Microsoft KB Archive/812448

Knowledge Base

"Limited Virtual Memory" error message when you start your computer after you install or remove a hard disk

Article ID: 812448

Article Last Modified on 11/21/2006

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APPLIES TO

• Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition

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IMPORTANT: This article contains information about modifying the registry. Before you modify the registry, make sure to back it up and make sure that you understand how to restore the registry if a problem occurs. For information about how to back up, restore, and edit the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

256986 Description of the Microsoft Windows Registry

SYMPTOMS

After you install or remove a hard disk on your computer, when you start your computer you may receive the following error message:

Limited Virtual Memory
Your system is running without a correctly sized paging file. Please use the virtual memory option of the System applet in Control Panel to create a paging file, or to increase the initial size of your paging file.

CAUSE

This behavior may occur if the drive letters that represent the hard drives installed in your computer are listed incorrectly in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

RESOLUTION

To resolve this behavior, follow these steps:

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Start your computer to the Windows 2000 Recovery Console. For more information about how to do so, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   301645 How to use Recovery Console on a computer that does not start in Windows 2000

2. Type the number that represents your Windows 2000 installation, and then press ENTER.
3. Type the Administrator password, and then press ENTER.
4. Rename the System file in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder to System.old. To do so, type the following lines at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line:

   cd system32\config
   ren system system.old

5. Copy the %SystemRoot%\Repair\System file to the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder. To do so, type the following lines at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line, where %SystemRoot% is the drive and folder where Windows is installed :

   cd %systemroot%\repair
   copy system %systemroot%\system32\config
   exit

   Your computer restarts.
6. Compare the contents of the current and original HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices registry keys. To do so:
   1. Click Start, and then click Run.
   2. In the Open box, type regedt32, and then click OK.
   3. Click the following key in the registry:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

   4. On the Registry menu, click Load Hive.
   5. In the Load Hive dialog box, locate the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder, click the System.old file, and then click Open.
   6. In the Key Name box, type test, and then click OK.
      
      This action loads the original HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE hive as a subkey of the current key using the name "Test".
      
      Compare the contents of the current HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices key with the contents of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\MountedDevices key in the original System.old hive that you loaded in step 6e.
   .
7. Import the contents of the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices key to the System.old file. To do so:
   1. Click the following key in the registry:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices

      key.
   2. On the Registry menu, click Save Key.
   3. In the Save Key dialog box, click Desktop in the Save in box, type mounteddevices in the File name box, and then click Save.
   4. Click the following key in the registry:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Test\MountedDevices

   5. On the Registry menu, click Restore. In the Restore Key dialog box, locate the Mounteddevices file that you saved to your desktop in step 7b, click the file, and then click Open.
   6. Click Yes when you are prompted to continue the operation.
   7. Click the following key in the registry:

      HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\test\MountedDevices

   8. On the Registry menu, click Unload Hive.
   9. Click Yes when you are prompted to continue the operation.
   10. Quit Registry Editor.
8. Restart your computer to the Windows 2000 Recovery Console.
9. Type the number that represents your Windows 2000 installation, and then press ENTER.
10. Type the Administrator password, and then press ENTER.
11. In the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder, rename the System file to System.bak, and then rename the System.old file to System. To do so, type the following lines at the command prompt, pressing ENTER after each line:

    cd system32\config
    ren system system.bak
    ren system.old system

12. Type exit to restart your computer.

Note: If you have a working, parallel installation of Windows 2000, there is one more method to resolve this issue. If you install Windows 2000 to another folder in the same partition or if you install Windows 2000 to a different partition, you can replace the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\MountedDevices registry key in your original installation with the same key from the working, parallel installation of Windows 2000. For more information about how to perform a parallel installation of Windows 2000, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

266465 How to perform a parallel installation of Windows 2000 or Windows Server 2003

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about how to troubleshoot other situations in where this error message can occur, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

257758 FIX: "Limited Virtual Memory" error message when you start your computer

140472 PRB: Limited virtual memory error when starting Windows NT

Keywords: kbprb KB812448

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