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- IBM ThinkPad 755, 750, 360, 355
- DOS / Windows Memory Management Tips
- August 30, 1995
-
-
- Scope:
-
- This document provides some suggestions for increasing free memory
- below 1 MB in the DOS and Windows 3.1/3.11 operating environments.
-
- Except as noted below, the suggestions apply to the following models
- of ThinkPads:
-
- 755 - all models
- 750 - all models
- 360 - all models
- 355 - all models
-
-
-
-
-
- If you are using DOS/Windows and are experiencing memory shortages
- or "Insufficient Memory" messages, the following actions may help
- to increase the available memory.
-
-
- 1. Mwave DSP Drivers
- - Applies to TP755CD/CE/CSE/CX/CV/CDV with Mwave DSP
-
- Version 1.00 Mwave drivers required a large amount of memory below
- 1MB in the Windows environment, often limiting the number of Windows
- applications that could be opened at one time. This is corrected with
- version 1.02 or later drivers. The current version is 1.10.
-
- To install the updated drivers, first obtain the MWAVE110.DOC package
- from the BBS and follow the instructions for obtaining and installing
- the necessary diskettes.
-
-
- 2. Windows Audio Driver
- - Applies to TP750 / TP755C/CS / TP360CE/CSE/PE with Codec
- Audio card
-
- If you are not using Video for Windows or other full motion video
- applications in Windows, you may be able to save a significant
- amount of memory in the Windows environment by installing a new
- version of the Windows Audio Driver that can be almost entirely
- loaded into extended memory. Full motion video with audio is demanding
- and best performance can only be achieved when the Windows Audio
- Driver is loaded low (below 1 MB).
-
- To install the new driver, IBMMME5.DRV:
- a. First obtain and install the Windows Audio support from
- ThinkPad Audio Features 1.31. This diskette is in the package
- AFTPS131.EXE on the IBM PC Co. BBS.
- Note: If Audio Features has been previously installed on
- your computer, you may get an error message when
- starting Windows that indicates that duplicate entries
- of the line:
-
- device=TPAUDVXD.386
-
- are in the SYSTEM.INI. If this occurs, edit SYSTEM.INI
- and remove the duplicate entry in the [386Enhance]
- section.
-
- b. Make a backup copy of your current IBMMME.DRV, located in
- the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM subdirectory by copying it to a file
- such as IBMMME.D00. This step is important to make it easier
- to restore the current Audio Driver should you need improved
- Audio/Video Sync in the future.
-
- c. Copy IBMMME5.DRV to IBMMME.DRV in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM
- subdirectory (OK to over-write the current file if you have
- made backup copy as described above).
-
- d. Edit the TPAUDWIN.INI file in the \WINDOWS\SYSTEM subdirectory.
- Locate the [COMMON] section and add the following line:
-
- LOADHIGH=1
-
- Save the change and exit your editor.
-
- e. Restart Windows for the new Audio Driver to take effect.
-
- >>> WARNING: This audio driver is a BETA release, and although we have
- >>> not experienced any problems with it, it is not supported and
- >>> you must use it at your own risk.
-
- NOTE: The above procedure installs the Beta Audio Driver with
- the ability to load in extended memory, freeing memory for
- Windows applications. If, however, you experience problems with for pe
- Audio/Video sync in full motion video, you may want to return to
- original IBMMME.DRV and use the other memory saving tips in this
- document. To return to the original IBMMME.DRV, copy your backup
- copy of your original IBMMME.DRV to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IBMMME.DRV.
- For example, if you named your backup copy IBMMME.D00, then you
- would copy IBMMME.D00 to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\IBMMME.DRV. Restart
- Windows for the change to take effect.
-
-
- 3. REM DOS Audio Driver in CONFIG.SYS
- - Applies to TP750 / TP755C/CS / TP360CE/CSE/PE with Codec
- Audio card
-
- If you are not using audio in DOS applications, you may save more than
- 50KB of memory by removing the DOS Audio Driver from CONFIG.SYS, or
- by placing a "REM " in front of this line. Audio will still function in
- Windows.
-
-
- 4. Include Monochrome VGA Video Buffer Area
- - Applies to all ThinkPads
-
- If your DOS applications do not use the monochrome VGA video mode,
- you can gain an additional 32 KB of memory by doing the following:
-
- a. Make sure MONOUMB.386 is in your C:\DOS subdirectory
- b. Add "DEVICE=C:\DOS\MONOUMB.386" to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI [386Enh]
- section.
- c. Add "I=B000-B7FF" include parameter to EMM386 line in CONFIG.SYS,
- such as:
- DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS X=C800-CFFF
- becomes DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS I=B000-B7FF X=C800-CFFF
- d. Reboot the PC to take effect.
-
-
- 5. Include Unused Reserved BIOS Area
- - Applies to TP750 / TP755C/CS / TP360 / TP355
- - Not necessary for TP755CE/CD/CSE/CX/CV/CDV due to different memory
- mapping
-
- Although the entire area E0000 - FFFFF (128KB) is reserved for BIOS,
- some of this area may actually be available for use by EMM386, or
- other memory managers. The actual area available varies with Machine
- Type and Model, and with BIOS level. Video BIOS is included in the
- reserved BIOS area above, so the C0000 - DFFFF area is completely
- available for use by ISA adapters, SCSI (Dock 1 and Dock 2), PCMCIA,
- and by Memory managers such as EMM386. Following are the current areas
- available:
-
- BIOS Level
- System Program BIOS Reserved
- Service Diskette P/N and BIOS Area
- Machine Version Date Available
- --------- ------------ -------------- ----------------
- TP750 except Ce 1.40 91G0716/03-31-95 E000-E5FF (24KB)
- TP750Ce 1.40 91G0720/04-26-95 E000-E6FF (28KB)
- TP755C/Cs 1.40 91G1218/09-13-95 E000-E5FF (24KB)
- All TP360/355 1.40 91G1217/09-13-95 E000-E5FF (24KB)
-
- CAUTION: The memory areas listed above are valid for the corresponding
- BIOS P/N's, and are subject to change in future updates of BIOS.
-
-
- 6. Minimize Reserved UMB for PCMCIA Cards
- - Applies to all ThinkPads using IBM Card and Socket Services (PC Card
- Director)
-
- In the DOS / Windows preloads, a total of 32 KB is reserved for
- use by PCMCIA Card Services and PCMCIA cards. However, depending on
- the PCMCIA cards you are actually using, this area may be reduced.
- Minimum requirements are:
-
- Card Services 4KB
- Modem 0KB additional
- IBM Token Ring 24KB additional
- IBM Ethernet 16KB additional
- IBM 3270 8KB additional
- IBM 5250 8KB additional
- SRAM/ATA 4KB additional
-
- This memory usage is specified by the "/MA= " parameter of the
- Resource Map Utility, DICRMU01.SYS in the CONFIG.SYS.
-
- Additional notes are:
- - Card Services and PCMCIA cards can use any 4KB area between:
- C000 - DFFF (TP750)
- C100 - CFFF (TP755 and TP360/355)
- D100 - DFFF (TP755 and TP360/355)
- C800 - EFFF (TP755CD/CD/CSE/CX/CV/CDV with Video BIOS at
- C000-C7FF)
- C000 - E7FF (TP755CD/CD/CSE/CX/CV/CDV with Video BIOS at
- E800-EFFF)
-
- - Care must be taken to ensure that PCMCIA cards are setup to use
- areas within the specified "/MA= " Range, or they may fail to
- be enabled. For example, the PROTOCOL.INI or NET.CFG for a
- Token Ring PCMCIA card should not specify MMIO or SRAM outside
- of the "/MA= " area.
- - Any area included in the "/MA= " is designated as available for
- Card Services / PCMCIA devices, and therefore, should not be
- used by other devices or memory managers. For example, if
- /MA=C100-C7FF
- then this area should be excluded from EMM386 with the
- X=C100-C7FF
- parameter on the EMM386 line in CONFIG.SYS.
-
- See the User's Guide section on PCMCIA for more details.
-
-
- 7. Disable Dock 2 SCSI BIOS If Not Required
- - Applies to ThinkPads using Dock 2 Docking Station
-
- If you are not actually using any SCSI device in the Dock 2, or are only
- using the internal SCSI CDROM, you do not need to load SCSI BIOS. Disabling
- the SCSI BIOS in the Dock 2 will free 16 KB of memory.
-
- To disable the SCSI BIOS, do the following:
- a. Ensure that either no SCSI device is installed, or that only the
- internal SCSI CD ROM is installed.
- b. Determine if SCSI BIOS is currently enabled. Boot the ThinkPad while
- attached to the Dock 2. If the following message appears, SCSI
- BIOS is enabled:
- Adaptec IBM Dock II SCSI BIOS
- Press <Ctrl><A> for SCSISelect(TM) Utility!
- c. If SCSI BIOS is enabled, then you may disable it by removing the
- Dock 2 cover and setting the DIP switch block to:
-
- sw1 sw2 sw3 sw4
- --- --- --- ---
- On On On don't change
-
- This will disable SCSI BIOS, but allow the SCSI controller to
- be active for CDROM support. See the Dock 2 User's Guide pages
- 78 and 79 for location of DIP switches. Reinstall the Dock 2
- cover.
- d. Attach the ThinkPad to the Dock 2 and reboot. You should no longer
- see the "Adaptec IBM Dock II SCSI BIOS" message during boot.
-
-
- 8. Use Point Enablers for PCMCIA
- - Applies to all ThinkPads running DOS / Windows with PCMCIA
-
- If you do not need the ability to "hot plug" PCMCIA cards (ie. to
- insert / eject cards without powering off / rebooting), you may be
- able to use "point enablers" to enable your PCMCIA cards. Point enablers
- communicate directly with the PCMCIA controller, and allow you to save
- the memory used by the Socket Services, Card Services, PCMCIA Power
- Management, and any PCMCIA client drivers.
-
- NOTE: Care should be taken when using more than one Point Enabler,
- since there is potential that one may interfere with operation
- of another. You may have to try the two enablers together and
- be sure no problems occur.
-
- NOTE: Generally, point enablers cannot be used to enable PCMCIA cards
- in the PCMCIA slots in the Port Replicator 1 or the Dock 2 unless
- they have been specifically modified to do so by the PCMCIA card
- manufacturer.
-
-
- 9. Group UMBs used by Devices
- - Applies to all ThinkPads running DOS / Windows
-
- The upper memory area, between the 640KB conventional memory and the
- 1MB limit, is best utilized by EMM386 or other memory managers if all
- free upper memory is contiguous. Device drivers and TSR type programs
- can then be loaded more easily and efficiently into Upper Memory
- Blocks.
-
- To accomplish this, it is best to group all memory used by devices such
- as:
- PCMCIA Cards (and Card Services)
- ISA Adapters (in Dock 1 or Dock 2)
- SCSI BIOS (Dock 1 or Dock 2)
-
- together either at the bottom of the available upper memory range
- or at the top of the available upper memory range as much as possible.
- Limitations of some devices may dictate to what degree this can
- actually be accomplished.
-
-