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LOADHIGH (LH)
Description
| Syntax
| Parameters
| Switches
| Related
| Notes
| Examples
| Errorlevels
| Availability
Loads a program into the upper memory area. Loading a program
into the upper memory area leaves more room in conventional memory
for other programs. (For more information about optimizing memory,
see the chapter "Making More Memory Available" in the DOS User's
Guide.)
Syntax
LOADHIGH
[drive:][path]filename
[parameters]
OR
LH
[drive:][path]filename
[parameters]
To specify the region(s) of memory into which to load the
program:
LOADHIGH
[/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]...]
[/S]]
[drive:][path]filename
[parameters]
OR
LH
[/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]...]
[/S]]
[drive:][path]filename
[parameters]
Parameters
- drive:
( path
v5.0
Win95
NT3.1)
- Specifies the drive and directory of the program you want to
load.
- filename
(v5.0
Win95
NT3.1)
- Specifies the name of the program you want to load.
- parameters
(v5.0
Win95
NT3.1)
- Specifies any command-line information required by the
program.
Switches
-
(/L:region1[,minsize1][;region2[,minsize2]...]
v5.0
Win95)
- Specifies one or more regions of memory into which to load the
program. If /L is not used, The operating system loads the
program into the largest free upper-memory block (UMB) and
makes all other UMBs available for the program's use. You can
use the /L switch to load the program into a specific region
of memory or to specify which region(s) the program can use.
- To load the program into the largest block in a specific
region of upper memory, specify the region number after the /L
switch. For example, to load the program into the largest free
block in region 4, you would type /L:4. (To list the free areas
of memory, type MEM
/F at the command prompt.)
- When loaded with the /L switch, a program can use only the
specified memory region. Some programs use more than one area
of memory; for those programs, you can specify more than one
region. (To find out how a particular program uses memory, use
the MEM
/M command and specify the
program name as an argument.) To specify two or more regions,
separate the block numbers with a semicolon (;). For example,
to use blocks 2 and 3, you would type /L:2;3.
- Normally, the operating system loads the program into a UMB in the
specified region only if that region contains a UMB larger than
the program's load size (usually equal to the size of the
executable program file). If the program requires more memory
while running than it does when loaded, you can use the minsize
parameter to ensure that the program will not be loaded into a
UMB that is too small for it. If you specify a value for
minsize, the operating sytem loads the program into that region
only if it contains a UMB that is larger than both the
program's load size and the minsize value.
- /S
(v5.0
Win95)
- Shrinks the UMB to its minimum size while the program is
loading. Using this switch makes the most efficient use of
memory. This switch is typically used only by the
MEMMAKER
program, which can analyze a program's memory use to determine
whether the /S switch can safely be used when loading that
program. This switch can be used only in conjunction with the
/L switch and affects only UMBs for
which a minimum size was specified.
Related
For information about loading device drivers into upper memory,
see the DEVICEHIGH configuration command.
For information about using the
MEMMAKER
program to move programs to the upper memory area, see the
MEMMAKER command.
Notes
DOS=UMB command required
To use the LOADHIGH command, you must include the
DOS=UMB
command in your CONFIG.SYS file. For more information about the
DOS=UMB
command, see the DOS configuration command.
Using MemMaker to optimize the upper memory area automatically
The MEMMAKER program, included
with the operating system, automatically optimizes your system's
memory. MEMMAKER surveys the
upper memory area, analyzes the memory use of your drivers and
programs, and determines which drivers and programs fit best into the
available UMBs. MEMMAKER then adds
the LOADHIGH command to selected lines in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file and
adds /L and /S switches
as necessary. For more information about using
MEMMAKER to optimize your computer's
memory, see the chapter "Making More Memory Available" in the DOS
User's Guide.
Upper-memory-area manager must be installed
Before you can load a program into the upper memory area, you
must install an upper-memory-area manager. The operating system provides
EMM386.EXE, which manages the upper memory area for computers with
an 80386 or higher processor. To install EMM386.EXE, you add a DEVICE
command to your CONFIG.SYS file. (The DEVICE command for the
HIMEM.SYS extended-memory manager must precede the DEVICE command
for EMM386.EXE.)
How LOADHIGH works
When you use the LOADHIGH command to load a program, the
operating system attempts to load it into the upper memory area.
If there is insufficient space in the upper memory area, the
operating system loads the program into conventional memory. To
determine which UMB(s) the program is using, use the
MEM
/M command and specify the
program name as an argument.
Using LOADHIGH in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file
The most convenient way to use the LOADHIGH command is to
include it in your AUTOEXEC.BAT file. (If you use the
MEMMAKER program, it automatically
adds any necessary LOADHIGH commands to the AUTOEXEC.BAT file.)
Examples
This command loads the
DOSKEY program into the upper memory area
and specifies that the operating system should load the driver into
region 1:
LOADHIGH /L:1 C:\DOS\DOSKEY
This command loads the MYPROG.EXE program into region
1, and also gives it access to upper memory regions 3 and 4:
LH /L:1;3;4 C:\PROGRAMS\MYPROG.EXE
This command loads the MYPROG program into conventional
memory (region 0) and also gives it access to upper memory region
1:
LOADHIGH /L:0;1 C:\PROGRAMS\MYPROG.EXE
Errorlevels
none.
Availability
- External
-
- DOS
-
v5.0
v5.0A
v5.00.02
v5.001A
v5.01
v5.02
v6.0
v6.10
v6.2
v6.21
v6.22
v6.23
v7.00
v7.0R1
v7.10
v8.00
- Windows
-
Win95
Win98
WinME
- Windows NT
-
NT3.1
NT3.5
NT3.51
NT4
NT2000
Last Updated: 2006/12/01
Direct corrections or suggestions to:
Rick Lively