Your reading the wrong information.

In XP cmd.exe when you type in "mem", you'll see:

655360 bytes total conventional memory
655360 bytes available to MS-DOS
598032 largest executable program size

Largest executable program size is what you want.

To free up more conventional memory, edit the autoexec.nt file in C:\Windows\system32 and REM out the dosx line. I'm not familiar with this game so if it needs DOS4GW/CWSDPMI then you'll need DOSX so if you need DOSX then REM out the other 2 lines instead.

Example:

REM lh %SystemRoot%\system32\dosx

loadfix in DOSBox should take care of the problem. Most games don't expect you to have 638kB of free conventional memory.

Here's the deal however, i tried the loadfix -26 ( brining my mem to exactly 610 and it says the dosbox message mentionned in my first post )

basically the message changes in dosbox

it asks for system resources

"No system ressources, ouch something nasty happened"

is the exact message.

I will try to remove the dosx lines as mentionned and see.

Bleh , this game is a hard one to get running i swear 😀

After freeing enough EMS memory * thanks for the dosx *

a new error message comes up

Expanded memory function 44 received error 44

In file : wga_mem. asm

Ouch! Something nasty happened!

( gotta like their cryptic quotes 😀 )

any suggestions ?

Something just hit me however

i have been able to run most old dos based games up to now

aside this one and eye of the beholder 3

figured im running a NTFS file system, perhaps there is the root of my problems ???

No, the filesystem has nothing to do with your problem.

go to a command prompt.
Type in "mem" and post the info.

655360 bytes total conventional memory
655360 bytes available to MS-DOS
633024 largest executable program size

1048576 bytes total contiguous extended memory
1048576 bytes available contiguous extended memory
983040 bytes available XMS memory

You need your mem to look something like this, ignore the memory values. They aren't really important (they depend on how much system memory you have and how you have your _default.pif configured) what you need to worry about is wether when you type in MEM you see the EMS line:

Example:

4194304 bytes total EMS memory
4194304 bytes free EMS memory

20971520 bytes total contiguous extended memory
0 bytes available contiguous extended memory
16628736 bytes available XMS memory
MS-DOS resident in High Memory Area

Do a properties on the _default.pif file in c:\windows\ and changes EMS/XMS to their maximum values. Now open up a new command prompt and check your memory.

If you still don't have EMS memory then you'll need to disable USB/Ethernet/Sound/etc IN YOUR BIOS to get your EMS back.

DosFreak wrote:

To free up more conventional memory, edit the autoexec.nt file in C:\Windows\system32 and REM out the dosx line.

FYI, if you (like me) prefer to keep the original AUTOEXEC.NT & CONFIG.NT files in %SystemRoot%\System32 intact for future reference, you can create copies of these files (e.g. AUTOEXEC.REALM and CONFIG.REALM) and put them in the directory where you installed Realm of Terror.

Next, create a short-cut to the program (REALM.EXE ??), open up the Properties, Program tab, and click the Advanced... button.

DosFreak wrote:

If you still don't have EMS memory then you'll need to disable USB/Ethernet/Sound/etc IN YOUR BIOS to get your EMS back.

Right on, DosFreak!

Sobah wrote:

Motherboard A7N8X, not deluxe
2.6 gig athlon XP cpu

That's an NVIDIA nForce 2 chipset just like the one in my Shuttle FN41.

Finally managed to get EMS on display when typing mem

needed to shut down OnBoard Nic

however , the game still does not want to start 🙁
here is the error

Expanded memory function 44 received error 44

In file : wga_mem. asm

Ouch! Something nasty happened!

This I can't help you with since I don't have the game. Unless it's complaining about not having enough EMS.

Hmmm, if the game has a configuration program try disabling sound effects and any other options.

Well thanks much for the help, i certainly learned a lot about old dos which i tought had no more secrets for me.

I will have to get a dos partition up in order to play these oldies i guess 😀

Again thanks for your time.

Now it's my turn....

Been trying to run this game thru dosbox (on win xp pro), vdmsound etc. The same problem shows up - opening intro screen, everything fine, nice sound / graphics, then first lighting bolt the sound / game freezes. If I skip the intro screen then once a charcter does a action step - pick up object, open door same thing. I mess with different settings for dosbox (lastest version) getting extra memory (ems / xms) to no avail. Searching the site here and the web I found doxbox support listed for this game (downloaded from underdogs) but I wonder if they actually ran it.

One reviewer on the web said he got it to work in VDMsound but had to max the ems / xms setting thru a right click tab setting. I downloaded this program, runs the game and locks up the same way. I cannot find this tab he mentions to change the settings. Any ideas?

Now this game has wasted about 10 hours of my life trying to run it, is there SOMEBODY out there that actually got this game to run on anything?

I am down now messing around with MS vitual PC running FREEDOS trying boot disks with high men to boot the game from CD - same problem. And yes doing MEM check shows above 600 K no matter with method of madness I try.

I ran ready to drag out a rusted out 486 dos machine (I live at the beach) for the final try, any other ideas out there???

Thanks for your help

Marc

Have you setup the sound for the game with the correct IRQ/DMA settings?

Yep - ran thru the setup rountine, tested the sound card, save setup file. The game does play normal sound till the freeze, turning off all sound the game still lock up.

M

One more round...
drag out a win 98 machine, made a boot to dos high em disk per legacy readme file with umb, xms, ems, smartdrve, etc, ran from "pure" DOS bootup, same problem!

So the program ay be at fault... I give up! Did bring back the "fun" of making DOS games run on different machines, now I remember how QEMM was such a great program for this kind of work!

M

Run from dosbox, go to install and USING THE MOUSE ONLY setup that sound / music card to match the IRQ / address / DMA etc. settings to match DOSBOX (a point I miss before!!), now exit and save, a message should come up it save, it not then the game locks up after the first bolt of lighting!!!

I can't believe I wasted amoust 10 hours trying every trick in the book to run this game and the answer (thanks to anouther forum) was right under my DOS nose!

That's all you need, nothing else, if someone can post some walk thru or maps would be great!

Side Question -

In my hunt to run this bad boy I tried VDMS. I never did find the right click comp. tab mention by others to set XMS / EMS to play the game, maybe my (lastest) version does not have it. Can someone explain to me where this tab is as a point of interest?

Thanks all -

M 😏

I had no problems getting the game to run. Strangely enough, it even worked *without* DOSbox, under WinXP, no less.

However, I have one slight but very annoying problem that persists through all configurations: Whenever a sound is played (eg: opening a door, or the lightning in the intro), it starts and ends with a popping noise. If I continously open and close a door, there is only 1 "pop". If I stop for a second, it pops, and then pops again when I open the door again. Weirdest bug I have ever seen.

Anyone have a clue on what is going on here?

I played the game thru to the bitter end - was enjoyable. The poping sound might be some kind of "lag", I never notice it in playing. The only bug was the spinning in place which is easy stoped.

I found some good walk thrus on the web, without which I would have been big time stuck. The CD's had good clips of background story on them, if you play the "rip" version you are missing out. I have my orginal up for sale.

The VDM question got answered, I had the win me / 2000 version, the XP version had the tab I was looking for.

ML