Bootable floppy disk:Test the size of the cacheable area \ VOGONS

Bootable floppy disk:Test the size of the cacheable area

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First post, by Tetrium

Posted on 2010-04-05, 11:19

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When building computers (especially older ones) I like to piece hardware together that have good synergy.
However, all the time I'm having trouble at how much memory any particular mainboard can cache.
I'd like a tool that can test exactly how much memory is cached before I install an operating system but the tools I did try either run only in windows, don't work above 64MB (in the case of bootable disks) or don't do what I want them to do (don't tell me atall if all memory is cached or not)

Does anyone have like a simple bootdisk that is relatively easy to use and basically just give me feedback like:
Installed memory: 128 Megabytes
Cached memory:64 Megabytes
Cache type:Write through/Write back/Pipeline burst etc.

I know my way around DOS and I'm not unfamiliar with creating bootdisks. It's just that I somehow never was able to find a bootdisk that can do this in such a simple way.

Reply 1 of 10, by Qbix

Posted on 2010-04-05, 12:38

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memtest86 floppy

Water flows down the stream
How to ask questions the smart way!

Reply 2 of 10, by Tetrium

Posted on 2010-04-05, 13:14

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Wow, I never noticed that. Thanks! 😀

Reply 3 of 10, by 386DX40

Posted on 2010-04-10, 08:00

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Look for CTCM17A here: ftp://ftp.heise.de/pub/ct/ctsi/

This program will help you figure out your L2 cacheable area.

Cachechk7 and CTCM_INT found here:http://motherboards.mbarron.net/download/

These programs are also useful for figuring out L2 cacheable area too if the above program crashes on your particular board.

Reply 4 of 10, by Tetrium

Posted on 2010-04-18, 21:23

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I'm just reporting back that memtest86 (version 1.70 iirc) does NOT report the correct amount of cacheable area. It will report that all the installed memory is cached even though it's obvious that it's can't all be cached.
For instance on my my P5A rev 1.3 (or was it 1.03?) it reported all my 384MB was cached, as was all 128MB on my 430HX board (which obviously can't cache above 64MB without an extra tag chip and the socket was empty).

I haven't tried the other programs yet. Will these programs be able to check above 64MB? I had a problem with another program and I think it had to do with the fact that DOS has certain trouble with memory above 64MB.

I'm not realy knowlegable about this particular stuff

Reply 5 of 10, by elianda

Posted on 2010-04-20, 14:51

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Tetrium wrote:

I haven't tried the other programs yet. Will these programs be able to check above 64MB? I had a problem with another program and I think it had to do with the fact that DOS has certain trouble with memory above 64MB.

I'm not realy knowlegable about this particular stuff

DOS just knows 1 MB + HMA. More memory is only accessible by additional Programs as Himem.sys or a V8086 Memory Manager like EMM386.
Using the LIMES standard amounts up to 64 MB can be managed. Using EEMS you can access up to 256 MB.
Though if your application brings its own Protected Mode Frontend the 32 bit limit is 4 GB, using x86-64 it would be at 4 PB (while current CPUs cap at 256 TB).
There is no memory manager or application frontend for DOS that uses 64 bit features AFAIK.

Reply 6 of 10, by Tetrium

Posted on 2010-05-11, 20:04

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386DX40 wrote:
Look for CTCM17A here: ftp://ftp.heise.de/pub/ct/ctsi/ […]
Show full quote
Look for CTCM17A here: ftp://ftp.heise.de/pub/ct/ctsi/

This program will help you figure out your L2 cacheable area.

Cachechk7 and CTCM_INT found here:http://motherboards.mbarron.net/download/

These programs are also useful for figuring out L2 cacheable area too if the above program crashes on your particular board.

Sorry to report back so late.
Just wanted to let everybody know that ctcm did the trick, it´s exactly what I was looking for!

Thanks!

Reply 7 of 10, by cdoublejj

Posted on 2010-05-12, 04:42

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sounds you better hold on to that program then. wonder why most programs don't do it they way you need. maybe it's not a common need.

Reply 8 of 10, by Tetrium

Posted on 2010-05-12, 07:54

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Thanks, I will 😉

I got a whole offline database with all good info and downloads I find on the net. Old stuff tends to disappear without notice

Reply 9 of 10, by retro games 100

Posted on 2010-05-12, 08:01

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Tetrium wrote:
I got a whole offline database with all good info and downloads I find on the net. Old stuff tends to disappear without notice

That sounds really interesting! 😀 Is it "shareable" in any way? 😉

Reply 10 of 10, by Tetrium

Posted on 2010-05-12, 08:13

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What isn't today might becometh tomorrow 😉

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