'Limited Virtual Memory' error

[xlav]

I started my PC with 2 sata hard drives having Windows 2000. Not a dualboot arrangement. 1 of the hard drives booted. Then I shutdown the PC, disconnected 1 hard drive and restarted. During startup with the single hard drive a 'Limited Virtual Memory' error message came up. Could not get to the desktop in normal or Safe mode. So connected the other hard drive also and started up.

In Computer Management - Disk Management,
Disk 0 has primary partition G and is healthy (system), logical partition F (healthy).

Disk 1 has primary partition E and is healthy (pagefile), logical partition H (healthy).

In System Properties, Performance Options,Virtual Memory- Drive E has pagefile size 2046-4092.
Drive G has no page file size allocated. I set it to the same size as drive E using the following instructions:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257758/

After allocating space to drive G's page file a 'System Control Panel Applet' messagebox said 'Another file exists with the filename "G:\pagefile.sys". Do you wish to overwrite the existing file with a page file?
Should I overwrite?

 

[HughLerwill]

I'll guess that the last modified date of G:\pagefile.sys will go back to the time just before the system was configured to have its pagefile on drive E:
It should thus be identified as an old file and quite safe to delete/ overwrite.

 

[xlav]

I overwrote G:\pagefile.sys. Tried to boot with 1 of the hard drives and it went to 'setting up network connection' and then 'saving your settings' and no furthur, ie. I couldn't get to the desktop. Removed that drive and connected the other one alone. Got a disk boot error and was asked to insert the win2k install disk and press 'Enter'. Didn't proceed with that. Then connected the 2 hard drives reversing the original connection of the sata leads to the sata ports. So the drive that was originally connected to sata port 2 is now on port 1 and it booted.


In Computer Management - Disk Management,
(compare with my 1st post)

Disk 0 has primary partition E and is Healthy (System), logical partition F Healthy.

Disk 1 has primary partition G and is Healthy (Active), logical partition H (Healthy).

In System Properties, Performance Options,Virtual Memory-> Drive E has pagefile size 2046-4092.
Drive G has no page file size allocated.

So the pagefile size that I had allocated to the previous Disk 0, G is absent. In both cases G is not showing a pagefile size allocation.

 

[xlav]

Found out that I was using 2 different types of sata hdd power connectors, 1 with 4 wires and 1 with 5 wires. Changed to 2 connectors with 5 wires. I hdd can work with it only connected. The other hdd has to have both hdds connected before it will work. Otherwise with it alone connected, after the Win2k logo and logon sound at boot, sound card icon does not appear. A white arrow stays on the screen for a while then message says 'saving your settings' as when windows is shutting down. After a while windows logon sound comes on again, sound card icon does not appear, and later get 'saving your settings', and this repeats.
Not getting a 'Limited Virtual Memory' message this time.



In Computer Management - Disk Management,

Disk 0 has primary partition G and is Healthy (System), logical partition F Healthy.

Disk 1 has primary partition E Healthy (Page File), logical partition H Healthy.

In System Properties, Performance Options,Virtual Memory- Drive E has page file size 2046-4092.
Drive G has page file size 2302-4092.

Under 'Total paging file size for all drives':

Minimum allowed: 2 MB
Recommended: 2302 MB
Currently allocated: 4348 MB

Does this mean that the size can be from 2-2302 MB or from 2302 to a higher number ie, should 2302 MB be the minimum or Initial size?

 

[wolluf]

The size can be from 2MB to as much disk space as you want to allocate. BUT, you must make sure that at least one location where its defined will exist when you boot (so for example, if you are only booting with one drive, that drive must contain a defined location for (part of) the pagefile - because 2k won't boot to the desktop with no pagefile. The important thing is that it is defined on a drive letter that will exist when you boot.

I'm not sure whether you have 2 installations of 2k - you said not dual boot - and your drive letters are totally non-standard (where is your C: drive?!) - which can be asking for trouble with 2k install.

 

[xlav]

C is a 500MB removable flash drive. Think letter C was changed when I cloned one of the drives and created a bootable backup or the flash was connected when the hdds' were out. Connected the working hdd only and Disk Management shows:

Disk 0 (E Healthy (System)

(F Healthy

Seems that drives F and H are shifting with the different drive connections.

 

[xlav]

Yes, my 2 hdds' have Win2k with no dualboot arrangement. 1 is for backup which I change physically.

 

[Freestone]

How Windows 2000 Assigns, Reserves, and Stores Drive Letters

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/234048

All assigned drive letters are "persistent" after they are assigned. This means they should remain assigned to that volume until it is either deleted or changed manually using Disk Management. This should hold true for all online volumes as you add and remove disks to the system.

The exception to this rule is that if a volume (disk) is offline, and a different new volume comes online, it may get the offline volume's drive letter. To ensure you keep your drive letter assignments intact, you must keep existing volumes online when introducing new volumes.

 

[xlav]

Think I may need to resort to this fix:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/812448

However I have no knowledge about registry. Where can I locate some practical knowledge eg. by video?

 

[xlav]

When I install applications using the problem hdd they want to install on E:\Program Files (the other hdd) instead of drive G:\
It appears that drive G:\ is not in the registry (so uses E:\ for the pagefile).
Will look in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_SYSTEM\MountedDevices to see what's there.

 

[wolluf]

Have you considered a clean install? You must have had the removable drive connected when you installed initially - which is why 2k not on C: If you clean install (ie, backup & wipe) onto single disk (ie, just the disk being installed connected - no removables no other fixed hard drives), it will be on C:, the pagefile will be on C: and it will stay like that.

 

[xlav]

Drive letters not fixed yet. Clicked Start, Settings, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs and got error;

'Mshta.exe has generated errors and will be closed by Windows'.

I tried commands:

• sfc /purgecache
• sfc /scannow

from

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/285195.

Did not work so I did the 'in-place upgrade' recommended in the second line under NOTE after RESOLUTION.

In 'Setup' files were copied to the Windows folder then the system rebooted. After some screens attempts were made to copy files but none could be copied. Some of the files were AppSer~1.cl_, Context.cl_, IEnumN~1.cl_ I continued and reached Configuration. After about 4 hours Confuguration was not halfway complete so I restarted the system. Got error:

WINNT\System32\Drivers\Ntfs.sys

It advised to insert windows CD, restart and press r in Setup. I went to the Recovery Console but don't know which command to use. I noticed that there are two WINNT folders.

 

[wolluf]

I can only repeat my last post - what about a clean install. Your current installation is obviously well messed up now - but your data should be ok - and you could spend a lot longer troubleshooting than reinstalling, and still not have a usable system.

 

[xlav]

Thanks will have to do that.