Two Questions

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Yes and yes.

(1) Use a program like NewMode, ModePro, or any of the other mode promotion utilities on Aminet.

(2)  Tools like FBlit, WBCtrl, LoadWB SIMPLEGELS are all effective ways of reducing chip memory usage.  Which you use and which tweaks and settings you change depends which version of the OS you're using.  Much information is already about conserving chip memory, search the forums, here's another resource:  http://www.gregdonner.org/os39faq/compatibility.html#9

As an alternative if you get a graphics card you can boot with 98% of your chip memory still free.  Obviously this is a bit cost-prohibitive in our current market, however.  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Thank you for the URL. The 3rd solution has given me more CHIP ram than I have ever had before on my 3.9 machine. Big difference even though I already had FBlit installed.

Great!  Glad to help.  There's a lot of good info on that link.  Also to repeat it again, if you're not already using the Peter K. icon library, you should be.  

http://aminet.net/package/util/libs/IconLib_46.4

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

Not really. At least not by means the Os provides.

And that's why people have been hacking the Amiga for almost as long as the Amiga has existed.  

[Oldsmobile_Mike]

So on a OS3.9 BoingBag 1&2 setup, is this iconlib a straight install or do I need to mess with setpatch?

Dump the correct version for your processor in LIBS: and fuggedaboudit.  Tricks are only needed for 3.1 (and maybe 3.5?)  It comes with lots of extra C: command line tools to play around with, also.