DOS and Windows 95 memory blues


 

DOS

To see how much memory you have type "mem" on a DOS prompt which will give you something like this:
 
Memory Type Total Used Free
------------------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Conventional 640K 36K 604K
Upper 91K 91K OK
Reserved 384K 384K OK
Extended (XMS) 31,653K 141K 31,512K
------------------- ---------- ---------- ----------
Total memory 32,768K 652K 32,116K
Total under 1 MB 731K 126K 604K
Total Expanded (EMS) 31M (32,980,992 bytes)
Free Expanded (EMS) 16M (16,777,216 bytes)
Largest executable program size 604K (618,896 bytes)
Largest free upper memory block 0K (0 bytes)

The red entries show the conventional memory which tells me that I can run any program that needs up to 604K of conventional memory. To run BaK you must have at least 590K.

To find out what applications are eating up your PC's memory type "mem /c/p" which will give you something like this:

Modules using memory below 1 MB:
Name Total Conventional Upper Memory
----------- --------------------- --------------------- ---------------------
SYSTEM 40,112 (39K) 9,632 (9K) 30,480 (30K)
HIMEM 1,120 (1K) 1,120 (1K) 0 (0K)
EMM386 4,320 (4K) 4,320 (4K) 0 (0K)
ATAPIMGR 6,800 (7K) 6,800 (7K) 0 (0K)
WIN 3,696 (4K) 3,696 (4K) 0 (0K)
vmm32 61,744 (60K) 3,152 (3K) 58,592 (57K)
COMMAND 7,456 (7K) 7,456 (7K) 0 (0K)
IFSHLP 2,864 (3K) 0 (0K) 2,864 (3K)
SETVER 832 (1K) 0 (0K) 832 (1K)
Free 618,912 (604K) 618,912 (604K) 0 (0K)

well...part of it but this will do for our example. The stuff that Windows loads upon boot up are listed under the 'Name' column, some of which you will find in your config.sys file. Nearly all the items listed here are important (for my use that is). But let's say I need 6K more in order to run BaK. What I will do is find an item that I can safely disable without crashing my computer. Let's say I want to disable my ATAPIMGR CD-ROM driver which will give me an additional 7K. I will open my config.sys file in a text editor and look for the line that contains ATAPIMGR and place a REM at the start of the line.

Of course increasing the conventional memory will not solve all my problems. I also need Expanded memory which I already loaded with 'EMM386' (see 'Name' column). My config.sys file will now look like this:
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM 31472
REM DEVICE=C:\ATACR\ATAPIMGR.SYS
BUFFERS=20
FILES=30
DOS=HIGH,UMB
LASTDRIVE=Z

You don't have to specify the amount of RAM that EMM386 sets, however, the boot disk setup utility in Krondor sets 31472. Make sure config.sys contains the line DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE RAM.

Creating a boot disk

If you can't make a boot disk using the utility in Krondor's install here's what you can do (before you start, make a backup copy of your autoexec.bat and config.sys files in your C:> drive). Go to a DOS prompt and change to the Windows directory (if you're not already there) then insert a blank floppy disk. Type format a: /s which will create a bootable diskette. Next copy the autoexec.bat and config.sys files in your C:> drive to your new boot disk (C:>copy autoexec.bat a: and C:>copy config.sys a:). Exit the DOS prompt and open the autoexec and config files in the diskette (NOT the ones in your C: drive) using any text editor (you can also edit the two files in DOS if you have the edit command). Check for drivers that you don't need to load such as drivers for your CD-ROM, printer, scanner, etc., and put a REM before each line. You will probably be left with something like this:

[autoexec.bat]

SET COMSPEC=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND.COM
LOADHIGH C:\DOS\MOUSE.COM
PATH=C:\DOS;C:\WINDOWS;
SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP

[config.sys]

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=EMM386.EXE RAM 31472
REM DEVICE=C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE
REM DEVICE=C:\ATACR\ATAPIMGR.SYS
REM DEVICE=C:\ATACR\SR_ASPI.SYS /D:MSCD000/Q
DOS=HIGH,UMB
FILES=30
BUFFERS=20
DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DBLSPACE.SYS /MOVE
LASTDRIVE=Z

Please take note that not all entries above will appear in your autoexec.bat and config.sys files. The white entries are added when you use Krondor's boot disk setup utility. Make sure that you don't edit the autoexec.bat and config.sys files in your C:> drive.

Windows 95

If you got to this section after trying the tips above then you probably have a lot of stuff loaded in your startup directory. The best thing to do is to take out items that you don't need to load when Windows boots up. Open your Startup directory and check whether you need certain files during bootup.

To find out what Windows loads into memory try a third party software like the Norton Commander System Doctor which will give you a list of what's using up your PC's memory and how much space they're taking. The MSOffice taskbar takes up a lot of space so you might want to forego this novelty in exchange for being able to play the best RPG ever made.

Another way that might help is by specifying which drivers to load when Windows boots up. You can do this by pressing F8 when you see the line 'Starting Windows 95...' while your PC boots. When you see the Startup menu select 'Step-by-step confirmation' which will prompt you for every entry in your autoexec.bat and config.sys files. If you get a prompt that asks if you want to process your autoexec.bat and config.sys files just select YES. Load only the drivers that you need.

My best advice for all your BaK memory problems is to find a professional who knows everything about computers and let him/her solve your problems.  

DISCLAIMER: I have tested all the instructions here regarding memory problems for BaK and they all work for me. Be careful of all the changes that you make on your PC's system files. When in doubt don't edit any files in your PC. Please don't hold me responsible in case something goes wrong with your PC.
 

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