if i have many windows or programs running, I cannot open anymore

[kamardash]

I have windows XP Sp2


The problem i'm experiencing is that I reach a certain point where, if
i have many windows or programs running, I cannot open anymore. As an
example, this happened while I was typing this message and had 7
firefox tabs open, ie open and a few explorer folders open. I was
trying to go into the control panel but couldn't right click or open
anything else once i got in and heard an error sound repeating every
second until i closed the control panel.
The longer I run windows, the less and less windows and programs i'm
able to keep open, to the point where I have to restart in order to be
able to open new programs. It's almost like some cache is not being
cleared and allowing me to start new programs.
As an example of a crash, I once reached the point where I could not
open anymore programs or windows within the programs I was running. I
started opening random programs, all which crashed immediately after
they started to open, and finally got a message from one of them. It
was microsoft outlook and it said 'out of memory'
some times I see in event log enet ID 26: The application failed to
initialize properly (0xc0000142). This error related to all
applications after the windows hung.

I double check computer hardware and all looks fine, when teh problem
is happened I have more when 500MB free memory, CPU working on 2-5%
and hard disk have a lot of free space.
Also I run virus scan with couple of antivirus programs and didn't
find nothing.


Any ideas ?

 

[Guest]

hoe much memory (ram) does your system have? Computers (OS's) have
limitations as to how many programs it can open, if you have only 256mb of
memory vs. 1024mb of ram, then the system can only use that much memory. I
would invest in a tune up utility, I like tune-up utility 2007, it has a
memory optomizer which runs in the background, when the system runs out of
memory this utility will engage and try to free up more memory.

Upgrade your memory (ram) put as much as you can in the unit...

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

hoe much memory (ram) does your system have? Computers (OS's) have
limitations as to how many programs it can open, if you have only
256mb of memory vs. 1024mb of ram, then the system can only use that
much memory.

No, this isn't true on modern computers running operating sytems that use
virtual memory. If you don't have enough RAM, the page file is used instead.
The page file is slower than RAM, so not having enough RAM results in a
performance hit, but it doesn't stop you from running more applications (at
least not until you reach the maximum address space of 4GB)

I would invest in a tune up utility, I like tune-up
utility 2007, it has a memory optomizer which runs in the background,
when the system runs out of memory this utility will engage and try
to free up more memory.

Programs like this are snake oil. They make things worse, not better. Doing
anything to interfere with Windows's normal memory management is
counterproductive. My recommendation is that you stay as far away from this
and similar programs as possible.

Upgrade your memory (ram) put as much as you can in the unit...

That's very bad advice on two counts:

1. Although it's possible that more RAM may help him, it's by no means clear
that his problem is insufficient memory, and I tend to doubt it.

2. Even if more RAM would help, it doesn't follow that he should "put as
much as you can in the unit." Contrary to the advice you often hear, more
RAM is *not* always better. Although more can't hurt, there comes a point
where it makes no improvement, and is simply a waste of money. Where that
point is, how much is needed 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.

Adding more RAM might help and it might not. Adding more than he can make
effective use of certainly will not help. Adding RAM before he's determined
that it will help is likely to turn to be a complete waste of money.

In general, the way to find out whether more RAM will help is by determining
what your page file usage is. 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.

However in his situation, he clearly has some other problem, and I think
running that program is premature. He should clear up what his problem is
first. I'm not sure what's causing his problem, but if I were in his shoes,
the first thing I would want to do is make sure the computer was free of
malware. So I recommend that he go to Malke's Malware Removal site at
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and follow
the instructions there.

 

[Guest]

A very informative answer!Thx

No, this isn't true on modern computers running operating sytems that use
virtual memory. If you don't have enough RAM, the page file is used instead.
The page file is slower than RAM, so not having enough RAM results in a
performance hit, but it doesn't stop you from running more applications (at
least not until you reach the maximum address space of 4GB)





Programs like this are snake oil. They make things worse, not better. Doing
anything to interfere with Windows's normal memory management is
counterproductive. My recommendation is that you stay as far away from this
and similar programs as possible.




That's very bad advice on two counts:

1. Although it's possible that more RAM may help him, it's by no means clear
that his problem is insufficient memory, and I tend to doubt it.

2. Even if more RAM would help, it doesn't follow that he should "put as
much as you can in the unit." Contrary to the advice you often hear, more
RAM is *not* always better. Although more can't hurt, there comes a point
where it makes no improvement, and is simply a waste of money. Where that
point is, how much is needed 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.

Adding more RAM might help and it might not. Adding more than he can make
effective use of certainly will not help. Adding RAM before he's determined
that it will help is likely to turn to be a complete waste of money.

In general, the way to find out whether more RAM will help is by determining
what your page file usage is. 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.

However in his situation, he clearly has some other problem, and I think
running that program is premature. He should clear up what his problem is
first. I'm not sure what's causing his problem, but if I were in his shoes,
the first thing I would want to do is make sure the computer was free of
malware. So I recommend that he go to Malke's Malware Removal site at
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware and follow
the instructions there.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

A very informative answer!Thx

You're welcome. Glad to help.

 

[dan.mashal]

Hi Ken,

I have the same problem. And there is no malware on my computer. After
I get about to 15 or 20 windows I cannot open anymore. I have upgraded
the RAM from 1GB to 2GB but it did not help. Maybe increasing the
pagefile will..

Dan

 

[dan.mashal]

Hi Ken,

I have the same problem. And there is no malware on my computer. After
I get about to 15 or 20 windows I cannot open anymore. I have upgraded
the RAM from 1GB to 2GB but it did not help. Maybe increasing the
pagefile will..

Dan

 

[kamardash]

10x Ken for good answer, but unfortunately problem is not there.
On problematic computer I have 1/5GB memory and 3GB pagefile. I run
performance monitor and monitor the system, when the problem occur I
have 500MB memory free and only 37% of pagefile in use, CPU also was
only on 5%, count of open handle was between 25k-40k(in 2 different
cases).
I double check computer for viruses with different antivirus programs
and didn't find anything
Do you have more ideas?

Alexander

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

10x Ken for good answer, but unfortunately problem is not there.
On problematic computer I have 1/5GB memory and 3GB pagefile. I run
performance monitor and monitor the system, when the problem occur I
have 500MB memory free and only 37% of pagefile in use, CPU also was
only on 5%, count of open handle was between 25k-40k(in 2 different
cases).
I double check computer for viruses with different antivirus programs
and didn't find anything
Do you have more ideas?

I'm not sure if I'm the Ken you are addressing, but since you didn't quote
anything of the earlier messages in the thread, I'm not sure exactly what
your problem is, or what suggestion I may have made. Many, if not most, of
us here don't save already read messages, and with many hundreds of messages
in these newsgroups each day, it's not possible to remember the details of
every thread.

However, when you say "I double check computer for viruses with different
antivirus programs and didn't find anything," that suggests that I may have
suggested the possibility of malware on your computer. If so, be aware that
viruses are only one type of malware, and spyware is getting to be an
increasing severe problem. Anti-virus programs don't protect you from
spyware. Did you also check for spyware with several different anti-spyware
programs?

 

[kamardash]

No, this isn't true on modern computers running operating sytems that use
virtual memory. If you don't have enough RAM, the page file is used instead.
The page file is slower than RAM, so not having enough RAM results in a
performance hit, but it doesn't stop you from running more applications (at
least not until you reach the maximum address space of 4GB)


Programs like this are snake oil. They make things worse, not better. Doing
anything to interfere with Windows's normal memory management is
counterproductive. My recommendation is that you stay as far away from this
and similar programs as possible.


That's very bad advice on two counts:

1. Although it's possible that more RAM may help him, it's by no means clear
that his problem is insufficient memory, and I tend to doubt it.

2. Even if more RAM would help, it doesn't follow that he should "put as
much as you can in the unit." Contrary to the advice you often hear, more
RAM is *not* always better. Although more can't hurt, there comes a point
where it makes no improvement, and is simply a waste of money. Where that
point is, how much is needed 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.

Adding more RAM might help and it might not. Adding more than he can make
effective use of certainly will not help. Adding RAM before he's determined
that it will help is likely to turn to be a complete waste of money.

In general, the way to find out whether more RAM will help is by determining
what your page file usage is. 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 tohttp://billsway.com/notes%5Fpublic/winxp%5Ftweaks/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.

However in his situation, he clearly has some other problem, and I think
running that program is premature. He should clear up what his problem is
first. I'm not sure what's causing his problem, but if I were in his shoes,
the first thing I would want to do is make sure the computer was free of
malware. So I recommend that he go to Malke's Malware Removal site athttp://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malwareand follow
the instructions there.

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup




- Show quoted text -

I'm not sure if I'm the Ken you are addressing, but since you didn't quote
anything of the earlier messages in the thread, I'm not sure exactly what
your problem is, or what suggestion I may have made. Many, if not most, of
us here don't save already read messages, and with many hundreds of messages
in these newsgroups each day, it's not possible to remember the details of
every thread.

However, when you say "I double check computer for viruses with different
antivirus programs and didn't find anything," that suggests that I may have
suggested the possibility of malware on your computer. If so, be aware that
viruses are only one type of malware, and spyware is getting to be an
increasing severe problem. Anti-virus programs don't protect you from
spyware. Did you also check for spyware with several different anti-spyware
programs?

Sorry I add the previous messages

 

[kamardash]

I'm not sure if I'm the Ken you are addressing, but since you didn't quote
anything of the earlier messages in the thread, I'm not sure exactly what
your problem is, or what suggestion I may have made. Many, if not most, of
us here don't save already read messages, and with many hundreds of messages
in these newsgroups each day, it's not possible to remember the details of
every thread.

However, when you say "I double check computer for viruses with different
antivirus programs and didn't find anything," that suggests that I may have
suggested the possibility of malware on your computer. If so, be aware that
viruses are only one type of malware, and spyware is getting to be an
increasing severe problem. Anti-virus programs don't protect you from
spyware. Did you also check for spyware with several different anti-spyware
programs?

I didn't have viruses and the only problem that in some point of time
computer is stoping open new windwos!
I need to open more when 20 windows until that happened, but on this
point of time I still have a lot of free RAM more when 500MB, and
pagefile is load for 30%.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I didn't have viruses

Yes, you said that before. But you didn't answer my question. Did you also
check for spyware with several different anti-spyware programs?

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup



and the only problem that in some point of time

 

[kamardash]

Yes, you said that before. But you didn't answer my question. Did you also
check for spyware with several different anti-spyware programs?

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup

and the only problem that in some point of time




- Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Yes I check this computer with antispyware programs.
One more thing when I have 10-15 open programs on the computer all
works fine.
Any other ideas?

 

[MM]

Ken,

I have the same problem on a CoreDuo Dell. I have increased RAM from 2GB to
4GB, which hasn't changed a thing. Of course it is a waste as only 3GB are
visible for the system (I completely forgot at the time that a 32-bit system
wouldn't be able to use full 4 GB)... I can't really suspect malware as I
had the problem on this computer from the day 1... Some of the apps I am
running are big, but I would expect the system to slow down rather than
refusing to open things. Some applications actually try to open but fail in
the middle forcing me to end them through the task manager... I suspect it's
not memory but some other system resource that the system is lacking... I
was wondering if there is a tool that I could use to analyze this?

Thanks,
/Mikhail

 

[Rock]

Ken,

I have the same problem on a CoreDuo Dell. I have increased RAM from 2GB
to 4GB, which hasn't changed a thing. Of course it is a waste as only 3GB
are visible for the system (I completely forgot at the time that a 32-bit
system wouldn't be able to use full 4 GB)... I can't really suspect
malware as I had the problem on this computer from the day 1... Some of
the apps I am running are big, but I would expect the system to slow down
rather than refusing to open things. Some applications actually try to
open but fail in the middle forcing me to end them through the task
manager... I suspect it's not memory but some other system resource that
the system is lacking... I was wondering if there is a tool that I could
use to analyze this?

I don't have an answer for your problem but with respect to the use of 4GB
of RAM all the memory can be used. Some of the memory is used by the system
and hardware so it is unavailable to the user and so doesn't show in XP, but
it's being used. On the other hand your system may not fully utilize the
memory it can see. That depends on the apps., and how much the page file
was being used when there was 4GB.

 

[MM]

I don't have an answer for your problem but with respect to the use of 4GB
of RAM all the memory can be used. Some of the memory is used by the
system and hardware so it is unavailable to the user and so doesn't show
in XP, but it's being used. On the other hand your system may not fully
utilize the memory it can see. That depends on the apps., and how much
the page file was being used when there was 4GB.

I set both min and max size of the pagefile to what the system recommended,
which I believe was about 4.5 GB...

/Mikhail

 

[kamardash]

I don't have an answer for your problem but with respect to the use of 4GB
of RAM all the memory can be used. Some of the memory is used by the system
and hardware so it is unavailable to the user and so doesn't show in XP, but
it's being used. On the other hand your system may not fully utilize the
memory it can see. That depends on the apps., and how much the page file
was being used when there was 4GB.

I am also think that some other OS resourses is finished, when the
problem happens.
I also think that this somehow related to GUI hanles, but the
performance monitor didn't see anything usefull.
Hey microsoft guy's please ask this question on your Microsoft forum

 

[Rock]

I am also think that some other OS resourses is finished, when the
problem happens.
I also think that this somehow related to GUI hanles, but the
performance monitor didn't see anything usefull.
Hey microsoft guy's please ask this question on your Microsoft forum

There are no microsoft guys here or a Microsoft forum for asking questions.
Everyone here is a volunteer, some from around the world. Occasionally an
MS employee will post here, but not as part of official MS support.

 

[kamardash]

There are no microsoft guys here or a Microsoft forum for asking questions.
Everyone here is a volunteer, some from around the world. Occasionally an
MS employee will post here, but not as part of official MS support.

I see, Ok If I will find solutions I will post it here.

 

[Guest]

Boy I'd like to see you open, Dreamweaver & Photoshop CS at the same time. As
I have stated the more memory the more apps you will be able to open at a
better performance.

Do a test install 256 MB, boot windows time it, once the system loads start
Photoshop CS, then Dreamweaver time it.

repeat the process with 1GB, and report back.