FSX short of memory and shut-down

There have been so many discussions here about OOM errors. Many
people claim that its caused by the Pagefile which is perhaps correct
in a lot of cases (either too small or corrupt) but when I had it I
had a very large page file set up (4+gb). The only way I got it
corrected on my system which like yours has 4GB and XP SP2 (32 bit)
was to add the /3G switch entry to the boot.ini file.
As you may be aware the maximum a 32bit O.S. can use is 4GB although
it shows up as (3.25GB in System Properties) and the max address space
(per application) is 2GB. Adding the /3G switch allows windows to
allocate more space to a single application. I used to get crashes
around 1.5GB usage whilst monitoring FSX.EXE in Task Manager but after
changing the boot file I have seen it go up beyond 1.7 without a
problem.

Ibby
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

"Ibby" <ibby11 DeleteThis @tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:19545926-02cb-45a9-8e46-1b195030c565@26g2000hsk.googlegroups.com...
> There have been so many discussions here about OOM errors. Many
> people claim that its caused by the Pagefile which is perhaps correct
> in a lot of cases (either too small or corrupt) but when I had it I
> had a very large page file set up (4+gb). The only way I got it
> corrected on my system which like yours has 4GB and XP SP2 (32 bit)
> was to add the /3G switch entry to the boot.ini file.
> As you may be aware the maximum a 32bit O.S. can use is 4GB although
> it shows up as (3.25GB in System Properties) and the max address space
> (per application) is 2GB. Adding the /3G switch allows windows to
> allocate more space to a single application. I used to get crashes
> around 1.5GB usage whilst monitoring FSX.EXE in Task Manager but after
> changing the boot file I have seen it go up beyond 1.7 without a
> problem.
>
> Ibby

Personally, I have found that OOM errors have become more prevalent
since SP2. I could cause OOMs with FSX SP1, but I had to work to
generate them. It seems that after SP2, FSX.exe tends to grow more
quickly. The OOM errors are definitely related to autogen and traffic
objects. Terrain, no matter how complex, doesn't seem to contribute to
this, so you can fly all day at altitude. But spend a half hour over dense
autogen and road traffic at low altitude and an OOM error is almost
guaranteed. Another thing I noticed is that if a lot of autogen objects
start growing tall spikes, you're getting close to an OOM error. The
best thing to do then is save the flight, restart FSX, and resume the
flight.

ID
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

> Personally, I have found that OOM errors have become more prevalent
> since SP2.  I could cause OOMs with FSX SP1, but I had to work to
> generate them.  It seems that after SP2, FSX.exe tends to grow more
> quickly.  The OOM errors are definitely related to autogen and traffic
> objects.  Terrain, no matter how complex, doesn't seem to contribute to
> this, so you can fly all day at altitude.  But spend a half hour over dense
> autogen and road traffic at low altitude and an OOM error is almost
> guaranteed.  Another thing I noticed is that if a lot of autogen objects
> start growing tall spikes, you're getting close to an OOM error. The
> best thing to do then is save the flight, restart FSX, and resume the
> flight.
>
> ID

Ian
My first experience with OOM was around Manhattan. As flying a GA I
have my profile set up with autogen and scenery complexity on Dense.
I haven't checked exactly the exe usage in other areas but in New York
it would easily push 1.5GB. When using my 747-400X by PMDG it would
reach 1.5GB very easily and thats with the autogen turned a way down
and water texture quality too due to the heavy load the aircraft puts
on the system.

The spikes you refer to are linked, I believe, to your graphic cards
inability to cope with the texture bandwidth requirements. If I push
my tweaks on the FSX.cfg too high I get them, either by raising the
Texture Bandwidth Multi, Bufferpools or Fibre Frame values well beyond
their recommended limits

Ibby
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

However, some problems may arise from XP having
> only 1 GB of memory available.  Seehttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/833721for details on how to implement
> the switch.

Thats when you add the Userva= entry to limit it just below 3GB. Mine
is set at 2.75GB or 2816mb due to my soundcard and 768mb 8800 Ultra
XXX gpu

I also have the default boot setting and the /3G added to the BOOT.INI
so that I get a choice at bootup

Here is a copy of my Boot.ini

[boot loader]
timeout=3
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" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Home
Edition with 3G Switch" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /3GB /Userva=2816

It does the trick and (touch wood) I haven't had an OOM error
since

Ibby
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

I got a message that FSX deLuxe Edition was short of memory and had to shut
down.
OS Windows XP SP2 and 4GB RAM which was working for about 1.4GB at that
moment.My impression was that FSX has is own memory as a chage(?) which I
can extend. The old flightsims had that opportunity as I can remember.
Thanks for your reply.
Wim Dijkgraaf

"Vernon Balbert" <vbalbert.DeleteThis@gmail.nospam.com> schreef in bericht
news:vGAWj.3047$ah4.670@flpi148.ffdc.sbc.com...
> On 5/14/2008 4:58 AM, wim.dijkgraaf went clickity clack on the keyboard
> and produced this interesting bit of text:
>> How can I extend the memory for FSX?
>
> That's a rather vague question. How much memory do you have and what
> operating system are you using?
>
> --
> Formal education will make you a living; self-education will make you a
> fortune. - Jim Rohn
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

On 5/14/2008 5:47 AM, wim.dijkgraaf went clickity clack on the keyboard
and produced this interesting bit of text:
> I got a message that FSX deLuxe Edition was short of memory and had to shut
> down.
> OS Windows XP SP2 and 4GB RAM which was working for about 1.4GB at that
> moment.My impression was that FSX has is own memory as a chage(?) which I
> can extend. The old flightsims had that opportunity as I can remember.
> Thanks for your reply.

The general consensus for out of memory errors is to increase the size
of the page file.

Also, 4 GB of RAM can actually cause a bit of a problem with 32-bit
operating systems due to the way memory is allocated. You can actually
end up with less RAM available to programs than you would with a system
with 2 GB of RAM. That's because the max memory that can be used by
32-bit operating systems is 4 GB.

When you have 4 GB of RAM with 32-bit versions of XP or Vista, the OS
allocates half of it just for itself. That leaves 2 GB available for
everything else. That sounds like a bit, but then you have the video
card and other add-in cards mapping onboard memory over system RAM
reducing the amount of RAM available to applications. Memory is used
more efficiently if only 2 or 3 GB is available on the system. (It's
not a good idea to use 3 GB as it can't be interleaved which slows
things down.)

The BEST solution is to upgrade to a 64-bit OS. With a 32 GB virtual
address space you won't run into this problem. However, there are
workarounds, notably the /3GB switch which gets added to the BOOT.INI
file for XP. This tells XP to use 1 GB for the operating system and 3
GB for applications. However, some problems may arise from XP having
only 1 GB of memory available. See
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/833721 for details on how to implement
the switch.

So there you have it: Try increasing the size of your page file, switch
to a 64-bit OS or use the /3GB switch in the BOOT.INI file.

--
Chuck Norris will attain statehood in 2009. His state flower will be the
Magnolia.
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

Ibby <ibby11 DeleteThis @tiscali.co.uk> wrote in
news:c0478fa1-261e-44ef-b32a-b955a29fe686@x35g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:

> However, some problems may arise from XP having
>> only 1 GB of memory available.
>>  Seehttp://support.microsoft.com/kb/83372
> 1for details on how to implement
>> the switch.
>
> Thats when you add the Userva= entry to limit it just below 3GB.
> Mine is set at 2.75GB or 2816mb due to my soundcard and 768mb 8800
> Ultra XXX gpu
>
> I also have the default boot setting and the /3G added to the
> BOOT.INI so that I get a choice at bootup
>
> Here is a copy of my Boot.ini
>
> [boot loader]
> timeout=3
> 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" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
> Home Edition with 3G Switch" /noexecute=optin /fastdetect /3GB
> /Userva=2816
>
> It does the trick and (touch wood) I haven't had an OOM error
>

I believe if you are on FSX sp2 (not sure on accel),
"largeaddresspaceaware" is set in fsx.exe, but if you have an earlier
version, you have to run a script to change the .exe. Also make
sure your DirectX is updated, as at one point DirectX was using
the high bit for something and so would barf if an app used it
for addressing.

scott s.
..
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

"Ibby" <ibby11 DeleteThis @tiscali.co.uk> wrote in message
news:ba110d0f-b7a9-42d3-8d71-25c33915e0ab@z72g2000hsb.googlegroups.com...
> Personally, I have found that OOM errors have become more prevalent
> since SP2. I could cause OOMs with FSX SP1, but I had to work to
> generate them. It seems that after SP2, FSX.exe tends to grow more
> quickly. The OOM errors are definitely related to autogen and traffic
> objects. Terrain, no matter how complex, doesn't seem to contribute to
> this, so you can fly all day at altitude. But spend a half hour over dense
> autogen and road traffic at low altitude and an OOM error is almost
> guaranteed. Another thing I noticed is that if a lot of autogen objects
> start growing tall spikes, you're getting close to an OOM error. The
> best thing to do then is save the flight, restart FSX, and resume the
> flight.
>
> ID

Ian
My first experience with OOM was around Manhattan. As flying a GA I
have my profile set up with autogen and scenery complexity on Dense.
I haven't checked exactly the exe usage in other areas but in New York
it would easily push 1.5GB. When using my 747-400X by PMDG it would
reach 1.5GB very easily and thats with the autogen turned a way down
and water texture quality too due to the heavy load the aircraft puts
on the system.

The spikes you refer to are linked, I believe, to your graphic cards
inability to cope with the texture bandwidth requirements. If I push
my tweaks on the FSX.cfg too high I get them, either by raising the
Texture Bandwidth Multi, Bufferpools or Fibre Frame values well beyond
their recommended limits

Ibby

Ibby

One thing I have discovered about the spikes is that they are related
to motion. Once, after a low level tour of Long Island in the Lear I
got the spikes on ILS final to LGA 04. I hit Y to suspend the flight,
and the spikes disappeared after a few seconds, then I was able to
complete the approach. I found something else that generates the
spikes. When I'm on a runway surrounded by very dense forest,
use F11 for a view the aircraft, then rotate rapidly around it, the
spikes appear above some of the trees during the motion. So, it
looks like the inability to deal with texture bandwidths may be the
cause as you say. The thing is, my card is an nVidia 7950GT 512
MB which still not too shabby for a DX9 card, and benchmarks
close to the 8800s for FSX.

ID
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

>The thing is, my card is an nVidia 7950GT 512
> MB which still not too shabby for a DX9 card, and benchmarks
> close to the 8800s for FSX.
>
> ID

Mine card is XFX 8800 Ultra XXX

Ibby
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

> I believe if you are on FSX sp2 (not sure on accel),
> "largeaddresspaceaware" is set in fsx.exe,

That is correct Scott. FS9 or Pre-SP2 FSX users would have to modify
their exe if they wished to use the 3/Gb switch

Ibby
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

I open it by going to Control Panel/Performance and Maintenance/System
then click Advanced Tab, Startup and Recovery Settings button then
click Edit button which will open the BOOT.INI in Notepad

Ibby
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

Thanks for all the replies, I try to find BOOT.INI but no results. Except
for a boot.ini back-up which I can't open.
Wim Dijkgraaf

"Ibby" <ibby11.RemoveThis@tiscali.co.uk> schreef in bericht
news:634062f7-a4d3-41eb-b9ec-7b59216fe93d@24g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
>
>> I believe if you are on FSX sp2 (not sure on accel),
>> "largeaddresspaceaware" is set in fsx.exe,
>
> That is correct Scott. FS9 or Pre-SP2 FSX users would have to modify
> their exe if they wished to use the 3/Gb switch
>
> Ibby
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down 

"wim.dijkgraaf" <wim.dijkgraaf RemoveThis @casema_weg.nl> wrote in message
news:ebb52$482c3a95$53526998$21885@cache120.multikabel.net...
> Thanks for all the replies, I try to find BOOT.INI but no results. Except
> for a boot.ini back-up which I can't open.
> Wim Dijkgraaf
>
> "Ibby" <ibby11 RemoveThis @tiscali.co.uk> schreef in bericht
> news:634062f7-a4d3-41eb-b9ec-7b59216fe93d@24g2000hsh.googlegroups.com...
>>
>>> I believe if you are on FSX sp2 (not sure on accel),
>>> "largeaddresspaceaware" is set in fsx.exe,
>>
>> That is correct Scott. FS9 or Pre-SP2 FSX users would have to modify
>> their exe if they wished to use the 3/Gb switch
>>
>> Ibby
>
>

Easiest way of editing boot.ini is to right click on My Computer, select the
Advanced tab, click on the Startup and Recovery Settings button and click
the Edit button.

cheers
 >> Stay informed about: FSX short of memory and shut-down