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First post, by Obijuan1983

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Hi I try to install windows 95 ona Panda 386v motherboard with a 386DX 40 cpu.

Tried several KB controllers, its the same

With original Win95 boot disk A20 gate is not enabled so cannot proceed to install.

If edit config.sys by adding cpuclock: on & machine:1 , it enables A20 but only 64k high mem, so cannot install win95, but can load win 3.1

Screenshot-2022-10-15-21-50-40-320-com-miui-gallery.jpg

If anyone can help me to solve this will be grateful

Reply 1 of 8, by Horun

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Can you post the BIOS string ? looking here: https://theretroweb.com/motherboards/s/ecs-panda-386v it uses a ALI1429 clone/rebadged chipset and bios...
I would try these machine:# without the cpuclock:on
type # description
acer1100 6 Acer 1100
at1 11 IBM PC/AT (alternative delay)
at2 12 IBM PC/AT (alternative delay)
at3 13 IBM PC/AT (alternative delay)

if none of those work I would go down the machine:# list here: http://info.wsisiz.edu.pl/~bse26236/batutil/help/HIMEM_S.HTM

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 2 of 8, by Jo22

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Obijuan1983 wrote on 2022-10-15, 22:14:

it enables A20 but only 64k high mem

Hi! That is absolutely normal, please don't worry.

HMA is 64KB (minus 16 Bytes) in size.
It's located directly beyond the first megabyte.

The HMA is used by MS-DOS, do offload parts of DOS itself.
That way, DOS isn't stealing too much RAM in the Conventional Memory (first 640KB often).
That's what DOS = HIGH in Config.sys is for.

Another way of offloading MS-DOS code that's natively supported by DOS 5/6/7 is using the memory area between 640KB-1MB.
However, there no writable RAM in most systems. Unless a memory manager or UMB card is installed.
That's what DOS = UMB in Config.sys is for.
Both can be combined as DOS = HIGH, UMB.

The last method I know is using Multimedia Cloaking,
an obscure, but fascinating software product of the mid-90s.
It will do some near voodoo like type of tweaking, by moving DOS and drivers past 1MB, past the HMA..

That being said, you likely know these things.
Hope you don't mind for telling it nevertheless.
I didn't mean to educate you whatsoever. 😅

Edit: In CMOS Setup, is there a "FAST A20" option?
If so, please try changing the setting and try again.
Maybe Windows 95 just doesn't recognize your A20 gate type.
DOS 5/6 itself can boot with A20 in either state.

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Reply 3 of 8, by Horun

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Jo22 wrote on 2022-10-16, 00:30:
Edit: In CMOS Setup, is there a "FAST A20" option? If so, please try changing the setting and try again. >> Maybe Windows 95 jus […]
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Edit: In CMOS Setup, is there a "FAST A20" option?
If so, please try changing the setting and try again.
>> Maybe Windows 95 just doesn't recognize your A20 gate type.
DOS 5/6 itself can boot with A20 in either state.

Good thought, many bios that have it it is enabled by default but maybe not in his....
>> That is why was thinking of trying other machine types, have seen some boards where the manual states to use a specific one....😀

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 4 of 8, by Obijuan1983

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Thank you all for your answers

Had to edit config.sys many times to find the one that works...! Now at Windows 95 running Superpi 1M @ 386DX-40 with 8MB RAM 256KB Cache and without 387 FPU. Now manage to free more availablememory around 3.5MB 😀

IMG-20221016-205753.jpg

IMG-20221016-210630.jpg

Waiting to receive a 4x4MB kit 30pin simms to run it properly

Have run it 1 week ago in a PCchips motherboard with 128kb cache and a soldered AMD 386DX-DL 40MHz cpu

image-id-2778279.png

Reply 5 of 8, by Horun

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Great ! Can you tell us what your Himem.sys line looks like now ?
Someone else may need it if they have the same board...

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 7 of 8, by Horun

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Obijuan1983 wrote on 2022-10-17, 15:22:
This is the Config.sys that worked for me: […]
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This is the Config.sys that worked for me:

IMG-20221017-175309.jpg

Thanks ! did you try with out the CPUclock entry with /machine:11 ? just curious....
added: thats a whole bunch of bananas ;p

Hate posting a reply and then have to edit it because it made no sense 😁 First computer was an IBM 3270 workstation with CGA monitor. Stuff: https://archive.org/details/@horun

Reply 8 of 8, by kixs

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Nice case you have there 😀

PS:
Mask looks like from my first PC. But the inside I had the one with all chrome look - I already have two or three now 🤣

Requests are also possible... /msg kixs