I've browsed the forums for answers to my issue, and so far have found nothing helpful. I'm attempting to run a program in DOS mode, and trying to avoid having to use a boot disk if possible. The program requires at least 520K of free conventional memory. I can achieve the necessary memory from _within_ Windows, but not within DOS mode, and I need to run this program in DOS. It is a game, so I need my sound card and mouse drivers. My autoexec.bat, config.sys and (not sure if it's useful or not) msdos.sys for your perusal. They're a tad compicated, with a number of lines remarked. AUTOEXEC.BAT LOADHIGH D:\PROGRA~1\GRISOFT\AVGFRE~1\BOOTUP.exe SET BLASTER=A220 I5 D1 T4 @ECHO OFF PROMPT $P$G PATH c:\windows;c:\windows\COMMAND;C:\;c:\pkzip SET DIRCMD=/O SET TEMP=C:\PBTOOLS\WINTEMP SET WINPMT=[WINDOWS] $P$G SET CTCM=C:\AWE64 SET SOUND=C:\AWE64 SET MIDI=SYNTH:1 MAP:E MODE:0 C:\AWE64\MIXERSET /P /Q C:\AWE64\AWEUTIL.COM /S rem - By Windows Setup - LH C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\MSCDEX.exe /D:MSCD0001 /M:20 /S /L:Q rem - By Windows Setup - C:\WINDOWS\AZTPNP.exe /A LOADHIGH c:\logochan.exe CONFIG.SYS DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS DOS=HIGH,UMB DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.exe I=B000-B7FF FILESHIGH=50 BUFFERSHIGH=20 STACKSHIGH=0,0 FCBSHIGH=1 DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\MOUSE.SYS rem DEVICEHIGH=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DRVSPACE.SYS /MOVE DEVICEHIGH=C:\AWE64\CTCM.exe REM the next two lines are not required for all games DEVICEHIGH=C:\AWE64\CTSB16.SYS /UNIT=0 /WIN95 /BLASTER=A220 I:5 D:1 H:5 DEVICEHIGH=C:\AWE64\CTMMSYS.SYS MSDOS.SYS [Paths] WinDir=c:\windows WinBootDir=c:\windows HostWinBootDrv=C [Options] Logo=1 BootMulti=0 BootGUI=1 ; ;The following lines are required for compatibility with other programs. ;Do not remove them (MSDOS.SYS needs to be >1024 bytes). ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxa ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxb ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxc ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxd ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxe ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxf ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxg ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxh ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxi ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxj ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxk ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxl ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxm ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxn ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxo ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxp ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxq ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxr ;xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxs DoubleBuffer=1 AutoScan=1 WinVer=4.10.1998 The only thing I can think of to do is to mess with the FILESHIGH and BUFFERSHIGH lines, but the amount of memory I could save would be marginal, and those lines are there for compatability purposes with other DOS applications. I'm not sure what is taking up 172K of conventional memory, considering, as far as I can see, I've loaded all my device drivers and programs into high memory. Still, the grand total of free conventional memory comes out to 462K, far below the needed 520K. Once again, I can run this program from within Windows (where it does not work properly), but not from within DOS mode. Windows reports a full 536K of free conventional memory. Once again, DOS-mode only reports 462K (less if I don't do a cold boot). Obligatory closing statement: Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

"I'm not sure what is taking up 172K of conventional memory" You should be able to find out mem/c/p 'DEVICEHIGH' doesn't always work if you run out of UMBs - if DOS gets 'too big', it won't load itself into the HMA, either MSDOS.SYS has no real bearing on DOS memory management (since Win95) Science is built up with facts, as a house is with stones. But a collection of facts is not more a science than a heap of stones is a home

Thanks. This has helped a great deal. The processes taking up conventional memory are as follows: MSDOS (26,000) HIMEM (1,168) EMM386 (9,856) [necessary, as the game also makes substantial use of expanded memory) DBLBUFF (2,976) MOUSE (17,296) CTMMSYS (8,080) IFSHLP (2,864) DBLSPACE (110,032) - there's the culprit? I thought this was supposed to free memory, not hog it. COMMAND (7,344) Is there anything I can do about DBLSPACE?

DBLSPACE is a utility to compress drives, it does nothing with memory.

Just out of curiosity, was this a Win95 upgrade from Win3.1; and what game is it you're trying to load anyway?

Jboy previously provided this link to download olddos.exe which contains the win95 memmaker files. Download and run that file. Make sure it extracts in your windows folder. Run msconfig, click 'advanced' and check 'enable starup menu. Then 'apply', OK and reboot. From the menu choose 'command prompt only'. At the c:\> prompt type memmaker and enter. It'll do it's thing and reboot a couple of times. Each time choose 'command prompt only'. When it's done I usually EDIT config.sys and remove the buffers=, files=, FCBS=, stacks= and lastdrive= lines as windows has defaults that are usually adequate. Once you're done, reboot, and choose 'normal' from the menu. When it gets to the desktop, run msconfig again and uncheck 'enable startup menu'. You might not get much improvement with all the stuff you've got loading. I don't recognize logochan.exe. Do you need that? Also you've got a mouse.sys file loading in config.sys. It's usually better to have an .exe mouse driver in autoexec.bat instead. I'll run msconfig with the mouse driver in autoexec.bat and then afterwards move the line to dosstart.bat in the windows directory. Dosstart runs when you exit windows to dos. On a cold dos boot just run dosstart by itself if you need dos mouse support.

Ah, okay. It's been a while since I messed with pre-Win2k, so I'd forgotten. It's Win98 (not second edition), not 95. This computer came with Win95, but has long since been updated to 98. The game is question is World Of Xeen (Might & Magic 4 & 5). It has sound problems with the AWE64 when run from within Windows. A few weeks ago I posted here about that problem--I thought it was having the same problem from within DOS mode, but that assertion is N/A because, as I found upon further inspection, the game did not, in fact, work in DOS mode, for lack of available conventional memory. I need to get it working in DOS again to see if _my_ memory is in fact correct.