Windows XP Memory Settings for compiling


(MrLego) #1

I have a problem compiling from a batch file under Windows XP.

I keep getting an error “Not enough memory” during the vis and light phases.

The system has 1 gig ram and plenty of virtual memory and compiles fine from within Radiant.

I had no problems using the same batch file under Win 98 but when I migrated over to XP it no longer worked.

I am using Q3MAP2 2.5.16, Radiant 1.4 (with Q3MAP2 2.5.16) and Windows XP SP2

Any suggestions for settings for in the .pif file to allocate more memory?

I have tried “Auto” and setting some huge amount of memory without success.

TIA


(Shaderman) #2

I don’t think you need to change any pif file settings. AFAIK it’s a good idea to let Windows manage your swap file.

Where do I set the placing and size of the page file?

At Control Panel | System | Advanced, click Settings in the “Performance� Section. On the Advanced page of the result, the current total physical size of all page files that may be in existence is shown. Click Change to make settings for the Virtual memory operation. Here you can select any drive partition and set either ‘Custom’; ‘System Managed’ or ‘No page file’; then always click Set before going on to the next partition.

Taken from http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php


(MrLego) #3

I have not touched the windows virtual memory and swap file settings at all - I gave it a 100 GB partition to play in. :stuck_out_tongue:

The .pif (program information file) file is unique to each batch file, not the entire system.

It is the file that windows creates when you modify settings for a command line program running under the GUI ie: screensize, fonts , memory, etc…

I have tried deleting the file entirely and running the batch file directly - same results.

If it wasn’t for Doom3 & Quake 4 I would have never left Windows 98 - much easier to control.


(Shaderman) #4

While compiling, you can watch how much memory q3map2 is using and how much physical and virtual memory it gets with the task manager. You might need to change the virtual memory settings of windows if q3map2 won’t get enough memory to work with.


(SCDS_reyalP) #5

Is there an error message from q3map2 ? Or only a windows error ?

If there is an error from q3map2, (should be along the lines of “safe_malloc failed on blah blah bytes”) please post the exact error, and a few of the preceding lines. Also watch in task manager to see how much memory is actually being used.

I have noticed cases where windows malloc fails, even when there is plenty of swap available. However 1GB should be enough unless you are doing something really odd. It is possible there is some other error that is being incorrectly reported as out of memory. q3map2 is a true native 32 bit app, so it shouldn’t need any special pif settings.


(MrLego) #6

The errors I was getting were Windows memory errors.

I deleted all of the pif files and shortcuts to the batch files again and ran the batch file directly from Explorer without any errors.

Once that worked, I recreated the shortcut and left all of the settings at their defaults and it still worked.

I may have missed a pif file before or had a errant setting somewhere - either way it’s working again as it should.

Thanks for the replies.


(Q.) #7

It seems you have enough mem to use wsh rather than bat, which also gives you pif-ish file which you seem to like.


(MrLego) #8

The .pif files were copied over when I migrated everything from W98 - that may have been the original problem.

This time around I let XP create the shortcut file and I used that rather than the old W98 shortcut.

Thanks