EMS memory; Real DOS
 

Can't play Dawn Patrol due lack of ems memory. Still can't play removing "NOEMS": doesn't have enough conventional memory, cause HiMemory turns out, and all drivers are loaded in conventional memory.


config.sys
[Autoexec.bat]

First don't load HIMEM.SYS or EMM386 using DEVICEHIGH. The memory managers need to be in conventional memory. You've got way more going into upper memory than is going to fit anyway. Load as many of the other device drivers high as you can. REM the device drivers that are not necessary to play the game. In this case I don't think you need the CDROM so you can put REM at the front of lines that have to do with the CDROM drivers so that they will be ignored. That will free up memory. The order that you load drivers into upper memory has a lot to do with how many will actually fit up there. A driver will always load into the biggest available block. Try loading the largest drivers (config.sys) and memory resident programs (autoexec.bat) first. You can monitor which drivers/programs were loaded in upper memory by using the mem /c command after the boot is complete. The mem command will also tell you the "largest executable program size". If you know the requirements of the game you will know if it will run without having to try it.

Also, you have your FILES and BUFFERS set pretty high. Try FILES=30 and BUFFERS=20

If you are worried about losing track of all the changes then make a boot disk with only the drivers you need and boot with that to play the game.

Ok, thank you. But loading emm386 and himem with DEVICE will free Hi memory AND EMS memory?

HIMEM is what makes the high memory area available. It wouldn't make sense to be able to load it in high memory when high memory isn't available yet. DOS=HIGH then instructs DOS to load itself into the high memory. DOS=HIGH, UMB instructs DOS to manage the upper memory blocks made available by EMM386. EMM386 is what makes expanded memory available to programs. It uses upper memory (64 kb) but resides in conventional memory.

That is why the order should be as follows
DEVICE={path}HIMEM.SYS
DOS=HIGH, UMB
DEVICE={path}EMM386.EXE (with whatever switches are appropriate ie NOEMS)

You can then use the LOADHIGH command to load drivers/programs into the memory areas made available by the above.

All that JMB said and try this:
device=c:\windows\emm386.exe 1024 RAM
or
device=c:\windows\emm386.exe 2048 RAM

This gives you 1-2Mb expanded memory, should be enough and gives you sufficient free high mem blocks to load the others in high mem.
If you don't add the MB restriction emm386 uses all free blocks for the mempaging.

[Edit]
Added RAM , forgot that one ....:o