Virtual memory too low...

If you want to see what programs suck up the most VM, pull up Task Manager, then go to the Processes tab. In the toolbar click "view", then "select columns"....check the Virtual Memory box {and anything else you are curious about}...one of the headers should now read..."VM Size"....just click on the actual header and it will put them in order....highest on top...or click again to put the lowest on top.

You haven't mentioned how much actual memory you have or if you did I missed it.

Virtual memory is when the program uses the hard drive as memory because the RAM is almost full. The hard drive is one of the slowest devices on the computer when it comes to moving data. If you run out of actual memory, the computer moves something you aren't using at that time to the hard drive to try to free up memory. If you have a lot of programs open and are switching back and forth between them then the computer could be spending a lot of time swapping things back and forth from the hard drive. Have you noticed the hard drive running all the time?

What OS are you running?
The minimum requirements for XP are 128mb but at that size the system will crawl. The minimum for Vista is 512(home) to 1 gb(premium) of RAM.

How much RAM memory do you have?
If you have several large spread sheets open and a large project file you should probably have a minimum of 512 with XP. 1 gb to 2 gb if your system will take it and you can afford it.

I just did what Daggles did, and enabled clear virtual memory on shutdown.


Will this do any harm?

504 RAM, 798 MHz
1.6 GHz processor
Intel Pentium

Windows XP, 60 GB hard drive (though I have only about 12 GB left free)

bunny, my puter is running about seven times faster since, and I didn't encounter any problem yet! I'm waiting for the first vicious nay-sayers though. They ALWAYS come.

parados, how can I find out if my system will take 1 or 2 GB RAM?

It looks like it will take up to 2 gig

http://reviews.cnet.com/Dell_Inspiron_6000/4507-3121_7-31257675.html



504 mb ram?
You could have a bad memory chip which could explain why you are having the problem suddenly.

Info on why you would want to clear the virtual memory is here.
Clearing virtual memory.
Clearing the virtual memory doesn't do much more than wipe where it was stored on the drive. No need to do it unless you are concerned with someone accessing it.

1GB of extra RAM is on its way to me. And for half the price than Dell offers on their website. That means I could upgrade to Windows Vista! Hmmmm..... now there's a thought...

maybe I am missing something, but I cant follow these directions ?

I found control panel,performance but not admin tools or local security stuff.....

what am I doin wrong?

maybe you have it in classic windows view and not the task view? you know, the one with green background (or blue, depending on what color scheme your puter uses?). If you don't have Windows XP than it's the clasic view. If you have XP, you can find 'Folder options' in the menu, and click on 'Show common tasks in folders'.

In the classic view, I still found Administrative Tools under the Performance and Maintenance. And Local Security Policy in administrative tools.

Is it possible that control panels are organized differently in different computers? Maybe try Search to find local security policy or something?

I was listening to a tech-talk segment on NPR a few weeks ago and they suggested against doing a Vista upgrade (even on a system that was purchased as Vista ready and eligible for a free upgrade). Apparently the headaches are major and the benefits are few. They said that shrink-wrapped security packages offer the same protection as Vista and the file management enhancements aren't worth the trouble. They recommended waiting for your next computer purchase to switch over to Vista.

Oh, good to know.

...I'm just like a five year old when it comes to new software. I want everything as soon as it's out... I'll practice patience.

Another Dagmaraka phrase that I shall shameless adopt for my own.

bowing to the left, bowing to the right. thank you, thank you... I would like to thank my producer........

anyhow, the trouble is certainly when i have too many things open.... Say Windows Movie maker.... that halts everything tout de suite!

But I am puzzled by something else today: yesterday I had nearly 12GB of empty space on hard drive, today only 8! I didn't add anything. In fact, I deleted another bunch of songs to make space. Something is eating my memory. I want to catch that bugger!

Maybe I should have read from the beginning, but virtual memory (which you are short of, is an operation that uses disk space as if it were ram. I wouldn't be surprised to see available hard disk space fluctuate from time to time.

Of course, I have no idea what programs might be doing this, or whether they should be, and/or are needed. Pardon my tortured syntax, there.

It must have been the MovieMaker. When I closed it, I had again a little over 11 gb...

I just clicked on 'Compress C drive'... and it told me it will last .... 21 DAYS and 3 hours. Bwaaahahaha. i don't think so.

But, but if you compress it, it's going to be smaller, right? Sounds counterproductive.











Sorry, I couldn't help it.

Well, we'll never know.I don't have 21 days to wait for my computer to do some acrobatics.

Graphics and video files are the real memory hogs.

Know the size of the files you are opening. If it is bigger than what you have for memory expect the system to slow down. For a video file to take 3 gigs of virtual memory means you should have only that program open and even then it is going to be slow.

It isn't uncommon for photoshop or other graphic programs to need 3-10 times more memory than the file size depending on what you are doing with it and how long your undo history is. Our graphic designer was working on 1 gig graphic file on a mac with 4 gigs of memory and it was taking 10 minutes to save after changes.

Whenever possible reduce file size down to what you actually need. Most people don't need a 12' x 16' 72 dpi file.

parados, i do indeed do a lot with graphics, and often have5-6-7 different programs opened at once. i'll try to minimize that as much as i can, though often i'll need a photoshop or dreamweaver opened at the same time as word, internet, and excel.... doing newsletter and propagation materials demands taking snippets from many sources.
I ordered extra 1GB RAM, so along with my 504 I should have 1.5GB. Hopefully that will improve things.