OT: Computer memory low

[Higgs Boson]

(Of course it isn't just the *computer* that has low memory these days...)

But seriously, could anyone give me a heads-up as to the least expensive way to deal with this problem?

For the past 'n' weeks, I've been getting a pop-up at the lower r.h. corner of the screen with HUGE flame-like chart visuals and a message "High memory usage by Firefox". It used to create more virtual memory, but that has stopped, so maybe the End Is Nigh? Am I heading for a crash? First time I have run into this, so not a clue.

I just installed a new app (Norton Ghost - successor to GoBack), and got the message that my memory was too low to run certain functions of Ghost.

Yes, I can go out & buy new memory $$$, but I suspect something else is at play. My modest usage is not a memory hog. What could be draining virtual memory to this extent?

Would appreciate any input.

TIA

HB

[Higgs Boson]

(Of course it isn't just the *computer* that has low memory these days...)

But seriously, could anyone give me a heads-up as to the least expensive way to deal with this problem?

For the past 'n' weeks, I've been getting a pop-up at the lower r.h. corner of the screen with HUGE flame-like chart visuals and a message "High memory usage by Firefox". It used to create more virtual memory, but that has stopped, so maybe the End Is Nigh? Am I heading for a crash? First time I have run into this, so not a clue.

I just installed a new app (Norton Ghost - successor to GoBack), and got the message that my memory was too low to run certain functions of Ghost.

Yes, I can go out & buy new memory $$$, but I suspect something else is at play. My modest usage is not a memory hog. What could be draining virtual memory to this extent?

Would appreciate any input.

TIA

HB

[The Henchman]

Would appreciate any input.

TIA

HB

----------------------

Here is a couple of suggestions but by no means the only three that people will present.

Virtual memory is a pagefile, a large file on your hard drive that windows uses like ram, for temporary storage stuff. One guess of mine is that your hard drive has run out of room and can't expand the page file on the hard disc. The pagefile should be 1.5 to 2 times the size of your physical ram.

Also if you are familiar with Task Manager this will tell you how much memory each program and service is using on your computer. To run task manager just hit alt/crtl/del ONCE and click on task manager when the option screen comes up.

Perhaps you have a background virus running?

[aemeijers]

Similar symptoms here, but mostly without error box popups. The machine just goes away for awhile, HD light burning brightly. I suspect the latest versions of FF and/or PCtOOLS av as the cause. Not real impressed with latest version of FF- it seems a lot slower. I've been keeping task manager running in background the last day or so, so when it goes away, I can bring it up and see what the logjam is.

I've had a better machine sitting in the corner for over a year, but never got around to moving into it. Really need to get on that, I guess, before this one flakes out entirely and I can't recover my data from it. It has lasted a lot longer than most of my previous Windows installs- around 4 years. I usually only got 18-24 months, before, and would then need to nuke and reload. With all the machines I have laying around, I really should have one JUST for internet, with the important stuff elsewhere.

Remember when a gig of ram, like this machine has, was considered high-end? Pretty much need a minimum of 2 any more, methinks.

[dadiOH]

You would get more and better input if you would clue people in on...

1. how much RAM you have

1. how much free RAM you have immediately after booting whem you are doing nothing

2. how much free RAM you have when you get the error message

[Frank]

I've used Belarc adviser to check my memory:

and Crucial to buy it:

Extra memory is not expensive and not hard to install. When I upgraded this computer, memory at Best Buy cost about 5X that of Crucial.

[mm]

Do you use Hibernate a lot. If so, Restart windows instead of Hibernating or Standing by. Even if you don't use it a lot, if your session has been long or did something to use up memrory (what that might be I don't know), maybe restarting will help.

How much memory *do* you have. What OS are you running. If this were a computer newsgroup, you'd be chastised for not giving that ifo first!

Task manager is good, but System Explorer is even better and also free. Mostly I like it because it says, pretty much**, what program is writing or reading the harddrive, if harddrive activity is more than you expect.

**I presume it doesn't manage to diplay the calling program for every read and right.

I too have gotten two virtural memory messages in recent weeks, when running FF, but otoh I have only 1 gig and may have 80 tabs open. So I might be on the edge anyhow. Next computer has 3 gigs and I hope to start using it soon.

It's best if you're not using virtual memory (the swapfile) at all,

[mm]

It shows you can be wrong and still get rich.

So how come I've been wrong 10 times and I'm not 10 times as rich?

[cjt]

He grew up rich. In our society, usually the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.

[clare]

Only 3??? I just put 16 in the machine I've been working on the last couple of weeks (but it IS a server). I've got 2 gigs on most of the workstations - running XP Pro. I think I'd consider that minimum on a Win7 machine.

[The Daring Dufas]

HB, your computer may be running too many services which will eat up memory and bog down your system. Here's a link to and excellent source of information and how-to from a great site.

TDD

[mm]

Hey, unless you're ready to buy me more, don't make fun.

XP can see up to 3 gig usually.

[Han]

"Ed Pawlowski" wrote in news:rbCdndtLx7MZW67QnZ2dnUVZ [e-mail]:

Disk Cleanup and/or ATF cleaner for cleaning up garbagey temp files. Does a lot for sanity.

[Jeff Thies]

I've helped a lot of friends deal with computers slowing. Almost invariably it is some background program running (that they added to "fix" a problem). I'd turn it off when not needed. Adding utility programs seldom does anything but cause more problems.

If you need to keep this, consider changing some of the XP performance options to being optimized for programs rather than background services if they aren't now.

XP can use up to ~3.25 Gigs, you might add memory if you are under 4, virtual memory is slow and most physical memory is not expensive.

I prefer FF, but if you did have little memory, IE is a better bet. Or Opera.

Jeff

What could be

[Bob Villa]

No one uses OE...it is not supported and is an atrocity. Replace it.

[trader4]

What total BS, but some people like to pretend that's how it works. Typically, they look at low income people as a static group, fixed in time. In reality, people are moving up, improving their economic situation and moving from one group to another all the time. Take a good look at the immigrants that came from places like Vietnam in the

70's and 80's. They came with nothing and today most are middle class.

I'd also like to see the reference that supports Bill Gates growing up rich. His father was a lawyer, but I never saw anything about him being very wealthy. And even if he was, I can show you a thousand other guys who became wealthy without coming from a wealthy background.

[trader4]

Yeah, I thought it interesting that one of the locals that knows so much about everything in the world, can't even get some basic info together so that someone may be able to figure out his question. Sort of like asking, my car doesn't run right,. what's wrong?

To your list, I'd add what CPU does he have? Because if one possibility is adding more memory, it would be good to know if it's a 2ghz dual core or a 350Mhz single, the latter not being worth screwing around with.

[Joe]

Switch to Linux.

Joe

[HeyBub]

Yep. Virtually all the folks who went to work at Microsoft in the early days are millionaires.

[HeyBub]

The message does NOT come from the operating system, it is a construct of an application program (possibly Firefox).

Try using Internet Explorer for a while and see if the problem disappears.

That's probably a good idea anyway; Firefox has been known to give your cat warts. (If you don't have a cat, you'll probably be okay. Except for the flames, of course.)