Our question today hails from M.:

Just wondering if there are different versions of the OS 4.1 to allow addressing of 16mb of [RAM] instead of 8mb? I know that OS 4.1 is used in Palm and Sony units with both 8mb and 16mb, but was told that a patch is required to enable addressing for 16mb. Somehow the DragonBall processor SDRAM controller register has to be programmed different. I would assume that this is done by the OS. One would think that the OS would auto detect, but I have been lead to believe that this is not the case. Specifically, I'm trying to figure out how to make a Sony Clie N760C address 16mb instead of 8mb.

UPDATE: I mistakenly left the URLs out of this story. I have repaired the mistake and have reposted this. ED.

Good question. Surprisingly enough, it has little to do with the OS, as it could simply be patched to allow for the additional memory. Sadly, the case is more permenant as the Motorola DragonBall processor is what determines how much RAM can be addressed. The original DragonBall and older EZ models, as can be found in early model Palm devices and the TRGpro, can only address a maximum of 8MBs. They can, however, be upgraded to 8MBs. More recent devices that use the VZ series of processors, like your Clie N760C, can address up to 32MBs of RAM, but other limitations, the OS among them, restrict the actual maximum to 16MBs.

The good news is that you can upgrade your N760C to that 16MBs you've been coveting. There are also a number of other systems that can be upgraded in various ways, including ROM upgrades for Palm IIIe and m100 devices. The question now is where to go to get these upgrades. The only service I can feel safe in recommending is the one offered by Tony Rudenko. He's been upgrading Palm's for a very long time, and he even upgrades Pocket PCs.

I hope that this helps you out, M. If anyone else has any questions, please feel free to send them in by clicking here.