Date: Wed, 24 Sep 1997 12:31:51 +0300 (IDT)
From: Eli Zaretskii <eliz AT is DOT elta DOT co DOT il>
To: Dyad255 <dyad255 AT aol DOT com>
cc: djgpp AT delorie DOT com
Subject: Re: Allegro WIP (virtual memory exausted)
In-Reply-To: <19970923182301.OAA03131@ladder02.news.aol.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.SUN.3.91.970924123128.18049P-100000@is>
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On 23 Sep 1997, Dyad255 wrote:

> >Did it ever occured to you that GCC might be telling the truth, and
> >that it *really* has run out of virtual memory?  Virtual memory
> >doesn't mean unlimited memory, you know ;-)
> 
> Well, with '95 the swap normally dynamically grows to fill the HD, so it
> is hard for users to figure out what kind of memory the program thinks it
> has (or doesn't have).

The dynamic growth only happens for Windows' own sake; the amount of
DPMI memory that Windows lets DOS programs use is limited by the
setting in the property sheets of that DOS box.  The default is 16MB
(cleverly disguised by Microsoft as "Auto", whose precise meaning I
have yet to see documented).  When your program uses up that much, it
doesn't get more, even when Windows has no problems to give you more.

That's why the FAQ advises to set that limit to 64MB (the maximum
value allowed by Windows).  See section 15.6 of the FAQ.