For a start, post the output of the mem /c command. It's highly probable that your issue has an easy solution, don't get mad about it 😀

OK, there it is.

1Modules using memory below 1 MB:
2
3  Name           Total       =   Conventional   +   Upper Memory
4  --------  ----------------   ----------------   ----------------
5  MSDOS       16 141   (16K)     16 141   (16K)          0    (0K)
6  HIMEM        1 168    (1K)      1 168    (1K)          0    (0K)
7  EMM386       3 120    (3K)      3 120    (3K)          0    (0K)
8  COMMAND      2 928    (3K)      2 928    (3K)          0    (0K)
9  MOUSE       24 608   (24K)        272    (0K)     24 336   (24K)
10  SETVER         448    (0K)          0    (0K)        448    (0K)
11  DISPLAY      8 336    (8K)          0    (0K)      8 336    (8K)
12  IFSHLP       3 904    (4K)          0    (0K)      3 904    (4K)
13  MTMCDAI     10 544   (10K)          0    (0K)     10 544   (10K)
14  MSCDEX      36 224   (35K)          0    (0K)     36 224   (35K)
15  SMARTDRV    30 368   (30K)          0    (0K)     30 368   (30K)
16  KEYB         6 944    (7K)          0    (0K)      6 944    (7K)
17  DOSKEY       4 144    (4K)          0    (0K)      4 144    (4K)
18  Free       664 928  (649K)    631 552  (617K)     33 376   (33K)
19
20Memory Summary:
21
22  Type of Memory       Total   =    Used    +    Free
23  ----------------  ----------   ----------   ----------
24  Conventional         655 360       23 808      631 552
25  Upper                158 624      125 248       33 376
26  Reserved             393 216      393 216            0
27  Extended (XMS)     7 181 408    2 323 552    4 857 856
28  ----------------  ----------   ----------   ----------
29  Total memory       8 388 608    2 865 824    5 522 784
30
31  Total under 1 MB     813 984      149 056      664 928
32
33  Largest executable program size        631 328   (617K)
34  Largest free upper memory block         25 376    (25K)
35  MS-DOS is resident in the high memory area.

It's all there 7 MB of XMS plus 1 mb of conventional + upper memory.

Yeah, I know that, but no program can use it. Only drivers are loaded there, even with loadhigh it keeps to load everything in conventional memory.

krivulak wrote:

Yeah, I know that, but no program can use it. Only drivers are loaded there, even with loadhigh it keeps to load everything in conventional memory.

Your configuration seems OK, if not more than that. There is no (memory) reason that, for example, Wolfenstein doesn't start. You have more than enough conventional mem for most, if not all, normal DOS games. I really don't know what's going on, but mem it's not your problem for what you're after.

What you're writing about "loadhigh it keeps to load everything in conventional memory" is not the case, many things are loaded in HM and you have plenty of conventional mem to run pretty much everything, especially those not so much demanding games you mentioned.

OK then, but why I can't run Wolfenstein?
By the way, Commander Keen sometimes load, sometimes not. Very weird...

krivulak wrote:

Yeah, I know that, but no program can use it. Only drivers are loaded there, even with loadhigh it keeps to load everything in conventional memory.

That is generally how upper memory works.

Have you tried doing a virus scan? There have been a couple of posts here in the past where mysterious memory problems have been caused by a virus.

What exactly happens when you try to run Wolfenstein, anyway?

Does any of the info here help?
http://www.wolfenstein3d.co.uk/troubleshooting.htm
He talks about tweaking config.sys and emm386 not loading high by default.

Or considering your mem output, could this be a case of "too much" memory for the game to detect?
or xms when the game wants ems?

Virus is close to impossible, the OS was installed yesterday, what I only installed was DOS 6.22, Windows 3.11, ČD screensaver, mouse, cd and soundcard drivers and M602 manager.
If I try to run Wolfenstein, it hangs on first "pc capability" screen with no info and text One moment... Forever. When I try to run it from Windows, it crashes immediately with famous STOP window or runs with the same results and have to be resetted.

Perhaps your hardware is faulty.

Whats on your autoexec.bat and config.sys ?

Just ran 5 loops of MemTest86+ V2.0, everything is OK.
Autoexec.bat:

1SET BLASTER=A220 I9  D3 T4
2LH C:\OPL3SAX\SETUPSA.EXE /S
3REM ---------------------- MTM ATAPI CD-ROM ----------------------
4LH /L:1,36224 C:\DOS\MSCDEX.EXE /D:MTMIDE01 /M:10
5REM ---------------------- MTM ATAPI CD-ROM ----------------------
6@ECHO OFF
7LH /L:0;1,45456 /S C:\DOS\SMARTDRV.EXE /X
8PROMPT $P$G
9SET MOUSE=C:\MOUSE
10LH /L:0;1,24336 /S C:\MOUSE\MOUSE.EXE /Q
11PATH C:\MOUSE;C:\WINDOWS;C:\DOS;C:\M602\M602;C:\ARJ;C:\PKZIP;C:\RAR
12SET TEMP=C:\DOS
13MODE CON CODEPAGE PREPARE=((852) C:\DOS\EGA.CPI)
14MODE CON CODEPAGE SELECT=852
15LH /L:1,17936 KEYB CZ,,C:\DOS\KEYBOARD.SYS
16LH M602

Config.sys

1DEVICE=C:\DOS\HIMEM.SYS
2DEVICE=C:\DOS\EMM386.EXE NOEMS
3BUFFERS=15,0
4FILES=30
5DOS=UMB
6LASTDRIVE=M
7FCBS=4,0
8DEVICEHIGH /L:1,12048 =C:\DOS\SETVER.EXE
9DOS=HIGH
10COUNTRY=042,,C:\DOS\COUNTRY.SYS
11DEVICEHIGH /L:1,15792 =C:\DOS\DISPLAY.SYS CON=(EGA,,1)
12DEVICEHIGH /L:1,4560 =C:\WINDOWS\IFSHLP.SYS
13STACKS=9,256
14rem ---------------------- MTM ATAPI CD-ROM ----------------------
15[COMMON]
16DEVICEHIGH /L:1,15792 =C:\MTM\MTMCDAI.SYS /D:MTMIDE01
17rem ---------------------- MTM ATAPI CD-ROM ----------------------

I know it is messy, but I don't have idea how to sort it.
I just realised sound card was having some WSS I/O errors and SB checksum errors, had to changed values but I don't know what I did to make it to work. Maybe this could be somehow colliding with something. But I didn't find better driver (soundcard Yamaha OPL3-SAx with YMF719E-S sound chip).

Tried removing the "NOEMS" already?

Yup, didn't work.

krivulak wrote:

I just realised sound card was having some WSS I/O errors and SB checksum errors, had to changed values but I don't know what I did to make it to work. Maybe this could be somehow colliding with something. But I didn't find better driver (soundcard Yamaha OPL3-SAx with YMF719E-S sound chip).

Try disabling the driver and running the games with no sound altogether.

Ok, this is SUPER weird. When I disabled the sound driver, Wolf started running. Even the sound came from speakers, but only some of them. Like picking up medkits and golds did, but guns and nazi shoutings didn't.
But now it's clear. There is the problem. So I can trash the only driver for that sound card that I found compatible with DOS/Win 3.11. Any ideas?

I had a similar problem with EMS. Switched to UMBPCI and all my memory problems vanished instantly. Reported it on this topic.

Huge props to everyone put loads of cool and useful stuff on this site. Helped me tons.

In cases like this, sometimes it's best to go back to the essentials. Take out anything unnecessary in the config.sys and autoexec.bat and see if things start running again. You should probably have DOS=HIGH,UMB right after HIMEM rather than on two separate lines, for instance, and I don't think you need the FCBS line at all. Also, try using just DEVICEHIGH= without the /L switches.

Snayperskaya wrote:

I had a similar problem with EMS. Switched to UMBPCI and all my memory problems vanished instantly. Reported it on this topic.

Pretty sure that won't work on a 486.

OK, I will try that tomorrow, because I must go sleep now, but I will post update!