WINDOWS 98/SE/ME RAM LIMITATION PATCH Version 5.1 (DEMO) 10/11/2008 Copyright (C) 2007-2008 By Rudolph R. Loew The Windows 98/SE/ME RAM Limitation Patch Program patches Windows 98, 98SE or ME to support Computers with more than 512MB of RAM. Unmodified Windows 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. DEMO VERSION The Demo Version of this Software will freeze approximately 10 Minutes after Windows is booted. This provides time to verify proper operation of this Patch with the intended amount of RAM, and to Uninstall the Patch. Shutdown your Computer before the 10 Minutes have elapsed or you will be forced to Reset or Power Down your Computer without doing a proper shutdown. REQUIREMENTS Windows 98, 98SE or ME. 2.5MB of Space on the Hard Drive containing the Windows Directory. CONTENTS PATCHM.EXE Windows 98/SE/ME RAM Limitation Patch Program Ver. 5.1 (DEMO) 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 PATCHM to install the patch. 5. The Patch will take effect the next time Windows is Booted. 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 PATCHM. 5. Type Yes to the Uninstall request to uninstall the Patch. 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 you are unable to Reinstall the Patch, go to the Windows SYSTEM\VMM32 Directory. Copy the following files to another folder and then delete them: VMM.VXD VMM.BAK VCACHE.VXD VCAHCE.BAK 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, add the following line to your CONFIG.SYS file BEFORE the EMM386.EXE line: DEVICE=\HIMEM.SYS /NUMHANDLES=64 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. 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 [+MAXCACHE] [VMM32File VMMFile VCACHEFile] MAXCACHE is the Absolute Maximum File Cache Size in MB (+256 = 256MB). 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. 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. The MAXCACHE option can be specified alone if the default files are to be patched. 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. Do not use Filenames starting with "-". Do not use a Filename starting with "+" for the VMM32 File unless the MAXCACHE option is used. 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 PATCHM 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 shut 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 PATCHM Program is located. 7. Run the PATCHM Program. 8. Remove the Floppy Disk if present. 9. Press the Reset Button or CTRL-ALT-DEL. 10. Continue the Windows Installation. NOTE: The Demo Version of this Patch freezes after 10 Minutes, so you probably will not be able to continue the Windows Installation. You will need to purchase a Full Copy of this Patch to continue Windows Installation. MULTIPLE BOOT WITH OTHER OPERATING SYSTEMS The Patch is compatable with multiple boot systems. Each separate Windows 98/98SE/ME System must be 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://www.geocities.com/rloew