Nero or Roxio cause IOS RMM error at startup

[Eck]

What is it with me and

"Error loading Device:IOS Real Mode Memory Allocation Failed?"

I don't get it. Thank heaven for PowerQuest SecondChance or I'd have a wrecked Windows install again.

Remember my similar problem with SBLive VXD drivers? Three different computers and I couldn't get any of the 98SE systems fully built because I'd eventually end up with that startup error.

Now, with a fully finished setup (all updates, addons, fixes, etc) and firewall, virus scanner, browser plugins, everything, I was ready to install Nero.

I've purchased retail boxes of Nero 6 and 7, as well as Roxio 6 and 8. Used Nero for many years now without any problems like this.

Well I started with the latest Nero just released. At restart I got the IOS thing. So I put the SecondChance floppy in (bless that thing) and went back in time.

I tried the WMP Roxio driver update for 9x WMP, but it said I don't have any version 4 driver installed. So I tried the Nero DriverCheck utility and it renamed some of those cd drivers in the IOSUBSYS folder.

Installed Nero again and still got the error. Back in time with SecondChance.

SecondChance undid what the Nero DriverCheck thing did to the cd drivers so I was starting clean again. This time I tried Roxio Easy Cd And DVD Burning (It's the last version of Easy Cd and DVD Creator 6 Platinum released cheaper in a box without the paper manual.)

Same stupid IOS error. So I returned the system to before again and did some research.

I looked at the CdBurnerXP PRO and DeepBurnerPro websites and decided to try DeepBurnerPro. I'll buy it as it handles DVDVideo UDF stuff. Just wanted to see what happened first.

What do you know? No IOS error. I started a multisession cdr with the setup files for the 2 burner programs. (I hadn't downloaded anything else new and don't like to waste cdr's on stuff I already have burned.)

The cdr burned perfectly. Windows starts up and runs fine. Now what in the world do Nero and Roxio do that causes RMM.PDR to fail when called by IOS at bootup? And why does a burning program that essentally provides the same services as those two expensive program's NOT cause the error?

This is on the EPOX 8KRAIPRO board listed in my signature, with the Nvidia 81.98 9x driver for the 6600GT card. AVG Free, Spybot S&S, and Ad-Aware say a clean system. Last ZoneAlarm free for the firewall. Device Manager say's all is good and all hardware works fine. No problems in System Information. All updates I know of from MDGx site that I want installed (I leave out a few things like VPN, IE DRM, etc.)

No registry destroyers have been run (um, cleaners). Just the temp folders and internet stuff cleaned up regularly and scandisk and disc defrag recently run.

Why can't I use the big, expensive CD/DVD burning program's I bought? And why can I use this inexpensive alternative without a problem? What gives?

[Andromeda43]

Well, you've got one very good program, that CD makers now put with their products almost exclusively. (Nero)

And on the other hand, a real piece of junk.(Roxio)

They don't play well together.

So, Remove Roxio ASAP.

Then look in MSCONFIG and make sure that you're not permitting any part of Nero or any other program from running on Startup, that are not absolutely required for Windows.

The latest ver. of Nero wants to load at least two different TSR's on bootup. Don't allow that.

It's not required. Just DE-Select them in MSCONFIG.

That may help you ...... I hope so.

Good Luck,

Andromeda43 B)

[Eck]

No Nero installed, no Roxio installed.

Install Nero 7 Ultra Edition without the InCD crap.

Reboot to "ERROR LOADING DEVICE IOS. Real Mode Memory Allocation Failed."

Use the SecondChance boot floppy to go back to before the Nero install.

Install Roxio Easy Cd and DVD Burning (Easy Cd and DVD Creator 6 Platinum).

Reboot to the IOS Error.

Use SecondChance to go back again.

Install DeepBurnerPRO.

No problems.

I have Nero 7 on my XP partition so that's fine.

By the way, DeepBurnerPRO is also great on Windows Vista RC1. And with DVDShrink, CloneCD and AnyDVD, DVD Decrypter, and IMGBURN, along with AudioGrabber I have much the same functions that Nero gives me.

I made my Vista DVD with DeepBurnerPRO on 98SE and it installed Vista perfectly.

I've used Nero since 5.0 so I know it's a great program. Just didn't play nice this time for some reason I'd love to figure out. Neither did the last 98SE compatible Roxio program. But the other programs all work fine (DeepBurnerPRO, and all the rest in the Vista list above.)

Like I said, Nero's DriverCheck program disables stuff in IOSUBSYS but doesn't have any effect on the startup problem. I'm wondering whether just installing WMP 9 instead of installing WMP 7.1 without the Adaptec burner then updating to WMP 9 would result differently. I only install WMP 7.1 first so WMEncoder 7.1 will work properly. That needs WMP 7.1 installed first, otherwise (9 installed or none installed) it won't work properly once WMP 9 is installed.