Guest Rob Posted October 5, 2007 Posted October 5, 2007 I am running XP Home with Service pack 2 regularly updated on a PC with Athlon XP +2400 processor. The system shipped 4 years ago with 265 MB of RAM. Soon after purchase I added another 512 MB. The performance was much improved. Recently I added another 1 GB, making 1 3/4 GB total. There is some improvement in performance but almost never is more than 30% of the available memory in use. At the same time an amount of virtual memory is in use equivalent to about 4/5 of the amount of main memory. Is this normal? Or is there some adjustment I should make to allow more of the main memory to function? When fitting I followed the instructions to put the smallest module in the first slot and next smallest in the second. Thanks for any help. Rob
Guest Gerry Posted October 5, 2007 Posted October 5, 2007 Re: Added memory but only 30% of available memory ever used Rob "At the same time an amount of virtual memory is in use equivalent to about 4/5 of the amount of main memory." On what basis are you making this assertion? In Task Manager you're looking at allocations of virtual memory not usage. http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm Use page file monitor to observe what is the peak usage. Start it to run immediately after start-up and look at the log. Pagefilemon takes snapshots. You need to run it at the beginning of the session at then run it again at intervals throughout the sessions. The log is Pagefile log.txt. If you right click on the file in Windows Explorer and select Send to, Desktop (Create Shortcut). The same applies to XP_PageFileMon.exe. A small utility to monitor pagefile usage: http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm Note programs using undo features, particularly those associated with graphics and photo editing, require large amounts of memory so if you use this type of programme check these first observing how the page usage increases when they start and whether the usage decreases when you close the programme. -- Hope this helps. Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rob wrote: > I am running XP Home with Service pack 2 regularly updated on a PC > with Athlon XP +2400 processor. The system shipped 4 years ago with > 265 MB of RAM. Soon after purchase I added another 512 MB. The > performance was much improved. > > Recently I added another 1 GB, making 1 3/4 GB total. There is some > improvement in performance but almost never is more than 30% of the > available memory in use. At the same time an amount of virtual memory > is in use equivalent to about 4/5 of the amount of main memory. > > Is this normal? Or is there some adjustment I should make to allow > more of the main memory to function? > > When fitting I followed the instructions to put the smallest module in > the first slot and next smallest in the second. > > Thanks for any help. > > Rob
Guest Rob Posted October 6, 2007 Posted October 6, 2007 Re: Added memory but only 30% of available memory ever used On Fri, 5 Oct 2007 12:18:19 +0100, "Gerry" <gerry@nospam.com> wrote: >Rob > >"At the same time an amount of virtual memory is in use equivalent to >about 4/5 of the amount of main memory." On what basis are you making >this assertion? > >In Task Manager you're looking at allocations of virtual memory not >usage. >http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm > >Use page file monitor to observe what is the peak usage. Start it to run >immediately after start-up and look at the log. Pagefilemon takes >snapshots. You need to run it at the beginning of the session at then >run it again at intervals throughout the sessions. The log is Pagefile >log.txt. If you right click on the file in Windows Explorer and select >Send to, Desktop (Create Shortcut). The same applies to >XP_PageFileMon.exe. > >A small utility to monitor pagefile usage: >http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm > >Note programs using undo features, particularly those associated with >graphics and photo editing, require large amounts of memory so if you >use this type of programme check these first observing how the page >usage increases when they start and whether the usage decreases when you >close the programme. Thanks Gerry. I've followed up your leads and installed pagefilemon. You are right that the actual amount of virtual memory used is smaller, usually around 250 MB. But last night, when I was doing other things and not monitoring, I got a message that my virtual memory was too small at 1 GB and that Windows would resize it automatically. (I had set it at 1 GB min and 3 GB max, largely out of curiosity as usually I let Windows manage it.) I noticed, when reading the info you linked to, that Windows normally will try to use as much of the available RAM as possible. Mine (according to MemUse and Task Manager) never seems to get beyond the 3/4 GB available before I added the latest 1GB. Do you have enough knowledge to comment on this? (The added 1GB is recognised, though initially when I first connected it it wasn't. I removed it, ran the vacuuum cleaner over the socket and refitted it. Then it was recognised.) At the moment, according to MemUse and Task Manager, it's using 440 MB out of an available 1.8 GB, with 300 MB virtual memory allocated out of 2.5 GB available. Page file usage monitor says 60 MB in use out of 1000 page file size. All this may be perfectly normal. I don't have the knowledge, which is why I am asking. I know the added 1 GB has some effect, though not huge, because previously if I had 2 desktops open at the same time, the system frequently froze when I attempted to switch between them. This no longer happens.
Guest Gerry Posted October 6, 2007 Posted October 6, 2007 Re: Added memory but only 30% of available memory ever used Rob What made you add the extra memory? My feeling is that it may not have been needed. It all depends on how typical the readings you are reporting are? Graphics and camera related programmes need extra memory, especially when an undo feature is being used. The extra memory will beneficial if and when you use such programmes. -- Hope this helps. Gerry ~~~~ FCA Stourport, England Enquire, plan and execute ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rob wrote: > On Fri, 5 Oct 2007 12:18:19 +0100, "Gerry" <gerry@nospam.com> wrote: > >> Rob >> >> "At the same time an amount of virtual memory is in use equivalent to >> about 4/5 of the amount of main memory." On what basis are you making >> this assertion? >> >> In Task Manager you're looking at allocations of virtual memory not >> usage. >> http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm >> >> Use page file monitor to observe what is the peak usage. Start it to >> run immediately after start-up and look at the log. Pagefilemon takes >> snapshots. You need to run it at the beginning of the session at then >> run it again at intervals throughout the sessions. The log is >> Pagefile log.txt. If you right click on the file in Windows Explorer >> and select Send to, Desktop (Create Shortcut). The same applies to >> XP_PageFileMon.exe. >> >> A small utility to monitor pagefile usage: >> http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm >> >> Note programs using undo features, particularly those associated with >> graphics and photo editing, require large amounts of memory so if >> you use this type of programme check these first observing how the >> page usage increases when they start and whether the usage decreases >> when you close the programme. > > > Thanks Gerry. I've followed up your leads and installed pagefilemon. > You are right that the actual amount of virtual memory used is > smaller, usually around 250 MB. But last night, when I was doing other > things and not monitoring, I got a message that my virtual memory was > too small at 1 GB and that Windows would resize it automatically. (I > had set it at 1 GB min and 3 GB max, largely out of curiosity as > usually I let Windows manage it.) > > I noticed, when reading the info you linked to, that Windows normally > will try to use as much of the available RAM as possible. Mine > (according to MemUse and Task Manager) never seems to get beyond the > 3/4 GB available before I added the latest 1GB. Do you have enough > knowledge to comment on this? (The added 1GB is recognised, though > initially when I first connected it it wasn't. I removed it, ran the > vacuuum cleaner over the socket and refitted it. Then it was > recognised.) > > At the moment, according to MemUse and Task Manager, it's using 440 MB > out of an available 1.8 GB, with 300 MB virtual memory allocated out > of 2.5 GB available. Page file usage monitor says 60 MB in use out of > 1000 page file size. > > All this may be perfectly normal. I don't have the knowledge, which is > why I am asking. > > I know the added 1 GB has some effect, though not huge, because > previously if I had 2 desktops open at the same time, the system > frequently froze when I attempted to switch between them. This no > longer happens.
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