How do I get rid of “Insufficient memory” warning after I install
Foxpro 3.0?”
July 13, 2003

Background: I have a Dell desktop with a floppy drive and a new
Toshiba laptop with NO floppy drive.  Some years ago, I purchased (but
did not install) Microsoft Visual Foxpro 3.0 on floppies, which I now
need to use.  Since I have a floppy drive on my desktop, but there is
no floppy drive on my laptop, I installed Visual Foxpro 3.0 on my
desktop to make sure it works ok.  It does. Then, I used the procedure
listed below (see "Install Procedure") to successfully install the app
on my laptop. However, when I click on the desktop icon to run the
app, it tries to launch, but I immediately get the warning
"Insufficient memory," even with no other app running. I know I do not
have insufficient memory. (I am running Windows XP Home. The laptop
(Satellite 5205-S503) has 512 MB of memory and a 2.0 GHz processor
speed.)

I am fairly confident that, with this "non-standard" install
procedure, Windows probably did not fully get into the act and is
missing some parameter it wants which will eliminate the pesky problem
warning -- but I have no idea where to look.

The Question:  How do I eliminate the "Insufficient memory" warning so
my newly installed Visual Foxpro 3.0 will launch on my laptop? (Keep
in mind, the Install routine said I had a successful install.)  Is
there some setting I can make in Windows Registry?  Or, is there a
different install procedure I can use that will eliminate the problem?
 (See below for how I installed the app w/o using a floppy drive.)
installed app will run?

INSTALL PROCEDURE I USED:
I discovered that when Install gets to the end of floppy disk one and
asks the user to install Disk 2 and press <enter>, it looks for *2.cab
on Disk2, and so on for each floppy.  So:

Step 1 - I created 12 folders, Disk1, Disk2, Disk3,...Disk12 (there
are 12 floppies in the app set) on C:.

Step 2 - Then I copied the contents of Disk 1 to C:\Disk1... Disk 2 to
C:\Disk2, and so on for all 12 floppies.

Step 3 - Then I installed the app by Start > Run C:\Disk1\Setup.exe. 
The rest of the install procedure ran the same as if I were installing
from a CD, with no stops after then initial dialog boxes until I got
the message "Installation complete!"  The install routine created a
group named "Microsoft Visual Foxpro" which it added to the Programs
list under Start.

Step 4 - I then clicked on Start > Programs > Microsoft Visual Foxpro
and right-clicked on Visual Foxpro 3.0 > Send to > Desktop to crate an
icon on my desktop, which it did.  So far, so good.  Exciting!

Step 5 - Launch the app. I clicked on the Visual Foxpro icon on my
desktop.  The logo for the app appeared for a split second, followed
immediately by the ubiquitous and non-informative warning
"Insufficient memory."  That's it.

One other fact which may be helpful:  The Visual Foxpro app does NOT
show up as an installed app when I click on "Add or Remove Programs".
That tells me Windows did not get in on the act sufficiently during
the install process and may be the root of the problem.

Other possible options:
1) Could it be that I need a newer Install procedure, that the one
that shipped with Visual Foxpro 3.0 (circa 1996?) is inadequate to use
with Windows XP?  If so, l where do I get one and how to I get it to
install these floppies.

2) Since I am the owner of the app (but never registered it since I
did not install it), can I get a CD of Visual Foxpro 3.0 from
Microsoft.  That should solve the problem.

These options are moot if you can give me a simple solution by feeding
some required parameter to Windows Registry, or whatever.  I'm
confident the solution is a simple one.  I just don't know where to
look.  Thank you in advance for your expert assistance.  WEB7

web7...

This Microsoft Knowledge Base article seems to speak directly
to your situation:

"The error "Insufficient Memory" displays when you attempt to
 start a Visual FoxPro 3.0 session. The computer has 512
 megabytes (MB) of RAM, or more, and should have enough memory
 for Visual FoxPro to start."

The solution, according to the article, is to use the 
'MaxMem' switch:

"Using a trial and error method, determine the maximum amount
 of memory you can use before you receive the "Insufficient
 Memory" error when launching Visual FoxPro."
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;137809

Instructions for using the MaxMem switch in Windows XP are here:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/TechNet/prodtechnol/winxppro/proddocs/bootcfg.asp

The bootcfg command is available from the Windows XP Recovery
Console, and can be used to edit or create a boot.ini file,
as noted on the JSIfaq website, here:
http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBI/tip4300/rh4392.htm

...and elaborated upon here, with attention to maxmem:
http://www.jsiinc.com/SUBJ/tip4600/rh4613.htm

You could use the bootcfg command with an 'addswitch' switch,
followed by a MaxMem switch - all of which would look like this:

bootcfg /addsw /mm 128 /id 2

The id 2 switch is the OS Entry Line Number:

"Specifies the operating system entry line number in the
 [operating systems] section of the Boot.ini file to which
 the operating system load options are added. The first
 line after the [operating systems] section header is 1."
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/TechNet/prodtechnol/winxppro/proddocs/bootcfg.asp


However, I found another page which gives directions for 
modifying the boot.ini file by hand, rather than using 
the bootcfg command. It indicates that you can just add
the 'maxmem' switch to the ini file on a second OS line
created for the purpose of allowing you to make a selection
at bootup. The length of time to make the selection is 
determined by the 'timeout' parameter. You can modify
the 'friendly name' of the secondary OS so it's flagged
for use with Visual FoxPro. You are still only using 
one OS, but it will be named differently and act as a
second choice.

So your boot.ini file would look something like this:

-----------------------------------------------------
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Windows

[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\Windows="Microsoft Windows XP
Home" /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\Windows="Windows XP Visual FoxPro"
/fastdetect /maxmem=128
-----------------------------------------------------

Note that, due to wrapping on this page, the above entries
take more than one line. When edited the boot.ini file,
maximize Notepad so that you can ascertain that the entries
are all on one line.

I created the above based on the example shown toward the 
bottom of this page from the Open System Resources site:
http://www.osr.com/ddk/ddtools/bootini_7c6r.htm


I think that'll get you where you want to be, though, as noted
earlier, you may have to experiment to find the amount of memory
which will allow the program to run with no error. The number
128 in the example above specifies 128MB.


Please do not rate this answer until you are satisfied that
the answer cannot be improved upon by means of a dialog
established through the "Request for Clarification" process.

sublime1-ga


Searches done, via Google:

"insufficient memory" +"Windows XP" "Visual Foxpro"
://www.google.com/search?q=%22insufficient+memory%22+%2B%22Windows+XP%22+%22Visual+Foxpro%22

maxmem "Windows XP"
://www.google.com/search?q=maxmem+%22Windows+XP%22

bootcfg addsw mm
://www.google.com/search?q=bootcfg+addsw+mm

---

Clarification of Answer by sublime1-ga on 15 Jul 2003 00:22 PDT

web7...

It occurred to me that, depending on your level of experience,
you might prefer a more precise approach to editing your 
boot.ini file. So if you want to open it with Notepad, 
'select all' and copy it to a Request For Clarification here,
I'll be glad to customize the modifications you need to make.

sublime1-ga

---

Request for Answer Clarification by web7-ga on 23 Jul 2003 20:24 PDT

July 23, 2003
To Sublime1   
Fm: WEB7
First, thank you for the incredible work you invested in your answer.
I'm frankly kinda overwhelmed. Your level of exspertise about the
operating system is far beyond mine.

I particularly appreciate the offer in your clarification, i.e for me
to send you my boot.ini file and you'll modify it and send it back for
me to try.  That's what I'd like to do.

Here is the contents of my C:\boot.ini file:
[boot loader]
timeout=30
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
[operating systems]
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition" /fastdetect

I have a question. I want to make sure that whatever changes I make
are reversable if they do not work.  I suppose, with Windows XP, I can
create a Restore Point before I make the changes. Then execute a
Restore from that date if the changes don't work.  I hope that will do
the trick.

Thanks again,
WEB7

---

Clarification of Answer by sublime1-ga on 23 Jul 2003 21:52 PDT

web7...

Yes, glad to help...

Based on your current boot.ini file, the text should be changed
to essentially what I already suggested, with these minor changes:

===================================================

[boot loader] 
timeout=30 
default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS
 
[operating systems] 
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP 
Home Edition" /fastdetect 
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Windows XP Visual FoxPro"
/fastdetect /maxmem=128

===================================================

Again, be sure to maximize Notepad to be sure that none of the lines
are wrapped, and that the spacing is correct. You can save a copy
of your current boot.ini as boot.in1 first, and then edit and save
your current boot.ini with the above.

When you reboot, you will be shown a screen to select between two
'operating systems'. You will have 30 seconds to choose between 
the two. They will be listed in the order shown in your boot.ini
file, so your default startup will be your usual entry - the
first in the boot.ini file. You can do nothing, and, after 30 
seconds, it will boot to your normal system. If you want to 
open the system to use Visual FoxPro, just use your arrow keys
to select the second entry, which should be titled as it is 
in the boot.ini file: "Windows XP Visual FoxPro". Once selected,
you can hit 'Enter', rather than wait the full 30 seconds.

When and if 30 seconds seems too long a time to make the choice,
you can modify the boot.ini file to say "timeout=10". Then it
will automatically boot to your selection after 10 seconds
(mine is set to 2 seconds), or you can still just hit 'Enter',
after making your choice, to speed the process.

And, yes, setting a restore point will allow you to return
to a pre-modified state, however, even if the second, added
'operating system' failed to boot for some reason, you can
just let it boot to the default 'system', listed first, 
which has not been modified in any way.

And, keep in mind that you may still have to experiment
with different values of maxmem, until you find a setting
with which Visual FoxPro will open and function happily.

That should do it! Please share your success, of let me
know if there's a problem.

sublime1-ga

---

Clarification of Answer by sublime1-ga on 23 Jul 2003 21:59 PDT

web7...

P.S. If I misunderstood, and you actually want me to create the
boot.ini file, and upload it where you can retrieve it, I will
be glad to do that, as well. But if you just copy what I gave
you above, open boot.ini and 'select all' and then 'paste',
you will have replaced the current text of the file with the 
modified text - but, again, make sure that, with Notepad
maximized, all the text on each 'multi' line is on the same
line.

sublime1-ga