shrinking available resources

Windows 98, Dell, 333 MH, 64 MB Ram.

Lately every few days, the available resources shrink. For example,
right now, with the heavy applications all off (Word, OE, IE), my
available resources are only 23 percent free. Normally it would be much
more than that, around 64 percent. I need to restart the computer to
get the free resources up to a normal level. Then after a few days it
will start to shrink again.

Larry

Are you saying you leave the computer on for days on end? Naturally your
resources will vanish, if you do that. Shut it down, if you will be away
for two hours, even!


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
should things get worse after this,
PCR

"Larry" wrote in message
...
| Windows 98, Dell, 333 MH, 64 MB Ram.
|
| Lately every few days, the available resources shrink. For example,
| right now, with the heavy applications all off (Word, OE, IE), my
| available resources are only 23 percent free. Normally it would be
much
| more than that, around 64 percent. I need to restart the computer to
| get the free resources up to a normal level. Then after a few days it
| will start to shrink again.
|
| Larry
|
|
|
|

If you're in the habit of leaving the machine on without restarting for days
on end, this is fairly common in some systems. Always has been. But if, as
you say, it has only become apparent recently, it may be easier to pinpoint
the cause. It may simply be some update to Windows, but some change in other
programming, or one or another update to your background apps is at least as
much if not more likely.

Unfortunately, with a problem that takes days to develop, your t-shooting is
correspondingly slow going. Normal procedure is to disable all background
programming and see if that remedies the problem and, assuming it does, then
proceed to add items back in, one at a time, until you find the one that
does it.

Still, if you want some "experienced guessers" to weigh in on the most
likely suspects, use MSINFO32 (run from the Start\Run box.) Expand the
Software Environment section, click on Startup Programs, click anywhere in
the right-hand pane, then use Ctrl-A to Select All, Ctrl-C to Copy, and then
Paste it into a Reply to this thread (can use Ctrl-V.)

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Windows 98, Dell, 333 MH, 64 MB Ram.

Lately every few days, the available resources shrink. For example,
right now, with the heavy applications all off (Word, OE, IE), my
available resources are only 23 percent free. Normally it would be much
more than that, around 64 percent. I need to restart the computer to
get the free resources up to a normal level. Then after a few days it
will start to shrink again.

Larry

Only 64 megabytes on this machine --- that is really small these days --- is
it a laptop? Would it be easy to upgrade to128 mb's -- since it is only 333
Mhz. I wouldn't buy any more ram then this since it seems like it is time
for another machine if you can afford a cheap one. I say this because I see
computers as tools and although extremely useful they are hardly as
important as food and shelter. :

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Windows 98, Dell, 333 MH, 64 MB Ram.

Lately every few days, the available resources shrink. For example,
right now, with the heavy applications all off (Word, OE, IE), my
available resources are only 23 percent free. Normally it would be much
more than that, around 64 percent. I need to restart the computer to
get the free resources up to a normal level. Then after a few days it
will start to shrink again.

Larry

Hi ArtWilder,
You're not confusing resources with RAM are you?
If so, see he http://aumha.org/win4/a/resource.htm

--
Curt--not the MVP by the same name

W98 Support & Discussion:
http://dundats.proboards27.com/index.cgi
Windows How-tos and and Freewa
http://mvps.org/PracticallyNerded/
Windows Help & Discussion:
http://forum.aumha.org/

"ArtWilder" wrote in message
news:8Uzxc.28021$My6.24381@fed1read05...
Only 64 megabytes on this machine --- that is really small these days ---
is
it a laptop? Would it be easy to upgrade to128 mb's -- since it is only
333
Mhz. I wouldn't buy any more ram then this since it seems like it is time
for another machine if you can afford a cheap one. I say this because I
see
computers as tools and although extremely useful they are hardly as
important as food and shelter. :

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Windows 98, Dell, 333 MH, 64 MB Ram.

Lately every few days, the available resources shrink. For example,
right now, with the heavy applications all off (Word, OE, IE), my
available resources are only 23 percent free. Normally it would be much
more than that, around 64 percent. I need to restart the computer to
get the free resources up to a normal level. Then after a few days it
will start to shrink again.

Larry








---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.701 / Virus Database: 458 - Release Date: 6/7/04

Thanks, all.

First, I don't leave the computer on for days at a time, but for two
days at most. When I say the problem is cumulative, I mean that over
several days (during which time the computer has been occasionally
turned off) the available resources (shown in System Properties,
Performance tab) gets real low. Normally, if only Windows is on, and no
major programs are on, the available resources are about 64%. Right
now, with Word and OE open, it's at 45%. But last night it was down to
around 13%.

Here's the information you requested


library Startup Group C:\Documents\library.rtl
WinKey Startup Group "C:\Program Files\WinKey\WinKey.exe"
The Icon Corral Startup Group "C:\Program
Files\IconCorral\IconCorral.exe"
Winword Startup Group "C:\Program Files\Microsoft
Office\Office\WINWORD.EXE"
Flywheel Startup Group "C:\Program Files\Plannet
Crafters\Flywheel\Flywheel.exe"
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
Zone Labs Client Registry (Machine Run)
C:\PROGRA~1\ZONELA~1\ZONEAL~1\zlclient.exe
TkBellExe Registry (Machine Run) "C:\Program Files\Common
Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
LoadPowerProfile Registry (Machine Service) Rundll32.exe
powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
TrueVector Registry (Machine Service)
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ZONELABS\VSMON.EXE -service


"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
...
If you're in the habit of leaving the machine on without restarting
for days
on end, this is fairly common in some systems. Always has been. But
if, as
you say, it has only become apparent recently, it may be easier to
pinpoint
the cause. It may simply be some update to Windows, but some change in
other
programming, or one or another update to your background apps is at
least as
much if not more likely.

Unfortunately, with a problem that takes days to develop, your
t-shooting is
correspondingly slow going. Normal procedure is to disable all
background
programming and see if that remedies the problem and, assuming it
does, then
proceed to add items back in, one at a time, until you find the one
that
does it.

Still, if you want some "experienced guessers" to weigh in on the most
likely suspects, use MSINFO32 (run from the Start\Run box.) Expand the
Software Environment section, click on Startup Programs, click
anywhere in
the right-hand pane, then use Ctrl-A to Select All, Ctrl-C to Copy,
and then
Paste it into a Reply to this thread (can use Ctrl-V.)

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Windows 98, Dell, 333 MH, 64 MB Ram.

Lately every few days, the available resources shrink. For example,
right now, with the heavy applications all off (Word, OE, IE), my
available resources are only 23 percent free. Normally it would be
much
more than that, around 64 percent. I need to restart the computer
to
get the free resources up to a normal level. Then after a few days
it
will start to shrink again.

Larry

"Larry" wrote in message
...

Thanks, all.

First, I don't leave the computer on for days at a time, but for two
days at most. When I say the problem is cumulative, I mean that over
several days (during which time the computer has been occasionally
turned off) the available resources (shown in System Properties,
Performance tab) gets real low. Normally, if only Windows is on, and no
major programs are on, the available resources are about 64%. Right
now, with Word and OE open, it's at 45%. But last night it was down to
around 13%.

OK, first of all, when Windows restarts it should all go back to square
one--any accumulating drain on Resources should be wiped out. That you
notice a progressive problem over the course of several days, presumably
followed by a (sudden?) return to what you're used to--that's very odd.

You have a somewhat heavy background load if you only have 64% Resources
after starting. I'll go through and comment on each of the items you list
below. A few of them are definitely not problems, some are things I would
recommend anyone get rid of (from the startup axis, anyway) and others are
ones you should consider carefully, and or suspect of causing the drain.
FYI, the best discussion I know of on Resources is by Jim Eshelman, MS MVP,
at http://aumha.org/win4/a/resource.htm

Lastly, it may simply be that one of your normal apps, Word for instance, or
IE/OE, has developed a problem and needs to be repaired.

The following are started by shortcuts in your Start\Programs\Startup menu
(That's that the notation "Startup Group" means.)
library Startup Group C:\Documents\library.rtl
No idea what this is. Do you know?

WinKey Startup Group "C:\Program Files\WinKey\WinKey.exe"
Not something I use, and if you don't, I'd dump it.

The Icon Corral Startup Group "C:\Program Files\IconCorral\IconCorral.exe"
I'm supposing some desktop icon manager. Do you *really* need this? GDI
(graphical) Resources are the most prone to creating problems, and I can't
help but think that an icon manager won't have serious impact on GDI
Resources if not performing perfectly.

Winword Startup Group "C:\Program Files\Microsoft
Office\Office\WINWORD.EXE"
You have Word set to open with startup? What version, by the way?

Flywheel Startup Group "C:\Program Files\Plannet
Crafters\Flywheel\Flywheel.exe"
No idea what this is.

The following are started by commands in the Registry, specifically the
following key:
HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run

ScanRegistry Registry (Machine Run) c:\windows\scanregw.exe /autorun
Performs integrity scan of Registry and daily backup. LEAVE IT!

SystemTray Registry (Machine Run) SysTray.Exe
Provides a home for your Volume Control if nothing else. Harmless, leave it.

LoadPowerProfile Registry (Machine Run) Rundll32.exe
powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
This and the one below load your Power Savings Scheme. Even if you don't
"have" one, leave this. Leave *both* of them.

AT&T DSL Service PCA Program Registry (Machine Run) C:\Program
Files\AT&T\DSL\programs\dslpca.exe /ws
I'm assuming you need this one to get online? If not, you should consider it
a strong suspect, at least. I don't recognize it as necessary hardware
support or just guck installed by AT&T that you really don't need. Again,
this one sets off alarms.

Tweak UI Registry (Machine Run) RUNDLL32.EXE TWEAKUI.CPL,TweakMeUp
I'm not a fan of TUI, but I seriously doubt it has any impact on Resources.
Maybe someone else knows.

Zone Labs Client Registry (Machine Run)
C:\PROGRA~1\ZONELA~1\ZONEAL~1\zlclient.exe
Gotta have it, and should be no problem, but I'd include it in the list of
possible suspects.

TkBellExe Registry (Machine Run) "C:\Program Files\Common
Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
Get rid of this one, period! Pure garbage.

LoadPowerProfile Registry (Machine Service) Rundll32.exe
powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
Discussed above.

TrueVector Registry (Machine Service)
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ZONELABS\VSMON.EXE -service
Discussed above.

To test (best done overnight), run MSCONFIG from the Start\Run box and
choose Selective Startup, then disable all items except WIN.INI and
SYSTEM.INI. Then *physically* disconnect your machine from the internet.
Restart and see what your resources look like. Then leave the machine alone
overnight or all day--the longer the better--and see what happens. If
there's no obvious drain, re-enable just ZoneAlarm (BUT--you have no
antivirus?) and whatever is the minimum necessary to reconnect to the
internet. Go through the day normally, keeping *accurate* track of what
you're doing. Might also want to start Resource Meter and have it keep a
log. Then add back in the normal stuff I said you should leave, then
one-by-one add the questionable items.

I notice that at least one standard item is missing--TASKMON--which logs
usage in order to assist in optimization during DEFRAG. Is this on purpose?
If so, no biggy. And, as noted, there is an obvious lack of any background
Antivirus? What's up with that? Do you *currently* have anything disabled in
MSCONFIG? Anything that's disabled there will not show up in the MSINFO32
list.

That's enough for now, I hope. See how it goes.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x



"Gary S. Terhune" wrote in message
...
If you're in the habit of leaving the machine on without restarting
for days
on end, this is fairly common in some systems. Always has been. But
if, as
you say, it has only become apparent recently, it may be easier to
pinpoint
the cause. It may simply be some update to Windows, but some change in
other
programming, or one or another update to your background apps is at
least as
much if not more likely.

Unfortunately, with a problem that takes days to develop, your
t-shooting is
correspondingly slow going. Normal procedure is to disable all
background
programming and see if that remedies the problem and, assuming it
does, then
proceed to add items back in, one at a time, until you find the one
that
does it.

Still, if you want some "experienced guessers" to weigh in on the most
likely suspects, use MSINFO32 (run from the Start\Run box.) Expand the
Software Environment section, click on Startup Programs, click
anywhere in
the right-hand pane, then use Ctrl-A to Select All, Ctrl-C to Copy,
and then
Paste it into a Reply to this thread (can use Ctrl-V.)

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

"Larry" wrote in message
...
Windows 98, Dell, 333 MH, 64 MB Ram.

Lately every few days, the available resources shrink. For example,
right now, with the heavy applications all off (Word, OE, IE), my
available resources are only 23 percent free. Normally it would be
much
more than that, around 64 percent. I need to restart the computer
to
get the free resources up to a normal level. Then after a few days
it
will start to shrink again.

Larry

You have a somewhat heavy background load if you only have 64%
Resources
after starting. I'll go through and comment on each of the items you
list
below. A few of them are definitely not problems, some are things I
would
recommend anyone get rid of (from the startup axis, anyway) and others
are
ones you should consider carefully, and or suspect of causing the
drain.
FYI, the best discussion I know of on Resources is by Jim Eshelman, MS
MVP,
at http://aumha.org/win4/a/resource.htm

Lastly, it may simply be that one of your normal apps, Word for
instance, or
IE/OE, has developed a problem and needs to be repaired.

Gary, you're going to find me a difficult "patient," since my programs
all serve a useful purpose and they haven't given me trouble before.

The following are started by shortcuts in your Start\Programs\Startup
menu
(That's that the notation "Startup Group" means.)
library Startup Group C:\Documents\library.rtl
No idea what this is. Do you know?

That's robotype, a little autocorrect-type program that loads in the
systray.

WinKey Startup Group "C:\Program Files\WinKey\WinKey.exe"
Not something I use, and if you don't, I'd dump it.

Winkey is indispensable. I don't know how anyone could use a computer
without it. (allows user to assign keystrokes involving the Windows key
to load any program, folder, or website.)

The Icon Corral Startup Group "C:\Program
Files\IconCorral\IconCorral.exe"
I'm supposing some desktop icon manager. Do you *really* need this?
GDI
(graphical) Resources are the most prone to creating problems, and I
can't
help but think that an icon manager won't have serious impact on GDI
Resources if not performing perfectly.

That enables me to place certain programs in the systray where they're
out of the way. It's very convenient. For example, I just keep OE on
the whole time since it takes so long to load, but to avoid having it in
the taskbar, I put it in the systray.

Winword Startup Group "C:\Program Files\Microsoft
Office\Office\WINWORD.EXE"
You have Word set to open with startup? What version, by the way?

Word 97. By starting Word in minimized state, I don't deal with that
dumb splash screen.

Flywheel Startup Group "C:\Program Files\Plannet
Crafters\Flywheel\Flywheel.exe"
No idea what this is.

This gives mouse scrolling capability in all programs, which doesn't
come naturally with Win 98. For example, it allows me to scroll in the
VBA window.

The following are started by commands in the Registry, specifically
the
following key:
HKEY_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Curr entVersion\Run

AT&T DSL Service PCA Program Registry (Machine Run) C:\Program
Files\AT&T\DSL\programs\dslpca.exe /ws
I'm assuming you need this one to get online? If not, you should
consider it
a strong suspect, at least. I don't recognize it as necessary hardware
support or just guck installed by AT&T that you really don't need.
Again,
this one sets off alarms.

Hmm, I'd assume it's necessary in getting onilne, but I don't know.

Zone Labs Client Registry (Machine Run)
C:\PROGRA~1\ZONELA~1\ZONEAL~1\zlclient.exe
Gotta have it, and should be no problem, but I'd include it in the
list of
possible suspects.

TkBellExe Registry (Machine Run) "C:\Program Files\Common
Files\Real\Update_OB\realsched.exe" -osboot
Get rid of this one, period! Pure garbage.

I've unchecked this in Startup tab of msconfig.

I'll study your test instructions and try this out. Thank you very
much. Larry



To test (best done overnight), run MSCONFIG from the Start\Run box and
choose Selective Startup, then disable all items except WIN.INI and
SYSTEM.INI. Then *physically* disconnect your machine from the
internet.
Restart and see what your resources look like. Then leave the machine
alone
overnight or all day--the longer the better--and see what happens. If
there's no obvious drain, re-enable just ZoneAlarm (BUT--you have no
antivirus?) and whatever is the minimum necessary to reconnect to the
internet. Go through the day normally, keeping *accurate* track of
what
you're doing. Might also want to start Resource Meter and have it keep
a
log. Then add back in the normal stuff I said you should leave, then
one-by-one add the questionable items.

I notice that at least one standard item is missing--TASKMON--which
logs
usage in order to assist in optimization during DEFRAG. Is this on
purpose?
If so, no biggy. And, as noted, there is an obvious lack of any
background
Antivirus? What's up with that? Do you *currently* have anything
disabled in
MSCONFIG? Anything that's disabled there will not show up in the
MSINFO32
list.

That's enough for now, I hope. See how it goes.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP for Win9x

By the way, what _are_ system resources, as distinct from memory?

(Also, though I haven't begun Gary's experiment yet, I did leave the
computer on overnight, and the free system resources went down a bit
during the night.)

Larry

This article explains it all. Very interesting.

http://www.apptools.com/rants/resources.php

Larry