> Note also that the only way to test for memory's presence is to write
> to it & try to read back. This destroys any data which might have
> been put there by the bios.........
wellll, not exactly....
The normal way a memory probe is performed is to read the original
byte, write a test value (usually ~value), see if the test value is
retained, then restore the original value. repeat over the entire test
range skipping 'n' (1k, 64k, or 1Mb) bytes for each sample. This should
quickly, and safely paint a picture of the memory space.
Unless the system has memory-mapped hardware, or we forgot to handle
any traps, this is usually harmless and leaves system memory in the same
state we found it.
ron
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