Guest J150 Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools in WinXP Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is running slowly when I have too many applications open due to this, and may need to add more memory. Thanks for any information. -- J150
Guest db ´¯`·.. > Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? you could add more memory, but it may not improve the performance. a simple test is to boot into safemode and see if windows runs faster than in normal mode. it is highly likely that windows will be faster in safemode, because the majority of time it is third party software loading in normal mode bogs down windows -- db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> .. "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:16234E97-3A50-420A-B678-7C3FA87C7319@microsoft.com... >I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools in WinXP > Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is running slowly > when I have too many applications open due to this, and may need to add more > memory. Thanks for any information. > -- > J150
Guest J150 Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? Thanks for that suggestion, but I would still like to know if there is a way to determine the percentage of memory usage when I have different applications running. Is there a command I can enter in the 'Start', 'Run' window to measure this? Then how high a percentage of memory usage would be likely to cause slow throughput of the system? -- J150 "db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. ." wrote: > you could add more > memory, but it may > not improve the > performance. > > a simple test is to boot > into safemode and see > if windows runs faster > than in normal mode. > > it is highly likely that > windows will be faster > in safemode, because > the majority of time it > is third party software > loading in normal mode > bogs down windows > > > -- > > db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. > ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> > > > .. > > > "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:16234E97-3A50-420A-B678-7C3FA87C7319@microsoft.com... > >I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools in WinXP > > Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is running slowly > > when I have too many applications open due to this, and may need to add more > > memory. Thanks for any information. > > -- > > J150 > >
Guest Script Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 RE: How to determine memory usage? Right-click an empty space on the Task bar, the (usually) blue bar at the bottom of your screen. Left-click "Task Manager" on the "menu" that pops up. Click the "Performance" tab. CPU usage is shown at the top, Physical Memory "available" a little below that. This page explains about "Commit Charge", but near the middle shows a little about Mem usage: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commit_charge hth "J150" wrote: > I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools in WinXP > Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is running slowly > when I have too many applications open due to this, and may need to add more > memory. Thanks for any information. > -- > J150
Guest Daave Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? J150 wrote: > I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools > in WinXP Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is > running slowly when I have too many applications open due to this, > and may need to add more memory. Thanks for any information. 512 MB of RAM is generally enough, but there are some exceptions. Image and video editing can use up lots of memory. So can Virtual PC. And running many apps at the same time could be problematic. Finally, memory leaks can occur, so rebooting every 24 hours (assuming your PC is always on) can address that issue. It's possible that you do need to add more RAM. This will lessen your reliance on your page file, which resides on your hard disk and is considerably slower than RAM. But before you purchase more RAM, a little bit of diagnostics is necessary. First, open Task Manager (ctrl+alt+del). Select Performance tab. Under Commit Charge, what are the values for Total, Limit, and Peak? By the way, Total represents your total virtual memory (that is, RAM plus pagefile) being used currently. Limit is the total virtual memory available. And Peak is the most you have used since your last reboot. (Note: some people define virtual memory as the pagefile only. Again, I'm defining it as RAM *plus* pagefile.) Also click on the Processes tab. Click on the Mem Usage heading twice. Now you can see the biggest memory users at the top. Do you see any particular memory hogs? There are other causes of a slow PC. The most common ones are malware, too many unneeded processes running in the background, and too many temp files. See www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm for methods to speed up your PC. For starters, concentrate on Steps 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10.
Guest J150 Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 RE: How to determine memory usage? Thank you for the information. With a typical application load, I see CPU Usage average ~4%; Physical Memory:458M Total, 172M Available, 234M System Cache; Commit Charge: 500M Total, 1081M Limit, 560M Peak. Does that sound like my 512M of RAM is sufficient? -- J150 "Script" wrote: > Right-click an empty space on the Task bar, the (usually) blue bar at the > bottom of your screen. > Left-click "Task Manager" on the "menu" that pops up. > Click the "Performance" tab. CPU usage is shown at the top, Physical Memory > "available" a little below that. > This page explains about "Commit Charge", but near the middle shows a little > about Mem usage: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commit_charge > > hth > > > "J150" wrote: > > > I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools in WinXP > > Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is running slowly > > when I have too many applications open due to this, and may need to add more > > memory. Thanks for any information. > > -- > > J150
Guest J150 Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? Thank you for the information. With a typical application load, I see CPU Usage average ~4%; Physical Memory:458M Total, 172M Available, 234M System Cache; Commit Charge: 500M Total, 1081M Limit, 560M Peak. Looking at Processes, Internet Explorer is the largest at 49M, there are two at 14M, and the rest are 6M or less. I run Ad-Aware and Spybot scans monthly and occasionally delete the temp files. I will look at the article you referred me to tomorrow, but from what I describe, does that sound to you like my 512M of RAM is sufficient? -- J150 "Daave" wrote: > J150 wrote: > > I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools > > in WinXP Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is > > running slowly when I have too many applications open due to this, > > and may need to add more memory. Thanks for any information. > > 512 MB of RAM is generally enough, but there are some exceptions. Image > and video editing can use up lots of memory. So can Virtual PC. And > running many apps at the same time could be problematic. Finally, memory > leaks can occur, so rebooting every 24 hours (assuming your PC is always > on) can address that issue. > > It's possible that you do need to add more RAM. This will lessen your > reliance on your page file, which resides on your hard disk and is > considerably slower than RAM. > > But before you purchase more RAM, a little bit of diagnostics is > necessary. First, open Task Manager (ctrl+alt+del). Select Performance > tab. Under Commit Charge, what are the values for Total, Limit, and > Peak? By the way, Total represents your total virtual memory (that is, > RAM plus pagefile) being used currently. Limit is the total virtual > memory available. And Peak is the most you have used since your last > reboot. > > (Note: some people define virtual memory as the pagefile only. Again, > I'm defining it as RAM *plus* pagefile.) > > Also click on the Processes tab. Click on the Mem Usage heading twice. > Now you can see the biggest memory users at the top. Do you see any > particular memory hogs? > > There are other causes of a slow PC. The most common ones are malware, > too many unneeded processes running in the background, and too many temp > files. See www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm for methods to speed up > your PC. For starters, concentrate on Steps 1, 3, 5, 7, and 10. > > >
Guest Daave Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? For how you are currently using your system, you could use more RAM. The reason is that 54 MB of your RAM seems to be used right off the bat by your onboard graphics card. So you really only have 458 MB of RAM available, which again is normally fine (at work, I only have 256 MB, but since I don't multitask or use RAM-hungry apps, I'm fine), but your Commit Charge and Peak values reveal you're relying on your pagefile, which slows things down. Sure, more RAM will definitely help. I suggest going to crucial.com to determine the *exact* type you need. However, it's also possible to run more lean, which might eliminate the need for more RAM. Visit that link I gave you in the other post. Since you already scan with AdAware and Spybot S&D (they are both updated, no?), you've got Step 3 covered. So, concentrate on Steps 1 and 10 (5 and 7 are important, too, but they don't address your RAM usage). Assuming you have no viruses, trojans, etc., Step 10 will be most helpful. When you run msconfig, which processes do you have in the Startup tab? Also, back in Task Manager, Processes, click View and select Columns. Check the Virtual Memory Size box click OK. Now you have a Virtual Memory column next to your Mem Usage column. Click on the heading twice so the largest VM uses are at the top. What are the values for the top five (or ten)? Reboot and run the same combo of apps. Look at the values again. Are they lower? J150 wrote: > Thank you for the information. With a typical application load, I see > CPU Usage average ~4%; Physical Memory:458M Total, 172M Available, > 234M System Cache; Commit Charge: 500M Total, 1081M Limit, 560M Peak. > Looking at Processes, Internet Explorer is the largest at 49M, there > are two at 14M, and the rest are 6M or less. I run Ad-Aware and > Spybot scans monthly and occasionally delete the temp files. I will > look at the article you referred me to tomorrow, but from what I > describe, does that sound to you like my 512M of RAM is sufficient? > > >> J150 wrote: >>> I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools >>> in WinXP Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is >>> running slowly when I have too many applications open due to this, >>> and may need to add more memory. Thanks for any information. >> >> 512 MB of RAM is generally enough, but there are some exceptions. >> Image and video editing can use up lots of memory. So can Virtual >> PC. And running many apps at the same time could be problematic. >> Finally, memory leaks can occur, so rebooting every 24 hours >> (assuming your PC is always on) can address that issue. >> >> It's possible that you do need to add more RAM. This will lessen your >> reliance on your page file, which resides on your hard disk and is >> considerably slower than RAM. >> >> But before you purchase more RAM, a little bit of diagnostics is >> necessary. First, open Task Manager (ctrl+alt+del). Select >> Performance tab. Under Commit Charge, what are the values for Total, >> Limit, and >> Peak? By the way, Total represents your total virtual memory (that >> is, >> RAM plus pagefile) being used currently. Limit is the total virtual >> memory available. And Peak is the most you have used since your last >> reboot. >> >> (Note: some people define virtual memory as the pagefile only. Again, >> I'm defining it as RAM *plus* pagefile.) >> >> Also click on the Processes tab. Click on the Mem Usage heading >> twice. >> Now you can see the biggest memory users at the top. Do you see any >> particular memory hogs? >> >> There are other causes of a slow PC. The most common ones are >> malware, >> too many unneeded processes running in the background, and too many >> temp files. See www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm for methods to >> speed up your PC. For starters, concentrate on Steps 1, 3, 5, 7, and >> 10.
Guest db ´¯`·.. > Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? in the task manager there is a column that shows memory usage for each process on the processes tab. be sure to enable the columns via the menu view option. then you can calculate the percentage yourself by using the "total physical memory" on the performance tab. for example: + 42.5 (explorer process size) / 425 (megs of used physical memory) ----------------------------- = 0.10 (percent) there might be third party software that does this calculation, but i would be reluctant to use them since it would be constantly calculating as the processes and memory fluctuate continuously. however, you might want to print the task manager processes and use excel to calculate your percentage. also, keep in mind that some processes for software that you have closed are still lingering into memory. so a memory defragger is helpful in clearing the unneeded processes out of memory. here is the one i use: http://www.amsn.ro/ if you choose to use it as well, then here are a couple of tips: set the slider to 75% & run and close the program as needed, instead of letting it run continuously in memory. it can also print the processes as well. -- db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> .. "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:8637B1BD-904A-46C7-9BDA-68D7502FE991@microsoft.com... > Thanks for that suggestion, but I would still like to know if there is a way > to determine the percentage of memory usage when I have different > applications running. Is there a command I can enter in the 'Start', 'Run' > window to measure this? Then how high a percentage of memory usage would be > likely to cause slow throughput of the system? > -- > J150 > > > "db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. ." wrote: > >> you could add more >> memory, but it may >> not improve the >> performance. >> >> a simple test is to boot >> into safemode and see >> if windows runs faster >> than in normal mode. >> >> it is highly likely that >> windows will be faster >> in safemode, because >> the majority of time it >> is third party software >> loading in normal mode >> bogs down windows >> >> >> -- >> >> db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. >> ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> >> >> >> .. >> >> >> "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> news:16234E97-3A50-420A-B678-7C3FA87C7319@microsoft.com... >> >I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools in >> >WinXP >> > Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is running slowly >> > when I have too many applications open due to this, and may need to add >> > more >> > memory. Thanks for any information. >> > -- >> > J150 >> >>
Guest J150 Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? Thanks. -- J150 "db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. ." wrote: > in the task manager > there is a column that shows > memory usage for each process > on the processes tab. > > be sure to enable the columns > via the menu view option. > > then you can calculate the percentage > yourself by using the "total physical > memory" on the performance tab. > > for example: > > + 42.5 (explorer process size) > / 425 (megs of used physical memory) > ----------------------------- > = 0.10 (percent) > > there might be third party > software that does this > calculation, but i would > be reluctant to use them > since it would be constantly > calculating as the processes > and memory fluctuate continuously. > > however, you might want to > print the task manager processes and > use excel to calculate your percentage. > > also, keep in mind that some > processes for software that > you have closed are still > lingering into memory. > > so a memory defragger is > helpful in clearing the > unneeded processes out > of memory. > > here is the one i use: > http://www.amsn.ro/ > > if you choose to use it > as well, then here are a > couple of tips: > > set the slider to 75% & > run and close the program > as needed, instead of letting > it run continuously in memory. > > it can also print the processes > as well. > > -- > > db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. > ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> > > > .. > > > "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:8637B1BD-904A-46C7-9BDA-68D7502FE991@microsoft.com... > > Thanks for that suggestion, but I would still like to know if there is a way > > to determine the percentage of memory usage when I have different > > applications running. Is there a command I can enter in the 'Start', 'Run' > > window to measure this? Then how high a percentage of memory usage would be > > likely to cause slow throughput of the system? > > -- > > J150 > > > > > > "db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. ." wrote: > > > >> you could add more > >> memory, but it may > >> not improve the > >> performance. > >> > >> a simple test is to boot > >> into safemode and see > >> if windows runs faster > >> than in normal mode. > >> > >> it is highly likely that > >> windows will be faster > >> in safemode, because > >> the majority of time it > >> is third party software > >> loading in normal mode > >> bogs down windows > >> > >> > >> -- > >> > >> db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. > >> ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> > >> > >> > >> .. > >> > >> > >> "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > >> news:16234E97-3A50-420A-B678-7C3FA87C7319@microsoft.com... > >> >I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools in > >> >WinXP > >> > Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is running slowly > >> > when I have too many applications open due to this, and may need to add > >> > more > >> > memory. Thanks for any information. > >> > -- > >> > J150 > >> > >> > >
Guest J150 Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? Thanks for the extensive information. I will gather data and reply when I can, sometime later today probably. -- J150 "Daave" wrote: > For how you are currently using your system, you could use more RAM. The > reason is that 54 MB of your RAM seems to be used right off the bat by > your onboard graphics card. So you really only have 458 MB of RAM > available, which again is normally fine (at work, I only have 256 MB, > but since I don't multitask or use RAM-hungry apps, I'm fine), but your > Commit Charge and Peak values reveal you're relying on your pagefile, > which slows things down. > > Sure, more RAM will definitely help. I suggest going to crucial.com to > determine the *exact* type you need. > > However, it's also possible to run more lean, which might eliminate the > need for more RAM. Visit that link I gave you in the other post. Since > you already scan with AdAware and Spybot S&D (they are both updated, > no?), you've got Step 3 covered. So, concentrate on Steps 1 and 10 (5 > and 7 are important, too, but they don't address your RAM usage). > Assuming you have no viruses, trojans, etc., Step 10 will be most > helpful. When you run msconfig, which processes do you have in the > Startup tab? > > Also, back in Task Manager, Processes, click View and select Columns. > Check the Virtual Memory Size box click OK. Now you have a Virtual > Memory column next to your Mem Usage column. Click on the heading twice > so the largest VM uses are at the top. What are the values for the top > five (or ten)? Reboot and run the same combo of apps. Look at the values > again. Are they lower? > > > > J150 wrote: > > Thank you for the information. With a typical application load, I see > > CPU Usage average ~4%; Physical Memory:458M Total, 172M Available, > > 234M System Cache; Commit Charge: 500M Total, 1081M Limit, 560M Peak. > > Looking at Processes, Internet Explorer is the largest at 49M, there > > are two at 14M, and the rest are 6M or less. I run Ad-Aware and > > Spybot scans monthly and occasionally delete the temp files. I will > > look at the article you referred me to tomorrow, but from what I > > describe, does that sound to you like my 512M of RAM is sufficient? > > > > > >> J150 wrote: > >>> I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools > >>> in WinXP Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is > >>> running slowly when I have too many applications open due to this, > >>> and may need to add more memory. Thanks for any information. > >> > >> 512 MB of RAM is generally enough, but there are some exceptions. > >> Image and video editing can use up lots of memory. So can Virtual > >> PC. And running many apps at the same time could be problematic. > >> Finally, memory leaks can occur, so rebooting every 24 hours > >> (assuming your PC is always on) can address that issue. > >> > >> It's possible that you do need to add more RAM. This will lessen your > >> reliance on your page file, which resides on your hard disk and is > >> considerably slower than RAM. > >> > >> But before you purchase more RAM, a little bit of diagnostics is > >> necessary. First, open Task Manager (ctrl+alt+del). Select > >> Performance tab. Under Commit Charge, what are the values for Total, > >> Limit, and > >> Peak? By the way, Total represents your total virtual memory (that > >> is, > >> RAM plus pagefile) being used currently. Limit is the total virtual > >> memory available. And Peak is the most you have used since your last > >> reboot. > >> > >> (Note: some people define virtual memory as the pagefile only. Again, > >> I'm defining it as RAM *plus* pagefile.) > >> > >> Also click on the Processes tab. Click on the Mem Usage heading > >> twice. > >> Now you can see the biggest memory users at the top. Do you see any > >> particular memory hogs? > >> > >> There are other causes of a slow PC. The most common ones are > >> malware, > >> too many unneeded processes running in the background, and too many > >> temp files. See www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm for methods to > >> speed up your PC. For starters, concentrate on Steps 1, 3, 5, 7, and > >> 10. > > > >
Guest John John Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. . wrote: > also, keep in mind that some > processes for software that > you have closed are still > lingering into memory. > > so a memory defragger is > helpful in clearing the > unneeded processes out > of memory. An absolutely patently bogus claim! So called "Memory Defraggers" or Memory Optimizers" cannot reclaim memory from errant programs that do not properly release RAM or from applications that leak memory. These programs are nothing more than snake oil, they do no good whatsoever, quite to the contrary they actually create havoc and cause memory problems where none previously existed! John
Guest db ´¯`·.. > Posted November 2, 2007 Posted November 2, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? you're welcome. -- db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> .. "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:4A07856E-3344-494B-BB83-2CD0AF93CD9A@microsoft.com... > Thanks. > > -- > J150 > > > "db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. ." wrote: > >> in the task manager >> there is a column that shows >> memory usage for each process >> on the processes tab. >> >> be sure to enable the columns >> via the menu view option. >> >> then you can calculate the percentage >> yourself by using the "total physical >> memory" on the performance tab. >> >> for example: >> >> + 42.5 (explorer process size) >> / 425 (megs of used physical memory) >> ----------------------------- >> = 0.10 (percent) >> >> there might be third party >> software that does this >> calculation, but i would >> be reluctant to use them >> since it would be constantly >> calculating as the processes >> and memory fluctuate continuously. >> >> however, you might want to >> print the task manager processes and >> use excel to calculate your percentage. >> >> also, keep in mind that some >> processes for software that >> you have closed are still >> lingering into memory. >> >> so a memory defragger is >> helpful in clearing the >> unneeded processes out >> of memory. >> >> here is the one i use: >> http://www.amsn.ro/ >> >> if you choose to use it >> as well, then here are a >> couple of tips: >> >> set the slider to 75% & >> run and close the program >> as needed, instead of letting >> it run continuously in memory. >> >> it can also print the processes >> as well. >> >> -- >> >> db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. >> ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> >> >> >> .. >> >> >> "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> news:8637B1BD-904A-46C7-9BDA-68D7502FE991@microsoft.com... >> > Thanks for that suggestion, but I would still like to know if there is a >> > way >> > to determine the percentage of memory usage when I have different >> > applications running. Is there a command I can enter in the 'Start', 'Run' >> > window to measure this? Then how high a percentage of memory usage would be >> > likely to cause slow throughput of the system? >> > -- >> > J150 >> > >> > >> > "db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. ." wrote: >> > >> >> you could add more >> >> memory, but it may >> >> not improve the >> >> performance. >> >> >> >> a simple test is to boot >> >> into safemode and see >> >> if windows runs faster >> >> than in normal mode. >> >> >> >> it is highly likely that >> >> windows will be faster >> >> in safemode, because >> >> the majority of time it >> >> is third party software >> >> loading in normal mode >> >> bogs down windows >> >> >> >> >> >> -- >> >> >> >> db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. >> >> ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> >> >> >> >> >> >> .. >> >> >> >> >> >> "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> >> news:16234E97-3A50-420A-B678-7C3FA87C7319@microsoft.com... >> >> >I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools in >> >> >WinXP >> >> > Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is running >> >> > slowly >> >> > when I have too many applications open due to this, and may need to add >> >> > more >> >> > memory. Thanks for any information. >> >> > -- >> >> > J150 >> >> >> >> >> >>
Guest J150 Posted November 3, 2007 Posted November 3, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? Thanks again. It took a while to get to do all this. By the way, I always search for updates to the malware programs and to Norton Internet Security. I also periodically delete the index.dat files that I am able to. I ran the uSoft Malicious SW Removal Tool and found no threats. I removed as many of the .tmp files as I could. Many gave a message: "Cannot delete file: Cannot read from the source file or disk." I do the other steps in 5 & 7 monthly. After rebooting and opening the same applications as yesterday, most of the readings in Task Manager are about the same. In msconfig, Startup, there are 30 selected startup items. The top VM sizes are: iexplore: 66M, ccSvcHst: 32M, sqlservr: 28M, explorer: 23M, svchost: 13M. I don't have time now to reboot and compare the VM sizes, but I will do that as soon as possible. Regards. -- J150 "Daave" wrote: > For how you are currently using your system, you could use more RAM. The > reason is that 54 MB of your RAM seems to be used right off the bat by > your onboard graphics card. So you really only have 458 MB of RAM > available, which again is normally fine (at work, I only have 256 MB, > but since I don't multitask or use RAM-hungry apps, I'm fine), but your > Commit Charge and Peak values reveal you're relying on your pagefile, > which slows things down. > > Sure, more RAM will definitely help. I suggest going to crucial.com to > determine the *exact* type you need. > > However, it's also possible to run more lean, which might eliminate the > need for more RAM. Visit that link I gave you in the other post. Since > you already scan with AdAware and Spybot S&D (they are both updated, > no?), you've got Step 3 covered. So, concentrate on Steps 1 and 10 (5 > and 7 are important, too, but they don't address your RAM usage). > Assuming you have no viruses, trojans, etc., Step 10 will be most > helpful. When you run msconfig, which processes do you have in the > Startup tab? > > Also, back in Task Manager, Processes, click View and select Columns. > Check the Virtual Memory Size box click OK. Now you have a Virtual > Memory column next to your Mem Usage column. Click on the heading twice > so the largest VM uses are at the top. What are the values for the top > five (or ten)? Reboot and run the same combo of apps. Look at the values > again. Are they lower? > > > > J150 wrote: > > Thank you for the information. With a typical application load, I see > > CPU Usage average ~4%; Physical Memory:458M Total, 172M Available, > > 234M System Cache; Commit Charge: 500M Total, 1081M Limit, 560M Peak. > > Looking at Processes, Internet Explorer is the largest at 49M, there > > are two at 14M, and the rest are 6M or less. I run Ad-Aware and > > Spybot scans monthly and occasionally delete the temp files. I will > > look at the article you referred me to tomorrow, but from what I > > describe, does that sound to you like my 512M of RAM is sufficient? > > > > > >> J150 wrote: > >>> I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools > >>> in WinXP Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is > >>> running slowly when I have too many applications open due to this, > >>> and may need to add more memory. Thanks for any information. > >> > >> 512 MB of RAM is generally enough, but there are some exceptions. > >> Image and video editing can use up lots of memory. So can Virtual > >> PC. And running many apps at the same time could be problematic. > >> Finally, memory leaks can occur, so rebooting every 24 hours > >> (assuming your PC is always on) can address that issue. > >> > >> It's possible that you do need to add more RAM. This will lessen your > >> reliance on your page file, which resides on your hard disk and is > >> considerably slower than RAM. > >> > >> But before you purchase more RAM, a little bit of diagnostics is > >> necessary. First, open Task Manager (ctrl+alt+del). Select > >> Performance tab. Under Commit Charge, what are the values for Total, > >> Limit, and > >> Peak? By the way, Total represents your total virtual memory (that > >> is, > >> RAM plus pagefile) being used currently. Limit is the total virtual > >> memory available. And Peak is the most you have used since your last > >> reboot. > >> > >> (Note: some people define virtual memory as the pagefile only. Again, > >> I'm defining it as RAM *plus* pagefile.) > >> > >> Also click on the Processes tab. Click on the Mem Usage heading > >> twice. > >> Now you can see the biggest memory users at the top. Do you see any > >> particular memory hogs? > >> > >> There are other causes of a slow PC. The most common ones are > >> malware, > >> too many unneeded processes running in the background, and too many > >> temp files. See www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm for methods to > >> speed up your PC. For starters, concentrate on Steps 1, 3, 5, 7, and > >> 10. > > > >
Guest Daave Posted November 3, 2007 Posted November 3, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? J150 wrote: > By the way, I always search for updates to the malware programs > and to Norton Internet Security. Good that you search for updates. However, Norton Internet Security is a notorious RAM hog. I'd recommend running Avast or AVG (both free) in its place. For a firewall, Comodo is decent and light on resources. And AdAware and Spybot S&D (which you already run) are good at detecting spyware and adware. You might also want to run SpywareBlaster to prevent spyware from coming in. > In msconfig, Startup, there are 30 selected startup items. Something tells me a good many of these you don't need whatsoever. And in cases of QuickTime and Adobe, a startup item is not needed at all; just run the program whenever you need to. The following sites have good information as to what are keepers and what to jettison ASAP: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ This one is good to have bookmarked, too: http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm Links to apps mentioned above: Avast: http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html AVG: http://free.grisoft.com/ Comodo: http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ SpywareBlaster: http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html Finally, Ccleaner is an excellent program to easily clean up unneeded temp files: http://www.ccleaner.com
Guest Daave Posted November 3, 2007 Posted November 3, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? John John wrote: > db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. . wrote: > >> also, keep in mind that some >> processes for software that >> you have closed are still >> lingering into memory. >> >> so a memory defragger is >> helpful in clearing the >> unneeded processes out >> of memory. > > An absolutely patently bogus claim! So called "Memory Defraggers" or > Memory Optimizers" cannot reclaim memory from errant programs that do > not properly release RAM or from applications that leak memory. These > programs are nothing more than snake oil, they do no good whatsoever, > quite to the contrary they actually create havoc and cause memory > problems where none previously existed! Agreed.
Guest db ´¯`·.. > Posted November 3, 2007 Posted November 3, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? unfortunately, you guys are unable to understand or validate the algorithms of your operating systems, i.e., facts/numbers that windows provides. i could show/teach you how, but it is funny to see the degree and the adjectives in your contradictions. please try to improve on your knowledge and refrain from spreading your manure if you cannot provide your own solutions or methodology to help the o.p with their question. -- db ·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·..><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>¸. ><)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º> .. "Daave" <dcwashNOSPAM@myrealboxXYZ.invalid> wrote in message news:eCH78hbHIHA.4808@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl... > John John wrote: >> db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. . wrote: >> >>> also, keep in mind that some >>> processes for software that >>> you have closed are still >>> lingering into memory. >>> >>> so a memory defragger is >>> helpful in clearing the >>> unneeded processes out >>> of memory. >> >> An absolutely patently bogus claim! So called "Memory Defraggers" or >> Memory Optimizers" cannot reclaim memory from errant programs that do >> not properly release RAM or from applications that leak memory. These >> programs are nothing more than snake oil, they do no good whatsoever, >> quite to the contrary they actually create havoc and cause memory >> problems where none previously existed! > > Agreed. > >
Guest J150 Posted November 4, 2007 Posted November 4, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? I've been working on this much of the day, and I want to give you an update. Regarding the VM, after reboot, the top 5 processes were still the same, and VM usage only dropped slightly (10% at the most). The VM size on these is quite a bit larger than the Mem Usage size. Also, I looked in Task Manager for any processes connected with Norton Internet Security 2007, and I only see one, ccApp.exe, with about 1.4M Mem Usage, and 5.8M VM Size. Is it possible that my NIS2007 is not using that much memory, or am I just not seeing the usage? I have gone to the Pacman's Portal link which you gave me, and searched for and copied the information on all 30 of the selected startup items I mentioned. I removed two that I don't use (msmsgs.exe and msnmsgr.exe), and will continue going through the rest. As I said before, I really appreciate the information you have given. (P.S. I've been amused by the comments by John John and db.) Regards. -- J150 "Daave" wrote: > J150 wrote: > > > By the way, I always search for updates to the malware programs > > and to Norton Internet Security. > > Good that you search for updates. However, Norton Internet Security is a > notorious RAM hog. I'd recommend running Avast or AVG (both free) in its > place. For a firewall, Comodo is decent and light on resources. And > AdAware and Spybot S&D (which you already run) are good at detecting > spyware and adware. You might also want to run SpywareBlaster to prevent > spyware from coming in. > > > In msconfig, Startup, there are 30 selected startup items. > > Something tells me a good many of these you don't need whatsoever. And > in cases of QuickTime and Adobe, a startup item is not needed at all; > just run the program whenever you need to. > > The following sites have good information as to what are keepers and > what to jettison ASAP: > > http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS > > http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ > > This one is good to have bookmarked, too: > > http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm > > Links to apps mentioned above: > > Avast: > http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html > > AVG: > http://free.grisoft.com/ > > Comodo: > http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ > > SpywareBlaster: > http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html > > Finally, Ccleaner is an excellent program to easily clean up unneeded > temp files: > http://www.ccleaner.com > > >
Guest Daave Posted November 4, 2007 Posted November 4, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? Thanks for keeping us updated. I neglected to mention before that msconfig is more of a diagnostic. While it is possible to uncheck startup entries, often it's better to use the options of the actual application to prevent it from running automatically at startup. A prime example is the totally unnecessary qttask.exe (QuickTime), which enables you to start QuickTime from the System Tray (big deal!). Unchecking it may not work; that is, QT might put itself back in your startup entries. It's best to follow the instructions at http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_q.htm (about 3/4 of the way down). Regarding MSN Messenger (msmsgs.exe and msnmsgr.exe), it's best to remove them from the program itself. See http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_m.htm and scroll down about four fifths of the way down for instructions. An alternative to using msconfig is to run the highly regarded AutoRuns: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/AutoRuns.mspx This is much more thorough than msconfig -- an excellent utility. A little more scratching below the service and you'll find several NIS processes, and I predict they're using up a good deal of RAM. Again, I think you'd be better off uninstalling it (in case Add/Remove doesn't do the trick, there is a utility to remove it -- available from Norton) and going with a lighter AV program (and firewall). J150 wrote: > I've been working on this much of the day, and I want to give you an > update. Regarding the VM, after reboot, the top 5 processes were > still the same, and VM usage only dropped slightly (10% at the most). > The VM size on these is quite a bit larger than the Mem Usage size. > Also, I looked in Task Manager for any processes connected with > Norton Internet Security 2007, and I only see one, ccApp.exe, with > about 1.4M Mem Usage, and 5.8M VM Size. Is it possible that my > NIS2007 is not using that much memory, or am I just not seeing the > usage? I have gone to the Pacman's Portal link which you gave me, and > searched for and copied the information on all 30 of the selected > startup items I mentioned. I removed two that I don't use (msmsgs.exe > and msnmsgr.exe), and will continue going through the rest. As I said > before, I really appreciate the information you have given. (P.S. > I've been amused by the comments by John John and db.) Regards. > >> J150 wrote: >> >>> By the way, I always search for updates to the malware programs >>> and to Norton Internet Security. >> >> Good that you search for updates. However, Norton Internet Security >> is a notorious RAM hog. I'd recommend running Avast or AVG (both >> free) in its place. For a firewall, Comodo is decent and light on >> resources. And AdAware and Spybot S&D (which you already run) are >> good at detecting spyware and adware. You might also want to run >> SpywareBlaster to prevent spyware from coming in. >> >>> In msconfig, Startup, there are 30 selected startup items. >> >> Something tells me a good many of these you don't need whatsoever. >> And >> in cases of QuickTime and Adobe, a startup item is not needed at all; >> just run the program whenever you need to. >> >> The following sites have good information as to what are keepers and >> what to jettison ASAP: >> >> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS >> >> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ >> >> This one is good to have bookmarked, too: >> >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm >> >> Links to apps mentioned above: >> >> Avast: >> http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html >> >> AVG: >> http://free.grisoft.com/ >> >> Comodo: >> http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ >> >> SpywareBlaster: >> http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html >> >> Finally, Ccleaner is an excellent program to easily clean up unneeded >> temp files: >> http://www.ccleaner.com
Guest John John Posted November 4, 2007 Posted November 4, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? It is you who doesn't understand how these snake oil programs work. Your BS about algorithms that you understand even less is laughable. You say you could "teach" us about these programs and how they work and improve memory usage and management, please do! Please tell us how these things work and how they improve memory management on Windows XP. I, and I am sure many others, would like just for once to get real answers and explanations from you instead of your usual evasive answers crafted out like ridiculous poetry verses. I suspect that you don't give any solid answers because you don't have a clue of how memory is managed on NT systems, your previous claim that "...some processes for software that you have closed are still lingering into memory..." is nothing short of a joke! The only thing that can stay in memory when an application is terminated is "shared memory" that is memory that is being used by files or dlls or components that are used by more than one application. The Memory Manager knows at all times what memory is being used by what process and when the process is terminated the RAM allocated to the process is freed. Terminated application do not continue using RAM, no more than dead people keep on breathing! If a buggy application spawns processes that it cannot or that it does not properly end when the application is closed the memory allocated to the spawned process will be trimmed by the Memory Manager. When memory is in short supply the Memory Manager plays a sort of cat and mouse game with the applications, every second it "steals" a few memory pages from the working sets, if the application doesn't complain the pages are freed and made available to other applications and the size of the process' working set is trimmed, with this cat and mouse game an errant process will have all of its memory returned to the available memory lists. Memory management is one of the most important task that the operating system does. Over the year Microsoft has put hundreds of thousands of man hours of work into the development, coding and testing of the NT Memory Manager, it is a part of the operating system that has received a lot of attention and that keeps getting lots of attention. Two bit outfits that come out with their snake oil programs have put nowheres near to even one percent of that amount of work into their products or into research, they have put more time into refining their smoke show than they have put into the useless trash that they sell. One thing that you fail to understand is that not one of those memory optimizers can actually manage memory, memory management is *exclusively* a Windows task, no program whatsoever has rule over the memory management, the NT Memory Manager will *never* cede it's duties to crapware like the one that you recommend. There is not one of these memory defraggers that can supersede or supplant the NT Memory Manager. All that these programs do is rapidly ramp up demand for memory, they ask the Memory Manager for large amounts of memory for their use, the Memory Manager complies, as it does for all active processes that demand or require more memory, it gives the program all the memory that it asks for. Once the program has acquired a large amount of memory it quickly and all at once releases all of it, thus giving the impression that it found and freed unused memory that the operating system's Memory Manager couldn't find or free on its own. What you apparently can't understand is that the only way that the Memory Manager can comply with the bogus demand for more memory from the program is by paging out code and data that was allocated to other processes, it moves everything that it can to the pagefile! These memory optimizers create absolute havoc with all the working sets, to the point where it may actually cripple the applications or processes that fell victim to the crapware. You also fail to understand that if memory is in short supply the Memory Manager will trim working sets in a more orderly fashion, instead of being forced to indiscriminately page everything out. The only way to cure memory shortage problems is to put more RAM in the machine or close down unnecessary programs and processes. The crap that you recommend does nothing to help alleviate any memory problems that users may have and it does even less to help effectively manage available memory, quite to the contrary they cause more problems than they purport to fix or even worse they actually cause problems where none previously existed. They truly are useless crap! John db ´¯`·.. ><)))º>` .. . wrote: > unfortunately, you > guys are unable to > understand or validate > the algorithms of > your operating systems, i.e., > facts/numbers that windows > provides. > > i could show/teach you > how, but it is funny to > see the degree and the > adjectives in your contradictions. > > please try to improve on > your knowledge > and refrain from spreading > your manure if you cannot > provide your own solutions > or methodology to help the > o.p with their question. >
Guest J150 Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? Another long day of working on this, but I have made a lot of progress. I followed the suggestions in the Pacman's Portal link regarding the order of using the different methods of disabling programs from running at startup. Between the information here and in http://www.answersthatwork.com, I was able to reduce the number of selected startup items from 30 to 13. I didn't get to remove NIS yet, but the speed of the PC has increased tremendously, and seems acceptable. Looking closer at the NIS-related processes in Task Manager and their Mem Usage/VM, I see ccApp.exe 1.2M/5.7M, and ccSvcHst.exe 3.9M/2.4M. Now with similar applications running, I see CPU Usage average ~1%; Physical Memory:458M Total, 149M Available, 222M System Cache; Commit Charge: 420M Total, 1081M Limit, 515M Peak. Looking at Processes (Mem Usage/VM): iexplore.exe:31M/76M, svchost.exe:15M/13M, hpqste08.exe:11M/8M, explorer.exe:11M/26M, and the rest use 3M memory or less. I downloaded AutoRuns, but haven't had a chance to go through it yet. By the way, after I gave you the Performance readings from Task Manager, you wrote "your Commit Charge and Peak values reveal you're relying on your pagefile", and I'm curious how you determined that. Is there a good way to look at these readings, to determine that there may be a problem? Thanks again. -- J150 "Daave" wrote: > Thanks for keeping us updated. > > I neglected to mention before that msconfig is more of a diagnostic. > While it is possible to uncheck startup entries, often it's better to > use the options of the actual application to prevent it from running > automatically at startup. A prime example is the totally unnecessary > qttask.exe (QuickTime), which enables you to start QuickTime from the > System Tray (big deal!). Unchecking it may not work; that is, QT might > put itself back in your startup entries. It's best to follow the > instructions at > http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_q.htm (about 3/4 > of the way down). > > Regarding MSN Messenger (msmsgs.exe and msnmsgr.exe), it's best to > remove them from the program itself. See > http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_m.htm and scroll > down about four fifths of the way down for instructions. > > An alternative to using msconfig is to run the highly regarded AutoRuns: > > http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/AutoRuns.mspx > > This is much more thorough than msconfig -- an excellent utility. > > A little more scratching below the service and you'll find several NIS > processes, and I predict they're using up a good deal of RAM. Again, I > think you'd be better off uninstalling it (in case Add/Remove doesn't do > the trick, there is a utility to remove it -- available from Norton) and > going with a lighter AV program (and firewall). > > > J150 wrote: > > I've been working on this much of the day, and I want to give you an > > update. Regarding the VM, after reboot, the top 5 processes were > > still the same, and VM usage only dropped slightly (10% at the most). > > The VM size on these is quite a bit larger than the Mem Usage size. > > Also, I looked in Task Manager for any processes connected with > > Norton Internet Security 2007, and I only see one, ccApp.exe, with > > about 1.4M Mem Usage, and 5.8M VM Size. Is it possible that my > > NIS2007 is not using that much memory, or am I just not seeing the > > usage? I have gone to the Pacman's Portal link which you gave me, and > > searched for and copied the information on all 30 of the selected > > startup items I mentioned. I removed two that I don't use (msmsgs.exe > > and msnmsgr.exe), and will continue going through the rest. As I said > > before, I really appreciate the information you have given. (P.S. > > I've been amused by the comments by John John and db.) Regards. > > > >> J150 wrote: > >> > >>> By the way, I always search for updates to the malware programs > >>> and to Norton Internet Security. > >> > >> Good that you search for updates. However, Norton Internet Security > >> is a notorious RAM hog. I'd recommend running Avast or AVG (both > >> free) in its place. For a firewall, Comodo is decent and light on > >> resources. And AdAware and Spybot S&D (which you already run) are > >> good at detecting spyware and adware. You might also want to run > >> SpywareBlaster to prevent spyware from coming in. > >> > >>> In msconfig, Startup, there are 30 selected startup items. > >> > >> Something tells me a good many of these you don't need whatsoever. > >> And > >> in cases of QuickTime and Adobe, a startup item is not needed at all; > >> just run the program whenever you need to. > >> > >> The following sites have good information as to what are keepers and > >> what to jettison ASAP: > >> > >> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS > >> > >> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ > >> > >> This one is good to have bookmarked, too: > >> > >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm > >> > >> Links to apps mentioned above: > >> > >> Avast: > >> http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html > >> > >> AVG: > >> http://free.grisoft.com/ > >> > >> Comodo: > >> http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ > >> > >> SpywareBlaster: > >> http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html > >> > >> Finally, Ccleaner is an excellent program to easily clean up unneeded > >> temp files: > >> http://www.ccleaner.com > > > >
Guest Daave Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? I have a feeling you don't need hpqste08.exe. The goal is to hardly ever use your pagefile. If the amount of RAM you have installed is sufficient for your tasks, then you're good to go. It's good that your Commit Charge (amount of memory you are currently using) is now less than your Physical Memory (RAM). If you can somehow get your Peak (highest value since your most recent reboot) also under 458 MB, that would be even better. Once those figures exceed 458 MB, your pagefile is used (and this will cause a noticeable decline in performance). See: http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_can_i_fix_too_little_virtual_memory_in_windows.html Keep up the good work. :-) "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message news:8C90F377-9250-4B5E-A6F0-C3956F45B734@microsoft.com... > Another long day of working on this, but I have made a lot of > progress. I > followed the suggestions in the Pacman's Portal link regarding the > order of > using the different methods of disabling programs from running at > startup. > Between the information here and in http://www.answersthatwork.com, I was > able to > reduce the number of selected startup items from 30 to 13. I didn't > get to > remove NIS yet, but the speed of the PC has increased tremendously, > and seems > acceptable. Looking closer at the NIS-related processes in Task > Manager and > their Mem Usage/VM, I see ccApp.exe 1.2M/5.7M, and ccSvcHst.exe > 3.9M/2.4M. > Now with similar applications running, I see CPU Usage average ~1%; > Physical > Memory:458M Total, 149M Available, 222M System Cache; Commit Charge: > 420M > Total, 1081M Limit, 515M Peak. Looking at Processes (Mem Usage/VM): > iexplore.exe:31M/76M, svchost.exe:15M/13M, hpqste08.exe:11M/8M, > explorer.exe:11M/26M, and the rest use 3M memory or less. I downloaded > AutoRuns, but haven't had a chance to go through it yet. By the way, > after I > gave you the Performance readings from Task Manager, you wrote "your > Commit > Charge and Peak values reveal you're relying on your pagefile", and > I'm > curious how you determined that. Is there a good way to look at these > readings, to determine that there may be a problem? Thanks again. > -- > J150 > > > "Daave" wrote: > >> Thanks for keeping us updated. >> >> I neglected to mention before that msconfig is more of a diagnostic. >> While it is possible to uncheck startup entries, often it's better to >> use the options of the actual application to prevent it from running >> automatically at startup. A prime example is the totally unnecessary >> qttask.exe (QuickTime), which enables you to start QuickTime from the >> System Tray (big deal!). Unchecking it may not work; that is, QT >> might >> put itself back in your startup entries. It's best to follow the >> instructions at >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_q.htm (about >> 3/4 >> of the way down). >> >> Regarding MSN Messenger (msmsgs.exe and msnmsgr.exe), it's best to >> remove them from the program itself. See >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_m.htm and >> scroll >> down about four fifths of the way down for instructions. >> >> An alternative to using msconfig is to run the highly regarded >> AutoRuns: >> >> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/AutoRuns.mspx >> >> This is much more thorough than msconfig -- an excellent utility. >> >> A little more scratching below the service and you'll find several >> NIS >> processes, and I predict they're using up a good deal of RAM. Again, >> I >> think you'd be better off uninstalling it (in case Add/Remove doesn't >> do >> the trick, there is a utility to remove it -- available from Norton) >> and >> going with a lighter AV program (and firewall). >> >> >> J150 wrote: >> > I've been working on this much of the day, and I want to give you >> > an >> > update. Regarding the VM, after reboot, the top 5 processes were >> > still the same, and VM usage only dropped slightly (10% at the >> > most). >> > The VM size on these is quite a bit larger than the Mem Usage size. >> > Also, I looked in Task Manager for any processes connected with >> > Norton Internet Security 2007, and I only see one, ccApp.exe, with >> > about 1.4M Mem Usage, and 5.8M VM Size. Is it possible that my >> > NIS2007 is not using that much memory, or am I just not seeing the >> > usage? I have gone to the Pacman's Portal link which you gave me, >> > and >> > searched for and copied the information on all 30 of the selected >> > startup items I mentioned. I removed two that I don't use >> > (msmsgs.exe >> > and msnmsgr.exe), and will continue going through the rest. As I >> > said >> > before, I really appreciate the information you have given. (P.S. >> > I've been amused by the comments by John John and db.) Regards. >> > >> >> J150 wrote: >> >> >> >>> By the way, I always search for updates to the malware programs >> >>> and to Norton Internet Security. >> >> >> >> Good that you search for updates. However, Norton Internet >> >> Security >> >> is a notorious RAM hog. I'd recommend running Avast or AVG (both >> >> free) in its place. For a firewall, Comodo is decent and light on >> >> resources. And AdAware and Spybot S&D (which you already run) are >> >> good at detecting spyware and adware. You might also want to run >> >> SpywareBlaster to prevent spyware from coming in. >> >> >> >>> In msconfig, Startup, there are 30 selected startup items. >> >> >> >> Something tells me a good many of these you don't need whatsoever. >> >> And >> >> in cases of QuickTime and Adobe, a startup item is not needed at >> >> all; >> >> just run the program whenever you need to. >> >> >> >> The following sites have good information as to what are keepers >> >> and >> >> what to jettison ASAP: >> >> >> >> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS >> >> >> >> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ >> >> >> >> This one is good to have bookmarked, too: >> >> >> >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm >> >> >> >> Links to apps mentioned above: >> >> >> >> Avast: >> >> http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html >> >> >> >> AVG: >> >> http://free.grisoft.com/ >> >> >> >> Comodo: >> >> http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ >> >> >> >> SpywareBlaster: >> >> http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html >> >> >> >> Finally, Ccleaner is an excellent program to easily clean up >> >> unneeded >> >> temp files: >> >> http://www.ccleaner.com >> >> >> >>
Guest J150 Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? Thanks again for all the good information. The performance improvement on my PC is incredible. By the way, the coding I do in my work is mostly in ANSI C and assembler for real-time embedded control systems, but I have Visual Studio 2005 and have been trying to pick up C++ and C#. If you are experienced in those languages, do you have any texts that you would recommend? Regards. -- J150 "Daave" wrote: > I have a feeling you don't need hpqste08.exe. > > The goal is to hardly ever use your pagefile. If the amount of RAM you > have installed is sufficient for your tasks, then you're good to go. > It's good that your Commit Charge (amount of memory you are currently > using) is now less than your Physical Memory (RAM). If you can somehow > get your Peak (highest value since your most recent reboot) also under > 458 MB, that would be even better. Once those figures exceed 458 MB, > your pagefile is used (and this will cause a noticeable decline in > performance). > > See: > > http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_can_i_fix_too_little_virtual_memory_in_windows.html > > Keep up the good work. :-) > > > "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message > news:8C90F377-9250-4B5E-A6F0-C3956F45B734@microsoft.com... > > Another long day of working on this, but I have made a lot of > > progress. I > > followed the suggestions in the Pacman's Portal link regarding the > > order of > > using the different methods of disabling programs from running at > > startup. > > Between the information here and in http://www.answersthatwork.com, I was > > able to > > reduce the number of selected startup items from 30 to 13. I didn't > > get to > > remove NIS yet, but the speed of the PC has increased tremendously, > > and seems > > acceptable. Looking closer at the NIS-related processes in Task > > Manager and > > their Mem Usage/VM, I see ccApp.exe 1.2M/5.7M, and ccSvcHst.exe > > 3.9M/2.4M. > > Now with similar applications running, I see CPU Usage average ~1%; > > Physical > > Memory:458M Total, 149M Available, 222M System Cache; Commit Charge: > > 420M > > Total, 1081M Limit, 515M Peak. Looking at Processes (Mem Usage/VM): > > iexplore.exe:31M/76M, svchost.exe:15M/13M, hpqste08.exe:11M/8M, > > explorer.exe:11M/26M, and the rest use 3M memory or less. I downloaded > > AutoRuns, but haven't had a chance to go through it yet. By the way, > > after I > > gave you the Performance readings from Task Manager, you wrote "your > > Commit > > Charge and Peak values reveal you're relying on your pagefile", and > > I'm > > curious how you determined that. Is there a good way to look at these > > readings, to determine that there may be a problem? Thanks again. > > -- > > J150 > > > > > > "Daave" wrote: > > > >> Thanks for keeping us updated. > >> > >> I neglected to mention before that msconfig is more of a diagnostic. > >> While it is possible to uncheck startup entries, often it's better to > >> use the options of the actual application to prevent it from running > >> automatically at startup. A prime example is the totally unnecessary > >> qttask.exe (QuickTime), which enables you to start QuickTime from the > >> System Tray (big deal!). Unchecking it may not work; that is, QT > >> might > >> put itself back in your startup entries. It's best to follow the > >> instructions at > >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_q.htm (about > >> 3/4 > >> of the way down). > >> > >> Regarding MSN Messenger (msmsgs.exe and msnmsgr.exe), it's best to > >> remove them from the program itself. See > >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_m.htm and > >> scroll > >> down about four fifths of the way down for instructions. > >> > >> An alternative to using msconfig is to run the highly regarded > >> AutoRuns: > >> > >> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/AutoRuns.mspx > >> > >> This is much more thorough than msconfig -- an excellent utility. > >> > >> A little more scratching below the service and you'll find several > >> NIS > >> processes, and I predict they're using up a good deal of RAM. Again, > >> I > >> think you'd be better off uninstalling it (in case Add/Remove doesn't > >> do > >> the trick, there is a utility to remove it -- available from Norton) > >> and > >> going with a lighter AV program (and firewall). > >> > >> > >> J150 wrote: > >> > I've been working on this much of the day, and I want to give you > >> > an > >> > update. Regarding the VM, after reboot, the top 5 processes were > >> > still the same, and VM usage only dropped slightly (10% at the > >> > most). > >> > The VM size on these is quite a bit larger than the Mem Usage size. > >> > Also, I looked in Task Manager for any processes connected with > >> > Norton Internet Security 2007, and I only see one, ccApp.exe, with > >> > about 1.4M Mem Usage, and 5.8M VM Size. Is it possible that my > >> > NIS2007 is not using that much memory, or am I just not seeing the > >> > usage? I have gone to the Pacman's Portal link which you gave me, > >> > and > >> > searched for and copied the information on all 30 of the selected > >> > startup items I mentioned. I removed two that I don't use > >> > (msmsgs.exe > >> > and msnmsgr.exe), and will continue going through the rest. As I > >> > said > >> > before, I really appreciate the information you have given. (P.S. > >> > I've been amused by the comments by John John and db.) Regards. > >> > > >> >> J150 wrote: > >> >> > >> >>> By the way, I always search for updates to the malware programs > >> >>> and to Norton Internet Security. > >> >> > >> >> Good that you search for updates. However, Norton Internet > >> >> Security > >> >> is a notorious RAM hog. I'd recommend running Avast or AVG (both > >> >> free) in its place. For a firewall, Comodo is decent and light on > >> >> resources. And AdAware and Spybot S&D (which you already run) are > >> >> good at detecting spyware and adware. You might also want to run > >> >> SpywareBlaster to prevent spyware from coming in. > >> >> > >> >>> In msconfig, Startup, there are 30 selected startup items. > >> >> > >> >> Something tells me a good many of these you don't need whatsoever. > >> >> And > >> >> in cases of QuickTime and Adobe, a startup item is not needed at > >> >> all; > >> >> just run the program whenever you need to. > >> >> > >> >> The following sites have good information as to what are keepers > >> >> and > >> >> what to jettison ASAP: > >> >> > >> >> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS > >> >> > >> >> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ > >> >> > >> >> This one is good to have bookmarked, too: > >> >> > >> >> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm > >> >> > >> >> Links to apps mentioned above: > >> >> > >> >> Avast: > >> >> http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html > >> >> > >> >> AVG: > >> >> http://free.grisoft.com/ > >> >> > >> >> Comodo: > >> >> http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ > >> >> > >> >> SpywareBlaster: > >> >> http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html > >> >> > >> >> Finally, Ccleaner is an excellent program to easily clean up > >> >> unneeded > >> >> temp files: > >> >> http://www.ccleaner.com > >> > >> > >> > >> > >
Guest Daave Posted November 5, 2007 Posted November 5, 2007 Re: How to determine memory usage? You're welcome. I'm happy to hear that your PC is working to your satisfaction. Unfortunately, I know very little of programming. The last time I dabbled in it was about 25 years ago (BASIC)! J150 wrote: > Thanks again for all the good information. The performance > improvement on my > PC is incredible. By the way, the coding I do in my work is mostly in > ANSI C > and assembler for real-time embedded control systems, but I have > Visual > Studio 2005 and have been trying to pick up C++ and C#. If you are > experienced in those languages, do you have any texts that you would > recommend? Regards. > >> I have a feeling you don't need hpqste08.exe. >> >> The goal is to hardly ever use your pagefile. If the amount of RAM >> you >> have installed is sufficient for your tasks, then you're good to go. >> It's good that your Commit Charge (amount of memory you are currently >> using) is now less than your Physical Memory (RAM). If you can >> somehow >> get your Peak (highest value since your most recent reboot) also >> under 458 MB, that would be even better. Once those figures exceed >> 458 MB, >> your pagefile is used (and this will cause a noticeable decline in >> performance). >> >> See: >> >> http://www.askdavetaylor.com/how_can_i_fix_too_little_virtual_memory_in_windows.html >> >> Keep up the good work. :-) >> >> >> "J150" <J150@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message >> news:8C90F377-9250-4B5E-A6F0-C3956F45B734@microsoft.com... >>> Another long day of working on this, but I have made a lot of >>> progress. I >>> followed the suggestions in the Pacman's Portal link regarding the >>> order of >>> using the different methods of disabling programs from running at >>> startup. >>> Between the information here and in http://www.answersthatwork.com, I was >>> able to >>> reduce the number of selected startup items from 30 to 13. I didn't >>> get to >>> remove NIS yet, but the speed of the PC has increased tremendously, >>> and seems >>> acceptable. Looking closer at the NIS-related processes in Task >>> Manager and >>> their Mem Usage/VM, I see ccApp.exe 1.2M/5.7M, and ccSvcHst.exe >>> 3.9M/2.4M. >>> Now with similar applications running, I see CPU Usage average ~1%; >>> Physical >>> Memory:458M Total, 149M Available, 222M System Cache; Commit Charge: >>> 420M >>> Total, 1081M Limit, 515M Peak. Looking at Processes (Mem Usage/VM): >>> iexplore.exe:31M/76M, svchost.exe:15M/13M, hpqste08.exe:11M/8M, >>> explorer.exe:11M/26M, and the rest use 3M memory or less. I >>> downloaded >>> AutoRuns, but haven't had a chance to go through it yet. By the way, >>> after I >>> gave you the Performance readings from Task Manager, you wrote "your >>> Commit >>> Charge and Peak values reveal you're relying on your pagefile", and >>> I'm >>> curious how you determined that. Is there a good way to look at >>> these >>> readings, to determine that there may be a problem? Thanks again. >>> -- >>> J150 >>> >>> >>> "Daave" wrote: >>> >>>> Thanks for keeping us updated. >>>> >>>> I neglected to mention before that msconfig is more of a >>>> diagnostic. >>>> While it is possible to uncheck startup entries, often it's better >>>> to >>>> use the options of the actual application to prevent it from >>>> running automatically at startup. A prime example is the totally >>>> unnecessary >>>> qttask.exe (QuickTime), which enables you to start QuickTime from >>>> the >>>> System Tray (big deal!). Unchecking it may not work; that is, QT >>>> might >>>> put itself back in your startup entries. It's best to follow the >>>> instructions at >>>> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_q.htm (about >>>> 3/4 >>>> of the way down). >>>> >>>> Regarding MSN Messenger (msmsgs.exe and msnmsgr.exe), it's best to >>>> remove them from the program itself. See >>>> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist_m.htm and >>>> scroll >>>> down about four fifths of the way down for instructions. >>>> >>>> An alternative to using msconfig is to run the highly regarded >>>> AutoRuns: >>>> >>>> http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/AutoRuns.mspx >>>> >>>> This is much more thorough than msconfig -- an excellent utility. >>>> >>>> A little more scratching below the service and you'll find several >>>> NIS >>>> processes, and I predict they're using up a good deal of RAM. >>>> Again, >>>> I >>>> think you'd be better off uninstalling it (in case Add/Remove >>>> doesn't >>>> do >>>> the trick, there is a utility to remove it -- available from >>>> Norton) >>>> and >>>> going with a lighter AV program (and firewall). >>>> >>>> >>>> J150 wrote: >>>>> I've been working on this much of the day, and I want to give you >>>>> an >>>>> update. Regarding the VM, after reboot, the top 5 processes were >>>>> still the same, and VM usage only dropped slightly (10% at the >>>>> most). >>>>> The VM size on these is quite a bit larger than the Mem Usage >>>>> size. >>>>> Also, I looked in Task Manager for any processes connected with >>>>> Norton Internet Security 2007, and I only see one, ccApp.exe, with >>>>> about 1.4M Mem Usage, and 5.8M VM Size. Is it possible that my >>>>> NIS2007 is not using that much memory, or am I just not seeing the >>>>> usage? I have gone to the Pacman's Portal link which you gave me, >>>>> and >>>>> searched for and copied the information on all 30 of the selected >>>>> startup items I mentioned. I removed two that I don't use >>>>> (msmsgs.exe >>>>> and msnmsgr.exe), and will continue going through the rest. As I >>>>> said >>>>> before, I really appreciate the information you have given. (P.S. >>>>> I've been amused by the comments by John John and db.) Regards. >>>>> >>>>>> J150 wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> By the way, I always search for updates to the malware programs >>>>>>> and to Norton Internet Security. >>>>>> >>>>>> Good that you search for updates. However, Norton Internet >>>>>> Security >>>>>> is a notorious RAM hog. I'd recommend running Avast or AVG (both >>>>>> free) in its place. For a firewall, Comodo is decent and light on >>>>>> resources. And AdAware and Spybot S&D (which you already run) are >>>>>> good at detecting spyware and adware. You might also want to run >>>>>> SpywareBlaster to prevent spyware from coming in. >>>>>> >>>>>>> In msconfig, Startup, there are 30 selected startup items. >>>>>> >>>>>> Something tells me a good many of these you don't need >>>>>> whatsoever. >>>>>> And >>>>>> in cases of QuickTime and Adobe, a startup item is not needed at >>>>>> all; >>>>>> just run the program whenever you need to. >>>>>> >>>>>> The following sites have good information as to what are keepers >>>>>> and >>>>>> what to jettison ASAP: >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_content.php#THE_PROGRAMS >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/startups/ >>>>>> >>>>>> This one is good to have bookmarked, too: >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm >>>>>> >>>>>> Links to apps mentioned above: >>>>>> >>>>>> Avast: >>>>>> http://www.avast.com/eng/avast_4_home.html >>>>>> >>>>>> AVG: >>>>>> http://free.grisoft.com/ >>>>>> >>>>>> Comodo: >>>>>> http://www.personalfirewall.comodo.com/ >>>>>> >>>>>> SpywareBlaster: >>>>>> http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html >>>>>> >>>>>> Finally, Ccleaner is an excellent program to easily clean up >>>>>> unneeded >>>>>> temp files: >>>>>> http://www.ccleaner.com
Guest Ed Posted June 20, 2008 Posted June 20, 2008 RE: How to determine memory usage? 500MB is just really on the cusp if you are running any applications. I have never considered using less than 1GB for XP and apps. I bet your system runs faster with more memory. However you may want to check and make sure any applications you have shutdown are actually out of memory. I have a problem with that very issue right now. Many applications will retain memory even after being shut down for hours or even days. "J150" wrote: > I have 512 MB of memory and want to know if there are built-in tools in WinXP > Home to tell the memory usage. I am concerned that my PC is running slowly > when I have too many applications open due to this, and may need to add more > memory. Thanks for any information. > -- > J150
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