286 - The trials and tribulations!

I have a 386SX motherboard with a Headland HT18C chipset. In the CMOS setup, there is also the option to utilise some extended memory as expanded memory.

Apart from using EMM386.exe, was the perhaps also a driver, similar to the one for the HT12 chipset?

You are most probably looking for some .SYS file which came with the PC to include in config.sys. At least that's how it was done most of the times for 286s.

Found a lead at the waybackmachine on Dell's support page, unfortunately there are no support downloads for this that I can find...

https://web.archive.org/web/19970225140919/ht … 10/00000004.htm

Expanded
The driver is called mm.sys and should be loaded as the FIRST file in the config.sys file.
device=mm.sys
/f /z /s=nnn /a=nnn

Where f = the memory manager options will be displayed.
Where z = causes the memory manager to bypass the memory test. (Useful with large amount of memory)
Where s = page-frame address (Default D0000-DFFFF) and n = address, valid options are:
C400
C800
CC00
D000
Where a = Base I/O port address (Default - 208) and n = address range from 100 to 3FF

Doing a quick google for mm.sys is not turning up anything. Now that I know the specific file I am hunting does it ring a bell with anyone?

Found a MM.SYS file inside Orchid_RamQuest_RQX1632.zip from another reference post from google, however this MM.SYS doesn't work, it complains that it is for M50, M60, or M80 only. So it looks like there is more than one MM.SYS file floating around. Guess I need a Dell specific version of MM.SYS ??

So you have got a Dell System 210 ?

That's a nice little desktop.

Sadly, I have only found very little information about it.
It's a 12MHz 286 system, made somewhen around ~88, has a Phoenix BIOS, ~2 ISA slots, etc.

But there's apparently no piece of information about its chipset.
If we knew a little bit more about it, perhaps we could help you with that EMS driver.

Video clip

InfoWorld 1. Okt. 1990

Yes, a dell SYS 210. There is still a download page under legacy systems, but the only thing is a disklib download that appears to only be a floppy disk creator program, but when you run it, it errors out saying you have no program images to write. So the EMS driver must be another image I need in addition to it. Looking on the motherboard there are 5 substantial chips in addition to the 286 itself if it will help identify a chipset

WDC FE3021-LR
WDC FE3010CJU
FARADAY FE3031-JK
FARADAY FE3001-JU
PARADISE PVGA1A-JK

Well according to this http://www.vgamuseum.info/images/doc/wd/corpo … w_fall_1988.pdf

WDC FE3010 is a sort of southbridge (peripheral control chipset), and
WDC FE3021 is a memory controller (sort of a northbridge)
Not that this helps you find drivers, sorry. According to that brochure the FE3021 is LIM 4.0 compatible.
The Faraday chips are likely equivalent (second source?) to the WDC FE3001 and FE3031 referenced there (clock generator and data buffer)
The Paradise chip is likely an integrated VGA controller.

More information here http://bitsavers.trailing-edge.com/pdf/wester … ipset_Jun88.pdf (it's the actual chipset manual)

Well I have had a chance to browse the boneyard FTP and other archived BBS type sites and I am getting discouraged if this driver exists. Looks like in the leading edge model D driver from http://ibm-pc.org/utilities/system/system.htm has an MM.SYS driver and it has the right brand which is for the Western Digital, but it shows FE2011 in the status instead of FE3021. As a side effect, the machine reboots itself in a fraction of a second after the driver loads. Was able to capture the screenshot below before the lock.

Found another reference to this chipset with the umb_drvr + umb_ems4 driver package which states in its readme...

UMB_DRVR.DOC Version 5.22 02/20/92 Page 22

BAD NEWS ( CHIPS THAT WILL NOT BE SUPPORTED )

Chips & Technologies: CS8220(82C201/82C202) [1]
Intel: 82335/82335SX [2]
Sun Electronics ( SUNTAC ): ST62CS02(ST62BC002) [1]
United Microelectronics ( UMC ): UM82C230(UM82C231) [1]
Western Digital: ( Faraday ) FE3021/FE3021A [2] <----------------------- Dell 210's chip

Notes:
[1] - No shadow ram support
[2] - Lock feature prohibits access

So I guess I am not above begging, but it looks like my only saving grace on this is if someone has this particular machine and could copy their MM.SYS or some other device of the time that used the FE3021 chip. I would be happy to paypal anyone 20 dollars if they can come up with a working driver, as I am at a total loss on finding this elusive file.

Help me Vogons, You're my only hope...

Found a couple of MM.SYS that refer to Western Digital
ftp://major.butt.care/mirrors/ftp.mpoli.fi/dr … /OSBORNE/MM.SYS
ftp://major.butt.care/mirrors/ftp.mpoli.fi/un … 33sx.144/mm.sys

https://web.archive.org/web/19970605191914/ht … ilelib/2c0e.htm

You're welcome.

Matth79,

That first file was it! It loads and does a memory count. I vaguely remember major.butt.care address while doing my searching and since i use chrome it would always give me a failed - network error, but IE downloaded it without issues. PM me your email and I will send you a gift. I have been trying to find this silly file for a solid 3 days..

Cloudschatze,

Just saw your post. How the heck did you find that in the dell support page? I looked everywhere I thought on the waybackmachine and couldn't find any link at all to binary files for the 210 system. Totally awesome, you rock. Send me your email too via PM and I will send you a gift.

I can't thank this community enough. Thank your for this great resource.