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Adobe PhotoDeluxe 2.0 and Windows XP
I got PhotoDeluxe some years ago and it does everything I need quite nicely.
I spent some time learning it and I do not want to change to another program unless I absolutely have no other option.
I moved it from Win98SE to a computer with Windows XP SP2 but when I tried to
start it I would get an error message saying "There is not enough RAM to open
PhotoDeluxe". Well that was a surprise as the machine had much more RAM than
the old one. It took quite a while of tinkering but I found the solution.
I will make a long story short.
The problem is not solved by changing the amount of RAM but by changing the
setting for the Virtual Memory. I am guessing that PhotoDeluxe requires a
minimum amount of Virtual Memory which is a multiple of the installed RAM
and, as RAM grows, so must the Virtual Memory. That or PhotoDeluxe
does not account correctly for RAM and/or Virtual Memory, which also could be.
In any case, my machine now has 768 MB RAM and setting the Virtual Memory to
2620 MB PhotoDeluxe runs fine so, my advice is to tinker with the Virtual Memory
settings until PhotoDeluxe works for you. In my case, as you can see, the
Virtual Memory is set to 3.67 times the RAM so you might want to start with a
similar amount and tinker from there. It is a bit of a pain because every
time you change that setting you have to restart the computer.
To change the virtual memory settings, right click My Computer, Properties, Advanced, Performance, Settinhgs, Advanced
Virtual memory - Change
I still use Photodeluxe regularly and it does everything I need.
It is a shame that we are forced to stop using perfectly good programs
and purchase and learn new programs to do what we were already doing
perfectly well. I try to continue to use my old programs whenever I can.
Netmeeting, and Imaging, are others.
Update
Microsoft has published an article titled "Third-party programs that require lots of memory do not run in Windows XP Service Pack 2". It seems the problem occurs when a program needs to reserve hundreds of megabytes of contiguous memory. From the description it seems very likely this is the cause of the problem with Photodeluxe. In that page Microsoft provide a hotfix for this problem.
CAUSE
This problem occurs if the third-party program has to reserve
lots of contiguous memory. For example, the problem occurs if the third-party
program has to reserve several hundred megabytes of contiguous memory. The new
Xpsp2res.dll file that is added in Windows XP SP2 loads into memory at location
0x20000000. This causes the virtual memory that is available to the third-party
program to be fragmented.
RESOLUTION
Hotfix information
Important This hotfix includes a new Xpsp2res.dll file that dynamically
finds a memory location to reduce virtual memory fragmentation. Before you apply
this hotfix, we recommend that you ask the vendor of your programs to verify
that this solution is acceptable.
This hotfix enables the new
Xpsp2res.dll file to find a memory location dynamically and reduce virtual
memory fragmentation.
A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is
intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article.
Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem.
This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not
severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next
service pack that contains this hotfix.
To resolve this problem, submit a request to Microsoft Online
Customer Services to obtain the hotfix. To submit an online request to obtain
the hotfix, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://go.microsoft.com/?linkid=6294451
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It seems they say this hotfix will be included in the next service pack (SP3)
which is due to come out soon so there is no need to install the hotfix
if you can wait for SP3. Once you have installed the hotfix of the SP you
can test to see if you can change the virtual memory settings and Photodeluxe
will still work without problems.
I have not tried this hotfix and I would like to hear from anyone who has
tried it whether it does or does not resolve the issue.
Some months ago I added some RAM to my system and I again had to mess with
the virtual memory settings to get Photodeluxe to work. Now that it is working
I do not feel like messing with it. Maybe I will try it in the future or just wait for SP3.
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