Command: mem
MEM displays the amount of installed and free memory in your system.
Syntax:
MEM [options] [/?]
Options:
/ALL Show all details of high memory area (HMA).
/C Classify modules using memory below 1 MB.
/D Same as /DEBUG by default, same as /DEVICE if /OLD used.
/DEBUG Show programs and devices in conventional and upper memory.
/DEVICE List of device drivers currently in memory.
/E Reports all information about Expanded Memory.
/F Same as /FREE by default, same as /FULL if /OLD used.
/FREE Show free conventional and upper memory blocks.
/FULL Full list of memory blocks.
/M (name) | /MODULE (name)
Show memory used by the given program or driver.
/NOSUMMARY Do not show the summary normally displayed when no other
options are specified.
/OLD Compatability with FreeDOS MEM 1.7 beta.
/P Pauses after each screenful of information.
/SUMMARY Negates the /NOSUMMARY option.
/U List of programs in conventional and upper memory.
/X Reports all information about Extended Memory.
/? Shows the help.
Comments:
Displaying memory status: FreeDOS displays extended memory only if
you have memory installed above the 1MB boundary. FreeDOS displays
expanded memory only if it conforms to version 4.0 of the Lotus/Intel/
Microsoft Expanded Memory Specification (LIM EMS).
Allocating extended memory: To allocate both Interrupt 15h memory and
XMS memory, use the int15 switch when you load FD(X)XMS.SYS, HIMEM.EXE
or HIMEM.SYS (outdated in FreeDOS).
Different types of memory:
Total conventional memory is the amount of memory on your computer up
to the first 640K. Free Conventional Memory is the amount of con-
ventional memory FreeDOS has for operating your computer, including
the memory it needs for itself.
Total EMS memory is the amount of expanded memory on your computer.
Free EMS memory is the amount of expanded memory available to programs.
If you use EMM386 to simulate expanded memory, that memory appears in
these two values.
Available XMS memory is memory managed by an extended-memory manager
such as HIMEM.SYS, and available to programs that can use it.
This command is interesting if you have problems with crashing
programs. With the command you can see if there is enough memory
to execute the program. If the lower memory is too small it may help
to load the program into high memory with the LH /LOADHIGH command.
MEM supports NLS (national language support).
Examples:
mem /DEVICE /C /P
See also:
device/devicehigh
himemx
(fdxms)
(fdxms286)
himemx
jemm386
jemmex
lh/loadhigh
memory
Copyright © 1998 Jim Hall, updated 2007 and 2022 by W. Spiegl.
This file is derived from the FreeDOS Spec Command HOWTO.
See the file H2Cpying for copying conditions.