Difference Between Minimum Load Size, Minimum Allocation

 Last reviewed: July 17, 1997
Article ID: Q25024
6.00 6.00a 6.00ax 7.00 | 1.00 1.50 
MS-DOS                 | WINDOWS
kbtool

The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft C for MS-DOS, versions 6.0, 6.0a, and 6.0ax
  • Microsoft C/C++ for MS-DOS, version 7.0
  • Microsoft Visual C++ for Windows, versions 1.0 and 1.5

The MS-DOS executable (.EXE) file header contains two minimum values: the minimum allocation size and the minimum load size.

The minimum allocation is the amount of memory needed by the application other than the memory required for its code. This value determines the highest location into which the program is loaded. For example, if the minimum load size is 0, MS-DOS will load the application into the highest possible location in memory.

The minimum load size is the amount of memory required for the load module, plus the minimum allocation value. This value reflects the amount of memory required to load and run the application, assuming no dynamic memory allocation is needed.

Additional reference words: kbinf 6.00 6.00a 6.00ax 7.00 1.00 1.50
KBCategory: kbtool
KBSubcategory: TlsMisc
Keywords : kb16bitonly

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Last reviewed: July 17, 1997
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