Problem with very low Chipmem... (Startup-Sequence?!)

[Ebster]

Can someone tell me what eats my chipmem, please?

I am using Amigasys4 with OS3.9 BB3 in HighGFX mode, 32 colors, and currently have 1.019 MB of Chipram after Booting. I think it should be about 500KB more. You can see the few tweaks/patches i use below. When i reboot without Startup-sequence and enter "avail" i see about 500KB of Chipram being used even without the WB. Turning the machine off for some seconds and then on again, i get about 2MB with the "avail" command before the WB is booted. So the RAM must be taken away during the first boot process and stays away permanently when i reset the machine. Clearing WBStartup didn't help. And this is not due to the HighGFX, lowering the resolution and colors gains only very little memory...

Here is my Startup-sequence:
(Specs in my Signature)


; $VER: AmigaSYS 4 AGA
; Startup-Sequence for hard drive systems
; AmigaSYS 4 AGA.



If Exists C:IDEFix
C:IDEFix
EndIf

;mod7
SYS:C/LoadModule L:FastFileSystem L:RAM-Handler L:Shell-Seg DEVS:scsi.device LIBS:icon.library LIBS:workbench.library NOREBOOT REVERSE
;mod7end





SYS:C/SetPatch SKIPROMMODULES fastfilesystem,icon.library,ram-handler,scsi.device,shell,workbench.library QUIET
C:FastExec FASTEXP FASTSSP FASTVBR PATCH REBOOT

;failat 21



;mod3
C:BlazeWCP
;mod3end

;mod6
C:TagLIFE
;mod6end

;mod5
C:VBRcontrol ON QUIET
;mod5end

echo "dh0:idefix97/cd32/gamestore" >envarc:sys/nv_location

assign Env: ram:
GetMouseInput
if $MouseInput eq 2
execute System:S/NoStartup
else

delete >NIL: ram:MouseInput

C:Version >NIL:
C:AddBuffers >NIL: DF0: 15
FailAt 21

run >NIL: C:Play16 System:Boot/BootSample
run >NIL: C:Picboot l=s:PicBoot fi 1 fo 1

C:MakeDir RAM:T RAM:Clipboards RAM:ENV RAM:ENV/Sys
C:Copy >NIL: ENVARC: RAM:ENV ALL NOREQ

Resident >NIL: C:Assign PURE
Resident >NIL: C:Execute PURE

Assign >NIL: ENV: RAM:ENV
Assign >NIL: T: RAM:T
Assign >NIL: CLIPS: RAM:Clipboards
Assign >NIL: REXX: S:
Assign >NIL: PRINTERS: DEVS:Printers
Assign >NIL: KEYMAPS: DEVS:Keymaps
Assign >NIL: LOCALE: SYS:Locale
Assign >NIL: LIBS: SYS:Classes ADD
Assign >NIL: HELP: LOCALE:Help DEFER

;mod1
FBlit
WBCtrl IMT=ICONFAST MCM=1048576
FText

;mod1end

C:MCP

BindDrivers
C:Mount >NIL: DEVSOSDrivers/~(#?.info)

C:LoadMonDrvs

;IF EXISTS DEVS:Monitors
; IF EXISTS DEVS:Monitors/VGAOnly
; DEVS:Monitors/VGAOnly
; EndIF

; C:List >NIL: DEVS:Monitors/~(#?.info|VGAOnly) TO T:M LFORMAT "DEVS:Monitors/%s"
; Execute T:M
; Celete >NIL: T:M
;EndIF

SetEnv Language "english"
SetEnv Workbench $Workbench
SetEnv Kickstart $Kickstart
UnSet Workbench
UnSet Kickstart

C:AddDataTypes REFRESH QUIET
Run > NIL: "System:C/VisualPrefs"
C:IPrefs
C:ConClip

Path >NIL: RAM: C: SYS:Utilities SYS:Rexxc SYS:System S: SYS:Prefs SYS:WBStartup SYS:Tools SYS:Tools/Commodities

SYS:System/REXXMast >NIL:

IF EXISTS S:User-Startup
Execute S:User-Startup
EndIF

Resident Execute REMOVE
Resident Assign REMOVE

run >nil: System:c/arq
C:LoadWB SIMPLEGELS

;mod2
WbCtrl MNL=100
;mod2end

Assign TXT: DH1:ANWENDUNG_Office/BT-II/Text
Assign PIC: DH1:ANWENDUNG_Office/BT-II/Bilder
Assign BT-II-2: DH1:ANWENDUNG_Office/BT-II
EndCLI >NIL:

[PeterK]

Start Sys:Prefs/Workbench preferences and set "Images in:" to "Other memory" or "Bilder in:" to "Anderer Speicher". Your WBCtrl IMT=ICONFAST would be overwritten by IPrefs with the Envarc:Sys/Workbench.prefs.

WBCtrl should be called directly above the LoadWB line, but anyway OS 3.9 uses its preferences program to load images from FastMem instead of the older WBCtrl IMT=ICONFAST for OS 3.5. Btw, there are two WBCtrl calls in your startup-sequence. Use just one WBCtrl directly before LoadWB.

Another possible reason:
Make sure that IdeFix is not loaded into ChipMem, but I don't know that utility since I use WinUAE.
Comment it out from your startup-sequence or check its preferences and settings.

[zipper]

What about play16, Picboot and Arq, you could comment them out and see.

[daxb]

You can added "set echo on" on top of your SS, some "avail" and "wait" commands. Then you should see where your chip ram will lost.

[Ebster]

thanks for your replies, it seems to be idefix - but now i am wondering how to get it into fast memory...

[zipper]

Originally Posted by daxb

You can added "set echo on" on top of your SS, some "avail" and "wait" commands. Then you should see where your chip ram will lost.

There is something like "startmem" that shows everything what is eating memory during boot.

[PeterK]

Originally Posted by Ebster

... it seems to be idefix - but now i am wondering how to get it into fast memory...

As I already said, I don't know much about IdeFix, but there is the IdeFixPrefs program coming with http://aminet.net/disk/misc/IDEfix97.lha and that has at least a switch for FastMem. Maybe some other users can help a little more?

[daxb]

Originally Posted by zipper

There is something like "startmem" that shows everything what is eating memory during boot.

I tried startmem and it throws a lot of MuForce hits.

[Ebster]

startmem didn't work for me, got an error somewhere around the setpatch command and wb did not boot to the end... and for idefix i'll have a second look at the prefs, but i remember you could check "no fastmem" but no option to check "fastmem" ...

best regards!

[Ebster]

i tested the whole sequence with avail commands at certain stages and found out that it is DEFINATELY the loadmodule command that costs me somewhat about 450kb. sould i try nomemfkick? any idea??

[NovaCoder]

Hiya,

You should be loading your ROM updates into FASTRAM.

[mombasajoe]

Is FBLIT (->Aminet) part of the package? If not it might be a great help (puts much things into FastRam if required)

[Ebster]

You should be loading your ROM updates into FASTRAM.

i always thought that this is what loadmodule does. in sysinfo i see the corresponding modules in 32bit-ram. anyway i lose my chip ram after the loadmodule command. and it stays away permanently. i mean when i want the whole 2mb chipram i have to turn off the machine boot with no startup-sequence to see that i can "avail" 2mb. after the first boot process i always start with ~1.5mb chipram ending with ~1mb when workbench is there.

and yes i use fblit but i think it is not the cure for my issue.

[daxb]

Did you tried NOMEMFKICK already? If that doesn`t help you can/should ask the loadmodule author(s). BTW Does the amount of chip ram consumption change if you change the amount of modules?

[Ebster]

ok, so you gave me the courage to try... i have added nomemfkick.

i did not before because the authors of loadmodule wrote not to do it unless one doesn't exactly know what it does - and you know what??

problem solved:
chipmem in pal highres 1.739kb
chipmem in highgfx 1.356kb (66%) (before i had added nomemfkick it has been about 50%)
avail after a reset when i have previously booted to workbench gives me 1903336

i think those values are ok..

thanks everyone!!

[daxb]

Originally Posted by Ebster

ok, so you gave me the courage to try... i have added nomemfkick.

i did not before because the authors of loadmodule wrote not to do it unless one doesn't exactly know what it does - and you know what??

No, I only read the readme file. You really should ask the authors.