how can i free up conventional memory in MS-DOS mode?

Are you re-booting to dos mode or just using a dos box from Win95?  The settings you describe above are for the dos box.  If you are restarting in Dos Mode, you need to set up your config.sys and autoexec.bat file with ONLY the dos mode drivers you need and memory management (emm386, load dos high, loadhigh's on your drivers, etc.)

From DOS, run the 'memmaker' command and it will step you through memory reconfig to free up conventional memory.

Zewl,
He is running DOS MODE in WIN95, not DOS!!! Memmaker doesn't exist in WIN95 DOS MODE.  If it were that simple, I would have included it in my comment.  If lyndonbraun needs help implementing my suggestion is would bet (s)he will ask for it.

Win95 does not make use of memmaker in it's MS-Dos mode.

By the way, bchew,
the setup I was talking about is only available when Windows95 shuts down and restarts in MS-DOS mode.  The options are to use a Dos box or restart, and there is a place (the advanced settings when the properties for the shortcut are displayed, in the Program tab) to specify a new, customized, autoexec.bat and config.sys for just that program (i assume).  FYI - i have 3 hard drives (C, D, & E) and a CD-Rom (F).  Nothing else is too out of the ordinary.

What have you tried in these customized files?  Could you post both here so we can help you troubleshoot them?  Also, some dos programs won't work at all from the dos box so you need to do a restart in dos mode with the actual autoexec.bat and config.sys files configured for your program, including memory management.

Thanks,
Bert.