WinME OS - low system resourses

Question

I've had this problem since I got my new Dell system almost a year ago.
The system runs very low on resources after you have had it running an hour or so. At times it will just become so bogged down you will have to shut down and restart. I am not using anything! I'll be doing email and have maybe one web browser page open and that is it. Also after the computer is on for about an hour the web links in messages in my email program will not work and it freezes up the program if you try to click on one. I use Eudora email client 4.3.
No reason why an 8100 dell with 256Rdram shouldn't be able to handle it.
Nothing is running in the background except two or three items that you need (from the msconfig settings - systray and such), so it's not that I have excess utilities running. I keep my computer "clean" and don't use a lot of memory hogging programs on it. As far as I can figure it has to be the Windows ME operating system. ME has to be "doing" something on it own using up all my resources.
I have a couple of friends who have the same problems as I do and went back to using Windows 98 on their computers and everything is fine now. This computer came with ME and I wasn't interested in upgrading to XP or trying to install an older OS on it if this could be fixed.
I wonder if there is a patch or help of some kind available to fix this problem. Anyone else with this problem and if so how did you fix it?

pyrfan · Answer

Thanks but it doesn't seem to help. I can leave the computer and come in here an hour later and with nothing at all running the resources will be low until it is restarted again.
Right now it's at 59% on the resources and all I have open is this one page open on MSIE.
I don't use a lot of programs - it just seems to me that the ME operating system is excessively greedy. Even my desktop is clean I have only five shortcuts on it.
linda

joecapp · Answer

Start / Programs / Accessories / System Tools / Resource Meter.

Run this program and keep it up as an open window. Everytime you open and close some program check the meter to see what the resources are and you will find out what programs are eating up and not returning your resources. You have to play detective here and find the offending programs. Then you can determine what to do after you identify the problem programs.

Joe

fix-it · Answer

Resources are not your problem. I have a link below that explains resources. When I had ME, I was constantly running between 25% - 35% with no crashes or slowdowns.

http://www.aumha.org/a/resource.htm

What you probably need is Wintop. Wintop is part of the Windows 95 Kernel toys. Do not worry Wintop is compatible with ME. Wintop will show you processes that the CTRL-ALT-DEL does not display. It also shows CPU usage for each process. If you find one Process that is taking a lot of processor time then you probably found your culprit.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows95/downloads/contents/WUToys/W95KernelToy/Default.asp

Jerry'

pyrfan · Answer

OOOOoo thanks - have not tried the Wintop download yet. My resources often run right down to the 0% mark with one or no programs running so something is not right. It has always been this way since I got it so I blamed the OS. I have a 1.7Ghz with 256Rdram - I should be able to do email without the system running down to a stand still. The first hour is always good then slow downs will develope as the day goes.
thanks again!
Linda

kmosco · Answer

When Dell shipped this sucker 8200 every single program was checkmarked in msconfig......... now talk about loading things up and eating resources.......... Have you gone there and removed as many checkmarks as possible? Windows does not need to load up all those when the computer boots on, and I am sure this is not helping your resources any at all.

Give it a shot if you haven't done so already. It surely won't hurt.

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Karen

Dimension 8200
1.7 g with 256 RDRAM
32 MB NVIDIA GeForce2 MX with TV out
16x10x40x CD RW
250 mb Internal zip
40 gig Hd
Win Me
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fix-it · Answer

Try wintop and leave it running. When it slows down hopefully it will tell what process is taking up your CPU time. Good luck! Jerry

pyrfan · Answer

Yes - my original message I think says I keep a clean running system and have nothing running in the background (msconfig start up list) that should not be there. Only three things are checked on my system. I do that as soon as I boot up a new computer - run and clean everything out.
Thanks
Linda

SeeChange · Answer

Hi Linda and others,

I share the same problem as you. Right now this is the only window i have open and am running on 19% free.

I had this problem when i first got the computer. i called technical support and the guy had me enter this one simple command at an a:/ and it fixed the problem. he said that sometimes they forget to configure something on the new computers. so that was that.
well, my computer crashed this past month and i had to reformat the hard drive. now, i am having the same problem again. this time when i called tech support, they have no idea what i was talking about. i have tried supervisors and everything and no one can tell me what the command was. i sure wish i had written it down, because i have yet to fix it.

if anyone knows what i'm talking about, please help.

jwilljr wrote:
- Try wintop and leave it running. When it slows down
- hopefully it will tell what process is taking up
- your CPU time.
-
- Good luck!
-
- Jerry
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pyrfan · Answer

Wow now that is interesting - a command at the A:/? Wish I knew what that was. Trying the other things so far hasn't helped me. The resource meters and the wintop program just show what is sucking up the power (which is really just windows files) not why or how to fix the problem. I have a friend who had the problem too - exactly like I have here and he gave up and went back to win98. I don't really want to format and go through that though if I don't have too. This computer came with ME on it. His computer was not a dell, and he is very well educated on the computer and couldn't get around the low resource problem with ME. If you find the fix let me know please and I will do the same for you. Thanks!
Linda

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WinME OS - low system resourses

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