I upgraded the memory on my prized P4 system to 640MB RAM on Saturday and discovered that I couldn't run a game or do simple things like opening a Command prompt. Each time I tried, a message would appear that there wasn't enough memory to run the program.

To cut a long and frustrating story short, I found this article on the web this morning:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/14967.html After applying the workaround by limiting the amount of Virtual Memory to 512MB, the problem went away, but I'm pissed off because RDRAM modules are still not cheap and if I had bought 2x512MB modules instead of 2x256MB, it would have meant about €1000 going down the drain.

I'm also wondering about the legal implications because Dell states quite clearly on their Website that the system supports up to 2048MB RAM as can be seen here:
http://accessories.us.dell.com/sna [...] =11&go.y=2

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1><EM>Edited by Worm_Ai on 02/03/02 07:30 AM.</EM></FONT></P>

I've since discovered that Microsoft is aware of the problem as can be demonstrated here:
http://support.microsoft.com/defau [...] us;Q253912 but doesn't appear to be coming up with a fix bearing in mind that this particular article was published in July 2001.

Hi, Worm ...

That memory limitation might have surprised the guys at the Register, and it's obviously ticked you off, but here at Tom's, we've been aware of the problem for a while ... and our workarounds are similiar. Maybe even a little better! We've had some recent discussions on the issue.

The best solution is upgrading to Win2K or WinXP. But if that's not an option for you at this time, take a look at these links:

<A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/hardware/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=31205#31205" target="_new">Too much memory?</A>

<A HREF="http://www.forrestandassociates.co.uk/pcforrest/vcache.htm" target="_new">How Your Machine's Memory Is Managed By Windows</A>

<A HREF="http://www.3dspotlight.com/tweaks/memory/print.shtml" target="_new">Tweaking your System Memory</A>

I'm not sure that you can hold Dell responsible for Microsoft's mistakes. Your hardware <i>can</i> handle 2GB of RAM ... it's the operating system that's the limiting factor.

I'd rather play with matches than run WinME. You have just experienced one of the many reasons why upgrading away from a "beta" operating system is a good idea.

Toejam31

P.S. I suggest, that if you switch operating systems ... you start over from scratch with a clean, fresh installation on the primary partition. Don't upgrade WinME, or you may run into major problems.

<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Tantalizing Tantric Toy</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
____________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."</font color=purple>

Heh. I bet you've always wanted to say that.

BTW. An <A HREF="http://www.shonky.com/" target="_new">interesting</A> link for ya, if I haven't sent it already.

<b><font color=blue>The Cisco Kid</font color=blue></b>

Thanks! You know how much I prize an interesting link!

Toey

<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Tantalizing Tantric Toy</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
____________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."</font color=purple>

Thanx camieabz, I'll check it out

Going slightly off-track, I see you got a Iiyama Vision Master Pro 510 (22" ) monitor Toejam31. I was looking at their site yesterday and saw that model there. What's your opinion of it?

Hey Toey, how come you don't suggest that they try <A HREF="http://www.outertech.com" target="_new">Cacheman</A> to try and solve the Win9x memory limitation? It worked great for me when I was using Windows 98SE and 512MB of memory...

<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/btvillarin" target="_new">My Website</A>-<b>reorganized</b> & updated everyday

In a word: Outstanding. Which is an understatement.

I did a lot of research before buying this monitor, including traveling more than a few miles to view several units on display. It was a major purchase, being nearly $1000.00 at the time, and I wanted to be sure that I got the most for my money.

I have not been disappointed in the decision. In comparison to units from Sony, Viewsonic, and other popular brands ... the Iiyama was easily the best CRT at that price. It has vivid colors, high contrast levels, an easily adjustable user interface, and crisp text, which is unusual in an aperture grill monitor. It also has the best screen coating I've found on a display screen ... it repells dirt, and only requires a quick buffing now and again, despite the fact that I'm a smoker.

Like many AG monitors, it <i>does</i> have the faint, suspended steel wires crossing the display area, but I haven't noticed them in months. They are really only visible on a white screen ... otherwise, your brain tunes them out.

I consider this monitor to be the best purchasing decision I made last year.

If you take a quick search around the Web, you'll quickly see that I'm far from being the first person who is impressed with this monitor. And take a look at this <A HREF="http://forumz.tomshardware.com/ce/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=7039#7039" target="_new">thread</A>, where a user recently purchased the Pro 512 model. He seems very happy with his new monitor ... and who can blame him?

You can pick it up the Pro 510 at <A HREF="http://www.pagecomputer.com/cgi-bin/prodinfo?cd=04&pn=IIY00020" target="_new">Page Computer</A> for $795.00, which is a pretty decent price, from a reputable online webstore. Or the upgrade in the series from <A HREF="http://www.cdw.com/shop/products/default.asp?edc=317902" target="_new">CDW</A> for a few dollars more.

Toejam31

<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Tantalizing Tantric Toy</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
____________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."</font color=purple>

Thanx Toejam31. Looks like a good recommmendation. Unfortunately, I live in the Netherlands, but over here, that model costs €1002 (about $863) which isn't bad considering it includes 19% sales tax.

One last thing though If I may pick your brains concerning the memory problem again As mentioned already, I bought a Gainward GF3 Ti500 graphics card recently, but which hasn't been delivered yet. The current AGP aperture in the BIOS is set to 128MB and I've got an OEM GF2 GTS at the moment. There's an option to increase it to 256MB. Should I ignore that and keep the current setting, or even decrease it still further to say 64MB?

I kinda did ... it's in the middle of the thread in the first link. And it's good that you mentioned it again, just in case it got overlooked. It's a good, quick fix.

But ... the reason I don't always bring it up is because it really isn't necessary if you make the manual adjustments to the system.

I usually prefer to make the least amount of changes to a system in order to correct a problem, and although Cacheman is easy to use (and fun to play with) ... it doesn't really educate the user and add a better understanding of the operating system and hardware. This is why I tend to post links when replying in a thread. I think it's better to help someone learn, and improve their troubleshooting skills, than to just offer a clickable solution.

I've always thought of computers as being like an advanced set of Tinker Toys, and I feel that I'm in the business of helping other folks figure out how to put the round peg in the round hole ... instead of just doing it for them.

For example, I was fussed at on another Forum for posting a link to an informative website on how to write a batch file. The user wanted me to write the file for him. But the file was needed for a RAM drive, and he didn't understand how to install it, or how to use it. Therefore ... I couldn't really write the file, and I felt it would do him more good to figure it out for himself. And I didn't want to take the responsibility for rendering his machine unbootable if he screwed up the process!

Basically, as he told it, he felt I should have explained <i>everything</i>. He mentioned having received many instructions that he had followed to the letter (and successfully) in the past, and he didn't think it was necessary to <i>understand</i> the how-and-why of what he was doing on the computer. He just wanted the instructions, period. Although I could have posted information on the subject for two days straight without taking a deep breath, and then he wouldn't have grasped a word I said. Or appreciated the work involved in teaching him.

With that attitude, I could very well understand why he needed frequent tech support, and why nearly every minor problem he encountered was a mystifying and frustrating experience. I searched around the Forum, and he was a frequently confused and angry user. And blameless, by the way. Everything bad that happened to him was the computer's fault.

People may disagree with me, but I think technical support is just as much about education as it is offering workable solutions. Even if it requires a little more effort on everyone's part.

That's my reasoning, bt. Sorry if it turned into a short rant, my friend ... but you know me; I'm long-winded and over-opinionated! LOL!

Toejam31

<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Tantalizing Tantric Toy</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
____________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."</font color=purple>

I wouldn't <i>decrease</i> the aperture setting unless you have stability problems.

I'd try the higher setting, which allows for greater amounts of memory to be used for texturing. But if the system has stability issues ... put it back at 128.

Generally, the rule-of-thumb for an AGP aperture is half the size of the physically-installed RAM.

The aperture on both of my systems is 256, and both cards function perfectly in 3D applications, and that includes DVD with the main rig. I had the same settings when running Win9x, previously.

If you decrease the MaxFileCache setting in the BIOS to at least 262144, you shouldn't experience any difficulties with an aperture of 256. But each system reacts differently, due to the hardware configuration ... so try both of the higher settings in the BIOS, and see for yourself which seems to work best.

Toejam31

<font color=red>My Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=6847" target="_new"><font color=green>Toejam31's Tantalizing Tantric Toy</font color=green></A>
<font color=red>Second Rig:</font color=red> <A HREF="http://www.anandtech.com/mysystemrig.html?rigid=15942" target="_new"><font color=green>Toey's Dynamite DDR Duron</font color=green></A>
____________________________________________________________

<font color=purple>"Procrastination on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part."</font color=purple>

I know exactly how you feel, Toey. I know it's better to educate than just give a quick instruction in the long run. For the record, I have yet to disagree with you on anything you've said about computing.

<i>"If you give a man a fish, he will eat for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he will feed himself for a lifetime."</i> (Or, something like that)

<A HREF="http://www.geocities.com/btvillarin" target="_new">My Website</A>-<b>reorganized</b> & updated everyday

Well said Toe.

The problem stems from the fact that most people don't want to learn; they just want things to work and work RIGHT NOW. (At least when it comes to computers) I'm a technician by trade and I've come across all sorts. One woman balked at the suggestion that she had to download a new driver for her scanner to get it to run properly on her brand new Compaq. (We ended up taking the scanner back at a loss). She simply could not comprehend that things do not work 100% of the time right out of the box. The fact that the solution to her problem was so simple seemed to escape her. Needless to say, I hope she never walks into my shop again... which she probably won't, but that's not my fault nor my problem.

I completely understand how frustrating it can be to take the time to teach someone something they simply don't want to learn. No matter how much you help them, they never seem to want to help themselves. Grrrr.. damn that woman.. LOL. Even now (more than 2 years later) that incident with her frustrates me to no end. The other thing is that it's never their fault or the manufacturers fault; it's always the fault of the person that sold it to them.

We can't be expected to test every single piece of equipment that comes through the door. I understand the frustration that people have when something doesn't work; however yelling and belittling the person you're talking to does NOT solve your problem. I do not feel compelled to help you if my help is not appreciated in any way. (Especially if the problem is your fault to begin with). Everyone says 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease'... but that only gets you so far in my books.

Sorry for ranting; I just had to get that off my chest. Thanks again Toe for all your efforts. I just hope more people obtain a willingness to learn; rather than have everything done for them.

<font color=red> If you design software that is fool-proof, only a fool will want to use it. </font color=red>

Thanx once again Toejam31. One thing though. In your post dated 12/31/01 10:13 PM, you suggest that the Min/MaxFileCache size should be 4096 respectively 131072 for 512MB RAM. So since the amount of memory that I actually have in the machine is only 640MB, isn't the higher setting that you suggest at 262144 a little too much?