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#1
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Is my computer approaching its last days?
With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several
months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? Is there anything to be done about about this? Thanks for any advice. Larry |
#2
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Larry wrote:
With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? I sure would NOT assume THAT. And FYI, I have about 60% free resources too, and unless I load a bunch of stuff - or some specific, memory hogging programs, I don't have the problems you are facing. However, I do on occasion reboot (especially if ONE program is a bit of a hog), and I always shut the computer down every nite at bedtime, which I think is a good idea for several reasons. If you are in the habit of never (or rarely) shutting the computer down, I can see how that might happen. I have a couple of ideas he 1) get into the better habit of shutting it down each nite, and rebooting it after, say, some program gets too greedy on resources, and 2) try to isolate WHICH program (if it is just ONE) is such a memory hog, by some careful tests, and taking notes. Is there anything to be done about about this? I think so, per above. Thanks for any advice. Larry But I do not subscribe to the idea that your computer is necessarily approaching its last days! OTOH, if you were talking about some new software that you need to run, that might be a different story. |
#3
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If you believe you have a memory leak, you need to tshoot to find out what app
is causing it. A memory leak is caused by an application that loses the ability to release the memory, which is a cause in the programming of that app. Use of memory and resources are two separate things, 60% resources is not a concern. If you got down to around 5-10%, then you would need to check into the resources. For info on resources see: http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/resource.htm -- Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User } Conflicts start where information lacks. http://basconotw.mvps.org/ Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375 "Larry" wrote in message ... With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? Is there anything to be done about about this? Thanks for any advice. Larry |
#4
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Click StartRun, type MSINFO32 and click OK.
In the left pane of the System Information window, click the + sign to expand the "Software Environment" category. In the left pane, click to select "Startup Programs"....they will appear in a list on the right. Press Ctrl-A on the keyboard, which will highlight everything in the list on the right. Press Ctrl-C to copy the list to the 'clipboard'. Open a reply to this message, click in the body of the message and press Ctrl-V to paste the list from the clipboard to the message, and post back to this thread. -- Glen Ventura, MS MVP Shell/User, A+ http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm "Larry" wrote in message ... With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? Is there anything to be done about about this? Thanks for any advice. Larry |
#5
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Read these two articles and then, after following the advice there to the
extent that seems reasonable in your case, we'll have a baseline from which to work and you'll be more familiar with the tools you'll want to use to track down your problems. http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm -- Gary S. Terhune MS-MVP Shell/User "Larry" wrote in message ... With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? Is there anything to be done about about this? Thanks for any advice. Larry |
#6
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Here it is.
library Startup Group C:\Documents\library.rtl WinKey Startup Group "C:\Program Files\WinKey\WinKey.exe" Flywheel Startup Group "C:\Program Files\Plannet Crafters\Flywheel\Flywheel.exe" Winword Startup Group "C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\WINWORD.EXE" Bootminder 2 Startup Group C:\WINDOWS\bootminder.exe Icon Corral Startup Group "C:\Program Files\IconCorral\IconCorral.exe" To do now.txt Startup Group "C:\Documents\To do\To do now.txt" ScanRegistry Registry (Machine Run) c:\windows\scanregw.exe /autorun SystemTray Registry (Machine Run) SysTray.Exe LoadPowerProfile Registry (Machine Run) Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme AT&T DSL Service PCA Program Registry (Machine Run) C:\Program Files\AT&T\DSL\programs\dslpca.exe /ws Tweak UI Registry (Machine Run) RUNDLL32.EXE TWEAKUI.CPL,TweakMeUp TkBellExe Registry (Machine Run) "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot Zone Labs Client Registry (Machine Run) C:\Program Files\Zone Labs\ZoneAlarm\zlclient.exe LoadPowerProfile Registry (Machine Service) Rundll32.exe powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme TrueVector Registry (Machine Service) C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ZONELABS\VSMON.EXE -service KB891711 Registry (Machine Service) c:\windows\SYSTEM\KB891711\KB891711.EXE "glee" wrote in message ... Click StartRun, type MSINFO32 and click OK. In the left pane of the System Information window, click the + sign to expand the "Software Environment" category. In the left pane, click to select "Startup Programs"....they will appear in a list on the right. Press Ctrl-A on the keyboard, which will highlight everything in the list on the right. Press Ctrl-C to copy the list to the 'clipboard'. Open a reply to this message, click in the body of the message and press Ctrl-V to paste the list from the clipboard to the message, and post back to this thread. -- Glen Ventura, MS MVP Shell/User, A+ http://dts-l.org/goodpost.htm "Larry" wrote in message ... With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? Is there anything to be done about about this? Thanks for any advice. Larry |
#7
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The article doesn't tell how to find out what the available memory is.
I know how to find out available System resources, I click Winkey + Break which opens System Properties, then I click on the Performance tab. But where do I go to find out the available memory? Also, I do shut down my computer at least once a day, so that's not an issue. "Brian A." gonefish'n@afarawaylake wrote in message ... If you believe you have a memory leak, you need to tshoot to find out what app is causing it. A memory leak is caused by an application that loses the ability to release the memory, which is a cause in the programming of that app. Use of memory and resources are two separate things, 60% resources is not a concern. If you got down to around 5-10%, then you would need to check into the resources. For info on resources see: http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/resource.htm -- Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User } Conflicts start where information lacks. http://basconotw.mvps.org/ Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375 "Larry" wrote in message ... With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? Is there anything to be done about about this? Thanks for any advice. Larry |
#8
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Ok, I'm using the Resource meter with its real-time reading which is
useful. The material is confusing, however. I gather that System resources and User resources (which are always the same as each other) and GDI resources are all subsets of RAM. Is that right? So then RAM effectively divides into two components, System resources and GDI resources? Larry wrote: The article doesn't tell how to find out what the available memory is. I know how to find out available System resources, I click Winkey + Break which opens System Properties, then I click on the Performance tab. But where do I go to find out the available memory? Also, I do shut down my computer at least once a day, so that's not an issue. "Brian A." gonefish'n@afarawaylake wrote in message ... If you believe you have a memory leak, you need to tshoot to find out what app is causing it. A memory leak is caused by an application that loses the ability to release the memory, which is a cause in the programming of that app. Use of memory and resources are two separate things, 60% resources is not a concern. If you got down to around 5-10%, then you would need to check into the resources. For info on resources see: http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/resource.htm -- Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User } Conflicts start where information lacks. http://basconotw.mvps.org/ Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375 "Larry" wrote in message ... With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? Is there anything to be done about about this? Thanks for any advice. Larry |
#9
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If you want to monitor your memory, I believe System Monitor will do it. If
I'm wrong someone will advise. If you do not already have it installed: In Control Panel Add/Remove Programs Windows Setup tab Scroll to System Tools and double click it Scroll to System Monitor and put a check next to it. Click Ok Apply Ok. It may ask for your Win98 CD, so have it handy. If you do not have it, the setup files may be on your hd usually in c:\windows\options\cabs. -- Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User } Conflicts start where information lacks. http://basconotw.mvps.org/ Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375 "Larry" wrote in message ... The article doesn't tell how to find out what the available memory is. I know how to find out available System resources, I click Winkey + Break which opens System Properties, then I click on the Performance tab. But where do I go to find out the available memory? Also, I do shut down my computer at least once a day, so that's not an issue. "Brian A." gonefish'n@afarawaylake wrote in message ... If you believe you have a memory leak, you need to tshoot to find out what app is causing it. A memory leak is caused by an application that loses the ability to release the memory, which is a cause in the programming of that app. Use of memory and resources are two separate things, 60% resources is not a concern. If you got down to around 5-10%, then you would need to check into the resources. For info on resources see: http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/resource.htm -- Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User } Conflicts start where information lacks. http://basconotw.mvps.org/ Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375 "Larry" wrote in message ... With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? Is there anything to be done about about this? Thanks for any advice. Larry |
#10
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Larry wrote:
Ok, I'm using the Resource meter with its real-time reading which is useful. The material is confusing, however. I gather that System resources and User resources (which are always the same as each other) and GDI resources are all subsets of RAM. Is that right? So then RAM effectively divides into two components, System resources and GDI resources? Yes. But what's more, it's not just "RAM" (at large), but only two, very limited, 64K memory segments of RAM that are used for these resources in Win98. (And there is nothing you can do to increase that figure) Larry wrote: The article doesn't tell how to find out what the available memory is. I know how to find out available System resources, I click Winkey + Break which opens System Properties, then I click on the Performance tab. But where do I go to find out the available memory? Also, I do shut down my computer at least once a day, so that's not an issue. "Brian A." gonefish'n@afarawaylake wrote in message ... If you believe you have a memory leak, you need to tshoot to find out what app is causing it. A memory leak is caused by an application that loses the ability to release the memory, which is a cause in the programming of that app. Use of memory and resources are two separate things, 60% resources is not a concern. If you got down to around 5-10%, then you would need to check into the resources. For info on resources see: http://www.aumha.org/win4/a/resource.htm -- Brian A. Sesko { MS MVP_Shell/User } Conflicts start where information lacks. http://basconotw.mvps.org/ Suggested posting do's/don'ts: http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm How to ask a question: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555375 "Larry" wrote in message ... With my Windows 98 Dell Dimension (purchased in 1998), for the several months I've had this problem with "memory leak" that folks here already explained to me. It means that after the computer has been on for a day or so, it starts running low on resources. I was able to live with that, just turning the computer off more often or restarting. But now it's getting worse. When I start it up, it's fine With just my background applications on (DSL connection, Zone alarm, Explorer, etc.) I have 60 percent of resources free (which in fact is only about seven percent lower than it's ever been at it's best). But within maybe 12 hours of the computer being on, resources have gotten so low that the task bar icons lose their appearance (losing their details and color), and all kinds of freeze-ups start to occur. It's only the last few weeks that resources would get so low (with as few as seven or so windows open) that the taskbar icons would lose their appearance and I'd have to restart to get some usable memory back. Does this memory leak (if that's what it is), indicate an unfixable loss of functioning in the core components of the computer? Is there anything to be done about about this? Thanks for any advice. Larry |
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