UNSOLVED
memory problem
I have a Dimension L800r which I purchased refurbished for my son. Shortly after he started using it a warning kept coming up saying dangerously low memory. I went to Dell's website and purchased memory for the computer. I know the memory is installed, because it shows up on the system information. Problem: the same low memory keeps coming up, and I still can't install any of his programs.
@julie62 wrote:
Using Windows XP. Rebooted several times, doesn't fix the problem. Trying to load Excel onto his computer, because he needs the program for school and it won't install, because it says there's not enough room available.
Boot the computer. Check avail memory.
Start, Run, MsConfig. Click on Startup tab. Uncheck whatever this site says you can: http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_full.htm
Boot the computer, check avail memory again. Most likely you can 20 points.
If that doesn't do it, it's disk space that's the issue.
JOKERSWILD
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1448 Posts
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Posted November 5th, 2003 23:00
Windows 2000 and XP do not have these issues so if you can upgrade to one of those it would help.
The way Windows 9x/Me handles a small area of memory called System Resources is one of the biggest shortcomings of the Windows 9x/Me architecture. Understanding the concept of System Resources is key to reducing system crashes and helping to maintain your sanity.
Every time you open an application, it loads all of its visual components, such as windows, menus, text boxes, buttons, checkboxes, and lists, into memory. Windows keeps track of the visual components of all the applications so that, for example, when you drag a window across the screen, it knows what was behind the window and is able to redraw it. These visual components are stored in System Resources. Regardless of the amount of physical memory installed in your computer and regardless of the number of open windows, the amount of memory allotted to System Resources never increases.
What’s more, not all of the System Resources an application uses are released when the application is closed. So, you could open and close an application several times and actually run out of System Resources. That’s why Windows may complain that you’re out of memory, even when you have only two or three applications open.
The symptoms of low System Resources include slow performance, error messages when starting programs, application windows not updating properly, applications hanging, and the entire system crashing. The fix, at least as far as we lowly users are concerned, is to restart Windows. When Windows is restarted, the System Resources are cleared, and everything returns to normal.