Available physical memory

[MikeN]

My computer (OS Windows XP Home Edition) is running very slow and I believe
the subject above may be the cause.


my system information or msinfo32.exe (start, all programs, accessories,
system tools, system information) states that my total physical memory is
256.00 MB but my available physical memory is only at 43.65 MB (For
reference, my total virtual memory is at 2.00 GB and available virtual memory
is at 1.96 GB). I don't know what I can do to increase my availabe physical
memory; please help. THANKS!

 

[glee]

The problem is likely that 256MB of installed RAM is a bare minimum for WinXP with
even minimal programs running. The best thing is to increase the amount of
installed memory:
www.crucial.com

It would be a good idea to make sure your system is clean, that is, that there is no
malware aboard....not only by updating and running a full system scan with your
anti-virus app, but also by installing, updating and running a quick scan with the
free version of Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware (MBAM):
http://www.malwarebytes.org/mbam.php

 

[Andrew E.]

Youre system settings are configured wrong,according to "microsoft" &
"Paul Mcfedries",virtual memory should only be 1 1/2 X youre ram memory.
Youre at almost 10X,change in system properties,advanced,virtual memory,
set to :let system manage Click set 2X,close out.And yes,256mb is at min.
for
xp.

 

[Leonard Grey]

Your problem is 256MB of RAM. That was just enough to run XP when it was
first released, years ago. Today you need at least double that - 512MB -
and 1 GB would be better.

 

[Gerry]

Mike

What is your computer make and model.

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance
Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?


--



Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Gerry]

Andrew

Your comments are not relevant to Mike's problem.



~~~~


Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

My computer (OS Windows XP Home Edition) is running very slow and I believe
the subject above may be the cause.


my system information or msinfo32.exe (start, all programs, accessories,
system tools, system information) states that my total physical memory is
256.00 MB but my available physical memory is only at 43.65 MB (For
reference, my total virtual memory is at 2.00 GB and available virtual memory
is at 1.96 GB). I don't know what I can do to increase my availabe physical
memory; please help. THANKS!

Increasing available physical memory should *not* be your objective.
Wanting to minimize the amount of memory Windows uses is a
counterproductive desire. Windows is designed to use all, or most, 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.

Regarding your 256MB installed, depending on what apps you run, that
may or may not be a problem for you. How much RAM you need for good
performance is *not* a one-size-fits-all situation. You get good
performance if the amount of RAM you have keeps you from using the
page file, and that depends on what apps you run. Most people running
a typical range of business applications find that somewhere around
256-384MB works well, others need 512MB. Almost anyone will see poor
performance with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly those
doing things like editing large photographic images, can see a
performance boost by adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much more.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
nothing for you. Go to
http://billsway.com/notes_public/winxp_tweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Youre system settings are configured wrong,according to "microsoft" &
"Paul Mcfedries",virtual memory should only be 1 1/2 X youre ram memory.

That's a lie. There is no such advice.




--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:


http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/555375

They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. ~Benjamin Franklin

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. ~Bertrand Russell

The philosopher has never killed any priests, whereas the priest has
killed a great many philosophers.
~ Denis Diderot

 

[Twayne]

That's a lie. There is no such advice.

Just to clarify:
I don't know or care about Paul M but MS does indeed indicate that a
setting of 1.5 x physical RAM is the number to start with if you feel
you must set VM. But MS does not say "should only be...". 99% of the
time system management is the right choice anyway.

 

[Twayne]

My computer (OS Windows XP Home Edition) is running very slow and I
believe the subject above may be the cause.


my system information or msinfo32.exe (start, all programs,
accessories, system tools, system information) states that my total
physical memory is 256.00 MB but my available physical memory is
only at 43.65 MB (For reference, my total virtual memory is at 2.00
GB and available virtual memory is at 1.96 GB). I don't know what I
can do to increase my availabe physical memory; please help. THANKS!

Increasing available physical memory should *not* be your objective.
Wanting to minimize the amount of memory Windows uses is a
counterproductive desire. Windows is designed to use all, or most, 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.

Regarding your 256MB installed, depending on what apps you run, that
may or may not be a problem for you. How much RAM you need for good
performance is *not* a one-size-fits-all situation. You get good
performance if the amount of RAM you have keeps you from using the
page file, and that depends on what apps you run. Most people running
a typical range of business applications find that somewhere around
256-384MB works well, others need 512MB. Almost anyone will see poor
performance with less than 256MB. Some people, particularly those
doing things like editing large photographic images, can see a
performance boost by adding even more than 512MB--sometimes much more.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory
will decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance.
If you are not using the page file significantly, more memory will do
nothing for you. Go to
http://billsway.com/notes_public/winxp_tweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.[/QUOTE]

Excellent advice. To clarify a bit: Also don't be surprised to see
SOME pagefile usage at all times. Let it monitor for you and if it
provides a real time display of the pagefile, that might be useful too.
If the pagefile jumps to a Gig one time for a fewe seconds and then is
released, it might not be a big problem. But it if's several hundred
Meg for very long, or always, you could benefit from more RAM. My own
pf stays right about 200 Meg and seldom changes very much unless I do
some heavy video rendering. But the size of your pf depends on several
different things.

I don't know the recommended program but look to see if there isn't
advice with it telling you how to interpret the results; there should
be, and based on who recommended it, I would expect there to be. If not
there are other good pagefile monitors around; just come back and ask.