8:00 AM 8/2/2007
Total Physical Memory ("TPM") 512.00 MB
Available Physical Memory ("APM") 99.64 MB
There are eight programs running. That accounts for the difference between
TPM and APM.
No, not really. 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.
I want to double or triple the RAM.
Why? Despite what some people tell you, more memory means better
performance only up to a point, and for most people running XP, 512MB
is at or beyond that point.
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.
Adding more memory than you need won't hurt anything, but is a waste
of money.
