BASE MEMORY
\bˈe͡ɪs mˈɛməɹˌi], \bˈeɪs mˈɛməɹˌi], \b_ˈeɪ_s m_ˈɛ_m_ə_ɹ_ˌi]\
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The lowest 640 kilobytes of memory in anIBM PC-compatible computer running MS-DOS. Other PCoperating systems can usually compensate and "ignore" thefact that there is a 640K limit to base memory. This was putin place because the original CPU - the Intel 8088 - couldonly access one megabyte of memory, and IBM wanted toreserve the upper 384KB for device drivers. The highmemory area (HMA) lies above 640KB and can be accessed onMS-DOS computers that have an A20 handler.
By Denis Howe