Free RAM space

[Philip K.]

Hi Everybody,
This problem may not belong here. However, I do not know where else to
post it.
My computer can only hold 512 Mbytes of RAM. Thus I have to carefully
monitor how much free RAM I have available for graphics applications.
TaskMgr helps. However, it does not show open files as being used. Only
the executable files are shown. Everything else is shown as free space even
though it is taken up by open files.
1. Is there an application which will show the true amount of free RAM?
2. Is there a way of knowing which applications can be closed without
trying them all out?
Thanks for any leads.
Phil

 

[Detlev Dreyer]

My computer can only hold 512 Mbytes of RAM. Thus I have to carefully
monitor how much free RAM I have available for graphics applications.
TaskMgr helps. However, it does not show open files as being used.

Sure, it does (see below).

Only the executable files are shown. Everything else is shown as
free space even though it is taken up by open files.

Note that the virtual address space for a process will be reserved for
the program, DLLs and the program data as well. Check this out:
Open MSPAINT.EXE for instance, load a huge bitmap and watch the increase
of allocated memory for that process.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Hi Everybody,
This problem may not belong here. However, I do not know where
else to post it.
My computer can only hold 512 Mbytes of RAM. Thus I have to
carefully monitor how much free RAM I have available for graphics
applications. TaskMgr helps. However, it does not show open files as
being used. Only the executable files are shown. Everything else is
shown as free space even though it is taken up by open files.
1. Is there an application which will show the true amount of free
RAM? 2. Is there a way of knowing which applications can be closed
without
trying them all out?

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.

And if an app is open and using RAM, but not being actively used, as soon as
another app (for example your graphics apps) needs more RAM, the open but
inactive app will be paged out, and its RAM made available.

 

[kcmunchkin]

yes, click on the performance tab in task manager and it'll list the
available memory.

if you want to increase windows performance, you could look into what
services are unnecessary relative to what you're using the computer
for.

for instance, the automatic update sevice and the indexing service both
destory system performance.

also, using any norton/symantec security packages will bring your comp
to a stop performance-wise.

 

[Philip K.]

Hi Everybody,
Thanks for all your replies and suggestions.
Phil