System Memory Error

In Win98 --> Start --> Run --> MSCONFIG and choose Selective Startup and go to the last tab. Remove (uncheck) everything except systray and explore. Then close and reboot.

You can slowly add programs back in to find out which program is creating the low resources error, but I suspect you will find some other programs running in memory that are not needed.

Also, I recommend you use the search function and look for and delete:
~*.*
*.tmp
Everything within Cookies, History and Temporary Internet Files (CONTENT.IE5), etc.
Run a scandisk with a fix and a defrag.

It does sound like a memory error...is that too obvious?! But seriously, I would be interested to know how much memory is in all the machines. It may look like a lot on, esp. the w98 PC's, but a new application or upgrade (?) may suddenly use up all available RAM. I would check the "paging" files for each PC. If there is good HD space available (on the same partitions, obviously), I would increase it to the max. For example, a guideline I use is one and a half times the RAM memory. EG. 256MB? Use a paging file of circa 384MB. If the HD/partition is full then this will lead to problems.
I would in this case delete all programs unnecessary on those PC's. Check for rogue apps, also...eg. AOL s/w (a resource hog), Instant messengers?
On the server side, double check the resources on HD and the RAM? Try an upgrade in RAM, for a start on the servers.
Good Luck. (by the way, get rid of 98! if you can. w2000 is much more stable .. even preferred over XP).

In many cases, an out of memory message is misleading, since your whole system really did not run out of memory. Instead, certain areas of memory (Microsoft calls "heaps") used by Windows have run low on space.

Windows maintains an area of memory for operating system resources. The maximum size of this area is 128K, in two 64K areas. Windows 95/98 uses this area of memory to store fonts, bitmaps, drop-down menu lists and other on-screen information used by each application.

When any program begins running, it uses up some space in the "system resources" area in memory. But, as you exit, some programs do not give back system resources they were temporarily using. Eventually the system will crash as it runs out of memory. The crash happens sometimes if you start and close many programs, even the same ones, without a periodic reboot. This is what Microsoft calls a resource leak or memory leak.

When you tell your system to exit a program, the program is supposed to give back the resources (memory) it was using. But, because programs are written by humans, mistakes can happen and the program may not give back all to the operating system. This failing to give back is the memory leak, eventually leading to a message that your computer is low on resources. Memory leaks can also be caused by programs that automatically load every time you boot your Windows system. In Windows 95/98 you can see the list of active programs via the usual Ctrl-Alt-Del sequence. The Windows Startup folder contains programs that launch every time your system boots. In Windows 98, set the folder contents with MSCONFIG. In Windows 95, click the right mouse button on the Task Bar, click Properties, click Start Menu Programs, click Advanced andlook for the Startup folder in the left pane.

More information and more links:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/question466.htm

REMOVE SPACES from the pasted URL.

Maxwell

In addition to the good hints you already have, how much RAM is on these systems?

W98 has a large memory bug where the OS ignores most of the installed RAM if you have more than 511MB of RAM installed.
This is VERY configuration dependant!

I set up my W98 boxes with between 196 MB and 384 MB of RAM, and at least 1GB of free space for the swap file. (This provides plenty of room for large files and graphics images.) (Yes, performance is compromised a little, but crashes are reduced)

Chas