Total Physical Memory vs. Available Physical Memory

  • Thread starter Thread starter jon furness
  • Start date Start date
J

jon furness

Just wondering if this is why my computer seems slow. My
total physical memory is 256.00MB while the available
physical memory is 30.43MB. Do I just need to delete old
programs? Possibly add more memory - this would be
hardware to the computer right? Just new at computers so
please be patient. Thanks.
 
Hello Jon,

I would not be too concerned about the posted available memory. XP holds
items in memory until something else comes along that needs the space. The
memory is then used by the new application. So far as the slow operation, I
would suggest doing a system cleanup, to include scanning for spyware and
doing a virus scan with an up to date scanner. Adding more RAM may help, but
it depends on how you use your computer as to whether there will be any
noticeable difference. If you only surf the web and do a few word documents,
there will probably be no difference if you even went to a Gig. or more of
RAM. If, on the other hand, you play games, run graphic intensive programs,
use large data bases, etc., there will be a very noticeable difference in
performance. Even though the minimum recommended RAM is, I think, 128 RAM,
most everyone will agree that it should be at least 256 for acceptable
performance.

HTH, JAX
 
Just wondering if this is why my computer seems slow. My
total physical memory is 256.00MB while the available
physical memory is 30.43MB. Do I just need to delete old
programs? Possibly add more memory - this would be
hardware to the computer right? Just new at computers so
please be patient. Thanks.
Click to expand...

Deleting programs from your hard drive won't help but you can list all
the programs currently running by clicking on the "processes" tab. You
can then order them in memory usage order to see what's using up your
memory. I think a lot of it will be unavoidable Windows XP type stuff
though.

So if you want more memory - yes, buy some more. This is hardware. It
just slots into the motherboard on your computer and 256Mb doesn't cost
much these days.

On the other hand - if your computer is working OK - why worry?

Cheers

Peter
 
| Just wondering if this is why my computer seems slow. My
| total physical memory is 256.00MB while the available
| physical memory is 30.43MB. Do I just need to delete old
| programs? Possibly add more memory - this would be
| hardware to the computer right? Just new at computers so
| please be patient. Thanks.

A very common cause of computer slowdowns these days is the unfortunate
result of spy/ad/malware.

As you say you're new to the online world some education and preventative
measures are essential.

A very good resource on the subject, with links to free tools can be found
here. Start with the "General" section, "What is spyware."
http://www.dslreports.com/faq/spyware

MSMVP Jupiter Jones kindly provides the following resource which covers some
of the same material and has additional information regarding slow
performance.
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/slowcom.htm

You may also see a reasonable performance boost with an additional 256MB of
RAM for a total of 512MB. 512MB seems to be a "sweet spot" for many home
users. RAM is relatively inexpensive and fairly simple to install. If your
unsure of what you need a good configuration utility can be found at
www.crucial.com .

--
D

I'm not an MVP a VIP nor do I have ESP.
I was just trying to help.
Please use your own best judgment before implementing any suggestions or
advice herein.
No warranty is expressed or implied.
Your mileage may vary.
See store for details. :)

Remove shoes to E-mail.
 
Back
Top