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Want to increase ram 1Gb-->2Gb - Question


risk_reversal

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I multi boot a system with 98SE which currently has 1GB ram. I wanted to increase the system ram to 2Gb.

My current settings in System.ini running 1Gb are as follows:

[386Enh]

ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1

[vcache]

minfilecache=131072

maxfilecache=262144

98SE runs fine with no issues.

I have read the following thread as regards adding >1Gb of ram to 98SE and understand that I can choose one of two possible routes as regards the ram upgrade.

1. Where 98SE will only see about 1Gb of the physical ram by way of using HimemX.exe

2. Using the rloew patch where 98Se will see however much physical ram is installed

Firstly I hope that I have correctly understood the above 2 available options.

Option 1. using HimemX.exe is fine with me.

I understand that the proceedure for this would entail

1. Downloading the file from http://japheth.de/Jemm.html and extracting the HimemX.exe file

2. Placing that file in C:\Windows

3. Adding DEVICE=C:\WINDOWS\HIMEMX.EXE in CONFIG.SYS

I also understand that I will have to further edit the System.ini file , namely settings in [386Ehn] & possibly in [vcache].

Adding the extra 1GB of ram will require that I change [386Ehn] to

[386Enh]

ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1

MaxPhysPage=40000 (or so ie 1Gb) <-- add this line

I may also need to tweak the min/maxfilecache values and perhaps add a chunks entry

[vcache]

minfilecache=131072 <--may need to be tweaked

maxfilecache=262144 <--may need to be tweaked

ChunkSize=1024 <-- maybe add this

Now have I understood all this correctly so far. If so, here is my question

The second post on the day-to-day-running-win-9xme-with-more-than-1-gib-ram thread,

shows the user configuration list. The last entry in user's configuration specifies the

following

vmm32.vxd: plain vanilla (with 4.10.0.2222 vcache.vxd and vmm.vxd inside)

Forgive my ignorance but I am baffled. Can someone please explain what this entry means.

I have a vmm32.vxd file and VMM folder in C:\Windows\System but no vache.vxd or vmm.vxd files and

I really do not understand what this refers to.

Many thanks for any info provided.

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That would be me...

Explanation - VMM32.VXD is "built" during installation. Within VMM32.VXD are the actual VXD's that are "merged" into a single file (VMM32.VXD). There is a utility (somewhere) that will "un-build" it, but it's a little irrelevant in the context.

The point was to indicate that it was an "initial unblemished build" of VMM32.VXD. If you look in Device Manager and see "VMM32.VXD" for any given Device (in Driver Details), you'll also see the Sub-VXD's listed. An example is the Display Driver - look in Driver Details and you'll see the Sub's within parenthesis.

Further reading through the thread, you'll get more information on the rationale behind giving this information. Do read the whole thread.

Also note that I'm not the only one to list it that way...

HTH

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The second post on the day-to-day-running-win-9xme-with-more-than-1-gib-ram thread,

shows the user configuration list. The last entry in user's configuration specifies the

following

vmm32.vxd: plain vanilla (with 4.10.0.2222 vcache.vxd and vmm.vxd inside)

Forgive my ignorance but I am baffled. Can someone please explain what this entry means.

I have a vmm32.vxd file and VMM folder in C:\Windows\System but no vache.vxd or vmm.cxd files and

I really do not understand what this refers to.

Many thanks for any info provided.

VMM32.VXD along with VMM.VXD and VCACHE.VXD

(these two files along with other VXD's for your system are merged into VMM32.VXD {as explained by submix8c} during Windows installation)

manage and control the allocation of RAM for Windows 9X systems, hence the need for providing info as to whether or not these files are "vanilla", meaning that they are the standard files from a clean install and have not been modified, or whether they have been altered or patched to change the way they handle RAM.

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submix8c said:

Explanation - VMM32.VXD is "built" during installation. Within VMM32.VXD are the actual VXD's that are "merged" into a single file (VMM32.VXD). There is a utility (somewhere) that will "un-build" it, but it's a little irrelevant in the context.

The point was to indicate that it was an "initial unblemished build" of VMM32.VXD. If you look in Device Manager and see "VMM32.VXD" for any given Device (in Driver Details), you'll also see the Sub-VXD's listed. An example is the Display Driver - look in Driver Details and you'll see the Sub's within parenthesis.

Further reading through the thread, you'll get more information on the rationale behind giving this information. Do read the whole thread.

Also note that I'm not the only one to list it that way...

Many thanks for your clarity. Following you explanation, I searched and found this page which helped completely clear it up.

http://www.helpwithwindows.com/techfiles/vmm32.html

LoneCrusader said:

hence the need for providing info as to whether or not these files are "vanilla", meaning that they are the standard files from a clean install and have not been modified, or whether they have been altered or patched to change the way they handle RAM.

I appreciate that information as regards the build version of the VMM32.VXD file would be very useful.

Hopefully a final question. Using the example above

vmm32.vxd: plain vanilla (with 4.10.0.2222 vcache.vxd and vmm.vxd inside)

How can I tell which version vmm32.vxd I have and more specifically whether it contains 4.10.0.2222 vcache.vxd and vmm.vxd inside (or another version). If you see what I mean?

If I right click my vmm32.vxd, there is no tab on the box that opens which provides that info.

If I go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VMM32Files

I can see vcache.vxd but no vmm.vxd.

Apologies again for being so stupid.

Cheers

Edited by risk_reversal
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FYI - go here, scroll down to "WIN98 VXD BUG" (about 3/4 the way down). 3 tools for manipulating VMM32.VXD/VXD's plus a "how-to" link for rebuilding. Use at your own risk.

edit (to answer your post) - One of them will "de-construct" it so you can see the contents. Just copy the VMM32.VXD to another folder, copy the appropriate program to it, open an MS-DOS prompt, switch to that folder and run it. Read that section to understand how they work and how to use them. I guess I could take time out to do this again to give specific instructions, but I believe you can run the program(s) with "/?" as operand and get specific Help (same as most other programs).

And again, VMM32.VXD is BUILT.

Edited by submix8c
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How can I tell which version vmm32.vxd I have and more specifically whether it contains 4.10.0.2222 vcache.vxd and vmm.vxd inside (or another version). If you see what I mean?

If I right click my vmm32.vxd, there is no tab on the box that opens which provides that info.

If I go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\VMM32Files

I can see vcache.vxd but no vmm.vxd.

Apologies again for being so stupid.

Cheers

You're not stupid, and these are by no means stupid questions. Only recently did I discover the answers to some issues about VMM32.VXD myself.

If you have plain Win98SE installed and have not installed any of the various updates that are available here or any of the packages from MDGx's, I think you can safely assume that you have VCACHE.VXD version 4.10.2222, as this is the version included in the 98SE CAB's.

VMM.VXD is another matter, I was unable to find it in the 98SE CAB's, and I also noticed the other day that it is not present in one of my Win95 installs. :unsure: It MAY be created based on a need for it, it may be already part of the initial VMM32.VXD "starter" file included in 98SE, otherwise it may not exist?, I do not know the answer to that one.

RE-EDIT:

Text restored. Still unable to find VMM.VXD in 98SE CAB's.

Edited by LoneCrusader
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I think you can safely assume that you have VCACHE.VXD version 4.10.2222, as this is the version included in the 98SE CAB's.VMM.VXD is another matter, I was unable to find it in the 98SE CAB's
Look again (inside Precopy2.cab, LAYOUT.INF and "find" it). It's there... (in WIN98_54.CAB)
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I think you can safely assume that you have VCACHE.VXD version 4.10.2222, as this is the version included in the 98SE CAB's.VMM.VXD is another matter, I was unable to find it in the 98SE CAB's
Look again (inside Precopy2.cab, LAYOUT.INF and "find" it). It's there... (in WIN98_54.CAB)

Thanks, I don't know how I missed it. :blink:

I even ran an archive search with WinRAR and it missed it somehow. Who knows.

EDIT:

VMM32.VXD exists there, but not VMM.VXD.

Edited by LoneCrusader
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How can I tell which version vmm32.vxd I have and more specifically whether it contains 4.10.0.2222 vcache.vxd and vmm.vxd inside (or another version). If you see what I mean?

If you have plain Win98SE installed and have not installed any of the various updates that are available here or any of the packages from MDGx's, I think you can safely assume that you have VCACHE.VXD version 4.10.2222, as this is the version included in the 98SE CAB's.

Well, that's really a difficult question, which usual answer is you won't easily be able to, because, even if you manage to decompress VMM32.VxD and get the separate files it's made of (easy with VxDLib.EXE), you'll find out that the version part of the component VxDs is removed by windows, during VMM32.VxD compilation, shortly after the initial installation.

However, windows never again recompiles VMM32.VxD, unless you explicitly cause it to, deliberately, and in a rather elaborate way. It cannot be done unwittingly, so, unless you know you recompiled it, it wasn't done, and both VMM.VxD and VCache.VxD, if inside it, *must be* v. 4.10.0.2222, provided your OS is Win 98SE. Now, as to whether they really are inside, that's easy: 98SE wouldn't even start in case they were not. They are both fundamental parts of the lowest level of Windows kernel.

However again, when you install MS updates to VMM.VxD and VCache.VxD, since it doesn't recompile VMM32.VxD, it must have a way to override the files existing inside VMM32.VxD, and it sure does: it simply adds the updated VxDs to the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32 folder, and any files in that folder, having the same name as any of those inside VMM32.VxD, are loaded in preference to their namesakes inside VMM32.VxD. So, you have just to check whether you have a VMM.VxD and/or VCache.VxD in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32 folder... if you do, those are the files used, and you can find their versions from their properties tab... if you don't, then it's safe to infer you're using the plain vanilla files from inside VMM32.VxD. If you have Win 98 FE they'll be v. 4.10.0.1998, for Win 98SE they'll be v. 4.10.0.2222 and for Win ME they'll be v. 4.90.0.3000. HTH

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How can I tell which version vmm32.vxd I have and more specifically whether it contains 4.10.0.2222 vcache.vxd and vmm.vxd inside (or another version). If you see what I mean?

If you have plain Win98SE installed and have not installed any of the various updates that are available here or any of the packages from MDGx's, I think you can safely assume that you have VCACHE.VXD version 4.10.2222, as this is the version included in the 98SE CAB's.

Well, that's really a difficult question, which usual answer is you won't easily be able to, because, even if you manage to decompress VMM32.VxD and get the separate files it's made of (easy with VxDLib.EXE), you'll find out that the version part of the component VxDs is removed by windows, during VMM32.VxD compilation, shortly after the initial installation.

However, windows never again recompiles VMM32.VxD, unless you explicitly cause it to, deliberately, and in a rather elaborate way. It cannot be done unwittingly, so, unless you know you recompiled it, it wasn't done, and both VMM.VxD and VCache.VxD, if inside it, *must be* v. 4.10.0.2222, provided your OS is Win 98SE. Now, as to whether they really are inside, that's easy: 98SE wouldn't even start in case they were not. They are both fundamental parts of the lowest level of Windows kernel.

However again, when you install MS updates to VMM.VxD and VCache.VxD, since it doesn't recompile VMM32.VxD, it must have a way to override the files existing inside VMM32.VxD, and it sure does: it simply adds the updated VxDs to the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32 folder, and any files in that folder, having the same name as any of those inside VMM32.VxD, are loaded in preference to their namesakes inside VMM32.VxD. So, you have just to check whether you have a VMM.VxD and/or VCache.VxD in the C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32 folder... if you do, those are the files used, and you can find their versions from their properties tab... if you don't, then it's safe to infer you're using the plain vanilla files from inside VMM32.VxD. If you have Win 98 FE they'll be v. 4.10.0.1998, for Win 98SE they'll be v. 4.10.0.2222 and for Win ME they'll be v. 4.90.0.3000. HTH

Thank you.

My C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\VMM32 folder does NOT contain either VMM.VxD or VCache.VxD files. I am running 98SE (4.10.2222A).

Now to try to find some matched pair (2x1gb) ram sticks and hope that 98SE co-operates in this endeavor without giving me too much aggravation.

Cheers

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