Insufficiant Extended Memory 1

[francoislaroche]

I get the following message on a computer with Windows 98 on it upon booting:

Mémoire étendue insuffisante

I have a French version of Windows.

This message could be translated to about Insufficiant Extended Memory, but I'm not 100% sure about the Extended term.

Anyway, this happens while the computer is booting, before entering Windows (still in DOS). It also says to press a key to continue, and when you press a key, it just reboots again, and the cycle goes on and on.

Any suggestion anybody?

 

[PowerCat]

Do you have memory settings in your config.sys and/or autoexec.bat files? Have you f8'ed to step through your startup?

If you have another (functioning) system to compare with, compare its config.sys/autoexec.bat with yours. I assume you've eliminated bad memory chips from the equation?

BTW: "étendue" does mean "extended"

 

[grygst76]

look at your config.sys for the lines
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE
DOS=HIGH
if any of these statements are there try looking at the motherboard insufficient conventional memory means bad cache on motherboard 640k try using the 386.exe command to test
or add the line for emm386
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE

 

[reghakr]

francoislaroche,

The autoexec.bat commands listed above are handled automatically in Win9x systems. There is no need for an autoexec.bat.

At the DOS prompt, type:
ren c:\autoexec.bat autoexec.bat autoexec.old and reboot.


The post back with the contents of that file for us to look over.

reghakr

 

[francoislaroche]

The following lines AREN'T in my config.sys:

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

How can I test the memory with the EMM386 program?

There doesn't seem to be any memory setting in the config.sys nor the autoexec.bat. Is there a particular line to look for?

When I went through the startup step by step, he executed the following lines even though they aren't in any of the config.sys nor autoexec.bat:

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\DBLBUFF.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS

I said yes to every question through the step by step.

I compared with a functionning system, and the autoexec.bat and config.sys files are exactly the same.

No, I didn't eliminate bad memory chip. You mean I should just try to change the memory bar and see if things works?

I renamed the file and rebooted. I got the same message. I then rebooted again in MS-DOS mode. No new autoexec.bat file had been created. Here's the content of the autoexec.old file:

c:\f-prot\f-prot /beep /hard /nofile
SET BLASTER=A220 I10 D3 T4
MODE CON CODEPAGE PREPARE=((850) C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\EGA.CPI)
MODE CON CODEPAGE SELECT=850
KEYB CF,,C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\KEYBRD2.SYS
MSCDEX /D:MSCD001 /V

So, that's about it. What should I try to do now?

 

[grygst76]

add the line DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE
put that in your config.sys file towards the front
that is windows extended memory manager program I always add that and
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
The reason why I do is to make sure windows IS handling my memory properly windows handles HIMEM.SYS but not EMM386.exe
give it a go

 

[francoislaroche]

I added the lines. Here's how my config.sys now look:

DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\EMM386.EXE
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(EGA,,1)
COUNTRY=002,850,C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\COUNTRY.SYS
device=C:\WINDOWS\cwdinit.exe /A
DEVICE=C:\CDPRO\VIDE-CDD.SYS /D:MSCD001
files=25
buffers=25

Before, the first 2 lines weren't there. When I booted, I got the following message:

EMM386 non installé - Gestionnaire XMS non présent

It can be roughly translated to

EMM386 not installed - XMS Manager not present (or unavaillable)


I never had this message before adding the 2 lines to the config.sys.

So, where do I go from there?

 

[grygst76]

what that usually means is add more memory to your system
extended memory manager would not load due to not enough available memory to run the EMM386.exe some examples areBy excluding addresses in the range A000-EFFF, EMM386.EXE does not use any part of the excluded region for a UMB or EMS page frame. Identifying the correct region(s) to exclude requires experimentation. Start by excluding a large region and then reducing the size of the region. For example:
DEVICE=EMM386.EXE NOEMS X=A000-EFFF

DEVICE=EMM386.EXE NOEMS X=C000-DFFF

DEVICE=EMM386.EXE NOEMS X=C800-CFFF
You can use multiple exclusions on the EMM386.EXE device line. For example:
DEVICE=EMM386.EXE NOEMS X=C000-C7FF X=E000-EFFF
if you cannot GET AROUND ANY OF THESE PERIMETERS REMOVE THE emm386.exe LINE AND REMOVE THE FILES=
AND BUFFERS= lines by putting rem and a space in front of those lines and try again.
if unsuccessful try
FILES=40
BUFFERS=99
one of these should make it boot with no error give it a shot!!

 

[francoislaroche]

I tryed adding the NOEMS to the EMM386 line. With X=A000-EFFF, I didn't get any result (well, I got the same f**king one as always).

I didn't try with any other value for X, since it didn't work.

Then, I removed the EMM386 line and the files and buffer ones. I still left the HIMEM.SYS line in the Config.sys. No more significant result, except that I didn't get any message concerning EMM386 (evidently).

I added again the files and buffer, using the suggested values. I didn't put back the EMM386 line. Still, same result: it doesn't work.

Anything else I can try?

 

[francoislaroche]

Well, have I reached the point where I can only reinstall it all and hope it never happens again? (wich I doubt, since I already got 2 systems with this problem, and we previously had it on another one)

 

[grygst76]

add more memory

 

[francoislaroche]

I changed the one memory bar (1 x 64 Mo) for a new one with higher capacity (1 x 128Mo).

Same result.

Anything else?

 

[reghakr]

Bad memory modules test
Insert the command DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:ON into your Config.sys file. Watch your screen for a message HIMEM has detected unreliable memory at address xx:xxxxxx which will certainly indicate that there's a memory problem.

reghakr

 

[jmatt]

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q148919

 

[francoislaroche]

I replaced the first line of my Config.sys (DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS) by the suggested line (DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS /TESTMEM:ON).

I saw a message indicating that HIMEM was testing the extended memory. But it just said that, and then the booting process continued, without further indication, and I got the same problem as always.

As for the link suggested by jmatt, as you can see from previous posts in this very thread, there's no win.com line in my Autoexec.bat.

Some more suggestions?

 

[francoislaroche]

Have I already exausted all the potential solutions?

 

[grygst76]

no try this boot the pc, just before it says starting windows hit f8 and got to step by step confirmation and then go thru the list until it pops up again with that message. if unsuccessful do the same and this time hit create a bootlog.txt and then get to a c:\ prompt and type edit bootlog.txt then look in that file and try to see what is failing it will show as load failed or the last line in that boot file is the suspect. let me know what happened.

 

[spacekowboy]

is virtual memory set to let windows manage it?

i have had similar probs booting if its too small or set to zero.

just a thot...

:-Q x->

 

[francoislaroche]

I booted in step by step. It gave me the same result (Insufficient extended memory). The last line runned before I got the message was the following:

Charger tous les pilotes Windows?

It could be translated to about:

Load all the Windows drivers?

I answered yes to every question of the step by step.


After that, I booted with F8 again, but this time I chose the \bootlog.txt option. It did just as a normal boot, never stopping for a c:\ prompt.

Seeing that, I booted again, this time in MS-DOS mode. I edited the bootlog.txt file. Here's the content of the file:

[000E1F0D] Loading Device = C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
(Logo disabled)
[000E1F7B] LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\HIMEM.SYS
[000E1F7B] Loading Device = C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DISPLAY.SYS
[000E1F7A] LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\DISPLAY.SYS
[000E1F7A] Loading Device = C:\WINDOWS\CWDINIT.EXE
[000E1F90] LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\CWDINIT.EXE
[000E1F90] Loading Device = C:\CDPRO\VIDE-CDD.SYS
[000E1FB9] LoadSuccess = C:\CDPRO\VIDE-CDD.SYS
[000E1FB9] Loading Device = C:\WINDOWS\DBLBUFF.SYS
[000E1FB1] LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\DBLBUFF.SYS
[000E1FB1] Loading Device = C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
[000E1FC3] LoadSuccess = C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS


As for your suggestion spacekowboy, how do I check to see if my virtual memory is set to let windows manage it?

 

[grygst76]

this time try to rem out all those commands i.e display.sys
cwdinit.exe vide-cdd.sys in the config file and then try again inother words step by step confirmation and then try to not load any drivers but himem.sys and then load all windows drivers and see if it does it again don't give up now its closing in!!!