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1992-12-28
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FROM Windows Sources magazine, Feb 93, page 459 - by the Cobb Group
The number and size of applications that Windows can open at one time
is determined by your computer's virtual memory limit. Here's a way
you can edit you SYSTEM.INI file to override default values & increase
the amount of virtual memory available to Windows.
By default, the maximum amount of memory that Windows can use is equal to
the amount of RAM in your system - rounded to the nearest four megabytes -
multiplied by four. To figure out the maximum RAM for a 3 MB system, for
example, round up to 4 MB and then multiply by four to get 16 MB. You can
then calculate your virtual memory by subtracting the system RAM from the
total memory figure (16 MB minus 3 MB equals 13 MB of virtual memory).
Windows 3.1 allows you to increase total memory by increasing the default
multiplier of four. To do this, you first have to add the setting
PageOverCommit= to the [386Enh] section of the SYSTEM.INI file. Then set
the multiplier's default value between 1 and 20. The table "Stretching
Your Memory" shows how changing the multiplier affects maximum memory
quantities in systems with 2 MB to 16 MB of RAM.
Although you can use a multiplier as high as 20, a value greater than 8
is counterproductive. Increasing the multiplier proportionately increases
the amount of hard disk activity Windows must perform to access a larger
swap file. In other words, system performance may suffer if you use a
multiplier larger than 8. If you need more than eight times the RAM
installed on your system, you should install additional system RAM
instead of increasing the value of the PageOverCommit= setting.
S t r e t c h i n g Y o u r M e m o r y
┌────────────┬─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ SYSTEM │ RAM Multiplier │
│ RAM │ 4 5 6 7 │
│ │ (default) │
├────────────┼─────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 2MB-4MB │ 16MB 20MB 24MB 28MB │
│ │ │
│ 5MB-8MB │ 32MB 40MB 48MB 56MB │
│ │ │
│ 9MB-12MB │ 48MB 60MB 72MB 84MB │
│ │ │
│ 13MB-16MB │ 64MB 80MB 96MB 112MB │
└────────────┴─────────────────────────────────────────┘