Not enough maximum conventional memory.

Hi i'm having trouble with running DOS games. Its because I don't have enough conventional memory. My main worry is I don't have the maximum 640KB of memory its actually 584KB.  This is odd as it recognises my full 192MB of RAM. So does anyone have any advice on how to fix this?

[Moderator]

I guess you could make a game boot disk.
Try Google -> "game boot disk"

It won't work because every time I use a boot disk it won't recognise drive C:\ because it is too big or something.

[Moderator]

I just googled game boot disk & found a heap of 'other' hints to get you going through windows.

I havn't been having too much luck with bootdisks. So do you know whats causing my computer to think there is only 584KB of maximum base memory rather than 640KB?

[Moderator]

You only have 584KB out of 640KB because you are using the other 56KB.

No that's not what the problem is. The 584KB is the maximum plus more memory is used up. 56KB is being used up so there is actually only 528KB free.

[Moderator]

Post your autoexec.bat and config.sys here...

What games are these BTW ?

patio.  

[Moderator]

Type mem <enter> at your prompt & paste the result in here for us to see.

Okay I've got screenshots from both the mem command and my autoexec.bat and config.sys files.

    http://s25.yousendit.com/d.aspx?id=25DRCZKE5E91Z342YGAB85QLMT

Screenshots? The contents of both files are easily posted as simple text. Try that instead of a downloadable .zip file.

"Come into my parlor", said the spider to the fly.

[Moderator]

LOL!  I didn't download them either.  

Put up something like this Rippa

C:\WINNT\system32>mem/c

Conventional Memory :

 Name                Size in Decimal
-------------      ---------------------
 MSDOS              11968      ( 11.7K)
 KBD                 3280      (  3.2K)
 HIMEM               1248      (  1.2K)
 COMMAND             3664      (  3.6K)
 DOSX               34720      ( 33.9K)
 FREE                 112      (  0.1K)
 FREE              600176      (586.1K)

Total  FREE :       600288      (586.2K)

Put the contents of you config.sys & autoexec.bat on this forum. Specify your OS version.

You could try this for config.sys on DOS 6.22 and higher.

DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE
FILESHIGH=100
BUFFERSHIGH=33
STACKSHIGH=9,256
FCBSHIGH=4,0
DOS=HIGH,UMB

REM OPTIONAL below...
DEVICEHIGH=C:\CDROM\OAKCDROM.SYS /D:OAKCDROM
DEVICEHIGH=C:\SOUND\SB16.SYS

=================================
If you are running DOS natively... try memmnaker.

Whats wrong with screenshots?

autoexec.bat

EMM386.EXE ON
SET SBPCI=C:\SBPCI
SET BLASTER=A220 I7 D1 H7 P330 T6
LH C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS\MOUSE.COM


config.sys

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH,UMB



I use Windows 98

Memory Type                Total          Used               Free
-----------------------    -------------    -----------        ---------
Conventional                 586K              56K              528K
Upper                                0K                0K                  0K
Reseved                            0K                0K                  0K
Extended (XMS)        66,535K                 ?        195,216K
------------------------  -------------     -----------         ---------
Total Memory            66,119K                 ?        195,744K

Total Under 1MB            586K             56K               528K

Total Expanded (EMS)                                           64M
Free Expanded (EMS)                                            16M

Largest Executable Program Size                        528K
Largest Free Upper Memory Block                           0K
MS-DOS is resident in the high memory area.


I typed it in all properly when I wrote the post and after all that it shows up like this. So if you can't read it properly download the screenshot.

[Moderator]

Do you need expanded memory? If not remove the EMM386 reference from autoexec.bat and in the config sys change to

DOS=HIGH,UMB NOEMS

Now are you using real DOS, or is this command prompt? What version of Windows?

I only have Windows 98. Sometimes I just use C:\command and sometimes I restart and then boot up with the step by step configuration (because some background files try to load even though there not in autoexec.bat) and just dont choose the windows shell to be booted.

He is using Windows 98.

Your right, you can drop EMM386.EXE from config.sys.

What is puzzling thought is the EMM386.EXE ON in the autoexec.bat. As far as I can recall, that wont run from there.

You may also edit msdos.sys under windows 98, and further optimize settings there. Its a flat text file.

That EMM386 ON thing is there because I put it there and youre right it doesnt work. Itll work if I run it in windows but when it boots up it says the file is missing or corrupt.

Ill have a look at that msdos.sys too see what I can do. I find it odd however that 56K is missing from memory but it is also 56K that is being used so im basically losing 112K of memory.
I cannot really think of anything that may be causing that, if I had the full amount of base memory and the 56K used up I would have plenty to play pretty much anything, Ive always had memory troubles but I had never before realised that DOS didnt recognise that I was abe to have a full 640K of base memory.

[Moderator]

DOSX and expanded memory are taking up some space. Look at those two. I don't know what DOSX is, and do you need expanded memory?

I have needed it on occasion. And I never once said DOSX, if I did it must have been a typo. But the real issue here is why DOS is seeing my maximum memory as 584K instead of 640K not how to free up memory.

[Moderator]

I agree Rippa, you should start with the 640K then it gets used up after that.
Could you have a faulty cpu I wonder?

Why would the CPU affect it? I just thought it might be a line of code in some DOS file gone wrong.

[Moderator]

Is the 640K conventional memory limitation a hardware of software thing?
I've always thought it was hardware (cpu).
Live & learn, I must do some research on this.  

[Moderator]

Conventional Memory

Conventional memory is contiguous memory directly used by applications running on any Intel 80x86 microprocessor that is running in real mode under unaugmented MS-DOS. Addressed from 0 to 640KB (up to 736KB with special device drivers and hardware). The original 8088 processor could address up to 1MB (220, 20 being the number of address lines which come out of the CPU) of memory directly; however, IBM chose to reserve the upper 384KB for ROM and other uses.

Another interesting read....
http://aroundcny.com/technofile/texts/pcmemdesign.htm

There is a sound manager out there called VDMSound.
http://vogons.zetafleet.com/viewtopic.php?t=2071

This sound manager also manages DOS 640K memmory issues.

By the way. Did you ever try to adjust the properties of the shortcut running the DOS game under Windows?
Experiment with the memmory setting of the short-cut in question.

That's odd, I changed the memory settings in that right click properties menu and they all changed except conventional memory. I changed it to 640K but it went back to auto, that's interesting.