Ok time for the tech guys and girls to help a tech guy. Have been reading that 512Mb is the max memory that Win 98 can handle. Also read, just to be safe, that 384Mb is the top you should go. MSs KB confirms the max at 512. I currently have an Asus CUV4X-E motherboard with the VIA Pro 133A chipset(junk switching to a board with the good old I815EP). I would really like to use 512MB but had system instablity at that level(memory tested and ok). Any comments or personal experiences would be appriciated. Thanks, Mike

Hi Mike, I recently had a magazine article about that limit... but don't remember where it was (I hope I'll find it again soon!); it was about the limitation of memory: it said that it was absolutely necessary to set up the memory at that limit with Win 98 because over that limit, we could meet random troubles! I don't remember if it was 384 or 512 Mb! I posted something regarding that piece of information here in that forum about 10 days ago! Gérard from Paris, France

Here I am Mike! The French article (I wont translate it completely as it is in French... and rather long!) says: Over 512 Mb, Win 95/98/Me can sometimes freeze at startup (with a message saying "protection error" or announce it has not enough memory (lol!) or even shut the computer down! The solution: -Edit Win.ini and add/modify the line maxfilecache=524588 -Open MSconfig, General tab, check the box about "Limit the memory to nnn Mb" with nnn=512 (Win NT4 and 2000 don't need such a limit) Gérard from Paris, France

This is less info than Frenchie had, but it may trigger somebody else who can remember...I've heard Win98s limit is 512MB, and you can do it with no problems, but there is a setting you want to change somewhere in windows advanced setting otherwise it *could* get buggy...or you could do what I did and get Win2k and pop a GB of RAM in...but thats a more espenisve route...lol...

Thanks for the replies, have also seen that info in the KB, was hoping for something simple, but as in all IT things, it's not. XP is looking real good. Again thanks, Mike

The maximum amount of memory that Windows can address is 2 Gigabytes. But yes, it may require some tweaking to get it to work. From Microsoft - http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q253912&GSSNB=1

I used the tips supplied by Gerard, from Paris, with no change in my operating glitches. I had the memory tested in place in my computer at the shop I bought the memory from, it was good. However, when I put any combination of two of my three 256mB sticks in and pair of the three sockets on my M/B, Norton Utilities finds memory errors. The original problem was (and remains) inability to burn CDRs with a new Sony 12x8x32 burner with the supplied software (CD Complete Pro) or with Adaptec Easy CD Creator. Heck, I bought 768mB of ram with the expectation I would be able to use it! Anybody got any other ideas, please?