Memory

[tmb867]

I have a Pent lll, Win XP SP3, Internet explorer 8, Avira Antivirus, 733 Mhz
256 mb of Ram and Virtual Memory is set for total paging file for all drive
is 428. The question is am I maxed out on memory or what can I check. I just
reformated this drive and it is 80 gig disc drive that is a quarter full
since I just reformated. System is slow and trying to fix that.

 

[Tom Willett]

You just barely have enough RAM to use Windows, let alone any other
programs at the same time.

:I have a Pent lll, Win XP SP3, Internet explorer 8, Avira Antivirus, 733
Mhz
: 256 mb of Ram and Virtual Memory is set for total paging file for all
drive
: is 428. The question is am I maxed out on memory or what can I check. I
just
: reformated this drive and it is 80 gig disc drive that is a quarter full
: since I just reformated. System is slow and trying to fix that.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I have a Pent lll, Win XP SP3, Internet explorer 8, Avira
Antivirus, 733 Mhz 256 mb of Ram and Virtual Memory is set for
total paging file for all drive is 428. The question is am I maxed
out on memory or what can I check. I just reformated this drive and
it is 80 gig disc drive that is a quarter full since I just
reformated. System is slow and trying to fix that.

Spend $190-$500 (U.S.) and get a newer (to you) computer with more modern
components and probably OS.

Example:
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5252730&Sku=J001-10020

And if the 80GB drive is 1/4 full after a clean installation of Windows XP -
most of that is your stuff because Windows XP with a LOT of other
applications installed should be between 4.5GB and 10GB.

 

[Jim]

I have a Pent lll, Win XP SP3, Internet explorer 8, Avira Antivirus, 733
Mhz
256 mb of Ram and Virtual Memory is set for total paging file for all
drive
is 428. The question is am I maxed out on memory or what can I check. I
just
reformated this drive and it is 80 gig disc drive that is a quarter full
since I just reformated. System is slow and trying to fix that.

The real question is how you got the system to get this far with so little
memory.
Jim

 

[tmb867]

i guess my question is can I add more? Or how do I figure out if I CAN add
more?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

i guess my question is can I add more? Or how do I figure out if I CAN add
more?

For the answer to that question, you have to check the specs for your
motherboard.

But, despite what Tom says below, I would not automatically assume you
need more. 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 significantly, and
that depends on what apps you run. Most people running a typical range
of business applications under XP find that somewhere around 512MB
works well, others need more. 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 page file usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

i guess my question is can I add more? Or how do I figure out if I
CAN add more?

Know about your hardware and visit http://www.crucial.com/ and use their
tool to figure out the maximum and type.

 

[Ian D]

The real question is how you got the system to get this far with so
little memory.
Jim

It probably ran okay back when it was new with Win98. For
a 733MHz P3 that would have been in 2000. Maybe XP was
recently installed with the reformat.

 

[tmb867]

I changed it to No Paging File, is that ok.

For the answer to that question, you have to check the specs for your
motherboard.

But, despite what Tom says below, I would not automatically assume you
need more. 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 significantly, and
that depends on what apps you run. Most people running a typical range
of business applications under XP find that somewhere around 512MB
works well, others need more. 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 page file usage. That should
give you a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how
much more.

 

[Jim]

Well, I would not run without a paging file even if the system would let me.
Jim

 

[Olórin]

Why did you do that? Was it to indirectly address Ken's point about reducing
use of the page file?

Regardless, how have YOU found your system to be since you made this
change? If things have improved (which they completely won't have) then
stick with it; otherwise, change it back. Common sense, really.

I'd set it to System Managed Size, tbh, just to get things back up and
running while you tootle down to your local PC shop and ask if they have any
spare RAM modules that old. They've probably got some secondhand ones
kicking around that they'd let you have for 50p [other currencies are
available]. Another 256MB would probably make a world of difference for
minimal cost (though check how many slots your motherboard ahs, and how many
are already used).

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I changed it to No Paging File, is that ok.

No, it's not OK. It's a very poor thing to do. It can never help you
and it will often hurt you.

The only way to reduce page file use in a way that can help is to add
more RAM. My point was that adding more RAM to reduce page file use is
only valuable if there is significant page file use.

 

[Daave]

I have a Pent lll, Win XP SP3, Internet explorer 8, Avira Antivirus,
733 Mhz 256 mb of Ram and Virtual Memory is set for total paging file
for all drive is 428. The question is am I maxed out on memory or
what can I check. I just reformated this drive and it is 80 gig disc
drive that is a quarter full since I just reformated. System is slow
and trying to fix that.

That's an older PC, for sure!

You neglected to tell us the make and model of the PC (and/or
motherboard). With that information, we can then determine the maximum
amount of RAM your PC can handle.

Or you can just enter that information here:

http://www.crucial.com/

Although some people can have a speedy XP system with as little as 256MB
RAM, chances are you would need to add more physical memory (RAM) in
order that you don't over-rely on your pagefile (excessive pagefile
activity most definitely impedes performance).

The bad news is you have another bottleneck: the speed of your processor
(733 MHz). The fact of the matter is your PC's performance will never be
that great. Is it worth it to you to buy more RAM and see some
improvement or buy a new PC (or it can even be a used one that is five
years old) and see dramatic improvement. You would be surprised how much
performance two hundred dollars can buy!