After the reply from VideoLogic (below), I have a NEW question:
Does anyone have experience of...
* VLB video problems related to RAM size including "Memory hole at 15-16MB"
* BIOS upgrade availability for IBM Cobalt-AT

My Cobalt-AT board has MR BIOS without any "memory-hole" feature,
and seems to be non-flash, board was also available with AMI BIOS.

On Fri, 14 Aug 1998 Len Warner <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>SYSTEM: IBM Cobalt-AT VLB, AMD 5x86, GS500 (more details below)
>QUESTION: How to break this 32MB barrier?
> Win3.X will not boot IF RAM size > 32MB .AND. GS500 video driver.
> (shows Windows splash screen then black, won't Ctrl-Alt-Del)

I had an answer from VideoLogic (I had also asked if it might work in Win95)

     Your problem is not untypical with VLB graphics cards, I have seen
     this problem a few times in the past unfortunately I am not aware of
     any solution. Windows 95/98 is unlikely to help as the problem is to
     do with the lack of Plug and Play support of the VLB spec. I believe
     the PC Bios is assigning a memory address for the onboard memory which
     is also in use by the GS500. The things you have tried so far are all
     things we have done in the past, the only additional things you might
     try are updating your motherboard Bios or toggling the CMOS setting
     "Memory hole at 15-16MB" (or similar wording).
     Note that the GS500/CapPro are supported under win95 and should
     function fully, you will need the win95 drivers obviously.

>TESTING:
>Original 28MB configuration works fine; 32MB works:
>Configurations above 32MB will boot to DOS,
>and boot to Windows if the _VGA_ driver selected,
>but NEVER Windows with GrafixStar 500 driver.
>It will run Encarta 95 video and sound in 40MB/VGA mode (16 colours).
>
>Tried all the following (and most sensible combinations)
>with no change: system _only_ sensitive to total RAM > 32MB
>* swapped memory simms and positions
>* slowed CPU clock to 25MHz/reverted to 486BL
>* updated VideoLogic drivers
>* upgraded from Win3.1 to WfWG
>
>SYSTEM DETAILS
>GrafixStar 500 2MB (SVGA BIOS v1.3), VMC, Captivator Pro TV for VMC
>
>IBM Cobalt-AT 486BL motherboard (VLB); OPTi 82C499 chipset; 256K cache;
>AMD 5x86-133 CPU (Power Leap upgrade)
>(normally overclocked at 40/160MHz CPU, 8MHz ISA bus)
>
>Microid Research BIOS; RAM: 28 -> 32 -> 40MB;
>
>Sound: Wave Excel AV-501
>VL-400 SCSI & IDE Cache (16MB) with Multi-I/O;
>1GB Seagate IDE, several SCSI HD & CD-ROM
>
>DOS 6.20; Win3.11 (WfWG)


Len Warner <[log in to unmask]> http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/~len/ ICQ:10120933