OFF) WIN /D:S (Same as SystemROMBreakPoint=OFF) Corresponding changes should then be made to the SYSTEM.INI file: [386Enh] VirtualHDIRQ=off ;for SCSI drives and other ;adapter conflicts EMMExclude='memory address' ;in case of memory conflicts NOTE: Windows 3.1 inherits its mapping information from any EMM loaded before Windows. It is important to either disable the EMM or exclude the same memory range (as shown above) with the EMM itself. If problems occur in ENHANCED mode, you may have a corrupted permanent swap file. Change to a temporary swap and restart the computer. WIN /B will create a BOOTLOG.TXT file which will help determine if there are any bad or conflicting drivers present. If a problem is suspected with the HIMEM.SYS A20 handlers, you can manually attempt them all with the /M:x switch in config.sys. The handler numbers range from 1-16 and 18. On "100%" campatible machines, the handlers 1 or 11-13 should work fine. Beware that some A20 handlers might lock up some systems, so always have a bootable diskette handy. If you add a PostScript printer and all your TrueType fonts disapear from your applications, do the following: Go to Control Panel and choose PostScript Driver, Setup, Options, Advanced Options. Choose "Send to Printer as: BITMAP (TYPE 3)". ********************************************************************* MEMORY: / D000-D1FF / D000-D3FF / \ D200-D3FF / D000-D7FF / \ / D400-D5FF / \ D400-D7FF / \ D600-D7FF D000-DFFF \ / D800-D9FF \ / D800-DBFF \ / \ DA00-DBFF \ D800-DFFF \ / DC00-DDFF \ DC00-DFFF \ DE00-DFFF 64Kb 32Kb 16Kb 8Kb QEMM-386 switches: ADAPTERRAM=xxxx-yyyy An adapter has RAM in the range ADAPTERROM=xxxx-yyyy An adapter has ROM in the range AUTO Turn on only if necessary COMPAQ386S Identify this as a COMPAQ 386S COMPAQEGAROM Relocate COMPAQ's video ROM COMPAQHALFROM Split system ROM in half COMPAQROMMEMORY Use COMPAQ memory reserved for ROM DISKBUF=xx Set the size of the SCSI disk buffer DISKBUFFRAME=xx Buffer disk access into the page frame DMA=xx Set the size of the DMA buffer DOS4 Alter EMS page ordering for DOS 4.00 DONTUSEXMS Do not allow QEMM386 to get memory from XMS EMBMEM=xxxx Limit memory available as EMBs to xxxxxK EXCLUDE=xxxx-yyyy Consider the range unmappable EXCLUDESTEALTH=xxxx Do not Stealth a particular ROM EXCLUDESTEALTHINT=xx Do not Stealth a particular interrupt EXTMEM=xxxxx Reserve xxxxxK of extended memory FASTINT10:n Do not speed up INT 10s with Stealth FORCEEMS Still act like EMS even if no frame FORCESTEALTHCOPY Copy tables even when excluded FRAME=xxxx Set the page frame; xxxx=seg or NONE FRAMEBUF:y/n Buffer INT 21s into the page frame FRAMELENGTH=x Set the page frame to be x pages HANDLES=xxx Set the number of EMS handles HMAMIN=xx Set the minimum size of the HMA (0-63K) IGNOREA20 Don't trap the 8042 INCLUDE=xxxx-yyyy Consider the range mappable LOCKDMA Don't allow interrupts during DMA processing MAPS=xx Set the number of alternate register sets MEMORY=xxxxx Use only xxxxxK of extended memory NOCOMPAQFEATURES Disable EGAROM, HALFROM, ROMMEMORY NOEMS Don't be an expanded memory manager NOFILL Don't fill conventional memory NOHMA Don't allow access to the HMA NOROM Don't map the "reboot" page of the system ROM NOROMHOLES Don't find holes in the system ROM NOSHADOWRAM Don't use C&T Shadow RAM NOSORT Don't sort memory NOTOKENRING Do not look for a Token Ring adapter NOTOPMEMORY Don't look for "top memory" NOVIDEOFILL Don't fill into video memory NOWINDOWS3 Do not support Windows 3 NOVIDEORAM Don't put RAM into video memory NOXBDA Don't move the eXtended BIOS Data Area NOXMS Don't be an extended memory manager OLDDV DV 1.3 or 2.00 will be run OFF Turn QEMM OFF ON Turn QEMM ON RAM[=xxxx-yyyy] Put RAM everywhere or in the range REGION=x Specify the region to load high into ROM[=xxxx[-yyyy]] Map ROM everywhere or in the range SHADOWRAM:type Specify the type of ShadowRAM (NEAT, LEAP, SCAT, 386, or NONE) SORT:N Do not sort memory by speed TASKS=xx Set the interrupt nesting level UNMAPFREEPAGES Unmap pages from the frame when free UNUSUAL8042 The 8042 is non-standard UNUSUALEXT The extended memory BIOS is non-standard VIDRAMEGA Configure for EGA feature of VIDRAM VIDRAMEMS Configure for EMS feature of VIDRAM VIRTUALHDIRQ:N Do not suppress INT15/90 with Stealth VXDDIR=path Specify the directory of the .VXD files WATCHDOG=[0,1,2] Set the type of Watchdog timer WINSHRINKUMBS:N Do not reclaim unused high RAM for Windows NOPAUSEONERROR Don't pause on error PAUSE Pause while parsing commands HELP Display this help text ? List all commands VIDRAM switches: EGA Use EGA memory to turn on EMS Use EMS memory to turn on (default) NOCGA Inhibit EGA and CGA graphics NOEGA Inhibit EGA graphics only OFF Set up normal video memory with graphics ON Grow memory into video region OVERRIDE Allow video memory conflict RESIDENT Just go resident NOPAUSEONERROR Don't pause on error PAUSE Pause while parsing commands HELP Display this help text ? List all commands QUICK-N-DIRTY GUIDE TO MEMORY MANAGEMENT UNDER DOS 5.0 by Dave Eyre 70303,2533 THE THREE PARTS OF MEMORY As a working example I have chosen a 386 machine with 4 Megabytes of RAM. This 4096 K of RAM is divided up as follows: a) The first 640 K is called "Conventional Memory" and is where you load and operate your "working" software such as word processor, spreadsheet, etc. b) The next 384 K (from 640 K to 1024 K), is called "Upper Memory". This is reserved by DOS for its own use and previously there was no way of tapping into the large reserves of unused memory in this area, but with DOS 5.0 this now becomes possible. c) The remaining 3072 K is called "Extended Memory". PROTECTING THE 640 K CONVENTIONAL MEMORY In memory management, a good first priority is to save as much Conventional Memory as you can for your "working" software (at any rate, that's MY first priority). Unfortunately, during a normal boot-up procedure, DOS grabs several chunks of Conventional Memory for the DEVICES loaded by CONFIG.SYS, plus memory-resident files such as Sidekick or Norton Commander loaded by AUTOEXEC.BAT, plus the DOS operating system itself (which needs quite a bit of memory). So you can be left with something much less than 640 K to work with. In extreme cases (loading too many device drivers and memory-resident programs) the remaining Conventional Memory may not be big enough to run some of your working software. Under DOS 5.0 you can get around this problem by using three tricks: a) On 286 and 386 machines, DOS can be tricked into handling (addressing) an extra 64 K, over the top of its normal 1024 K. This is called the "High Memory Area" (HMA). To get access to this memory you must load HIMEM.SYS as a device in your CONFIG.SYS file. This device must be loaded first, before you do any other messing around with memory allocations. So (preferably) the first line of your CONFIG.SYS file should read: DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS So now you have 384 + 64 = 448 K in Upper Memory, but this is still reserved by DOS and is not available for use by your working software. DOS actually uses only a smallish fraction of this Upper Memory, and there are large unused sections that could be put to good use if only there were some way of getting at them. The remaining two tricks allow you to do this. b) Put the following command in the CONFIG.SYS file: DOS=HIGH This command forces DOS to load its system into Upper Memory instead of stealing a chunk of Conventional Memory. Instead of occupying about 65 K of Conventional Memory, DOS 5.0 will then occupy about 14 K, saving you an extra 51 K for your "working" software. c) Now modify the CONFIG.SYS file so that the DOS command reads: DOS=HIGH,UMB The UMB stands for Upper Memory Block, and it "alerts" DOS to the fact that you are going to load some of the device drivers or memory-resident programs into Upper Memory instead of having them steal chunks from Conventional Memory. Later on we'll see how to load devices etc. into Upper Memory. STEALING EXPANDED MEMORY FROM EXTENDED MEMORY Remember we started off with 3072 K of Extended Memory, but then we stole 64 K for the High Memory Area. So now we are left with 3008 K of Extended Memory. Before you start loading device drivers or assign memory to different applications, it is first of all necessary to set up the Expanded Memory Manager EMM386.EXE. This can do many things, but its two basic functions are: a) It controls the Upper Memory Blocks (chunks of Upper Memory) where you are going to put your various device drivers and memory-resident programs (to stop them using valuable Conventional Memory). But you can't put these things in Upper Memory without first activating EMM386.EXE, so it's good policy to load this device in the third line of the CONFIG.SYS file, before you proceed to load device drivers. b) It sets up an Expanded Memory System (EMS), which requires a bit of explanation. Although DOS can only access ("address") the first 1024 K of memory, the Expanded Memory Manager (EMM) gives it a boost which allows it (effectively) to access a much greater chunk of memory. In fact, the EMM manager will allow DOS to access any amount of your Extended Memory. You can specify how much memory you require, and then the EMM manager will effectively cut this out of Extended Memory and make it available to DOS as Expanded Memory (or EMS). At the same time, the EMM manager needs to mark out a 64 K section in the Upper Memory, which acts as a kind of "window" through which DOS can "see" or access all the Expanded Memory (read Gookin for more details). Generally speaking, you only need Expanded Memory if you are operating software that needs it and knows how to use it. In such cases the software manual will (or should) give instructions on how the Expanded Memory is to be set up. Otherwise, you don't need Expanded Memory. So there are basically two ways of setting up your EMM manager: DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS or: DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE 512 RAM The first option sets up the EMM system to control the Upper Memory Blocks only, with no Expanded Memory. Since there is no Expanded Memory, the EMM manager does not need to mark out the 64 K "window" mentioned above, so this 64 K is FREE in Upper Memory and can be used for loading device drivers and memory-resident programs. This is the best option when your normal software operations don't need Expanded Memory. The second option sets up an Expanded Memory of 512 K (or whatever you specify) and the RAM option means that it also controls the Upper Memory Blocks. With this option the EMM manager marks out the 64 K of "window" in Upper Memory. This means that there's less space in Upper Memory to load device drivers and memory-resident programs. This is the best option when your working software needs Expanded Memory, and the size of the Expanded Memory System (EMS) must be tailored to the needs of the software. At this stage the CONFIG.SYS file contains only three lines, as follows: DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS It's useful to boot up with this CONFIG.SYS file, then look at its effect on memory by running one or other of the following commands: mem /c |more (to view memory details on screen) mem /c >prn (to print memory details) You will probably find that you have started out with 3145728 bytes (3072 K) of Extended Memory, but now have only 2907136 bytes (2839 K). The High Memory Area stole 64 K (remember?), and now the EMM manager has stolen another 169 K, even though we've not allocated any Expanded Memory. The important point is that, after the first three lines of the CONFIG.SYS file, we have clipped 233 K off Extended Memory and are left with 2839 K (of course, this will vary from one system to another). MAKING BEST USE OF THE REMAINING EXTENDED MEMORY The three most common ways of using Extended Memory are: a) Use part of it for programs which need it. Windows, for instance, makes good use of Extended Memory. b) Use part of it for SMARTDRV Disk Cache. The Disk Cache gives a remarkable speeding up of disk operations, and it is generally desirable to install SMARTDRV with at least its default size of 256 K. SMARTDRV takes over many of the functions of the BUFFER system and FASTOPEN, so if SMARTDRV is installed the BUFFERS can be set to some low value (say 3) and FASTOPEN can be ignored. c) Use part of it for RAMDRIVE. This means that a specified part of Extended Memory is set aside for use as a Virtual Disk - actually a large chunk of RAM which mimics the behaviour of a conventional disk. The main advantage is that the Virtual Disk operates much faster than a hardware disk. The main disadvantage is that, when the computer is switched off (or there is a power failure), the contents of this disk will be lost. Virtual Disk operations are nevertheless popular because of their speed, and usually have to be controlled through a batch file which transfers the necessary files from hard disk to virtual disk, then, after work has been done on the files, transfers them back to hard disk in their modified form. Such operations may require a better- than-average understanding of DOS on the part of the user. There is no carved-in-stone rule for dividing Extended Memory among the above three options; it varies according to individual use and preference. A good strategy is to have a series of CONFIG.SYS files, each tailored to give the best memory usage for its particular application. Then, after boot-up, the appropriate CONFIG.SYS file is chosen and activated by re-booting. LOADING DEVICE DRIVERS INTO UPPER MEMORY The following is a fairly typical CONFIG.SYS listing: DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS DEVICE=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS DEVICE=C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.SYS DEVICE=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.SYS 1024 DEVICE=C:\DOS\RAMDRIVE.SYS 1814 512 64 /E BUFFERS=3 FILES=30 BREAK=ON SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /E:1024 /P Note that the memories assigned to SMARTDRV and RAMDRIVE total 2838 K, which in my working example will leave 1 K (1024 bytes) of unused Extended Memory. As a first step in assigning device drivers to the Upper Memory, boot with the above version of CONFIG.SYS (using whatever variations you like) and then run the command "mem /c |more" (or "mem /c >prn") to look at the memory usage. First of all, you'll find that all the device drivers (ANSI, MOUSE, SMARTDRV, RAMDRIVE) have been loaded into Conventional Memory, and "mem" shows the size of each driver. [Note: some people get a bit confused here. Take SMARTDRV for example: the DRIVER for SMARTDRV (the bit that controls it) is loaded into Conventional Memory, but the 1024 K required for the Disk Cache is located in Extended Memory]. Also, you will find that Upper Memory has several chunks of FREE memory available, and "mem" shows you the size of each chunk. You now have to look at the sizes of the device drivers and figure out how many of these drivers can be fitted into the FREE parts of Upper Memory. Let's suppose that ANSI, MOUSE and SMARTDRV can be fitted into Upper Memory, but there's not enough space to take RAMDRIVE. It's a simple matter to load ANSI, MOUSE and SMARTDRV into Upper Memory: all you have to do is change DEVICE to DEVICEHIGH in the CONFIG.SYS file, which then reads as follows: DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS [can't use DEVICEHIGH here] DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\ANSI.SYS DEVICEHIGH=C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.SYS DEVICEHIGH=C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.SYS 1024 DEVICE=C:\DOS\RAMDRIVE.SYS 1814 512 64 /E BUFFERS=3 FILES=30 BREAK=ON SHELL=C:\COMMAND.COM /E:1024 /P The best policy is to try loading one driver at a time into Upper Memory, then reboot with the modified CONFIG.SYS, then use "mem /c |more" to look at the effect on memory. Sometimes you will find that a driver will not load into Upper Memory, even though there seems to be enough FREE memory to take it (read Gookin if you want an explanation). LOADING MEMORY-RESIDENT PROGRAMS INTO UPPER MEMORY Memory-resident programs (TSR's) are normally loaded into Conventional Memory by the AUTOEXEC.BAT file at boot-up. The procedure for loading them into Upper Memory is similar to that for device drivers: boot-up in the normal way, then use the "mem" command to list the memory allocations. If a memory-resident program is loaded into Conventional Memory, note its size and also the amount of FREE Upper Memory. If there is enough FREE memory, the program can be made to load into Upper Memory by use of the command "loadhigh". For example, AUTOEXEC.BAT might contain a command line "test", which calls-up a memory-resident program "test.exe". If the command line is changed to "loadhigh test" the program will be loaded into Upper Memory when you re-boot. But a note of caution: some memory-resident programs might cause severe disruption if loaded into Upper Memory, and your PC might abort or go into some other failure mode at boot-up. Therefore when modifying AUTOEXEC.BAT with "loadhigh" commands it is advisable to have a DOS system floppy disk handy, so you can boot-up independently of the hard disk then get into AUTOEXEC.BAT and remove the offending command. ********************************************************************* FLOPPY DRIVE: Control cable twist is TOWARDS stripe (pin 1). ********************************************************************* HARD DRIVE: 6.0 Drive Installation Trouble Shooting The information presented in this guide is for general reference. It is not intended to be a complete reference of computer or hard disc drive troubleshooting information, however, the solutions given below account for the vast majority of questions received by Seagate Technical Support. Please read this entire section before contacting your dealer or distributor for additional technical support. Comments about this guide may be left with the system operator on the Seagate Technical Support Bulletin Board service. International phone numbers are listed on page 2. Before checking for specific problems with the installation, please verify the following: * Check the Setup and Configuration sections in the drive and controller Installation Guides for possible oversights in user configuration. * Interface and controller cables are fragile and should be handled with care. Make sure all cables in system are functioning properly and connected as specified. * Make sure all cards are firmly seated in their slots. * Make sure system power supply has adequate power for all installed devices. * Always have current backup of your data. 6.1 Power On Failures ---------------------- 1. System doesn't recognize the presence of the drive. i) Check all cables for pin-1 to pin-1 orientation. ii) Verify that the drive spins up. Keep in mind that many drives are very quiet and hard to hear. iii) Check power supply for adequate output. iv) Make sure controller is the correct type needed for the interface of the drive and that the controller is correctly configured for your drive. v) In AT systems, confirm that the correct CMOS drive type is used. vi) Check drive select or drive ID jumpers. vii) Check the drive select jumper is correct for the number of drives in your system and/or for the type of controller cable being used. viii) Check for either BIOS memory address, port or interrupt conflicts with controller from other devices. Go to a bare bones system and add one device at a time until the conflict resurfaces. ix) Verify that you are using a hard drive 34-pin control cable. If using twisted control cable and 7 wires are twisted, then you are using floppy drive cable. x) Check to see if a warm boots works. xi) Try slowing down the system speed or bus speed. 2. Dealer formatted the drive in his shop. You installed drive but now it doesn't come up at all. Refer to 6.1.1, then: i) Make sure that the DOS version used to partition and high-level format the drive is consistent with your system. ii) If partitioning software was used, make sure that the same drive type in CMOS is used by using the software in the manual mode. iii) If using an AT Bus drive in translation mode, make sure the same translation parameters are used. iv) Check that the same controller was used by the dealer as the one in your system. v) Verify that the same kind of cables were used at the dealer. 3. The screen goes blank whenever I power up the system. Immediately on power up: i) Check that the power supply can handle drive power requirements. ii) Try removing the new controller or host adapter to see if problem resolves; indicating a defective adapter or hardware conflict. iii) Check that monitor is plugged in and turned on. iv) Check that the video card is operational. After P.O.S.T. (Power On Self Test): v) Boot from a floppy disk and verify that the primary DOS partition is active and that the high-level FORMAT has been performed. 4. In an AT class system, the drive LED is always on. i) Not a problem if drive is working. Check controller documentation for latch/non-latch jumper if available. ii) Drive not working: check that pin1 on controller matches pin1 on drive. 5. 1701 ERROR i) Refer to 6.1.1 ii) If in an XT system, perform the low-level format if drive is new to this controller. 6. 1780 or 1781 ERROR Refer to 6.1.1 7. 1790 or 1791 ERROR i) Need to low-level format the drive (then partition with FDISK and DOS high-level format). ii) Try substituting another 20-pin data cable. 8. AT interface drive spins up after power, then it spins back down. i) Substitute the ribbon cable. ii) Try a different system with a different BIOS. 9. AT interface does not spin up after power. i) Check to see that the ribbon cable is not reversed. Sometimes the colored stripe on the cable is pin-40. 6.2 Low-level Format Errors ------------------------ 1. Low-level format takes too long or hangs. Excessive errors. Code 20 or 80. (controller codes) or Unsuccessful format. i) In AT systems make sure CMOS drive type is correct. ii) In XT systems make sure dynamic configuration is correct. iii) Check the drive parameters used in the low-level format. iv) Check/substitute 20-pin data cable. v) Check that you have data cable plugged into correct connector on controller. vi) Verify that the performance capability of the controller matches the performance of drive and matches the speed of the system. 2. Entering the DEBUG address fails to obtain the low-level format menu. i) Check if controller even has an onboard BIOS and confirm that it is enabled. ii) Check DEBUG address used against the memory address jumpers on the controller (refer to controller documentation). iii) Some systems require removing the drive type from CMOS. iv) Look for conflicts with other controllers or adapters which have onboard BIOS; video, etc.. v) Check with controller manufacturer about the use of special formatting software on diskette that needs to be used with the controller card (Seagate controllers and host adapters do not use special diskette software). vi) Try using the following addresses for DEBUG: G=C800:5 or G=CC00:5 or G=C800:CCC or G=C800:6 or G=D800:5 or G=DC00:5 3. "Drive not Ready" error message. i) Check all cables for pin-1 to pin-1 orientation. ii) Check power supply for adequate output. iii) Verify that the drive spins up. Keep in mind that many drives are very quiet and hard to hear. iv) Check the drive select jumper is correct for the number of drives in your system and/or for the type of controller cable being used. v) Warm Boot; could be controller, power supply, system BIOS timing, or, relative spin-up time in two drive systems. vi) Consider the use of diagnostic hard drive maintenance software. vii) May need to low-level format the drive. 4. "Sector not found" error message. i) Substitute the 20-pin data cable. ii) Usually a media error or the drive not with original controller, may need to re low-level format. 5. Low-level Format hangs on a specific Head/Cylinder/Sector. i) Check that the hard error list was entered. (bad track list). ii) Check that the parameters and/or correct drive type in CMOS setup is being used and matches those of the drive. iii) Mark the location of the problem area out in the defect map and restart the low-level format. 6.3 Partitioning (FDISK) Errors --------------------------- 1. "No Fixed Disk Present" i) Refer to 6.1.1 ii) Check for too loose cable. iii) In two drive system, check that the terminating resistor has been removed from the drive in the middle of the daisy chain. iv) May need to re low-level format. 2. Hangs in FDISK or fails to create or save partition record. i) Swap or check the 20-pin data cable. ii) Verify that the low-level format actually took place. iii) Check that the drive parameters have been entered correctly (re low-level if not). iv) If AT bus interface drive, try an alternate translation geometry. v) Substitute the cables. vi) Try a different DOS and/or DOS utilities diskette. vii) Try changing the partition size. viii) Run a surface scan utility to check for defects at the beginning of the drive. ix) If using ST07 or ST08 AT interface host adapter, check JP5. 3. "Hard Disk Controller Failure" or very many defect in last logical partition. i) Confirm that the drive type definition used in the CMOS setup does not exceed the capacity of the drive. Seagate disc drives use 1 megabyte to equal 1,000,000 (10 to the 6th power) bytes. In CMOS a megabyte may be calculated as 1,048,576 (2 to the 20th power) bytes. 6.4 System Format ------------------ 1. High level format takes too long. i) Normal operation with DOS 4.x to keep retrying hard errors, giving "Attempting to recover allocation units" message. 2. Drive doesn't format to full capacity (DOS partitions only). i) Check the drive parameters used in the low-level format. ii) DOS has a 1024 cylinder limitation, alternate translations or third party partitioning software may be needed. iii) Verify that the controller is the proper type for drive interface and performance. iv) Confirm that the parameters reported by FDISK match those of the drive. v) Older DOS has a built in limitation of 32 megabytes. You may need to upgrade your DOS. vi) All DOS has a limitation of reported drive parameters. You may need a controller with BIOS, partitioning software, or a system BIOS upgrade. vii) Some controllers use disc space for defect management, refer to controller manual for explanation of default sparing overhead. 3. Do not get full capacity from large capacity drive, using partitioning software. i) Likely due to a geometry mismatch in CMOS. Try creating a very small (.8 meg) DOS boot partition and then partitioning the rest of drive with write/read partitions. 4. Formatted with Disk Manager, cannot recognize D, E, F (drives above C:). i) Be sure you booted from the hard drive. ii) Verify that the Disk Manager DMDRVR.BIN device driver file is in the root directory of the C partition or boot drive. iii) Verify that the CONFIG.SYS file on the boot disc has the statement DEVICE=DMDRVR.BIN and that it is loaded before any other memory management device drivers. iv) Confirm that all partitions have been "prepared". 5. "Disk Boot Failure", "non system disk", or "No ROM Basic - SYSTEM HALTED" error messages. i) Try using the DOS utility SYS.COM (i.e. At the A:\ prompt, with the same version of DOS as on the hard drive, type "SYS C:"). ii) When Using FDISK, make sure that the primary partition is active. iii) On AT systems, check for the correct CMOS drive type, check the system battery. iv) Check all cables. v) Open floppy door. vi) Scan for virus infections. vii) On XT systems, back up files then reformat from the low level. 6.5 General Errors -------------------- 1. Random data, seek, or format errors. i) Check power and grounding. ii) Try re-routing the cables. iii) Controllers are susceptible to noise, do not install next to power supply or some monitor cards. iv) Try slowing down the system speed or bus speed. v) If drive works outside of the system, it is probably ground or RFI problem. vi) Do a thorough media scan and reformat, sparing out all previous and new hard errors. 2. Error while installing a second drive of a different interface, or system doesn't boot after installation of second controller. i) The controller must match the interface of the second drive and will need to have onboard BIOS that must not require a CMOS drive type. ii) The BIOS memory address of the new controller must be set to a different address than that of any other devices. iii) If new drive is an AT interface drive, the existing drive will need a controller with BIOS that does not require a CMOS drive type setting. iv) Verify that you have only a single enabled floppy controller in the system. v) Verify that your second controller is at a different BIOS memory and port address than any other installed devices. 3. "Bad or Missing Command Interpreter" error message. i) Do not mix DOS versions. ii) Make sure COMMAND.COM was transferred. iii) Scan for virus infection. iv) Reformat the C: partition using the /S option for transferring the system files. 4. Should I park my drive? i) Only if drive is not autoparking. 5. CheckDisk reports bytes in "Bad Sectors". i) This is not a problem. Some controller formatting schemes spare an entire track for each hard error found by the low-level format. A hard disc drive is within spec if the drive has up to one error per megabyte of formatted capacity. 6. "Error reading Drive C:" type error message. i) Scan the disc drive for defects. ii) If excessive or intermittent, may be caused by faulty cables. iii) Scan for Virus infection. iv) Consider the use of diagnostic hard drive maintenance software. v) May need to be re low-level formatted (especially if the drive orientation has been changed). 7. "Track 0 not found" error message. i) Substitute the 20-pin data cable. ii) Change the CONFIG.SYS file to include buffers=99, or upgrade DOS software to version 3.3 or higher. iii) May need to low-level format drive. 6.6 Transfer rate and Seek time Access time Problems ----------------------------------------------------- 1. Average access time test longer than specified. i) Verify drive model specifications. ii) Optimum step pulse rate is 10 to 35 microseconds, set in dynamic configuration of low-level format on XT type system. iii) Different software will measure access time differently. Make sure that the software subtracts system overhead from the calculation. 2. Slower data transfer rate than specified. i) Test the data transfer rate with different diagnostic utilities. ii) Experiment with different interleave settings during the low-level format to achieve best data transfer rate. Start with default setting. iii) Controllers vary widely in their interleave capability. A 1:1 interleave controller should always be set for 1, regardless of the drive model. An interleave of 1 to 1 is the fastest. Consult your controller specifications. Setting interleave too fast will degrade performance. iv) AT Bus interface drives: Verify that a low-level format was not used previously, as this may remove the head and cylinder skewing optimization. 6.7 SCSI Specific Problems --------------------------- 1. No ROM ID message to screen on boot up. i) Check for memory address conflict with other adapter BIOS. ST01/ST02 must be at highest address. ii) Bad Host Adapter 2. 1780, 1781, 1790, 1791 errors. i) Check cables. ii) Remove the drive type from CMOS in AT systems. 3. No SCSI device found. i) Check for host adapter BIOS memory address conflict. ii) Make sure no drive number is set in CMOS setup. iii) Check installation iv) Check cable and power output. v) Check SCSI ID number. vi) Verify if Parity jumper on the drive is needed. 4. SCSI drive type for my AT system. i) None or "Not Installed"; SCSI does not work if a drive type is entered in CMOS. 5. Series of 1 to 7 drive LED flashes at power-on and drive doesn't work. i) Remove the SCSI interface cable from the drive and apply power. If drive LED still flashes, record the number of flashes and call for technical support. 6.8 Software -------------- 1.. Newly installed software causes problems or doesn't operate properly. i) Call the software manufacturer. 2. Need device driver for the drive. i) Device drivers are written by the controller manufacturer. Seagate does not offer any device drivers. 3. DOS works OK but other Operating System doesn't. i) Call the operating system manufacturer. ********************************************************************* TARGA: Tricks of the Trade - TARGA(+) Configuration Secrets BY BOB GILLMAN Use the techniques presented here to install or fine tune your system. (NOTE: References to TARGA(+) means both the old TARGA and new TARGA+, while TARGA refers to the old series and TARGA+ refers only to the TARGA+.) SURVEYING YOUR SYSTEM Many decisions concerning TARGA(+) installations deal with your current system environment. Do you have a VGA or monochrome card? Are you using EXPANDED memory? Do you have one monitor or two? Does your TARGA based software operate in "old" TARGA mode or new extended TARGA+ mode? First, the TARGA+ can operate in two monitor mode or VGA pass- through. The two monitor solution means that the output of your DOS video card is displayed on one monitor and output from the TARGA+ displays on another monitor. Unless certain factors (like space saving) demand it, I recommend the regular or non VGA pass-through operation. The VGA pass- through mode has multiple problems associated with it. These include factors such as certain programs require two monitors (like VideoMaker+); pass-through requires a TSR that uses 20K memory; you can't video grab while in pass-through mode; and finally, the software that controls VGA pass-through, frankly, is "flaky" and unreliable. Next, whether to operate in old TARGA software mode or new TARGA+ advanced mode is a question facing all TARGA users. The best answer to this question is to configure your system to operate SIMULTANEOUSLY in both old and new mode. If you carefully configure your system, you can easily switch between both modes. If you don't configure properly, you'll have all types of problems - I'll share the secrets of proper configuration with you. Finally, the last thorny issue of TARGA installation deals with properly juggling the memory segments between 640K and 1MB. Back in the dark ages of PC development, the first IBM PC arrived with 64K. Then, 64K was more memory than anyone could every dream of using. The developers of DOS didn't imagine users would ever need more than 640K. Therefore, they reserved the memory addresses between 640K and 1MB for system ROM and installable cards and devices. The memory addresses between 640K and 1MB are divided into six memory segments of 64K each. They are normally referred to by the first letter of the memory segment address. For example, the "A" memory segment refers to the 64K memory segment that begins at hexadecimal (base 16) address of "A000" and ends at "AFFF." By general agreement, the memory segments are used as follows: A - reserved for VGA and EGA graphics memory B - reserved for text memory C - reserved for hard drive controllers D - open E - open (except 286 machines) F - reserved for system ROM address The main installation problem with the TARGA(+) is that it requires the use of one of these memory segments, a full 64K in which the TARGA(+) memory resides. The default location for the TARGA(+) is the "A" memory segment. When that "default" was established six years ago, most users had monochrome or CGA adapters that didn't use the "A" memory segment - so no problem. Now most systems come equipped with a VGA that is hard wired to use the "A" memory segment. If you leave your TARGA(+) at the default "A" segment, you will have problems eventually. The reason I say "eventually" is that the problems may not be immediately apparent. If you are using TARGA(+) programs that never access the VGA in graphics mode, you won't normally see problems. For example, TIPS+ uses the VGA card only to display its start-up copyright notice; this is text, which only uses the VGA text memory in the "B" memory segment. When, however, you do run a program that uses the VGA graphics, you will immediately see the problems. For example, if you run the new VideoMaker+ software and your TARGA(+) is installed at the "A" segment, you will see serious memory conflict problems. Confounding the memory segment problem more is that most graphics systems which have TARGA(+)s installed are quite complex. The systems usually have several special devices that are competing with the TARGA(+) for the few memory segments that are free. As the memory segment map above shows, there are basically only two free memory segments on 386 and 486 systems - segments "D" and "E". Most TARGA(+) based graphics systems have software (like TOPAS, Lumena, Inscriber, etc.) that require the use of EXPANDED (also known as EMS) memory. EXPANDED memory, as opposed to extended memory, is a special type of paging memory used by certain programs. To create EXPANDED memory, you employ a software driver that changes your extended memory (memory over 1MB) to EXPANDED. It also requires the use of a memory segment to "page" the memory. Therefore, to install a TARGA(+) in a system with a VGA and EXPANDED memory, use the following recommended configuration: VGA - "A" memory segment TARGA(+) - "D" memory segment EMS memory - "E" memory segment This configuration works in most situations. It won't work in certain 286 systems because you can't use the "E" memory segment. It also won't work if you have other unmovable devices that are operating in these memory segments. For example, certain network cards use the "D" memory segment. Often, it is impossible to use all the devices that you'd like in one system simultaneously due to a shortage of memory segments. CONFIGURING YOUR SYSTEM Based on the above considerations, the recommendation for most favored installation is as follows: two monitor system VGA card TARGA at "D" memory segment EMS (Expanded memory) at "E" memory segment simultaneous implementation of old TARGA and new TARGA+ compatibility The first step is to install the TARGA+ driver in your "CONFIG.SYS" file. The driver, named TARGAP.SYS, is placed in the system configuration file known as CONFIG.SYS. Use any text editor to edit this file. This is the recommended configuration: DEVICE=\TPLUS\TARGAP.SYS mD d6 This tells your system to find the driver in your "\TPLUS" subdirectory and install it as a driver. Both the "m" and "d" options are VERY important. The "m" or memory option tells the driver to install the TARGA+ memory in the "D" memory segment. If you forget the "mD" option, the driver will default the memory to the "A" segment which you don't want. The "d" or display option is also very important. The "d6" option tells the driver that you have a separate monitor attached to your TARGA+ and you are not operating in VGA pass-through mode. If you forget the "d6" option, your TARGA+ programs will seem to run but you'll never see anything on the TARGA+ screen. There are a few other options for the TARGAP.SYS driver, but none that we need to delve into at this point. Another critical point to installing the TARGA(+) is to insure that it co-exists properly with your EMS (expanded memory) driver. Because the latest EMS drivers are extremely "smart," they try to re-use the memory that is "wasted" between 640K and 1MB. Although the TARGA(+) is using the memory at segment "D", the EMS drivers don't see the TARGA(+) memory and assume nothing is there. What they try to do, if you let them, is use that memory also. Instead, you need to tell them not to use that memory. Use the following commands for the specified EMS drivers to tell them to exclude using the "D" memory segment: QEMM DEVICE=QEMM386.SYS EXCLUDE=D000-DFFF DOS 5.0 DEVICE=EMM386.EXE m9 386MAX DEVICE=386MAX.SYS EXCLUDE=D000-DFFF The final step in configuring the TARGA+ is the proper use of the "TMODE" program. The TMODE program (file name - "TMODE.EXE") is supplied by Truevision along with the "TARGAP.SYS" file with your TARGA+ board. Although the TARGA+ will work without TMODE, it's important to use and understand it so that your system is configured properly. TMODE sets the resolution and color depth of your TARGA+ - it's that simple. Although TMODE supports 36 different combinations, there are usually only a few modes of interest to each user. As a user, you must decide what modes are most important to you. As a rule of thumb, I recommend the following TMODE modes: VIDEO PRODUCTION 9 - 512 x 486 x 16 bits interlaced (if only TARGA+16) 11 - 512 x 486 x 32 bits interlaced 17 - 640 x 480 x 16 bits interlaced 25 - 756 x 486 x 16 bits interlaced Notes: First, to retain old TARGA compatibility, only modes 9 and 11 will work. Second, if you plan to use the new VideoMaker+ software, only mode 9 works properly with that software due to the dual page displays. DESIGN & LAYOUT (such as RIO, Lumena) 2 - 512 x 400 x 16 non-interlaced 4 - 512 x 400 x 32 non-interlaced 18 - 640 x 480 x 16 non-interlaced Notes: Non-interlaced is easier on the eyes than interlaced because there is no flicker. If you are using video grabs, you need to switch to interlaced for the grabs only. To use non-interlaced display, make certain your TARGA+ monitor is capable of non- interlaced display; some cannot, i.e. video only monitors. VGA Conversions (TARGA+ to VGA conversions) 17 - 640 x 480 x 16 interlaced Note: this mode is perfect for capturing video images and using other software for conversion to VGA and super VGA. Based on these simple rules of thumb, configure your TMODE properly for the type of application to be run. The last step to a proper configuration is installing old TARGA emulation mode and insuring that it is compatible with the new mode. In terms of resolutions supported, the old TARGA only supported either 512 x 400 (underscan) or 512 x 486 (overscan). Old TARGA boards used two environmental variables. An environment variable is information that you can set in your PC to control the behavior of certain programs. It is set with the DOS "SET" command, either interactively or through your start-up "AUTOEXEC.BAT" file. The two TARGA environmental variables are called "TARGA" and "TARGASET". TARGA specifies the memory segment where the TARGA memory resides (like the "m" option in the TARGA+ driver). The TARGASET variable controls other information like overscan/underscan, type of board, type of video source, and more. Following the previous recommendation for the placing the TARGA memory at the "D" segment, we would use the following command for the TARGA variable: "SET TARGA=247". This make no logical sense except that it refers to the switches in the down position on a 10 position dip switch on the old TARGA boards. Settings for other memory segment locations can be found in the technical manuals. For the TARGASET variable, these are some of the useful commands: T16 - specifies a TARGA 16 T32 - specifies a TARGA 32 R - specifies a RGB video input (defaults to composite) EP241 - specifies overscan (defaults to underscan) Therefore, to put together a series of commands to make your TARGA+ behave properly in both old and new mode, consider these examples below. The program "TPLUSINI" is required to place your TARGA+ into old TARGA emulation mode. It needs to be run AFTER the environmental commands are set. Therefore, the following commands might be put in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file: TARGA 16 IN UNDERSCAN (512 X 400) INTERLACED TMODE 1 SET TARGA=247 SET TARGASET=T16 TPLUSINI T16.INI TARGA 16 IN OVERSCAN (512 X 486) INTERLACED TMODE 9 SET TARGA=247 SET TARGASET=T16EP241 TPLUSINI T16.INI TARGA 32 IN UNDERSCAN (512 X 400) INTERLACED TMODE 3 SET TARGA=247 SET TARGASET=T32 TPLUSINI T32.INI TARGA 32 IN OVERSCAN (512 X 486) INTERLACED TMODE 11 SET TARGA=247 SET TARGASET=T32EP241 TPLUSINI T32.INI TROUBLE SHOOTING That is basically all there is to configuring the board - actually quite a bit. If after following all these steps, you fire up your computer and nothing happens on the TARGA+ screen, what do you do now? The first step is to recheck all your work. Make sure there is not a typo somewhere in your CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT. If you haven't made any obvious errors, follow these trouble shooting ideas to attempt to isolate the problem. TARGA+ screen is black, although programs seem to run correctly This is the most frequently seen problem - you most likely forgot to place that display variable "d6" on the TARGAP.SYS driver in your CONFIG.SYS. TARGA+ driver doesn't initialize upon boot-up 1. Check if the TARGAP.SYS file is where you specified it was on your disk. 2. Check if any other drivers are interfering with loading the TARGAP.SYS. 3. You may have an I/O Base address conflict. This is a configurable option which does not need to be changed from its default position of 220 in 95% of all installations. If you have rechecked everything else, check all the add-on boards in your PC to see if any other boards are using the 220 address. If they are, you need to reconfigure the TARGA+ to use a different address like 230 by specifying the "i" option. Your TARGAP line in the CONFIG.SYS file would appear as: DEVICE=\TPLUS\TARGAP.SYS mD d6 i230 The TARGA+ board works but the screen is "ghosting" or your mouse leaves "mouse droppings" on the screen. This is a classic memory conflict problem with two or more items fighting for the same memory. Check your memory segment addresses, particularly the VGA and your expanded memory driver. (Also, you may want to experiment with Wait State switches. See below) Another thing that may cause this is a PC BIOS option called "Shadow RAM." If you enable it, your PC copies the ROMS from some devices (like the VGA) into high RAM, possibly the same address space as the TARGA+. To see if this is the problem, choose the BIOS Setup on your PC when it boots and disable this option. Pixels twinkle like little stars on your TARGA screen, especially after video capture. or Software cannot locate your TARGA board in the system, but you are positive that everything is installed properly. These two problems were notorious with the older TARGA boards, but have mostly disappeared with the TARGA+. The old TARGA board was designed when the 6 mHz IBM PC AT was the most powerful computer around. The board was designed to work with PCs having a bus (not clock) speed less than or equal to 8mHz. There are three potential solutions to these problems. Most of the new PCs have BIOS options that you can set. Often, the bus speed is a option that can be set. Try lowering the bus speed of the computer. Another trick is to install the TARGA(+) in an 8 bit slot instead of a 16 bit slot. This trick has saved the day many times. Although it might seem that the TARGA(+) software would operate more slowly in the 8 bit slit, the difference, if any, is usually imperceptible. The last option is to increase the wait states on the board. Although this is the solution that Truevision recommends, I have frankly never had any luck with it. On the older TARGA 16, the wait states are controlled by switches. The wait states for the TARGA+ are set with an option in the TARGAP.SYS driver - see the "r" and "w" options in the reference manual. Video grabs do not work OR the monitor attached to the TARGA+ does not sync up properly - the picture rolls. First, double check your cable connections. Do you have the right cable? Is everything plugged into the proper connector? If you're certain that your cables are correct, the following are the two main causes of this problem: 1. Your TARGA+ is in a non-interlaced mode. You MUST be in an interlaced mode to video grab. Use TMODE to change to an interlace mode like TMODE 1. 2. For video grabs, your monitor must operate at the video frequency of 15.75 Khz horizontal scanning rate. If you have a multi-syncing monitor, be sure that its range is low enough to accomodate 15.75. ********************************************************************* APPLE: To bypass Inits at bootup: hold down Shift Key To reset video at bootup: hold down Command and Clear Keys To rebuild Desktop at bootup: hold down Command and Option Keys To Zap PRAM: Under System 6.x.x: Restart from a floppy that has the Control Panel desk accessory on it. Open the Apple menu and select Control Panel while holding down Shift-Option-Command Keys. Then click YES. Under System 7.x.x: At start-up or restart, hold down the Command-Option-P-R Keys