I have started to get "out of memory" when using "hatch command"this is newACAD2011Quad core3gb mem

Hello, what size is your file ?
Do you frequently "PURGE" your file of the deleted items to lighten it ?
Warnning : if you do blocks and delete them, then if you "PURGE" you file these deleted blocks will desapear ( keep them in a part of you file to save them ).
Hatches can be very heavy specially the one with a lot of lines like ARCONC.

thank you philippe JOSEPHfile size 16,336kbyes I do purge after a sessionand yes I do have a lot of blocks

some more information when I click on the HATCH icon the program hangs for 50 seconds before I can decide on the hatch variables I requireThis latest time I got"FATAL ERROR: Unhandled Access Violation Reading 0x000c Exception 62148ff4h" and the program closed

Out of memory errors are typically generated as a result of one's virtual memory setting being too low.How much physical RAM is installed in your computer?Do you let Windows manage virtual memory?  Have you ever attempted to tweak the settings?

Hello again, when doing hatches some precautions are to be taken if you see that it takes a lot of time before you can even set the hatches.
Do a zoom close to the area to be hatched on your screen.
Let only the layer defining the boundaries of the hatches visible ( freeze dimensions, centerlines, hidden lines etc... ).
When you are doing hatches Autocad doesn't like it to be done in a block or when a block ( even not belonging to the area hatched ) is in the screen area.

in answer to Johns post - this is my problem - I tweak too muchI have 4gb installed but as I use 32bit I know less can be usedin answer to philippe JOSEPH the problem is when I click the hatch iconI have tried zoom in on a small area of the hatch boundary but it did not workI am about to try "THE FINAL SOLUTION" fdisk and reload all

Which hatch pattern are you using?How large of an area are you trying to hatch?You may need to try a different hatch pattern or increase the hatch scale.

The problem does NOT call for a fdisk and reload.  STOP immediately!If you have a 32-bit system and 4GB of RAM installed then you have in effect hobbled your computer UNLESS you have enabled the 3GB switch in your boot.ini file.  Then, maybe, your computer will recognize the majority of the 4GB (actually it will report back something like 3.2 or 3.4GB but never the full 4GB).  This has been well documented by Microsoft and even AutoDesk has a white paper issued on how to go about enabling the 3GB switch on a 32-bit system.  However, that alone may not solve the problem.  You may have to go one step further and tweak your virtual memory settings (a.k.a. - the swap file) such that it is 2.5 to 3 times that of your physically installed RAM.  When doing this it is also recommended that the user set BOTH the min and max settings to the exact same value.  This will cause Windows to set aside a contiguous area on your hard drive to be used as the swap file.I successfully used this technique on a previous CAD computer that was running Windows XP SP3 (32-bit) with 4GB of installed RAM.The only other way to avoid these problems is to buy a new system and install Windows 7 Pro (64-bit) and start with a minimum of 4GB of RAM (8GB is better) and you should have no further worries.  Of course you'll need to upgrade to the 64-bit version of AutoCAD too.  2012 is the latest version.

Hello N° 3, it may not be the solution and it looks like it's really a problem of "computer power" but when I said that you have to do a zoom close to the area to be hatched this means that the entire area to be hatched must be in your screen ( but not more if you want a lighter hatching action to be achived by your computer ).
This may be in addition to my 2nd answer a help for other Autocad users.

thanks JohnI do have the 3gb switch enabled ( Tip 5551 )and I understand the hobbled   - I have the 64bit disc but never got round to installing My current system is:-Core 2 Quad CPU 6600 @ 2.4 GHzNvidia Ge Force GTS 250Windows Experience 5.9 base scoreThis must be sufficient if I had 64 bit ?????maybe ( fdisk) upgrade to 64 bit is my way forwardthanks phipippe JOSEPH for your answer

wiped the disc containing my OS goodby 32bit and have installed 64bitI now have some reinstalling to do including Autocad and about 1 million other programs - a weekends work - but it is all good funthanks everyone for your help but it will be Monday before I run Autocad again

What version of Windows will you be installing?

Windows 7

Win7.  Fine.  But what version?  I'd recommend the Pro or even the Ultimate version.

sorry it is  Windows 7 Professional

Good choice.  I hope all goes well for you.

After all that effort  - it did'nt workhere is the storyrun Autocad  draw a rectangle - click on the hatch - click on the rectanglehatch is OK and instantOpen the large drawing ( 27Mb )click on the hatch icon - wait 53 seconds - select hatch details - click inside area-after 10 minutes  I either get "not responding" or the program bombs outmy conclusion is it must be the large file - any other suggestions

The largest file I've worked with was 35MB and I was able to use the Hatch command.So what effort did you undertake eventually?Are there xrefs attached to this file?

Johnno x-ref's attached - at present the areas will not be hatched

How did you obtain your software?What is the source of this 27MB file?  Did you create it from scratch or did you get it from a client or contractor?Have you Purged and Audited the file?

1. work subscription2. created from scratch3. Yes purged and auditedI have started to redraw from scratch - so far the file is quite smallso I think we should close this postThank you all for your help