patchmem-manual.txt

               WINDOWS 95/98/SE/ME RAM LIMITATION PATCH

                             Version 7.2

                              06/11/2017

                       Copyright (C) 2007-2017
                          By Rudolph R. Loew
                             
                             

The Windows 95/98/SE/ME RAM Limitation Patch Program patches Windows 95, 98,
98SE or ME to support Computers with more than 512MB of RAM. Unmodified
Windows 95, 98, 98SE or ME can malfunction or crash when more than 512MB of
RAM is present.

This Patch extracts the Windows Memory Manager (VMM.VXD) and the Disk Cache
Manager (VCACHE.VXD) contained within the VMM32.VXD File in the Windows
SYSTEM Directory, if necessary. The Patch then Updates all three of them.

NOTE: Computers having more than 3GB of RAM frequently limit RAM
      available to 32-Bit Software, to as little as 3GB. Any additional
      Memory is reserved for 64-Bit Software.



REQUIREMENTS

Windows 95, 98, 98SE or ME.
2.5MB of Space on the Hard Drive containing the Windows Directory.



CONTENTS

PATCHMEM.EXE    Windows 95/98/SE/ME RAM Limitation Patch Program Version 7.2
SPLIT8MB.EXE    Low Memory Splitter
README.TXT      Overview
MANUAL.TXT      Users Manual
LICENSE.TXT     License terms and conditions
HISTORY.TXT     Revision History

NOTE: The name of the Patch program in the Full Versions is PATCHMEM.EXE
      while the name in the Demo Versions is PATCHM.EXE.



PATCH INSTALLATION

1. Download and UnZip the Program to a known location.
2. Open a MS-DOS Box or Boot into DOS.
3. Go to the Directory where the program is located.
4. Run PATCHMEM to install the patch.
5. The Patch will take effect the next time Windows is Booted.

Windows 95 users may want to use the following command in step 4:

   PATCHMEM /M

NOTE: If Computer crashes during Boot after Installing Patch, see LOW MEMORY
      REQUIREMENTS Section Below.



UNINSTALL PATCH (See WARNING Section Below)

1. Download and UnZip the Program to a known location (if necessary).
2. Open a MS-DOS Box or Boot into DOS.
3. Go to the Directory where the program is located.
4. Run PATCHMEM.
5. Type Yes to the Uninstall request to uninstall the Patch.



FIRST 16MB OF RAM MEMORY REQUIREMENTS

Some Devices, especially many Gigabit Ethernet Controllers, require space in
the first 16MB of Physical RAM. Low Physical RAM is also used by Windows 95,
98 or 98SE for Memory Tables. If there is not enough Free Low Physical Memory,
the most common symptoms are Windows crashing during Bootup. Rebooting, going
to a Blank Screen, or reporting a VFAT Error.

Having a very large Registry can cause this problem as well, and increasing
RAM reduces Low Physical RAM further, increasing the likelihood of this
problem appearing.

If Windows 95, 98 or 98SE crashes do the following to increase Low Physical
Memory.

1. Run PATCHMEM to Uninstall the Patch.
2. Run the following to ReInstall the Patch:

   PATCHMEM /M
 
3. Reboot.

If Windows still crashes, perform the following steps:

4. Copy SPLIT8MB.EXE to your Windows Folder.
5. Add the following line to your C:\AUTOEXEC.BAT file:

   SPLIT8MB

6. Reboot

Windows 95 users who already used the /M option (see PATCH INSTALLATION above)
can skip to step 4.



OTHER PROGRAMS, PATCHES, DRIVERS AND UPDATES

Reinstalling, Repairing or Upgrading Windows, or Adding/Removing Windows
Components may overwrite the Patched files. If an Updated VMM.VXD and/or
VCACHE.VXD file is added to the Windows SYSTEM\VMM32 Directory, the Patched
VMM.VXD and/or VCACHE.VXD Module will be overwritten.

Reinstalling the Patch will be needed to RePatch these files.

Unfortunately there is no way to determine what effect other programs will
have until they are installed.

If Windows cannot be rebooted after an Installation, reduce the amount of
RAM to 512MB or less or select the "Command prompt only" option in the
Windows Startup menu.

Go to the Directory where the PATCHMEM Program is located. Run the PATCHMEM
Program to Reinstall the Patch. If the PATCHMEM Program asks to Uninstall the
Patch, say Yes to Uninstall, then Rerun the PATCHMEM Program to Reinstall the
Patch. If the PATCHMEM Program prints a message indicating that a File has
been Updated by another Program press 'Y' and 'ENTER' to Continue, repeat as
needed. If it says "Incomplete Installation Detected", press 'C' and 'ENTER'
to continue.

Windows 95 users who Install the USB Supplement (USBSUPP and USBUPD2) will
need to Repatch before each Reboot.

U98SESP3 will replace the RAM Limitation Patch Files and set Memory limiting
Options in the WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI File. To Install U98SESP3, perform the
following steps:

1. Boot Windows 98SE.
2. Uninstall the RAM Limitation Patch.
3. Install U98SESP3. Do not reboot.
4. Reinstall the RAM Limitation Patch.
5. Reboot.
6. Repeat Steps 2 thru 5 until all of U98SESP3 has been Installed.
7. Edit WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI
8. Remove the line containing MaxPhysPage.
9. Remove the line containing MaxFileCache.
10. Reboot


2.75GB OR MORE OF RAM

If you have more than 2.75GB of available RAM in your Computer, Programs that
use XMS Memory may exhaust the default supply of Handles offered by HIMEM.SYS.
Add the following line to your CONFIG.SYS file before any program that might
use XMS Memory to prevent this problem:

DEVICE=<path>\HIMEM.SYS /NUMHANDLES=64

<path> is the path to your HIMEM.SYS file, usually C:\WINDOWS
If you already have a line installing HIMEM.SYS, add the NUMHANDLES option.
if you are already using the NUMHANDLES setting, make sure it is at least 64.

This is a DOS issue rather than a Windows issue, but a malfunctioning DOS
Program can cause Windows to malfunction or not boot.



PROGRAM COMPATABILITY

Some Programs, especially Programs that manage RAM Memory, may not operate or
not operate properly with large amounts of RAM. If specific Programs are
vital to operation of your system, it is recommended that they be tested with
the Demo Version before purchase. If a Program stops working when RAM is
added, please contact Author. Known problems are listed below.


The following issue has been identified:

EMM386.EXE will lockup all memory if more than approximately 2800MB of RAM is
present. If you are using EMM386.EXE with more than 2800MB of RAM, you must
add the /NUMHANDLES option described in the "2.75GB OR MORE OF RAM" Section
above.

The following Drivers need to be updated to the latest Version:

3Com 905C (Update to 5.4)
Related Drivers may need to be updated


The following Program will fail with large amounts of RAM:

FASTDEFRAG 2.3  (fails at approximately 1280MB)



WARNING

THE POTENTIAL EXISTS FOR DATA LOSS TO OCCUR DUE TO ERRORS IN THE PATCH OR
IF THE PATCHED PROGRAMS ARE BYPASSED OR OVERWRITTEN. DO NOT USE IN CRITICAL
SYSTEMS OR WHERE HUMAN SAFETY IS INVOLVED.

Please E-Mail any Bug Reports to RLoew@hotmail.com.



PROGRAM OPERATION

The VMM.VXD and VCACHE.VXD Files are extracted from the VMM32.VXD file if
they do not already exist.

The three Files are renamed to provide Backup Files before the Patched Files
are written. The Backup Files have the same name as the Original Files but
the extension is changed to .BAK provided the File's Name has an extension.
If not, a .BAK extension is added.

If an earlier Version of the Patch is found, or a Demo Version, it is
Uninstalled.

NOTE: Patch Versions 4.0, or earlier, cannot be Uninstalled by this Patch.
      You must Uninstall it first using the original Patch Program.

The Patched Files are deleted and the Backup Files are renamed back if the
Patch is Uninstalled. If the Backup Files are not present, the Patch cannot
be Uninstalled.



OPTIONS

The Program automatically examines the Computer to locate the necessary Files.

The Program can be redirected to Patch specific Files by specifying
File Names as follows:

PATCHMEM [Options] [VMM32File VMMFile VCACHEFile]

VMM32File is the name of the VMM32.VXD file to extract from and to be updated.
VMMFile is the name of the VMM.VXD file to be updated.
VCACHEFile is the name of the VCACHE.VXD file to be updated.

Entering "-" for a Filename will prevent the file from being accessed or
updated.
Entering "*" for a Filename will revert to the Default System File.

If you specify any Filenames, you must specify all three. Use "*" as
placeholders for Filenames you are not specifying, and "-" for files you do
not wish to access or modify.

You must enable the VMM32File update if the VMMFile and/or VCACHEFile need to
be extracted.

Only use DOS 8.3 Format Filenames.

If the default Filenames for all three files to be Patched are used, use the
following syntax:

PATCHMEM [Options]

Options:  /A    Move AGP and Unfixed Tables >=128MB to Shared Arena
          /C:#  Set Absolute Max File Cache (MB)
          /I    Install Only
          /M    Move VXD Data above 16MB
          /P    Install PROTHOOK

The Move AGP Option (/A) will force AGP amd Unfixed Memory Allocation
Requests for the SYSTEM Arena to the SHARED Arena. This will reduce the
demand for the limited SYSTEM Arena that can fill up with large AGP
Graphics Cards.

The Absolute Maximum File Cache Size is the largest File Cache Size that can
be allocated under any circumstances. The Maximum File Cache Size can still
be lowered, in Normal Mode only, by adding the MaxFileCache option to the
SYSTEM.INI File.

The Default MAXCACHE is 512MB. Settings above 750MB are likely to cause
problems, especially with 16-Bit Programs. Settings below 128MB may conflict
with Minimum File Cache Requirements, especially in Computers with a lot of
RAM. If setting MAXCACHE to 512MB, the MAXCACHE option is not needed.
To set the Absolute Max File Cache to 256 MB use /C:256.

The Install Only Option (/I) will only allow the Patch to be Installed. If the
Patch is already present, the Program will exit immediately.

The Move VXD Option (/M) will add code to the VMM32.VXD file to place the VXD
files within it into RAM Memory above 16MB. This frees up memory below 16MB
which may be needed for other purposes. See "FIRST 16MB OF RAM MEMORY
REQUIREMENTS" above.

The PROTHOOK Option (/P) adds code for the PROTHOOK method used by HIMEMEX.
This elimiantes the need to Install the PROTHOOK VXD when using HIMEMEX.
HIMEMEX is used by the NON-XMS RAMDISKs.



NEW WINDOWS INSTALLATIONS

If you are doing a clean install of Windows into a Computer having more than
512MB of RAM, you will need to Install the Patch before Windows runs.

If you can reduce the amount of RAM to 512MB or less, you can install
Windows normally, run the PATCHMEM Patch Program, then restore the additional
RAM.

If you need to Install Windows in a system with more than 512MB of RAM
present, you can do so as follows:

 1. Place the Patch Program on a DOS Floppy Disk or on a Formatted Partition.
 2. Perform the Windows installation until the FIRST reboot.
    Do not leave the Computer unattended in case Windows reboots without
    prompting.
 3. Reboot and holds the CTRL key to get the Windows Startup Menu.
    NOTE: If Windows starts without the Startup Menu, it may crash. If so,
          press RESET and wait for the Windows Startup Menu. You may need
          to turn Power back on if it shuts off.
 4. Select the "Command prompt only" option and press ENTER.
 5. Run the WININIT Command.
 6. Go to the Floppy Disk or Partition where the PATCHMEM Program is located.
 7. Run the PATCHMEM Program.
 8. Remove the Floppy Disk if present.
 9. Press the Reset Button or CTRL-ALT-DEL.
10. Continue the Windows Installation.

Windows 95 and 95A users must replace step 3 with the following:

3. Reboot and wait until Windows crashes.
   Press RESET and wait for the Windows Startup Menu. You may need to turn
   Power back on if it shuts off.

   Continue to step 4.

NOTE: The Demo Version of this Patch cannot be used to Install Windows as it
      will freeze 10 Minutes after Bootup.

If you have a CD Burner or you install Windows from files placed on the hard
drive, you can purchase pre-patched Installation Cabinet Files for your
version of Windows. By replacing the original Cabinet Files in the
Installation CD or Folder you can install Windows without further patching.
This will also protect you from having the Patches removed if you Reinstall,
Repair or Add/Remove Components to Windows using this CD or Folder. This will
not protect you if an update replaces the Patched Files or corrupts them.



MULTIPLE BOOT WITH OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS

The Patch is compatable with multiple boot systems. Each separate Windows
95/98/98SE/ME System must be Licensed and Patched individually.



RELATED PRODUCTS

WINXX.CAB  Windows Cabinet File with Patch already applied.
RAMDSK32   Non-XMS RAMDISK supports large amounts of RAM.     
RAMDSK64   64-Bit RAMDISK uses RAM above 3GB not available to Windows 9x.



CONTACT INFORMATION

Rudolph R. Loew
506 Bieling Rd.
Elmont, NY 11003

1-516-352-9078

RLoew@hotmail.com

Website:  http://rloew1.no-ip.com