XP-Pro - Low DOS memory stolen by Microsoft update ?

Stewart

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Jan 31, 2013, 4:39:04 AM1/31/13

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Hi all, first time on this group.

How much low DOS memory do you have on XP-Pro ????
[Bring up Command Prompt; type in MEM, what is largest executable
program size?]

Mine used to be ~ 627M, now it is only ~577M.
I'm pretty sure this happened after an XP update.

As a result one of my old DOS programs will not run.

If it was from an update, I don't know I can go backwards as I
regularly delete all the blue files in C:\Windows following updates
???

These people seem to find the same.
http://www.techrepublic.com/forum/questions/101-395498/low-memory-error-after-last-winxp-update-clipper-app
I have also found that if I "REM" out the LH DOSX, LH REDIR, LH CDEXNT
in AUTOEXEC.NT that my maximum executable progrma size increases -
though my old DOS program is still not happy.
That seems to imply that DOSX, REDIR and CDEXNT are NOT really being
loaded high - though "himem.sys" has never changed.

Someone did suggest I try DOSBOX, but I'd rather get XP DOS working as
before.

It seems hard to believe Microsoft would do this in one of their
security updates. Maybe it stops a hacker getting in to the system,
but is not a real solution

Any help much appreciated.

Stewart

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Jan 31, 2013, 4:47:57 AM1/31/13

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Should have said "Mine used to be ~ 627K, now it is only ~577K".

Marcus Houlden

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Jan 31, 2013, 3:32:32 PM1/31/13

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On Thu, 31 Jan 2013 09:39:04 +0000, Stewart <Ste...@gmail.com>
wrote the following to uk.comp.os.ms-windows:

> Hi all, first time on this group.
>
> How much low DOS memory do you have on XP-Pro ????
> [Bring up Command Prompt; type in MEM, what is largest executable
> program size?]
>
> Mine used to be ~ 627M, now it is only ~577M.
> I'm pretty sure this happened after an XP update.
>
> As a result one of my old DOS programs will not run.

Sounds like http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2724197 which has a hot fix at
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2785487 that might be worth a try.

mh.
--
http://www.nukesoft.co.uk
http://www.houlden.org

John Hall

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Jan 31, 2013, 3:32:50 PM1/31/13

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In article <stdkg81sgnvaqqc9k...@4ax.com>,

Stewart <Ste...@gmail.com> writes:
>How much low DOS memory do you have on XP-Pro ????
>[Bring up Command Prompt; type in MEM, what is largest executable
>program size?]
>
>Mine used to be ~ 627M, now it is only ~577M.

Using XP (but non Pro), I get 575. I don't know if it's changed, as I've
never checked before.
--
John Hall

"Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong."
Oscar Wilde

Stewart

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Jan 31, 2013, 7:50:03 PM1/31/13

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On Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:32:50 +0000, John Hall
<nospam...@jhall.co.uk> wrote:

>In article <stdkg81sgnvaqqc9k...@4ax.com>,
> Stewart <Ste...@gmail.com> writes:
>>How much low DOS memory do you have on XP-Pro ????
>>[Bring up Command Prompt; type in MEM, what is largest executable
>>program size?]
>>
>>Mine used to be ~ 627M, now it is only ~577M.
>
>Using XP (but non Pro), I get 575. I don't know if it's changed, as I've
>never checked before.

Sounds like you need the fix too.
577 restored to 627 on mine.

Stewart

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Jan 31, 2013, 7:51:07 PM1/31/13

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EUREKA, FANTASTIC !!!!!!!!!!!!
627K restored.
DOS prog working again.
Thank you !

Johny B Good

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Feb 1, 2013, 9:34:39 AM2/1/13

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On Thu, 31 Jan 2013 20:32:50 +0000, John Hall
<nospam...@jhall.co.uk> wrote:

>In article <stdkg81sgnvaqqc9k...@4ax.com>,
> Stewart <Ste...@gmail.com> writes:
>>How much low DOS memory do you have on XP-Pro ????
>>[Bring up Command Prompt; type in MEM, what is largest executable
>>program size?]
>>
>>Mine used to be ~ 627M, now it is only ~577M.
>
>Using XP (but non Pro), I get 575. I don't know if it's changed, as I've
>never checked before.

Like you, it's not a command I've tried before. I get 578k but I'm
running win2k pro SP4. I doubt there ever was a hotfix to increase it
but, just out of interest, I tried the mem command in DosBox and got
634k in 0.72 and 632k in 0.74

--
Regards, J B Good