Microsoft KB Archive/20783

Above-Board Memory and Multiplan PSS ID Number: Q20783 Article last modified on 07-24-1988 PSS database name: D_MPlan

2.x 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.04

MS-DOS

Summary: Multiplan can be run from an RAM drive, but it will not increase available memory for the worksheet. Whether run from RAM drive or disk (floppy or hard), the Multiplan program modules will be swapped in and out of memory as required. Multiplan recognizes the maximum memory recognized by DOS. This means that Multiplan will use up to 640K on most machines, which is all that most MS-DOS operating systems will allow. Multiplan does not recognize additional memory on extended memory cards, etc. On a 640K system, the typical spreadsheet size is about 440K. Although Multiplan does not support more than 640K RAM, some clone PCs have the ability to give Multiplan more than 640K. The DEC PC may allow close to 1 megabyte, giving Multiplan a worksheet of about 700K++. Due to hardware limitations, 640K is the maximum possible on an IBM PC. The speed increase using Above-Board memory occurs only because there is no disk access time; using a RAM drive does not affect the calculating speed of Multiplan.

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1988.