ID:NO QRAM and "Nothing Useful To Do"
Quarterdeck Technical Note #147
by Bob Perry

 A.  As described on page 1 of your QRAM manual, QRAM has been
written to perform the following four basic functions on your
80286, 8086 or 8088-based PC: 

     1.  On PC's with EMS 4 or EEMS expanded memory hardware,
     QRAM converts any EXTRA memory spaces your system may have
     within the high memory address range (640K to 1024K, or
     A000-FFFF hex) into High RAM so you can load and run
     programs there with LOADHI, as described in Chapter 4 of
     your QRAM manual.

     2.  On 80286 PC's with Chips & Technologies NEAT CHIPSet
     shadow RAM, QRAM will do the same as item #1 above, as
     described on page 9 of your QRAM manual, even if you don't
     have an expanded memory card.

     3.  QRAM enables a user willing to forgo the enhanced
     graphics capabilities permitted by EGA and VGA adapter
     cards, or users with monochrome or CGA adapters, to increase
     the memory used by DOS by as much as 96K.  For more
     information on this feature refer to page 11 (the
     NOVIDEOFILL parameter) and page 25 (the VIDRAM program), in
     your QRAM manual.

     4.  On machines that have one, QRAM automatically moves the
     eXtended BIOS Data Area (XBDA), which is normally at 639K,
     into another address space.  Doing so usually enables other
     memory management features, such as extending the memory     
     available to DOS using the VIDRAM.COM program, and allowing
     larger programs to run in the background in DESQview.

B.  If QRAM determines that none of the above four functions of
the program can be performed on your system, it will display a
"nothing useful to do" message to the user.  What can the user do
about this message? After reading Appendix A in your QRAM manual,
page 37, consider the following:

     1.  In order for QRAM to "find something useful to do",
     there must be MORE THAN 64K of memory spaces available
     within the 640K to 1024K memory address range.  The first
     64K is used for the "page frame", or port hole into the
     expanded memory pool, and cannot, by default, be used by
     QRAM.  See pages 11, 37, and 46 or your QRAM manual, and
     section "C" of this technical note on the subject of using
     the FRAMELENGTH=0 parameter.

     2.  Perhaps you have not configured your expanded memory
     card correctly to allow more than 64K of memory space above
     640K.  Consult the documentation which came with your memory
     board, or the memory board manufacturer, and be sure all
     switch settings or software setup options have been
     correctly enabled.  If you use Manifest to examine the
     expanded memory, you can compare your Expanded Pages map
     with those listed in Appendix D of the QRAM manual.  3. 
     Some memory managers (and early versions of other managers)
     will only allow CONTIGUOUS memory areas to be mapped.  With
     these drivers, moving their page frame as LOW as possible,
     C000 for example, will allow the rest of the memory regions
     to be used by QRAM.  Consult your documentation and/or
     memory board manufacturer.

     4.  Another possibility is that your shadow RAM has not been
     enabled.  Again, your documentation or manufacturer might be
     of assistance here.  If your Shadow RAM is not enabled, then
     QRAM can't use it.

     5.  QRAM works with your Expanded Memory Manager (EMM.SYS). 
     Often a simple typographical error in your CONFIG.SYS can
     prevent your expanded memory manager from loading.  Be
     certain your CONFIG.SYS file contains a line:

                "device=EMM.SYS" 

     where the spelling of the EMM driver matches the one you
     have installed on your system.  Watch carefully for a banner
     or statement on the screen saying that it has been loaded
     when you reboot your system.

     6.  Some expanded memory boards, and motherboards with
     expanded memory hardware, supply an EMS 4 driver even though
     the expanded memory hardware cannot provide more that 64K of
     expanded memory at a time.  These systems give software
     applications the ability to access expanded memory, but the
     hardware cannot provide the extra support for more mappable
     pages.  QRAM needs more mappable pages.  Some board
     manufacturers offer upgrade option chips which will enhance
     their hardware support.  Contact your board manufacturer to
     see whether this is an option for you.

C.  If you are NOT going to be using expanded memory in your
programs, QRAM can be made to use your single 64K page frame as
an area of High RAM.  This is done using the FRAMELENGTH=0
parameter, as described in your QRAM manual.  Other programs will
no longer be able to detect expanded memory, but you will be able
to use LOADHI to get about 64K of resident programs out of your
conventional memory (below 640K).

        Copyright (C) 1991 by Quarterdeck Office Systems
               * * * E N D  O F  F I L E * * *