EMS memory for Lotus 1-2-3 (DOS) Win XP Pro SP2

[Guest]

I am setting up two new HP DX2200 computers operating on Windows XP SP2. I
have fully updated the operating systems using Windows Update and using the
updates at the HP support website. Everything is working fine, with the
exception of one application.

We still use Lotus 1-2-3 ver. 2.4 (for DOS) for much of our bookkeeping. I
installed the software, and the application will run, but no expanded memory
is allocated to it. As a consequence, only the smallest spreadsheets will
load.

I searched the MS Windows Knowledge Base and found this entry on a
discussion board:

while trying to run a game works on MsDOS in an WIN XP operating System from
the Command Prompt, i get this messege :

"Protected mode driver is not responding to EMS function calls. Make sure
that your EMS Driver is not configured with the NOEMS option. If it is,
Replace the Option "NOEMS" with "RAM" "

That is support for Expanded memory, needed to allow a DOS program to
use memory above the first MB of actual RAM. A lot of games use it.
For best DOS conventional memory, and EMS access, edit the
windows\system32\config.nt and autoexec.nt files.

In config.nt have (apart from the large number of REM lines) just
EMM = B=4000 RAM
(note the exact spaces - either side of the first = and before RAM,
none next to the second =) and

dos=high, umb
device=%SystemRoot%\system32\himem.sys
files=40
(or higher files= if needed)

and in autoexec.nt have

REM Install DPMI support
lh %SystemRoot%\system32\dosx

with other earlier lh lines REM ed out, and then any SET or PATH lines
that may already be present at the end.

This should give about 612K for a program, run from a shortcut made to
its .exe file. R-click the shortcut, Properties and on the Memory page
you can set an explicit value - rather than Auto - for any EMS (or XMS)
memory it may need, and for initial environment space

--
Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
Bournemouth, U.K. (e-mail address removed)8E8L.org (remove the D8 bit)


I also found a discussion specific to Lotus 1-2-3 at this discussion group:

http://groups.google.com/group/micr...aatLlvsSxXNjxAY50pRd7DXLkbNc9H6TiTHPd_Ub_iUkw


I have tried what was suggested (also some suggestions by other posters on
other groups), but nothing will work.

This is really strange, because I am currently running a DELL pc (one that
is being replaced), using Win XP Pro SP2. On this machine I have no problem
at all. There is plenty of Expanded Memory. I say it is strange, because on
my DELL the Config.nt file is the standard default file. There is no "EMM =
B=4000 RAM" entry at all.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Roscoe Stephenson

 

[Al Dykes]

I am setting up two new HP DX2200 computers operating on Windows XP SP2. I
have fully updated the operating systems using Windows Update and using the
updates at the HP support website. Everything is working fine, with the
exception of one application.

We still use Lotus 1-2-3 ver. 2.4 (for DOS) for much of our bookkeeping. I
installed the software, and the application will run, but no expanded memory
is allocated to it. As a consequence, only the smallest spreadsheets will
load.

I searched the MS Windows Knowledge Base and found this entry on a
discussion board:


That is support for Expanded memory, needed to allow a DOS program to
use memory above the first MB of actual RAM. A lot of games use it.
For best DOS conventional memory, and EMS access, edit the
windows\system32\config.nt and autoexec.nt files.

In config.nt have (apart from the large number of REM lines) just
EMM = B=4000 RAM
(note the exact spaces - either side of the first = and before RAM,
none next to the second =) and

dos=high, umb
device=%SystemRoot%\system32\himem.sys
files=40
(or higher files= if needed)

and in autoexec.nt have

REM Install DPMI support
lh %SystemRoot%\system32\dosx

with other earlier lh lines REM ed out, and then any SET or PATH lines
that may already be present at the end.

This should give about 612K for a program, run from a shortcut made to
its .exe file. R-click the shortcut, Properties and on the Memory page
you can set an explicit value - rather than Auto - for any EMS (or XMS)
memory it may need, and for initial environment space

--
Alex Nichol MS MVP (Windows Technologies)
Bournemouth, U.K. (e-mail address removed)8E8L.org (remove the D8 bit)


I also found a discussion specific to Lotus 1-2-3 at this discussion group:

http://groups.google.com/group/micr...aatLlvsSxXNjxAY50pRd7DXLkbNc9H6TiTHPd_Ub_iUkw


I have tried what was suggested (also some suggestions by other posters on
other groups), but nothing will work.

This is really strange, because I am currently running a DELL pc (one that
is being replaced), using Win XP Pro SP2. On this machine I have no problem
at all. There is plenty of Expanded Memory. I say it is strange, because on
my DELL the Config.nt file is the standard default file. There is no "EMM =
B=4000 RAM" entry at all.

Any help will be greatly appreciated.

Roscoe Stephenson

Get a copy of Microsoft Virtual PC (Free), install it and then install
DOS.

 

[marz]

"Roscoe Stephenson" wrote in message

We still use Lotus 1-2-3 ver. 2.4 (for DOS) for much of our bookkeeping.
I
installed the software, and the application will run, but no expanded
memory
is allocated to it. As a consequence, only the smallest spreadsheets will
load.

Lotus. Yuck. Reminds me of my OS/2 days. (OS/2 wasn't yucky, Lotus was.)

Save yourself the headaches and just run it a virtual machine with Virtual
PC or VMware.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the replys, but I am looking for the way to configure my computer
to run this software. I feel it can be done, because it is running fine on
my DELL using the same OS.

I'll confess my ignorance. I don't know what it means to run as a virtual
machine, etc.

Can anybody help?

Roscoe Stephenson

 

[Bob I]

Make a shortcut to it on the desktop. R-click the shortcut, pick
properties, pick Memory tab, pick you settings.

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the suggestion. I have done all that. The memory settings in the
PIF file on the troublesome computer are exactly the same as the settings on
the Dell that allocates memory perfectly to the application. Changing the
memory settings in the PIF has no effect whatsoever.

Roscoe Stephenson