Memory usage question

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I'm on my 3rd computer now. The first one had 256MB of memory and about
half of it was in use just sitting there running Windows 98 and a few
programs. The 2nd computer had 512MB of memory and about half of that
memory was in constant usage running XP. My latest computer has 1024MB of
memory and also runs XP. Strangely enough, 52% of that memory is in use all
the time.

What gives? Why is half my memory always in use, and how can I determine
what's in there and what I can do to lighten the load? I'm especially
interested in cutting down on the boot up time in the morning. There are
lots of programs that run on start up, but I don't know which ones are
critical, and which ones can be dispensed with--at least on start up.
Looking at Cntrl-Alt-Del processes shows 390MB in use all the time. I
assume that the other ~100MB is used for XP.

Is there some web site where all these programs are discussed?

Thanks,

Norm Strong
 
Norman

How long does it take to boot?

What is your anti-virus?

Please post copies of all Error and Warning Reports appearing in the
System and Application logs in Event Viewer for the last boot. No
Information Reports please.

You can access Event Viewer by selecting Start, Control Panel,
Administrative Tools, and Event Viewer. When researching the meaning
of the error, information regarding Event ID, Source and Description
are important.

HOW TO: View and Manage Event Logs in Event Viewer in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308427/en-us

Part of the Description of the error will include a link, which you
should double click for further information. You can copy using copy
and paste. Often the link will, however, say there is no further
information.
http://go.microsoft.com/fw.link/events.asp
(Please note the hyperlink above is for illustration purposes only)

A tip for posting copies of Error Reports! Run Event Viewer and double
click on the error you want to copy. In the window, which appears is a
button resembling two pages. Click the button and close Event
Viewer.Now start your message (email) and do a paste into the body of
the message. Make sure this is the first paste after exiting from
Event Viewer.

Are there any yellow question marks in Device Manager? Right click on
the My Computer icon on your Desktop and select Properties,
Hardware,Device Manager. If yes what is the Device Error code?

Try Start, Run, type "sigverif.exe" without quotes and hit OK. What
drivers are listed as unsigned? Disregard those which are not checked.

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 
Some of the processes you see are win processes.

Initially check your task bar, select properties of the various icons to see
what they are and whether there is an option 'not to start at boot'
You could also run msconfig>start up tab and see what third party apps are
running at start up
NB unless you are *exactly sure* what a process is, don't stop it - you
could break your pc/win and any AV app

Win manages memory so what is being used at any one time is not allways
relevent

And how long does it take to boot?
What AV/Security app are you running?
 
I'm on my 3rd computer now. The first one had 256MB of memory and about
half of it was in use just sitting there running Windows 98 and a few
programs. The 2nd computer had 512MB of memory and about half of that
memory was in constant usage running XP. My latest computer has 1024MB of
memory and also runs XP. Strangely enough, 52% of that memory is in use all
the time.

What gives? Why is half my memory always in use, and how can I determine
what's in there and what I can do to lighten the load? I'm especially
interested in cutting down on the boot up time in the morning. There are
lots of programs that run on start up, but I don't know which ones are
critical, and which ones can be dispensed with--at least on start up.
Looking at Cntrl-Alt-Del processes shows 390MB in use all the time. I
assume that the other ~100MB is used for XP.

Is there some web site where all these programs are discussed?
Click to expand...

TASK LIST PROGRAMS
http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

Services Guide for Windows XP
http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm

Pacs-Portal Mirror
http://www.castlecops.com/StartupList.html

Or do a searh on the internet for the items in question.

John
 
I'm on my 3rd computer now. The first one had 256MB of memory and about
half of it was in use just sitting there running Windows 98 and a few
programs. The 2nd computer had 512MB of memory and about half of that
memory was in constant usage running XP. My latest computer has 1024MB of
memory and also runs XP. Strangely enough, 52% of that memory is in use
all the time.

What gives? Why is half my memory always in use, and how can I determine
what's in there and what I can do to lighten the load? I'm especially
interested in cutting down on the boot up time in the morning. There are
lots of programs that run on start up, but I don't know which ones are
critical, and which ones can be dispensed with--at least on start up.
Looking at Cntrl-Alt-Del processes shows 390MB in use all the time. I
assume that the other ~100MB is used for XP.

Is there some web site where all these programs are discussed?

Thanks,

Norm Strong
Click to expand...
No, it isn't strange at all. Windows has always tried to use as much of the
physical memory as possible to improve the speed of processing. As it
happens, the correct balance seems to be about 50%.

The remainder is needed for things like non paged pool and the various cache
locations.

And, using as much ram as possible improves performance by not needing to
access the pagefile.

Jim
 
I'm on my 3rd computer now. The first one had 256MB of memory and about
half of it was in use just sitting there running Windows 98 and a few
programs. The 2nd computer had 512MB of memory and about half of that
memory was in constant usage running XP. My latest computer has 1024MB of
memory and also runs XP. Strangely enough, 52% of that memory is in use all
the time.

What gives? Why is half my memory always in use, and how can I determine
what's in there and what I can do to lighten the load? I'm especially
interested in cutting down on the boot up time in the morning. There are
lots of programs that run on start up, but I don't know which ones are
critical, and which ones can be dispensed with--at least on start up.
Looking at Cntrl-Alt-Del processes shows 390MB in use all the time. I
assume that the other ~100MB is used for XP.

Is there some web site where all these programs are discussed?

Thanks,

Norm Strong
Click to expand...

Hi Norm.

A more accurate way of describing the unused memory would be to refer
to it as "useless memory" because that is what it represents - memory
for which Windows has so far been totally unable to find any even
potentially beneficial use for.

By design, Windows will always attempt to find some use, anything
whatever that might potentially be of some benefit, for every bit of
the installed RAM rather than just leave it sitting there idle doing
no good for anybody. So Windows will build up a large disk cache of
the most recently read hard drive data, just in case there is a need
to go back and read some of that data again. And it will retain the
program code from closed applications, just in case the application is
launched again.

And just as soon as some better use comes along for any of that RAM
then Windows will instaneously drop the more trivial usages so as to
free up whatever amount is now required.

In other words, RAM exists to be used and Windows always tries to use
it as best it can.

Hope this explains the situation.

Good luck


Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."
 
Ron Martell said:
Hi Norm.

A more accurate way of describing the unused memory would be to refer
to it as "useless memory" because that is what it represents - memory
for which Windows has so far been totally unable to find any even
potentially beneficial use for.

By design, Windows will always attempt to find some use, anything
whatever that might potentially be of some benefit, for every bit of
the installed RAM rather than just leave it sitting there idle doing
no good for anybody. So Windows will build up a large disk cache of
the most recently read hard drive data, just in case there is a need
to go back and read some of that data again. And it will retain the
program code from closed applications, just in case the application is
launched again.

And just as soon as some better use comes along for any of that RAM
then Windows will instaneously drop the more trivial usages so as to
free up whatever amount is now required.

In other words, RAM exists to be used and Windows always tries to use
it as best it can.

Hope this explains the situation.
Click to expand...

You and Jim make an excellent explanation. My problem is in thinking that I
only have half my memory available for any use whatsoever. But now I see
that a demanding application will shoulder off the minor application if so
needed. Perhaps I should add another 1024MB of memory. There's room for it
on the mother board. I'd like to be able to record internet radio
continuously while using my computer for such things as reading Usenet or
surfing the web. I notice that there is an occasional blip in the recording
that corresponds with heavy surfing. Maybe some extra memory would be a
good idea. Any advice?

Thanks, again--both of you,

Norm
 
I'm on my 3rd computer now. The first one had 256MB of memory and
about half of it was in use just sitting there running Windows 98 and
a few programs. The 2nd computer had 512MB of memory and about half
of that memory was in constant usage running XP. My latest computer
has 1024MB of memory and also runs XP. Strangely enough, 52% of that
memory is in use all the time.

What gives? Why is half my memory always in use, and how can I
determine what's in there and what I can do to lighten the load? I'm
especially interested in cutting down on the boot up time in the
morning. There are lots of programs that run on start up, but I
don't know which ones are critical, and which ones can be dispensed
with--at least on start up. Looking at Cntrl-Alt-Del processes shows
390MB in use all the time. I assume that the other ~100MB is used
for XP.
Is there some web site where all these programs are discussed?

Thanks,

Norm Strong
Click to expand...

It's normal. Windows tries to interpret as many possibilities of what you
might want next and have it handy when you call for it. Stuff is swapping
in and out of memory all the time as you work along.

So at this point you have about half of your memory "unused". Those figures
change as you do different things on your computer and half may or may not
be what you actually "need" because it depends on what you're doing and the
program/s you are running.

At a Gig, you've probably overshot the amount of memory you need, but ...
that's today's snapshot. Tomorrow (figuratively), you might be pretty happy
that memory is there! Especially if it's a Vista compatible computer. But
anyway you look at it, apps are wanting more and more memory every new rev,
so be happy!

So enjoy it for the time being! You should have very few slowdowns due to
the amount of installed memory<g>! Many people would kill to have that!

I noticed a few pretty silly responses toyour post, too; just ignore them.

HTH
Pop`
 
You and Jim make an excellent explanation. My problem is in thinking that I
only have half my memory available for any use whatsoever. But now I see
that a demanding application will shoulder off the minor application if so
needed. Perhaps I should add another 1024MB of memory. There's room for it
on the mother board. I'd like to be able to record internet radio
continuously while using my computer for such things as reading Usenet or
surfing the web. I notice that there is an occasional blip in the recording
that corresponds with heavy surfing. Maybe some extra memory would be a
good idea. Any advice?

Thanks, again--both of you,

Norm
Click to expand...

Adding more memory can noticeably improve performance only if the
added memory results in reduced usage of the virtual memory paging
file. Therefore if the paging file is not currently being used to any
significant extent then adding more memory will not provide a
significant improvement.

Unfortunately there is no ready way of determing actual paging file
usage provided with Windows XP - it does not have an equivalent to the
'Memory Manager - Swap File In Use" reporting provided by the System
Monitor utility in Windows 95/98/Me.

There is a free utility that you can download and run which will
provide this information for you. It was written by MVP Bill James and
you can get if from
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm or from
http://billsway.com/notes_public/WinXP_Tweaks/

If that utility shows actual page file usage of 50 mb or more on a
regular basis then that is indicative of fairly significant paging
file activity. Adding more RAM will reduce or even eliminate entirely
this activity thereby improving performance.

This apples regardless of how much or how little RAM is currently
installed in the computer, at least up to the 4 gb RAM maximum for
Windows XP.

Good luck

Ron Martell Duncan B.C. Canada
--
Microsoft MVP (1997 - 2006)
On-Line Help Computer Service
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca
Syberfix Remote Computer Repair

"Anyone who thinks that they are too small to make a difference
has never been in bed with a mosquito."
 
I'm on my 3rd computer now. The first one had 256MB of memory and
about half of it was in use just sitting there running Windows 98 and
a few programs. The 2nd computer had 512MB of memory and about half
of that memory was in constant usage running XP. My latest computer
has 1024MB of memory and also runs XP. Strangely enough, 52% of that
memory is in use all the time.

What gives? Why is half my memory always in use, and how can I
determine what's in there and what I can do to lighten the load?
Click to expand...


You have it backwards. There's nothing at all strange about it. Wanting to
minimize the amount of memory Windows uses is a counterproductive desire.
Windows is designed to use all, or nearly all, of your memory, all the time,
and that's good not bad. Free memory is wasted memory. You paid for it all
and shouldn't want to see any of it wasted.

Windows works hard to find a use for all the memory you have all the time.
For example if your apps don't need some of it, it will use that part for
caching, then give it back when your apps later need it. In this way Windows
keeps all your memory working for you all the time.

Actually in your case, the reason you have so *little* memory in use is that
1024MB is probably considerably more than you need for your apps.


I'm
especially interested in cutting down on the boot up time in the
morning.
Click to expand...


My personal view is that the attention many people pay to how long it takes
to boot is unwarranted. Assuming that the computer's speed is otherwise
satisfactory, it may not be worth worrying about. Most people start their
computers once a day or even less frequently. In the overall scheme of
things, even a few minutes to start up isn't very important. Personally I
power on my computer when I get up in the morning, then go get my coffee.
When I come back, it's done booting. I don't know how long it took to boot
and I don't care.

However if you do want to address it, it may be because of what programs
start automatically, and you may want to stop some of them from starting
that way. On each program you don't want to start automatically, check its
Options to see if it has the choice not to start (make sure you actually
choose the option not to run it, not just a "don't show icon" option). Many
can easily and best be stopped that way. If that doesn't work, run MSCONFIG
from the Start | Run line, and on the Startup tab, uncheck the programs you
don't want to start automatically.

However, if I were you, I wouldn't do this just for the purpose of running
the minimum number of programs. Despite what many people tell you, you
should be concerned, not with how *many* of these programs you run, but
*which*. Some of them can hurt performance severely, but others have no
effect on performance.

Don't just stop programs from running willy-nilly. What you should do is
determine what each program is, what its value is to you, and what the cost
in performance is of its running all the time. You can get more information
about these at http://castlecops.com/StartupList.html. If you can't find it
there, try google searches and ask about specifics here.

Once you have that information, you can make an intelligent informed
decision about what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of.

There are lots of programs that run on start up, but I
don't know which ones are critical,
Click to expand...


Other than the obvious security-oriented programs (anti-virus, firewall,
etc.), none of them is critical. You should have running what you want to
have running.

and which ones can be dispensed
with--at least on start up. Looking at Cntrl-Alt-Del processes shows
390MB in use all the time. I assume that the other ~100MB is used
for XP.
Is there some web site where all these programs are discussed?
Click to expand...


See above.
 
There is a neat little program from one of the MVPs called "Start Up Control
Panel" (just Google it), that works really well for determining your start up
issues.
 
I've decided that you all are right. I'm going to quit worrying about
memory usage and bootup time. Normally I only boot up once a day, so why
not turn the computer on, go get a cup of coffee, then everything will be
ready when I return to the keyboard.

I have another couple of questions under the title "2 additional question".
I hope you will be able to help me there as well.

Thanks a lot guys. I appreciate your expertise and willingness to help.

Norm
 
I've decided that you all are right. I'm going to quit worrying about
memory usage and bootup time. Normally I only boot up once a day, so
why not turn the computer on, go get a cup of coffee, then everything
will be ready when I return to the keyboard.

I have another couple of questions under the title "2 additional
question". I hope you will be able to help me there as well.

Thanks a lot guys. I appreciate your expertise and willingness to
help.
Click to expand...


You're welcome. Glad to help.
 
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