Memory Management And The Cpu

[david96]

I am running XP and sometimes the computer will lock up and the CPU will be running at 100%. CTRL+ALT+DEL usually does not work so one just reboots.

Some programs hog memory I have 256Mb of RAM.The question is what is normal running for a CPU? I have tried a couple of programs for memory management and they seem to make any difference.

Anyone got any ideas on this subject?

[astral]

I have 256Mb of RAM.

This is your problem.

Not enough memory so the machine takes all its time swapping programs/data between the real memory and the space in the Swap File.

Which is painful.

Add 512Mb of memory, or even better 1 Gb.

The cost today of 1Gb is only $100. D

[cdnvic]

Do you have alot of programs running in your system tray? Aside from too little memory, having too many programs auto-running can waste alot of processor cycles.

What anti-virus are you running? Some (Norton/McAfee) use far more resources than needed.

[nikster]

I have 256Mb of RAM.

This is your problem.

Not enough memory so the machine takes all its time swapping programs/data between the real memory and the space in the Swap File.

Which is painful.

Add 512Mb of memory, or even better 1 Gb.

The cost today of 1Gb is only $100. D

I recommend at least 768MB - your 256 + one 512M RAM module which you can get for cheap.

256 is definitely rock bottom and is going to be slow no matter what. In my own extremely brief experience with 512MB I found it unusable when using more than 2 applications at the same time whereas 768 worked like a charm.

Then, get CodeStuff Starter (google it) and remove all the stuff from your startup that's fulfills the following criteria:

A - It's not made by Microsoft - you don't want to disable any system processes, so leave all MS stuff alone

B - You have no idea what it's good for

Starter also has a right-click menu which you can use to look up processes on the internet. This free app allows you to remove all the junk from your machine that was placed there by various installers.

Alternative route for those not technically inclined, or if the above didn't help:

1 - Save your data to an external HD or USB stick

2 - Re-install Windows

Windows gets slower as it gets older - re-install it every year or so to keep it fresh. I personally don't do that, I just use Starter to keep the background processes under control. You wouldn't believe how much software out there insists on installing itself as a permanent fixture in your operating system rather than being there on demand like it should be.

[kayo]

I've just downloaded and installed Avast antivirus to replace Symantec /Norton, on both my bro's HP Pavillion and my Compaq Evo laptops

Both of us have noticed:

Significantly faster bootup times (me especially with the older laptop)

Significantly faster browsing and opening of larger data (eg: online powerpoint or Acrobat readers)

wonderfully clear and concise antivirus management.

and in my case far less blockages and system crashes when multi browsing/tasking

For me, the key deciding factor though, was the general speed increase, now I'm using avast instead of symantec.

Edited January 25, 2007 by kayo

[david96]

Thanks for the information it is what I suspected not enough RAM.

I have Zone Alarm Security suite. takes a month of sundays to boot up my computer that is about 2 mins.

[nikster]

Thanks for the information it is what I suspected not enough RAM.

I have Zone Alarm Security suite. takes a month of sundays to boot up my computer that is about 2 mins.

ZoneAlarm is a beast and it's going to slow down the system.

A lot of these AV programs also install live scanners which basically check every single bit they write on the disk for viruses. This has the effect of slowing down disk access. If you are then low on memory and the system starts swapping, it's even worse.

[elkangorito]

My computer is about 1 year old. Built it piece by piece. I installed 2 Gig of RAM & set my comp up to load all of the OS processes into RAM. Consequently, I don't use a page file & the system is noticeably faster.

[nikster]

My computer is about 1 year old. Built it piece by piece. I installed 2 Gig of RAM & set my comp up to load all of the OS processes into RAM. Consequently, I don't use a page file & the system is noticeably faster.

Well, the more RAM the better. I have 2GB as well but the system still made a 2GB page file.

I was wondering whether I could run without page file and found I just shouldn't - see the discussion here:

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000422.html

Windows memory management is in many ways retarded - the bottom line is that things will work out better _with_ page file. It will be faster even if you never come close to using your 2GB RAM.

[astral]

My computer is about 1 year old. Built it piece by piece. I installed 2 Gig of RAM & set my comp up to load all of the OS processes into RAM. Consequently, I don't use a page file & the system is noticeably faster.

Do you ever use the second gig of memory??

I have 2Gb installed to save having to find suitable memory chips at a later

date, but I have to admit that I have never seen the 2nd Gig come into use,

so far.

[cdnvic]

My computer is about 1 year old. Built it piece by piece. I installed 2 Gig of RAM & set my comp up to load all of the OS processes into RAM. Consequently, I don't use a page file & the system is noticeably faster.

Do you ever use the second gig of memory??

I have 2Gb installed to save having to find suitable memory chips at a later

date, but I have to admit that I have never seen the 2nd Gig come into use,

so far.

I'm finding the same with dual core processors. The second core hardly needs to run.

[Phil Conners]

I think that depends on what you use the PC for... Most programs are still not designed to take advantage of more than one core, so you will only get an advantage if you're running more programs. I generally have minimum 3-4 programs running and both cores do their bit.

I only have one GB of RAM but so far the only time I ran out of memory was editing a big image in Photoshop...

[elkangorito]

My computer is about 1 year old. Built it piece by piece. I installed 2 Gig of RAM & set my comp up to load all of the OS processes into RAM. Consequently, I don't use a page file & the system is noticeably faster.

Well, the more RAM the better. I have 2GB as well but the system still made a 2GB page file.

I was wondering whether I could run without page file and found I just shouldn't - see the discussion here:

http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000422.html

Windows memory management is in many ways retarded - the bottom line is that things will work out better _with_ page file. It will be faster even if you never come close to using your 2GB RAM.

What that website says is correct but I didn't only turn off the swap file. I used some software to force windows to load core processes & also to force other OS key functions, to use RAM. If you only turn off the swap file, you will have troubles.

On 1 occasion, I did note that I was using about 850 Mb of RAM so I guess it's possible to exceed this amount.

[Firefoxx]

I have 2GB of memory and a dual core CPU. I have 1GB of pagefile, total 3GB usable. My system usage (no gaming) peaks out at 2.8GB, so yes, it is used. *with* gaming, it easily hits and may sometimes exceed the limit. And yes, both cores are used nearly all the time when I'm actually working or gaming. I normally have around 20 windows open, with 20 sub-windows in each opera and firefox. I do a lot of photoshopping, gaming, and video editing.

People don't buy their computers for the same things. They don't use them in the same way. If they did, you'd only need one computer model for everyone. That's not the case. Buy what's right for you, but don't assume that what's right for you is right for everyone else. It's not.

[david96]

Windows Vista is supposed to have better memory management and you can upgrade memory on a USB thumb drive this is what Microsoft says on the Vista website. As far as is known it is not available for XP.