Windows Task Manager Memory Usage Issue

[Guest alex.j.k2@gmail.com]

Hello,

 

 

I am currently running a C++ program which is supposed to compute

something in about three

full (24 hours) days.

 

I am a little panicked about the feedback I get from the Windows

Task Manager about my program.

 

More specifically, after I minimize the console application that

is doing the computation, the Task Manager shows a very small (but

growing) amount of memory (7Mb or so) being used by my program, but I

know that my program, after some initializations, should use at least

300Mb (and maximum 500Mb, when the dynamically allocated memory is at

the maximum).

 

This makes me worry (hopefully irrationally) that Windows has done

something --deallocated? -- with part of the memory that my program

uses. A good sign is that the "commit charge" did not decrease, so I

still hope that I am just witnessing a weird way of showing memory

usage in the Task Manager and not anything more sinister.

 

Can anyone with knowledge of how the Task Manager shows memory

usage make me get rid of my fears?

 

Alex

 

P.S. I am using Windows XP. If other information about my system would

be needed, please let me know.

[Guest HeyBub]

Re: Windows Task Manager Memory Usage Issue

 

alex.j.k2@gmail.com wrote:

> Hello,

>

>

> I am currently running a C++ program which is supposed to compute

> something in about three

> full (24 hours) days.

>

> I am a little panicked about the feedback I get from the Windows

> Task Manager about my program.

>

> More specifically, after I minimize the console application that

> is doing the computation, the Task Manager shows a very small (but

> growing) amount of memory (7Mb or so) being used by my program, but I

> know that my program, after some initializations, should use at least

> 300Mb (and maximum 500Mb, when the dynamically allocated memory is at

> the maximum).

>

> This makes me worry (hopefully irrationally) that Windows has done

> something --deallocated? -- with part of the memory that my program

> uses. A good sign is that the "commit charge" did not decrease, so I

> still hope that I am just witnessing a weird way of showing memory

> usage in the Task Manager and not anything more sinister.

>

> Can anyone with knowledge of how the Task Manager shows memory

> usage make me get rid of my fears?

>

> Alex

>

> P.S. I am using Windows XP. If other information about my system would

> be needed, please let me know.

 

Does your project, like all good projects should, give you any indication

that it is progressing to a satisfactory conclusion?

 

Or do you just have to wait three days to find out it wasn't really

pregnant?

[Guest alex.j.k2@gmail.com]

Re: Windows Task Manager Memory Usage Issue

 

On May 13, 9:32 pm, "HeyBub" <hey...@gmail.com> wrote:

> alex.j...@gmail.com wrote:

> > Hello,

>

> > I am currently running a C++ program which is supposed to compute

> > something in about three

> > full (24 hours) days.

>

> > I am a little panicked about the feedback I get from the Windows

> > Task Manager about my program.

>

> > More specifically, after I minimize the console application that

> > is doing the computation, the Task Manager shows a very small (but

> > growing) amount of memory (7Mb or so) being used by my program, but I

> > know that my program, after some initializations, should use at least

> > 300Mb (and maximum 500Mb, when the dynamically allocated memory is at

> > the maximum).

>

> > This makes me worry (hopefully irrationally) that Windows has done

> > something --deallocated? -- with part of the memory that my program

> > uses. A good sign is that the "commit charge" did not decrease, so I

> > still hope that I am just witnessing a weird way of showing memory

> > usage in the Task Manager and not anything more sinister.

>

> > Can anyone with knowledge of how the Task Manager shows memory

> > usage make me get rid of my fears?

>

> > Alex

>

> > P.S. I am using Windows XP. If other information about my system would

> > be needed, please let me know.

>

> Does your project, like all good projects should, give you any indication

> that it is progressing to a satisfactory conclusion?

>

> Or do you just have to wait three days to find out it wasn't really

> pregnant?

 

It does, but I do not check every possible way in which the

computation might go wrong, as that would be too expensive. The issue

though, is the way Windows Task Manager displays memory usage, not

what my program displays.

 

I checked that the same memory usage display happens with most

other programs, so I am probably too paranoid about this, but better

safe than sorry.

 

It would still be nice to know exactly what the Task Manager

displays -- it seems weird to me that minimizing an application should

have that effect.

 

Alex

[Guest John John (MVP)]

Re: Windows Task Manager Memory Usage Issue

 

That is normal, when you minimize an application the Working set will or

may be aggressively trimmed, it isn't unusual to have a maximized

application that is using a couple hundred of MB of RAM have its Working

Set trimmed to 4 or 5 MB when it is minimized, how much RAM is available

may affect how aggressively the Working Set is trimmed. You should ask

your fellow programmers in a programing group how to have the

application keep or ask for more memory when it is minimized.

 

John

 

alex.j.k2@gmail.com wrote:

> Hello,

>

>

> I am currently running a C++ program which is supposed to compute

> something in about three

> full (24 hours) days.

>

> I am a little panicked about the feedback I get from the Windows

> Task Manager about my program.

>

> More specifically, after I minimize the console application that

> is doing the computation, the Task Manager shows a very small (but

> growing) amount of memory (7Mb or so) being used by my program, but I

> know that my program, after some initializations, should use at least

> 300Mb (and maximum 500Mb, when the dynamically allocated memory is at

> the maximum).

>

> This makes me worry (hopefully irrationally) that Windows has done

> something --deallocated? -- with part of the memory that my program

> uses. A good sign is that the "commit charge" did not decrease, so I

> still hope that I am just witnessing a weird way of showing memory

> usage in the Task Manager and not anything more sinister.

>

> Can anyone with knowledge of how the Task Manager shows memory

> usage make me get rid of my fears?

>

> Alex

>

> P.S. I am using Windows XP. If other information about my system would

> be needed, please let me know.

[Guest alex.j.k2@gmail.com]

Re: Windows Task Manager Memory Usage Issue

 

On May 13, 10:36 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

> That is normal, when you minimize an application the Working set will or

> may be aggressively trimmed, it isn't unusual to have a maximized

> application that is using a couple hundred of MB of RAM have its Working

> Set trimmed to 4 or 5 MB when it is minimized, how much RAM is available

> may affect how aggressively the Working Set is trimmed. You should ask

> your fellow programmers in a programing group how to have the

> application keep or ask for more memory when it is minimized.

>

> John

>

 

Thank you.

 

I also found out about the working set trimming here:

 

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;293215

 

So this will negatively affect temporarily the performance of the

program,

but not its function.

 

Since I have full control of the machine, just abstaining from

minimizing

the application is the most convenient solution for now. But it's good

to

know about this issue.

 

Alex

[Guest John John (MVP)]

Re: Windows Task Manager Memory Usage Issue

 

alex.j.k2@gmail.com wrote:

> On May 13, 10:36 pm, "John John (MVP)" <audetw...@nbnet.nb.ca> wrote:

>

>>That is normal, when you minimize an application the Working set will or

>>may be aggressively trimmed, it isn't unusual to have a maximized

>>application that is using a couple hundred of MB of RAM have its Working

>>Set trimmed to 4 or 5 MB when it is minimized, how much RAM is available

>>may affect how aggressively the Working Set is trimmed. You should ask

>>your fellow programmers in a programing group how to have the

>>application keep or ask for more memory when it is minimized.

>>

>>John

>>

>

>

> Thank you.

>

> I also found out about the working set trimming here:

>

> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;293215

>

> So this will negatively affect temporarily the performance of the

> program,

> but not its function.

>

> Since I have full control of the machine, just abstaining from

> minimizing

> the application is the most convenient solution for now. But it's good

> to

> know about this issue.

 

Thanks for the link.

 

John