memory usage..

[maya]

hi,

where can you see RAM memory use in XP... task bar, under
"Performance", shows just "CPU usage" and "PF Usage" (what is "PF
Usage") nothing for RAM memory..

thank you....

 

[Bob I]

PF =Page File. RAM = Physical Memory.

 

[John]

hi,

where can you see RAM memory use in XP... task bar, under

That's like saying "Random Access Memory memory"... Personal ID Number
number... ;-)

"Performance", shows just "CPU usage" and "PF Usage" (what is "PF Usage")
nothing for RAM memory..

Click Processes (tab) next to Performance. Mem Usage... is that what you're
looking for?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

hi,

where can you see RAM memory use in XP... task bar, under
"Performance", shows just "CPU usage" and "PF Usage" (what is "PF
Usage") nothing for RAM memory..

You don't need to see it because usage is normally at (or almost at)
the amount of RAM you have installed.

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.

 

[maya]

You don't need to see it because usage is normally at (or almost at)
the amount of RAM you have installed.

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.

ok, sorry.. I think my question was misunderstood.. was talking just
about MONITORING memory use.. like, my computer got really slow, so
wanted to see how much RAM was being used (so if close to 100% then need
to restart machine to clear RAM... make sense??) I had thought you
could monitor this in Task Manager, under "Performance", but don't see
it there..

thank you...

 

[Daave]

ok, sorry.. I think my question was misunderstood.. was talking just
about MONITORING memory use.. like, my computer got really slow, so
wanted to see how much RAM was being used (so if close to 100% then
need to restart machine to clear RAM... make sense??) I had thought
you could monitor this in Task Manager, under "Performance", but
don't see it there..

When you are in Task Manager/Performance, look in the lower left-hand
corner. You should see three figures under Commit Charge (K): Total,
Limit, and Peak. What are they? Record these figures shortly after a
reboot and then again, after you have been using the PC for a while and
you notice sluggishness.

Also, how much RAM do you have?

If your Total or Peak figures exceed the amount of RAM you have, there
is a good chance you are relying on the pagefile, which will certainly
cause sluggishness.

For a more accurate assessment, you may run Page File Monitor for
Windows XP:

http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

ok, sorry.. I think my question was misunderstood..

No, I think I understood it.

was talking just
about MONITORING memory use.. like, my computer got really slow, so
wanted to see how much RAM was being used

My point was, and still is, that you don't need to do that. If you
did, you would find that your memory use was at 100% (or near it)
*all* the time. That's normal, and is good, not bad.

(so if close to 100% then need
to restart machine to clear RAM... make sense??)

No, it doesn't make sense. Please reread my earlier message quoted
above. It's *supposed* to be at 100%, and you don't need to clear it.

 

[maya]

No, I think I understood it.





My point was, and still is, that you don't need to do that. If you
did, you would find that your memory use was at 100% (or near it)
*all* the time. That's normal, and is good, not bad.




No, it doesn't make sense. Please reread my earlier message quoted
above. It's *supposed* to be at 100%, and you don't need to clear it.

oh my gosh, this goes against everything I've known about RAM....
hmmmmm..... isn't RAM where programs save stuff they're using in
current sessions (like a Word file for example.. if you create a new
Word file it's saved in RAM memory until you hit "save", then it gets
saved to yr HD...) so my understanding also was that if you've been
using yr machine for, say, 10 mins, since u last rebooted, there will be
less RAM usage than if you've been using it for hours... and that the
more RAM memory you're using the slower the machine gets... and well,
all these were my assumptions.. oh brother... interesting... thank
you...

 

[PD43]

more RAM memory you're using the slower the machine gets

Not necessarily... and maybe you won't even notice. If not enough RAM
exists, then some things are swapped out to the page file.

Things get noticeably slower when your CPU usage is high.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

oh my gosh, this goes against everything I've known about RAM....

Sorry to say, then, that what you've known isn't correct.

hmmmmm..... isn't RAM where programs save stuff they're using in
current sessions (like a Word file for example..

Yes. The data and the programs themselves are in RAM plus the page
file (RAM plus the page file are together known as "virtual memory,"
the sum total of the memory available to you).

if you create a new
Word file it's saved in RAM memory until you hit "save", then it gets
saved to yr HD...)

Correct.


so my understanding also was that if you've been
using yr machine for, say, 10 mins, since u last rebooted, there will be
less RAM usage than if you've been using it for hours...

Not correct. Again, Windows tries to use all the RAM available all the
time. If it doesn't need it for the running programs and the data they
are using, it will use some for other uses, like caching. So normally
*all* (or almost all) your RAM is in use all the time. Free memory is
wasted memory.

and that the
more RAM memory you're using the slower the machine gets...

Sorry, that's wrong. Once again, *all* the RAM is supposed to be in
use all the time.

and well,
all these were my assumptions.. oh brother... interesting... thank
you...

You're welcome. Glad to help.

For more information on this, read this excellent article by the late
MVP, Alex Nichol: "Virtual Memory in Windows XP" at
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm

Take particular note of the paragraph "Why is there so little Free
RAM?"

If you're having a performance problem, look elsewhere for the cause.

 

[Daave]

the more RAM memory you're using the slower the machine gets...

The more you rely on the pagefile, the slower your machine gets. If you
don't have enough RAM, you will start relying on the pagefile, and that
is when the sluggishness enters the equation.

This is why it is important to have enough RAM to meet your memory
needs.

 

[Bill in Co.]

The more you rely on the pagefile, the slower your machine gets. If you
don't have enough RAM, you will start relying on the pagefile, and that
is when the sluggishness enters the equation.

This is why it is important to have enough RAM to meet your memory
needs.

Which for WinXP is normally around 512 MB, I guess.

 

[Andrew Murray]

The more RAM the *slower* the machine? Why does adding more RAM slow the
machine down?
I assume this is a typo.

 

[Daave]

The more RAM the *slower* the machine? Why does adding more RAM slow
the machine down?
I assume this is a typo.

That's not what I said, Andrew.

 

[Bill in Co.]

It doesn't.

The more RAM the *slower* the machine? Why does adding more RAM slow the
machine down?
I assume this is a typo.

 

[PD43]

The more RAM the *slower* the machine? Why does adding more RAM slow the
machine down?
I assume this is a typo.

READING is a skill, bozo.

He said:

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

READING is a skill, bozo.

He said:

Speaking of reading skills, no he didn't say that. He quoted maya who
said that, and he himself refuted that statement.

 

[Bill in Co.]

..>
Speaking of reading skills, no he didn't say that. He quoted maya who
said that, and he himself refuted that statement.

ROFL.

 

[ClueLess]

My point was, and still is, that you don't need to do that. If you
did, you would find that your memory use was at 100% (or near it)
*all* the time. That's normal, and is good, not bad.

How come? I have, in this machine, only 750 mb memory installed and I
have 585 mb free!

TClockEx has a feature to show you the free memory, it installs in XP
ok. Google for it.

My understanding is that memory is used more and more as you run more
programs.

ClueLess

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

How come? I have, in this machine, only 750 mb memory installed and I
have 585 mb free!

Then it would seem that you've done something to interfere with
Windows normal memory management.