(OT--Old Menzoberranzan Game)

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

I've been feeling nostalgic lately, so I've been trying to play old computer games on my brand new machine--Pentium 4, 1.6 GhZ with WindowsXP--my most recent attempt was with Menzoberranzan--one of the games form the Interplay Forgotten Realms Archive.

As I was trying to install the game, it told me that I didn't have enough extended memory (XMS or something). EMS and XMS both seem to be things I see in a lot of old DOS games, so I was wondering...

A. What in the hell are these things anyway
B. Can I run the game with less than required XMS or EMS?
C. Can I trick the computer into thinking I have more, or just plain old get more?

Mods, move this thread if there's a better place for it, but at the moment I'm not quite sure where to put it and don't have time to search for one.

Thanks!

 

[Jasperak]

I am not too familiar with Windows XP so I do not know if I can be any help. The first step for you would be to edit your config.sys file. Near the top of the file you should have a line that looks similar to this:

Device=c:\Windows\emm386.exe

if you find it change it to this:

Device=c:\Windows\emm386.exe ram highscan 4096

That should give you enough memory to run Menzo and not affect Windows. Good luck.

(Technically all you need to add is '4096', although I recommend adding 'ram' and 'highscan.' Adding highscan will allow some of your drivers to load in the upper memory blocks giving you more conventional memory for your dos progs.)

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

Is there a chance of severely screwing up my baby? *pets monitor affectinoately* I don't want to injure my preciousssssss....

 

[Terraism]

Just for the record, the Config.sys file that Windows XP looks to isn't actually the one in the root of the drive, labeled "Config.sys." That'd be too easy, of course. The one you're going to want to edit is Config.NT and it's in the System 32 folder under the Windows one. You'll have to disable the hiding of system files to see it, though. Aside from that, take Jasperak's advice. I wouldn't guess that it'd mess up your machine - it hasn't on mine, as of yet, but... if you're really worried, there is a way to make a config.sys file for just that program. I'm just too lazy to type it unless it's a real problem.

 

[Neo]

Is there a chance of severely screwing up my baby? *pets monitor affectinoately* I don't want to injure my preciousssssss....

Take it from someone who knows... YES! the Congif.sys and autoexec.bat files which are the ones you would need to alter to free up more memory, XMs, EMS or conventional but loading things into upper memory contains all the command lines that make your peripherals work, like soundcard settings, mouse activation, windows boot up etc....

these are not files to mess with if you don;t know what your doing.

10 years down the line i am a lot wiser on the subject being now an IT person by trade, but in the past i messed up and had to reinstall my old PC several times by altering these files in an incorrect fashion in an attempt to free up more conventional to play some of the old classics like Masters of Magic etc...

Though if you can run an old game from windows make sure it boots into it through DOS as Windows uses up heaps of memory and skipping that part of the process frees it up, also if you right click on the desktop shortcut to the old game you can modify the config.sys and autoexec.bat settings the game uses through that without actually altering the core files.

 

[Trevalon Moonleirion]

The minute someone mentioned config.sys i got worried, so thanks for confirming my fears!
You mentioned booting up right into DOS, Neo... can you still do that with WinXP? I know you could get into DOS from Win95 and 98, but i"m not seeing it anywhere.

I could try and make this post more ontopic but i'm not quite sure how... anyone want to hijack the thread? lol

 

[PenguinKing]

Nah - WinXP is specifically designed to pretend that DOS doesn't exist. You'll have a hell of a time booting into DOS if that's all you've got installed.

- Sir Bob.

 

[Orco42]

As I was trying to install the game, it told me that I didn't have enough extended memory (XMS or something). EMS and XMS both seem to be things I see in a lot of old DOS games, so I was wondering...

I get the same thing when I try to run the old Dark Sun games.

After a booted up in DOS it started then crashed still complaining about extended memory.

Stupid computer.....

 

[thatdarncat]

A couple of things to remember:

1) Windows XP does not need config.sys or autoexec.bat
2) If your partition is formatted as a fat32 partition, you can boot off a floppy.

SO

Go to a windows 98SE machine.
Make a book disk
Edit the config.sys
Boot off that floppy.

Doesn't work?

Take the floppy out and boot normally