EMS Unavailable at MS-DOS Prompt in Standard Mode

 Last reviewed: November 23, 1994
Article ID: Q87356
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

Pages 550-551 of the "Microsoft Windows User Guide" version 3.1 incorrectly indicate that the EMM386.EXE memory manager can be used to give MS-DOS applications expanded memory in standard mode.

However, in standard mode, EMM386.EXE is disabled.

MORE INFORMATION

Page 550 incorrectly states: 

   You can run the [MS-DOS] application in standard mode, using
   EMM386.EXE to simulate expanded memory.
Page 551 incorrectly tells you how to set up EMM386.EXE for use with MS-DOS applications in "standard mode" that use expanded memory: 

   Add a command line for EMM386.EXE to your CONFIG.SYS file.
   ...
   device=c:\windows\emm386.exe 512
This command line is supposed to allow EMM386.EXE to set up 512K of RAM memory as expanded memory for use with MS-DOS applications requiring expanded memory. However, this does not work. If you shell out to MS-DOS and run the MEM command (MS-DOS 4.01 and 5.0) or run MSD.EXE, you will see that there is no expanded memory available.

MS-DOS applications can use EMM386.EXE for expanded memory when Windows is not running.

KBCategory: kbother kbdocerr
KBSubcategory: winmem win31
Additional reference words: 3.10 3.11 doc err

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Last reviewed: November 23, 1994
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