Process Memory Limit

mk17

mk17

mk17

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Hi,
while troubleshooting some unusual software snags I decided to run memtest, and it reported the following message at startup:

Your version of windows limits the amount of contiguous RAM a single program can allocate. To get around this run more than one copy of MemTest simulataneously and set each copy to test a portion of available RAM...

I don't get this message/warning on my older machine. Can anyone tell me where I can change this setting or limit? Thanks.
 
Are you using the latest version of memtest? And a spec of your rig would be interesting.

I don't know how you would be able to run two copies of memtest in DOS so this is a bizzarre request.
 
Its windows memtest, a small gui version. The message described above was on a messagebox from the application.
I think what I've got is an XPSP2Res.dll issue, but I can't be too sure.

Machine is an X6800, AW9D-Max, 2GB Corsair XMS2, etc.
 
Ive had this happen, cant remember what caused it though?

Might have been something to do with pagefile but im not sure
 
MAllen said:
What does the normal DOS based memtest say to ya then? (Boot from CD/floppy version)
Click to expand...

I haven't run the boot from cd/floppy version. The double memtest reports no errors, and a test with S&M at 100% also reports that the hardware is fine.
At low memory allocations the new machine is much faster, but there is a tipping point in my various tests using C# where the new machine slows dramatically. Given that the gui memtest reports a system limitation, i.e. that my version of windows limits contiguous ram allocation for individual apps I was hoping that it was some weird system setting.
I've changed the pagefile to System managed from 2G/4G, but this has made no difference. The only o/s difference is that the old machine was an original xp pro, with sp2 applied during its lifetime, the new machine is an xp/sp2 install, i.e. installed with sp2 as part of the original installation. A quick google showed some XPSP2Res.dll memory issues.
 
mk17 said:
I don't get this message/warning on my older machine. Can anyone tell me where I can change this setting or limit? Thanks.
Click to expand...

The reason you don't get the limit warning is probably because your older machine doesn't have that much RAM. The free version of windows memtest is limited to testing a certain amount of memory, the unallocated memory on your old machine will all fit into the limit, so no warning is shown.
 
Jokester said:
It's a standard feature of Winmemtest, just load another instance.

Jokester
Click to expand...


Hi. I did run two instances. The physical ram reports no errors, neither memtest or S&M reported any problems. I'm sure its a windows xp pro sp2 thing, but I'm running xp pro sp2 on my older machine. My own test app which loops alocating and deallocating memory runs in C#2.0 on both systems, but the newer one lags significantly when the number of cycles is increased. Also the older machine can test all available ram with one memtest instance. On the new machine memtest reports that my configuration will not permit allocation of large amounts of contiguous memory to a single app.
 
Minstadave said:
The reason you don't get the limit warning is probably because your older machine doesn't have that much RAM. The free version of windows memtest is limited to testing a certain amount of memory, the unallocated memory on your old machine will all fit into the limit, so no warning is shown.
Click to expand...

Nice thinking, but no - unfortunately. My older machine has 2GB (not sure about the data rate). The new one has 2GB DDR2-6400 Corsair XMS2.

Ignoring the memtest gui for a moment, I can actually observe memory allocation performance hits with my test app. It won't have much of an impact post-allocation, but its still a major concern for a new build.
 
Defcon5 said:
Ive had this happen, cant remember what caused it though?

Might have been something to do with pagefile but im not sure
Click to expand...

Based on your input, I defragged my system drive, and set paging to system-managed. Restart, and now MemTest can run with "All unused RAM", rather than insisting that I run multiple instances at x Ram per instance.

My .Net performance issue remain however, but that's another problem. Thanks mate, it would have been a while before I'd even looked there. :) .
 
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