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- ID:QM QEMM-386 Error Messages
- Quarterdeck Technical Note
- by Todd Threadgill
-
- The Quarterdeck Expanded Memory Manager-386 (QEMM-386) is an
- extremely sophisticated utility program and, as such, may
- encounter a wide number of situations that can cause errors. In
- this document, QEMM-386's error messages are outlined and
- discussed. We will also present various troubleshooting tips
- that should solve the problem leading to the error message.
-
- MESSAGE 1: "QEMM: Cannot load because there is not enough memory"
-
- This error message can appear for several different reasons,
- often on machines with a total of one megabyte of RAM (640K
- conventional + 384K extended). When QEMM-386 starts up, it finds
- all of the memory in your system and puts it into one big pool.
- Then it checks the parameters that were specified in the QEMM-386
- command line in the CONFIG.SYS file. If there is not enough
- memory available to provide all of the services requested by the
- user as well as those that QEMM-386 performs by default, QEMM-386
- will terminate with this error message.
-
- WHAT YOU CAN DO: Give QEMM-386 parameters that will
- cause it to use less memory. Such parameters include
- NOFILL (NO), and NOROM (NR). If you have specified the
- ROM parameter, remove it. Finally, you may need to
- exclude some of your usable High RAM areas - on a
- EGA/VGA system, try X=B000-B7FF; on a Hercules system
- the NV parameter should be sufficient. If your system
- has Shadow RAM, QEMM-386 can usually use it as well, so
- enabling the shadow RAM is a good idea when this
- message appears. (Note that QEMM-386 is not able to
- detect and use all types of Shadow RAM.) Finally, try
- removing any MEMORY= parameter that may be on the
- QEMM-386 device line in the CONFIG.SYS. The preferable
- solution for the problem is to install more memory in
- the computer. This will allow QEMM-386 to perform all
- of its memory-enhancing functions, while also providing
- more expanded memory for applications that need it.
-
- MESSAGE 2: "QEMM: Cannot load because the processor is already in
- Virtual 86 mode"
-
- The Intel 386 processor can run in one of three different modes:
- Real mode, Protected mode, and Virtual 8086 mode. When QEMM-386
- starts up, its default settings tell it to place the processor in
- Virtual 86 mode. Only one program can do this, and since
- QEMM-386 is a "control program" -- that is, it takes control of
- the whole machine's operation -- it is forced by the design of
- the 80386 processor to become the program that places the machine
- into Virtual 86 mode. QEMM-386 will not load if some other
- program has already done this.
-
- WHAT YOU CAN DO: First check to make sure that QEMM-386
- is the first line in your CONFIG.SYS file. If it is
- not, then move the QEMM-386 line to the beginning of
- the file and see if QEMM-386 will load. If QEMM-386
- still refuses to load, or it was the first program to
- load in your CONFIG.SYS, then you should check your
- machine's BIOS settings. Sometimes the BIOS may have
- certain settings (these may appear in the BIOS setup as
- "extended features") that may need to be turned off.
-
- *** WARNING ***
-
- Your system's BIOS is a highly sophisticated piece of
- software. Quarterdeck does not recommend experimenting
- with BIOS settings unless you are familiar with your
- BIOS' operation. If you are the least bit unsure of
- how to make changes to your BIOS setup, seek the
- assistance of a hardware technician before continuing,
- or consult the documentation for your computer.
-
- MESSAGE #3: "QEMM: Cannot load because an expanded memory manager
- is already loaded."
-
- Only one expanded memory manager can be present on the computer
- at any one time. When QEMM-386 initializes, it checks to see if
- another expanded memory manager has already been loaded into the
- system. If it detects the presence of such a memory manager, it
- will abort with this error message rather than attempt to install
- itself. Since QEMM-386 is designed to provide all of the
- features you need in an expanded memory manager, the old expanded
- memory manager is no longer needed.
-
- WHAT YOU CAN DO: Check your CONFIG.SYS for another
- expanded memory manager, or place QEMM-386 on the first
- line of the CONFIG.SYS. Expanded memory managers tend
- to have the letters "EMM" or "EMS" in their names, so
- if you see a line that looks like this:
-
- DEVICE=C:\REMM.SYS
- or DEVICE=C:\EMM.SYS
- or DEVICE=C:\EMS.SYS
- or DEVICE=C:\CEMM.EXE
-
- remove the line from the CONFIG.SYS file.
-
- MESSAGE #4: "QEMM: Unknown Microchannel Adapter ID: XXXX"
-
- On Microchannel computers, each installed adapter has its own ID
- number. This number is a four-digit alphanumeric code. When
- QEMM-386 initializes during boot-up, it notes the names of all of
- the adapters that are present and compares them to a list of
- adapters contained in its MCA.ADL file. If an adapter is present
- that is not listed in the MCA.ADL file, QEMM-386 will display the
- above error message.
- WHAT YOU CAN DO: Add the Microchannel Adapter ID
- information to your MCA.ADL file, following the
- information listed in Appendix D of the QEMM-386
- manual. Alternatively, you may print out the @XXXX.ADF
- file (where XXXX represents the four-character
- alphanumeric code that appears in the error message)
- and fax it to Quarterdeck at (213) 399- 3802. We'll be
- happy to send you the additions you need to make or to
- translate your adapter's settings into the format
- needed by QEMM-386. Also, updated MCA.ADL files are
- available on CompuServe, BIX, and Quarterdeck's own
- Bulletin Board System - (213) 396-3904.
-
- MESSAGE #5: "QEMM: Cannot load because this is not an 80386."
-
- When QEMM-386 initializes, it checks the machine to ensure that a
- 386/486 processor is present. QEMM-386 cannot run on 80286,
- 8088, or 8086 machines.
-
- WHAT YOU CAN DO: If QEMM-386 displays this error on a
- 386/486 machine, you should re-install QEMM-386. If
- the message still appears, you should obtain a new copy
- of QEMM-386 and try again.
-
- MESSAGE #6: "QEMM: Cannot load because there is no room for a
- Page Frame."
-
- In order to create and utilize expanded memory, QEMM-386 must
- create a page frame that is 64K in size. By default, QEMM-386
- attempts to put the page frame between A000 (640K) and F000
- (960K). However, some configurations prevent QEMM-386 from
- placing a page frame above A000 by splitting, or fragmenting, the
- unused areas above A000 into chunks that are less than 64K in
- size. If QEMM-386 cannot place the page frame above A000, it
- will attempt to place it in conventional memory. When it cannot
- create a page frame at all, QEMM-386 will display the above error
- message.
-
- WHAT YOU CAN DO: Try re-arranging any adapters so that
- a 64K area above A000 is unused. This may involve
- changing physical switch settings on your machine's
- adapters, or, on PS/2 and other Microchannel machines,
- this will entail using the Reference Diskette. If
- rearranging the adapters' locations above A000 is not
- possible, remove any exclusions (X=xxxx-xxxx)
- statements that reference areas between 0000 and 9FFF.
-
- MESSAGE #7: "LOADHI: The high memory chain is corrupted!"
-
- QEMM-386 uses a collection of high memory areas called a "memory
- chain" to keep track of the TSR's and device drivers that are
- loaded high by the LOADHI programs. If there is a conflict in
- high memory, this chain can become corrupted.
-
- WHAT YOU CAN DO: This error message is usually
- accompanied by an address (for example, C800). You can
- frequently resolve the conflict with an exclusion on
- the QEMM-386 device line in the CONFIG.SYS file. Also,
- it is possible that other drivers or programs that are
- being loaded in the CONFIG.SYS or AUTOEXEC.BAT may be
- corrupting the high memory chain, in which case you
- should clean out your CONFIG and AUTOEXEC of any device
- drivers or TSR's that aren't absolutely vital to your
- machine's operation, then replace each line of each
- file, one at a time, until the conflicting driver or
- TSR is discovered.
-
- MESSAGE #8: "LOADHI: Cannot write to log file."
-
- Usually this error appears when there is a copy of the
- QEMM386.SYS device driver in the root directory of the hard
- drive, as well as in the QEMM subdirectory. This can cause
- confusion when loading high.
-
- WHAT YOU CAN DO: Make sure that QEMM386.SYS is only
- found in the QEMM subdirectory, and that the QEMM-386
- device line in the CONFIG.SYS file specifically points
- to that subdirectory (i.e. DEVICE=C:\QEMM\QEMM386.SYS,
- vs. DEVICE=QEMM386.SYS).
-
- Copyright (C) 1991 by Quarterdeck Office Systems
- * * * E N D O F F I L E * * *