User Guide

6
OPTIMIZING YOUR SYSTEM
MEMORY REQUIREMENTS
We have tried to minimize the amount of time you spend configuring the memory in
your system, but Strike Commander is the most memory-intensive game in ORIGIN’s
history, and adjustments to your memory configuration may be needed.
There are three types of RAM referred to in this manual: DOS (conventional base
RAM), extended and expanded. Strike Commander has specific minimum requirements
for each of these types of memory. If you are unsure about these different types of
memory, consult your DOS manual.
To find out how much DOS, extended and expanded memory your computer has
available, type
MEM at the DOS prompt. When the memory information is printed on the
screen, look for the following listings:
LARGEST EXECUTABLE PROGRAM SIZE
LARGEST AVAILABLE UPPER MEMORY BLOCK
TOTAL EXTENDED OR XMS
BYTES FREE OF XMS
BYTES AVAILABLE XMS
BYTES FREE OF EMS
FREE EXPANDED
(EMS)
The Largest Executable Program Size should be at least 557K. (Actually, it can be as
small as 527K, if the Largest Available Upper Memory Block is at least 30K.)
You will have only one of the last five listings — Total Extended or XMS / Bytes Free
of XMS / Bytes available XMS / Bytes Free of EMS / Free Expanded (EMS) —
partially depending on whether or not you have an EMS driver. Regardless of which
listing you have, it should show at least 2700K available.
If you are experiencing problems installing or running Strike Commander, it might help
to create a separate boot disk or decrease the number of memory-resident programs
(TSRs) you have loaded with the suggested configurations listed below.
Do not delete your AUTOEXEC.BAT or CONFIG.SYS files completely, or alter
them on your hard drive — without them, your computer will not function.