WinME memory limit

Hi everyone

I will be "destroying" 2 PCs to build a "new" one the final result will be:

Abit BP6 with 2 Celeron 500Mhz processors, 640 MB Ram, ATA66 integrated +
ATA133 Promise PCI card.

ATI All-in-Wonder 128 (Rage chipset) 32 MB AGP video card.

3 HD, 1 x 4.3 gb (C: WinME + progs), 1 x 80 gb (Data), 1 x 20 gb (E: Win
XPpro + progs)

I already have all the drivers that I'll need for both OS.

It will be dual boot and my question concerns the WinME part. I understand
that it will use only one processor but I've heard that Win 98 and ME have
problems with memory above 512 MB and there need to be some command(s)
added somewhere (.ini files?). It will be the first time I run ME above 384
MB RAM.

Anyone could guide me in the right direction?

TIA

Dominique

Win Me, like all Win 9x operating systems, can support and use up to 2GB
of memory although there are a number of caveats and exceptions to that
details of which are contained in the following Microsoft Knowledge Base
articles with the first essential reading where more than 512MB of memory
is installed.

For more details see:
MS KB 253912 - ""Out of Memory" Error Messages with Large Amounts of RAM
Installed" (http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=253912). The reason is that
allocating more than 512MB of RAM to vcache will exhaust all available
upper memory addresses and thus prevent them being used for other
purposes. This problem is easily fixed as follows:
To limit vcache, open system.ini and add the lines
[VCache]
MaxFileCache=512000
Note that this will still mean that all memory is available to
applications but is simply limiting the amount used as virtual cache
memory.

MS KB 296773 - "Computer May Not Hibernate with More Than 192 MB of
Memory"
(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=296773). This makes reference to an
updated file vmm.vxd. Unfortunately due to Win Me being out of support
this file can no longer be obtained from Microsoft.

MS KB 304943 - "Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB of
RAM" (http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=304943).
--
Mike Maltby



DG wrote:

Hi everyone

I will be "destroying" 2 PCs to build a "new" one the final result
will be:

Abit BP6 with 2 Celeron 500Mhz processors, 640 MB Ram, ATA66
integrated + ATA133 Promise PCI card.

ATI All-in-Wonder 128 (Rage chipset) 32 MB AGP video card.

3 HD, 1 x 4.3 gb (C: WinME + progs), 1 x 80 gb (Data), 1 x 20 gb (E:
Win XPpro + progs)

I already have all the drivers that I'll need for both OS.

It will be dual boot and my question concerns the WinME part. I
understand that it will use only one processor but I've heard that
Win 98 and ME have problems with memory above 512 MB and there need
to be some command(s) added somewhere (.ini files?). It will be the
first time I run ME above 384 MB RAM.

Anyone could guide me in the right direction?

TIA

Dominique

Thank you for your answer, since I don't use hibernate on this one (I
think) and most of the time, it will be running XPpro, I will probably
begin the "destruction" soon now.

Thanks again,
Dominique


"Mike M" écrivait
:

Win Me, like all Win 9x operating systems, can support and use up to
2GB of memory although there are a number of caveats and exceptions to
that details of which are contained in the following Microsoft
Knowledge Base articles with the first essential reading where more
than 512MB of memory is installed.

For more details see:
MS KB 253912 - ""Out of Memory" Error Messages with Large Amounts of
RAM Installed" (http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=253912). The reason
is that allocating more than 512MB of RAM to vcache will exhaust all
available upper memory addresses and thus prevent them being used for
other purposes. This problem is easily fixed as follows:
To limit vcache, open system.ini and add the lines
[VCache]
MaxFileCache=512000
Note that this will still mean that all memory is available to
applications but is simply limiting the amount used as virtual cache
memory.

MS KB 296773 - "Computer May Not Hibernate with More Than 192 MB of
Memory"
(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=296773). This makes reference to
an updated file vmm.vxd. Unfortunately due to Win Me being out of
support this file can no longer be obtained from Microsoft.

MS KB 304943 - "Computer May Reboot Continuously with More Than 1.5 GB
of RAM" (http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=304943).

On Sat, 12 Apr 2008 13:08:57 -0700, DG wrote:

It will be dual boot and my question concerns the WinME part. I understand
that it will use only one processor but I've heard that Win 98 and ME have
problems with memory above 512 MB and there need to be some command(s)
added somewhere (.ini files?). It will be the first time I run ME above 384
MB RAM.

I am running ME on my 3.4 gHz box with 768 mb memory without any
problem.

I have heard earlier that problems arise only if you have more than
this and needs vcache trick.

HTH


Thanks for your time and attention

ClueLess

You're living on the edge if you have 764MB of RAM and haven't limited
vcache as explained in MS KB 253912 - ""Out of Memory" Error Messages with
Large Amounts of RAM Installed"
(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=253912).

HTH

Not really as IMO opinion it is bad practice to try and run with 768MB of
RAM and not limit vcache and this is likely to cause regular "out of
memory" errors. That you manage to have none is fortunate but others are
unlikely to be so lucky.
--
Mike Maltby



ClueLess wrote:

I am running ME on my 3.4 gHz box with 768 mb memory without any
problem.

I have heard earlier that problems arise only if you have more than
this and needs vcache trick.

HTH


Thanks for your time and attention

ClueLess

I use Windows Me in a dual-boot system (actually quadruple-boot but
never mind) on a computer that has 2GB of RAM, with the following
lines added to system.ini

[386Enh]
ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1
MaxPhysPage=40000

[vcache]
MaxFileCache=524288

The [vcache] line is necessary, as explained by the other posters, I
don't quite remember why the ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 and
MaxPhysPage=40000 limits the memory used by Windows Me to 1GB. I've
read that things can get unstable above that, I never tried but why
take the chance? Having more than 1 GB of RAM available to Windows Me
won't make it happier anyway.


On Apr 12, 1:08�pm, DG wrote:
Hi everyone

I will be "destroying" 2 PCs to build a "new" one the final result will be:

Abit BP6 with 2 Celeron 500Mhz processors, 640 MB Ram, ATA66 integrated +
ATA133 Promise PCI card.

ATI All-in-Wonder 128 (Rage chipset) 32 MB AGP video card.

3 HD, 1 x 4.3 gb (C: WinME + progs), 1 x 80 gb (Data), 1 x 20 gb (E: Win
XPpro + progs)

I already have all the drivers that I'll need for both OS.

It will be dual boot and my question concerns the WinME part. I understand
that it will use only one processor but I've heard that Win 98 and ME have
problems with memory above 512 MB and there need to be some command(s)
added somewhere (.ini files?). It will be the first time I run ME above 384
MB RAM.

Anyone could guide me in the right direction?

TIA

Dominique

To be honest there's little or nothing to be gained and perhaps even a
negative impact, in having ConservativeSwapfileUsage set equal to 1 when
running Win Me as this reverts swap file usage to the model used in
Windows 95.

From KB223294 "Windows 98 added a new feature,
PageFile_Call_Async_Manager, that allows the Memory Manager to
asynchronously write out page file (swap file) buffers during periods of
time when VFAT file system activity is not busy."

With 2GB of RAM setting MaxPhysPage=40000 is most sensible.
--
Mike Maltby



wrote:

I use Windows Me in a dual-boot system (actually quadruple-boot but
never mind) on a computer that has 2GB of RAM, with the following
lines added to system.ini

[386Enh]
ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1
MaxPhysPage=40000

[vcache]
MaxFileCache=524288

The [vcache] line is necessary, as explained by the other posters, I
don't quite remember why the ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1 and
MaxPhysPage=40000 limits the memory used by Windows Me to 1GB. I've
read that things can get unstable above that, I never tried but why
take the chance? Having more than 1 GB of RAM available to Windows Me
won't make it happier anyway.

On Tue, 15 Apr 2008 11:48:45 +0100, "Mike M"
wrote:

Not really as IMO opinion it is bad practice to try and run with 768MB of
RAM and not limit vcache and this is likely to cause regular "out of
memory" errors. That you manage to have none is fortunate but others are
unlikely to be so lucky.

In addition I have also ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1 in the system.ini
file.

I never ever had any out of memory problems, no BSOD etc

Thanks for your time and attention

ClueLess

ClueLess wrote:

Not really as IMO opinion it is bad practice to try and run with
768MB of RAM and not limit vcache and this is likely to cause
regular "out of memory" errors. That you manage to have none is
fortunate but others are unlikely to be so lucky.

In addition I have also ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1 in the system.ini
file.

Why don't you run Win 95 whilst your at it?

I never ever had any out of memory problems, no BSOD etc

Not really surprising if you are using ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1 since
you are unnecessarily throttling your PC. I can only assume that you like
to live up to the name you have chosen for yourself.
--
Mike Maltby

ROFL!! Just came on here and saw this "Sir Michael Gem".....you are
quite obviously more hilarious and wittier at 3 am than noon time.
LOL!! Love that British sense of humour......

Get to bed, young man!!

XX Figgs

"Mike M" wrote in message
...
ClueLess wrote:

Not really as IMO opinion it is bad practice to try and run with
768MB of RAM and not limit vcache and this is likely to cause
regular "out of memory" errors. That you manage to have none is
fortunate but others are unlikely to be so lucky.

In addition I have also ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1 in the system.ini
file.

Why don't you run Win 95 whilst your at it?

I never ever had any out of memory problems, no BSOD etc

Not really surprising if you are using ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1
since you are unnecessarily throttling your PC. I can only assume
that you like to live up to the name you have chosen for yourself.
--
Mike Maltby