base memory
<hardware, jargon> The lowest 640 kilobytes of memory in an IBM
PC-compatible computer running MS-DOS. Other PC operating systems can usually
compensate and "ignore" the fact that there is a 640K limit to base memory. This
was put in place because the original CPU - the Intel 8088 - could only access
one megabyte of memory, and IBM wanted to reserve the upper 384KB for device
drivers. The high memory area (HMA) lies above 640KB and can be accessed on
MS-DOS computers that have an A20 handler.
(1997-05-30)
Nearby terms:
baseband « base class « baseline « base memory
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