Windows Err Msgs: Out of Memory Errors with Lotus 1-2-3

ID: Q82262

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Windows operating system versions 3.0, 3.0a, 3.1, 3.11

SUMMARY

Out of memory errors with Lotus 1-2-3 version 1.0 for Windows may be the result of incorrect installation of Lotus 1-2-3, low system resources in Windows, or insufficient free memory. The information that follows discusses each of the three situations in more detail.

MORE INFORMATION

Incorrect Installation

Incorrect installation of Lotus 1-2-3 version 1.0 for Windows may result in the following error message when attempting to run the program:

Insufficient memory to run application; Close one or more applications to increase available memory and try again.

Lotus for Windows requires at least 2 MB of free XMS memory. You can only choose "2 MB" or "4 MB" to indicate available memory during the Lotus Setup program. However, if you don't actually have the available memory needed on your system, the above error message appears.

To illustrate this problem, suppose your machine was sold as a "2 MB" machine, meaning that the machine contains 640K of conventional memory, 384K of memory reserved for the adapter segment (the UMA), and only 1 MB of free XMS memory. If you try to complete setup by choosing the 2 MB option (the lowest choice available), the "Insufficient memory to run application error" message appears when you run Lotus 1-2-3 because you did not actually have 2 MB of free XMS memory available to Lotus on the system.

Allocating less memory to utilities such as SMARTDRV.SYS, RAMDRIVE.SYS, and EMM386.EXE may solve the problem. If you have a 386-based computer, you may also avoid the error by creating or enlarging a permanent swap file.

Low System Resources

When starting Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows, you may get the following error message:

Not enough system resources available to run 1-2-3. End an application and try 1-2-3 for Windows again.

After receiving the above error message, choose About Program Manager from the Help menu in Microsoft Windows version 3.0 Program Manager. If there is less than 29% Free System Resources, Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows will not load. You will need to close applications that are running, and free some system resources so Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows can load.

Insufficient Free Memory

If you are running Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows while other Windows 3.0 or MS-DOS-based applications are running, you may encounter the following error message:

1-2-3 for Windows Memory Full

Under very low-memory conditions, the system may stop responding (hang).

This problem occurs even when there is ample memory according to the About Program Manager dialog box (choose About Program Manager from the Help menu). In addition, this problem can occur when you are using another application and Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows is minimized.

To overcome this problem, try one of the following steps:

Create a permanent swap file that may correct this problem.

Closing other applications will usually correct this problem, although you may need to restart Lotus 1-2-3 for Windows for it to see the free memory.

Disable use of the SmartIcons in Lotus. To do this, choose SmartIcons from the Tools menu, and select the Hide Palette check box.

Cancel the Undo selection (turn it off). When Undo is turned on, the amount of memory available can vary significantly after each command you use. For example, if you erase a large range, Undo stores the erased range, which uses a large amount of memory.

Note: You can disable Undo by choosing User Setup from the Tools menu and clearing the Enable Edit Undo check box.

The problems discussed here are in Lotus 1-2-3's memory usage and requirements, not in Windows 3.0 or 3.1.

The Lotus 1-2-3 product included here is manufactured by a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.

For more information, contact Lotus technical support.

Additional query words: 3.0 3.0a 3.1 123w 3.00a lotus-123 123 low memory 3.11

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