Virtual Memory is too low

[Trevor]

Keep getting pop up from systray 'Virtual Memory is too low'.

Doing a control alt del and looking at how much memory each application is
using, I see SVCHOST has 8 entries at the moment. Is this right? How do I
deal with the error message?

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826513

you can try an custom/initial size of 2 and
max of 1.5 times the physical size
of your ram.

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<)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>

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[Trevor]

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826513

you can try an custom/initial size of 2 and
max of 1.5 times the physical size
of your ram.

Can you explain an initial size of 2?

 

[Trevor]

and should there be 8 copies of svchost running?

 

[Jim]

Can you explain an initial size of 2?

Both of the values are rooted in distant memory. My explanation for both is
that they came from CBS (aka Clear Blue Sky).
System managed is the usual recommendation.
Jim

 

[Jim]

and should there be 8 copies of svchost running?

You have 8 different processes doing 8 different tasks using svchost. So,
if your system needs these 8 different processes, the answer is yes.

To investigate, find out what task each one is doing.

Jim

 

[Trevor]

I assume that 2 is 200 mb?

 

[FrankV]

That is fairly common for svchost so I wouldn't be concerned about it.

FrankV

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

yeh, it is not unusual to
see that number of
svchost processes running.

however, for some people it would
look like a rogue process
gone wild.

here is some fyi from a real professional
on svchost.exe but you can google or
search microsoft.com for it as well.:

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/svchost.htm

incidentally, svchost.exe is one of those
windows file that can be manually deleted
by the user and windows will then simply
recreate it.


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<)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>

..

 

[Daave]

Keep getting pop up from systray 'Virtual Memory is too low'.

What is the *exact*, *complete* message?

How is your pagefile currently configured? To find out, right-click on
the My Computer icon and select Properties. Then click on the Advanced
tab. Under Performance, click on the Settings button. Then click on the
Advanced tab. Under Virtual Memory, what does it say? Also, click on
the Change button and jot down everything in that window and include
that information in your next post.

Usually, "System Managed size" is the way to go.

 

[=?iso-8859-1?Q?_db_=B4=AF`=B7.._=3E=3C=29=29=29=BA]

the initial size is the minimum windows
permits. if you look at the configuration
dialog for the virtual memory, it indicates
the minimum allowed. but you can also
input a 0 or a 1 and you will get a simple
message about it.


you don't have to use 2 and can test your system with
higher sizes, that is if you have the time and
patience. something to realize however, is that windows
will not use more virtual memory than
is necessary. if i'm not mistake the limit is 1.5 times
the size of your physical ram.

so if you max out your page file with
a high amount say like 5 times the ram size, you
will only be wasting that additional space that
has been reserved for vm but "will not" be used by windows.

although automatic resizing is a convenience
for users, it is not always the best option for
some systems, especially the older ones. Thus
windows nags about the low virtual.

my systems are optimized with custom sizes
and i never get that nag. however, other systems may
use the automatic resizing just fine and never get the
nag as well.

here is a link with more fyi on vm:

http://search.microsoft.com/results...OME&setlang=en-US&q=how+to+set+virtual+memory


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<)))º>·´¯`·.¸. , . .·´¯`·.. ><)))º>`·.¸¸.·´¯`·.¸.·´¯`·...¸><)))º>

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[Lem]

What is the *exact*, *complete* message?

How is your pagefile currently configured? To find out, right-click on
the My Computer icon and select Properties. Then click on the Advanced
tab. Under Performance, click on the Settings button. Then click on the
Advanced tab. Under Virtual Memory, what does it say? Also, click on
the Change button and jot down everything in that window and include
that information in your next post.

Usually, "System Managed size" is the way to go.

Is your hard drive close to being full?

See http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php particular the last section,
"Problems with Virtual Memory."

 

[Jim]

I assume that 2 is 200 mb?

Well, I assume that 2 means twice the installed RAM whereas 1.5 means 1.5
times the installed RAM.

This Dell laptop arrived at my house with the pagefile set to 1.5 times the
installed RAM. I changed the setting to "system managed". However, I
notice that the used space in the pagefile as reported by XP seldom exceeds
500 MB. In addition, I have never seen the used space as less that 300 MB.
These figures may or may not be accurate; instead they may or may not simply
show the amount of space that has been reserved. I am not certain what
effect setting the minimum size has.

Since nothing is broken and since there is plenty of space on the drive, I
have not attempted to change the pagefile size.

Jim
Jim

 

[Trevor]

Is your hard drive close to being full?

It's about 0.75 full. Have switched to managed size, and haven't had the
message again yet.

 

[Trevor]

yeh, it is not unusual to
see that number of
svchost processes running.

however, for some people it would
look like a rogue process
gone wild.

here is some fyi from a real professional
on svchost.exe but you can google or
search microsoft.com for it as well.:

http://windowsxp.mvps.org/svchost.htm

incidentally, svchost.exe is one of those
windows file that can be manually deleted
by the user and windows will then simply
recreate it.


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.

Have tried the command in the article you mention but it doesn't seem to
work, see below:



C:\Documents and Settings\Default>tasklist /svc >c:\taskList.txt
'tasklist' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

 

[George]

It's about 0.75 full. Have switched to managed size, and haven't had the
message again yet.

If you do go back and use your own settings use the same size for max and
min as that will keep it from getting fragged.

George P.S. Glad it is working now!

 

[Jim]

Have tried the command in the article you mention but it doesn't seem to
work, see below:



C:\Documents and Settings\Default>tasklist /svc >c:\taskList.txt
'tasklist' is not recognized as an internal or external command,
operable program or batch file.

Are you running XP Pro? As the article mentions, this process will not work
on XP Home.
You should have entered:
tasklist /svc >c:\tasklist.txt
Note the space between tasklist and /svc.
This command instructs the cmd program to execute a program called
tasklist.exe which is located in c:\windows\system32.
If your computer does not have the program in that folder, then cmd will
issue the error message that you received.
Jim

 

[Kayman]

Keep getting pop up from systray 'Virtual Memory is too low'.

Doing a control alt del and looking at how much memory each application is
using, I see SVCHOST has 8 entries at the moment. Is this right? How do I
deal with the error message?

The virtual memory is the space your computer uses when it runs short of RAM
memory. The paging file is the place where Windows handles your virtual
memory settings. If your computer wants to change it, you should go ahead
and let it because XP will adjust the setting to meet the current memory
needs. It is not recommend changing these settings manually as Windows can
manage the size much more efficiently than the user can. Making your virtual
memory setting larger will increase the number of addresses and will make
Windows lazy.

Adding more RAM may also be of benefit as this will reduce the need for
virtual memory to be used in the first place. For running Windows XP, It is
suggest at least 384MB. In general, adding more RAM is the most cost
effective means of boosting a computer's performance.

It is recommend buying quality RAM from a reputable company. Some cheap
(unbranded) RAM can on occasion be defective resulting in 'unexplained'
crashes or freezes. Brands to look for are Mushkin, Crucial and Kingston. To
determine the price and availability for a particular computer, select its
manufacturer and then the model from the menus on Crucial's site
http://www.crucial.com/

Run 'MEMTEST86+
http://www.memtest.org/

Download/Install Process Explorer for Windows v10.21
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/sysinternals/Utilities/ProcessExplorer.mspx

Download/Install XP Page File Monitor
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm

Good luck

 

[Gerry]

Trevor

Do you shutdown your computer after use or leave it on 24/7?

Try Ctrl+Alt+Delete to select Task Manager and click the Performance
Tab. Under Commit Charge what is the Total, the Limit and the Peak?

How large is your hard disk and how much free space. Right click on
your C drive in Windows and select Properties to get this information.

What is your CPU processor speed? How much RAM memory? Right click on
your My Computer icon on your Desktop and select Properties to get
this information.


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Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England
Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Laughingstar~*]

I was advise when a small percent of HD was used (25%-30%) to decrease the
VM below the default. But, when I did that, it popped up above the default
(XP Pro SR2++++) by one digit. It never would stay below the default, only
one (1) more.