freezes with "dangerously low on resources" error message

Hi,

I have an ASUS motherboard P5 A-B (I think) with 256M RAM, 2 60G
Maxtor dirives, an new Nvidia Geforce2 Mx/Mx400, and a 550 AMD K6-2
550mhz cpu.

for the past 3-6 months I have been freezing up (mouse pointer moves
but won't activate anything) CAD has no affect, I simply have to
power off and reboot.

I added the new video card partially thinking because I had so many
window open all the time that it was over loading the card, but the
new 64M card made no difference. It replaced an 8M AGP Trident card.

My usual programs that are open when these failures occur are Windows
Explorer, Eudora 6.x, Textpad, MSIE 6.0 browser windows (as many as 3
or 4 sometimes. but usually 2), and as needed Paint Shop Pro, WSFTP,
and other various program related to imaging, sound production, etc.

On bootup I show 42% free under the "System Resources" under the
Perfomance tab, this is before opening any of the above mentioned
programs. AFter opening up the main working programs, I show: "Very
Low - 8% free - see below" and it tells me that some programs may not
run. With 2 browser windows open it shows only 1% free.

I used to be able to run all this stuff and more without a problem,
what could have happened to now be tying up so many system resources?

I can of course close some and it puts me back at about 28%, but then
some things that I have come to rely on are missing, clocks with time
and date showing, popup reminders, window washer to clear files when
closing browsers etc.

it's irksome.. and I'm wondering if there's something wrong or I'm
just exceeding the capabilities of this machine? If so, is there a
remedy or is this indicative of the limits of PC's? or of the windows
98 resource management?

thanks for any info or suggestions.

btw, here's the list from my msconfig's startup list. (wow, there's a
lot of stuff that runs here...but it's all stuff I use. ;-( )


Taskbar Display Controls RunDLL deskcp16.dll,QUICKRES_RUNDLLENTRY
PCBeeper D:\PROGRAM FILES\WHITFIELD
SYSTEMS\BEEPER.EXE
Window Washer C:\Program Files\Webroot\Washer\wwDisp.exe
RoboForm "C:\Program Files\Siber Systems\AI
RoboForm\RoboTaskBarIcon.exe"
ScanRegistry C:\WINDOWS\scanregw.exe /autorun
TaskMonitor C:\WINDOWS\taskmon.exe
SystemTray SysTray.ExE
Tweak UI RUNDLL32.EXE TWEAKUI.CPL,TweakMeUp
Dimension4 D:\PROGRAM FILES\D4\D4.EXE
Visual Day Planner
Pop-Up Stopper "D:\PROGRAM FILES\PANICWARE\POP-UP
STOPPER\DPPS2.EXE"
QAGENT D:\PROGRAM FILES\QUICKENW\QAGENT.EXE
LVComs C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\LVComS.exe
StillImageMonitor C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\STIMON.EXE
LoadPowerProfile Rundll32.exe
powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
QuickTime Task "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\QTTASK.EXE" -atboottime
ccApp "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec
Shared\ccApp.exe"
ccRegVfy "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec
Shared\ccRegVfy.exe"
Gene USB Monitor C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\USBMonit.exe
NvCplDaemon RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
nwiz nwiz.exe /install
NvMediaCenter RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
Tweak UI RUNDLL32.EXE TWEAKUI.CPL,TweakLogon
TB2PROEXE D:\PROGRAM FILES\TIMBUKTU PRO\tb2start.exe
LoadPowerProfile Rundll32.exe
powrprof.dll,LoadCurrentPwrScheme
SAgent2ExePath C:\Program Files\Common
Files\EPSON\EBAPI\SAgent2.exe
EAgent95ExePath C:\Program Files\Common
Files\EPSON\EBAPI\eEBAgent.exe
SchedulingAgent mstask.exe
ccEvtMgr "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec
Shared\ccEvtMgr.exe"
ScriptBlocking "C:\Program Files\Common Files\Symantec
Shared\Script Blocking\SBServ.exe" -reg
MiniLog C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\ZONELABS\MINILOG.EXE
-service
Replicator D:\PROGRA~1\REPLIC~1\PTREPL~1.EXE
EPSON Status Monitor 3 Environment Check 2
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\E_SRCV02.EXE
Tscuts.exe D:\TSCUTS\TSCUTS.EXE
ClipMate 4.5 32-bit D:\PROGRA~1\CLIPMT40\CLIPMT45.EXE
Trillian: The Ultimate Chat Program
D:\PROGRA~1\TRILLIAN\TRILLIAN.EXE
voiceclock.exe D:\VOICECLK\VOICEC~1.EXE
Deskmenu C:\WINDOWS\DESKMENU.EXE
Clock D:\PROGRA~1\CWMCLO~1\CLOCK.EXE
Acrobat Assistant
D:\PROGRA~1\ADOBE\ACROBA~1.0\DISTILLR\ACROTRAY.EXE
Adobe Gamma Loader
C:\PROGRA~1\COMMON~1\ADOBE\CALIBR~1\ADOBEG~1.EXE
Alchemy Mindworks Up2Date D:\GIFCON\UP2DATE\AMI-UP~1.EXE
Encoder Agent C:\PROGRA~1\WINDOW~3\ENCODER\WMENCAGT.EXE

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 19:42:57 -0400, niteowl

I have an ASUS motherboard P5 A-B (I think) with 256M RAM, 2 60G
Maxtor dirives, an new Nvidia Geforce2 Mx/Mx400, and a 550 AMD K6-2
550mhz cpu.

Just to check: Is that new AGP card OK for the AGP modes supported by
the motherboard? Not that it's the modes that count; more the AGP
operating voltages. I guess it's OK if not fried yet - or is it PCI?

What are the AGP and PCI base speeds? I ask, as some K6's used to use
"funny" base speeds that could cause some mobo chipsets to overclock
the PCI and AGP busses. You don't want to do that - or rather, let's
just say that if you do and find the system locks up, etc. "well, duh"

for the past 3-6 months I have been freezing up (mouse pointer moves
but won't activate anything) CAD has no affect, I simply have to
power off and reboot.

OK, not really a freeze at the hardware level, given that the mouse
service still runs (a hardy little beast, is the mouse service!)

Ctl+Alt+Del does what?

I added the new video card partially thinking because I had so many
window open all the time that it was over loading the card, but the
new 64M card made no difference. It replaced an 8M AGP Trident card.

Nah, forget the amount of RAM on the card - even a "small" card has
more than enough room to hold plain 2D SVGA screen images, and the
workspace requirements of the SVGA windows acceleration are not
usually bound to the contents of SVGA RAM.

OTOH, chipset or SVGA driver issues would be side-stepped by swapping
out the SVGA card, so it's a good move for other reasons :-)

My usual programs that are open when these failures occur are Windows
Explorer, Eudora 6.x, Textpad, MSIE 6.0 browser windows (as many as 3
or 4 sometimes. but usually 2), and as needed Paint Shop Pro, WSFTP,
and other various program related to imaging, sound production, etc.

OK; thinking run-time depletions here. Usually that's the resource
heaps (they are a well-known and measurable example of run-time
depletion, and often a problem in Win9x) but in my experience can also
be SVGA driver/workspace issues, etc.

On bootup I show 42% free under the "System Resources" under the
Perfomance tab, this is before opening any of the above mentioned
programs. AFter opening up the main working programs, I show: "Very
Low - 8% free - see below" and it tells me that some programs may not
run. With 2 browser windows open it shows only 1% free.

You can expect to see problems in such situations. If you find
visible UI problems set in at times that correlate poorly with
reported resource heap levels, then there may be some other run-time
depletion effect that's causing the problems.

I used to be able to run all this stuff and more without a problem,
what could have happened to now be tying up so many system resources?

Bad drivers or leaky software. Check the FAQs at your apps' sites to
see if there's a known issue that a patch or point revision fixes.

Also, do a formal malware scan and then use free Ad-Aware, Spybot,
CWShredder etc. to chase up commercial malware. What you know you are
running may not be *all* that you are running!

See http://cquirke.mvps.org/9x/virtest.htm on formal virus checking,
and you can get suitable free DOS-based av by putting f-prot, nod32 or
sophos between a www. and a .com

it's irksome.. and I'm wondering if there's something wrong or I'm
just exceeding the capabilities of this machine?

Run-time depletions are typically NOT fixable by adding hardware
resources; they are nearly always the result of crap software design
(usually known and lamented as bad, but forced in order to preserve
backwards compatibility). Think of a furniture removal company that
arrives with a huge truck, but insists that any item with an "e" in
the name *has* to be stored in the glove box. No good adding extra
traillers to the rig, as long as the loading crew are that brain-dead.

btw, here's the list from my msconfig's startup list. (wow, there's a
lot of stuff that runs here...but it's all stuff I use. ;-( )

Nonetheless, I'd shred the following stuff and test-to-break by adding
them back one at a time:

PCBeeper D:\PROGRAM FILES\WHITFIELD
SYSTEMS\BEEPER.EXE
Window Washer C:\Program Files\Webroot\Washer\wwDisp.exe
RoboForm "C:\Program Files\Siber Systems\AI
RoboForm\RoboTaskBarIcon.exe"
Dimension4 D:\PROGRAM FILES\D4\D4.EXE
Visual Day Planner
Pop-Up Stopper "D:\PROGRAM FILES\PANICWARE\POP-UP
STOPPER\DPPS2.EXE"
QAGENT D:\PROGRAM FILES\QUICKENW\QAGENT.EXE
LVComs C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\LVComS.exe
QuickTime Task "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\QTTASK.EXE" -atboottime
Gene USB Monitor C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\USBMonit.exe
NvCplDaemon RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
nwiz nwiz.exe /install
NvMediaCenter RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
TB2PROEXE D:\PROGRAM FILES\TIMBUKTU PRO\tb2start.exe
SAgent2ExePath C:\Program Files\Common

SAgent is known commercial malware. Tora! Tora! Tora!

Files\EPSON\EBAPI\SAgent2.exe
EAgent95ExePath C:\Program Files\Common
Files\EPSON\EBAPI\eEBAgent.exe
Replicator D:\PROGRA~1\REPLIC~1\PTREPL~1.EXE
EPSON Status Monitor 3 Environment Check 2
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\E_SRCV02.EXE
Tscuts.exe D:\TSCUTS\TSCUTS.EXE
ClipMate 4.5 32-bit D:\PROGRA~1\CLIPMT40\CLIPMT45.EXE
Trillian: The Ultimate Chat Program
D:\PROGRA~1\TRILLIAN\TRILLIAN.EXE
voiceclock.exe D:\VOICECLK\VOICEC~1.EXE
Deskmenu C:\WINDOWS\DESKMENU.EXE
Clock D:\PROGRA~1\CWMCLO~1\CLOCK.EXE
Acrobat Assistant
D:\PROGRA~1\ADOBE\ACROBA~1.0\DISTILLR\ACROTRAY.EX E
Alchemy Mindworks Up2Date D:\GIFCON\UP2DATE\AMI-UP~1.EXE
Encoder Agent C:\PROGRA~1\WINDOW~3\ENCODER\WMENCAGT.EXE



-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
No, perfection is not an entrance requirement.
We'll settle for integrity and humility
-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -

Thanks for your response... answers between below,


On Sun, 13 Jun 2004 12:07:55 +0200, "cquirke (MVP Win9x)"
wrote:

On Fri, 11 Jun 2004 19:42:57 -0400, niteowl

I have an ASUS motherboard P5 A-B (I think) with 256M RAM, 2 60G
Maxtor dirives, an new Nvidia Geforce2 Mx/Mx400, and a 550 AMD K6-2
550mhz cpu.

Just to check: Is that new AGP card OK for the AGP modes supported by
the motherboard? Not that it's the modes that count; more the AGP
operating voltages. I guess it's OK if not fried yet - or is it PCI?

new card is a PCI

What are the AGP and PCI base speeds? I ask, as some K6's used to use
"funny" base speeds that could cause some mobo chipsets to overclock
the PCI and AGP busses. You don't want to do that - or rather, let's
just say that if you do and find the system locks up, etc. "well, duh"

for the past 3-6 months I have been freezing up (mouse pointer moves
but won't activate anything) CAD has no affect, I simply have to
power off and reboot.

OK, not really a freeze at the hardware level, given that the mouse
service still runs (a hardy little beast, is the mouse service!)

Ctl+Alt+Del does what?

absolutely nothing, screen stays just the same... sometimes I get a
blue screen, hitting the key to continue does nothing, blue screen
remains... CAD does nothing, sometimes, and sometimes it reboots.

I added the new video card partially thinking because I had so many
window open all the time that it was over loading the card, but the
new 64M card made no difference. It replaced an 8M AGP Trident card.

Nah, forget the amount of RAM on the card - even a "small" card has
more than enough room to hold plain 2D SVGA screen images, and the
workspace requirements of the SVGA windows acceleration are not
usually bound to the contents of SVGA RAM.

OTOH, chipset or SVGA driver issues would be side-stepped by swapping
out the SVGA card, so it's a good move for other reasons :-)

I assume you're referring to the new Nvidia? the older Trident card
was an AGP, made by Jaton (had a trident chip on it)

My usual programs that are open when these failures occur are Windows
Explorer, Eudora 6.x, Textpad, MSIE 6.0 browser windows (as many as 3
or 4 sometimes. but usually 2), and as needed Paint Shop Pro, WSFTP,
and other various program related to imaging, sound production, etc.

OK; thinking run-time depletions here. Usually that's the resource
heaps (they are a well-known and measurable example of run-time
depletion, and often a problem in Win9x) but in my experience can also
be SVGA driver/workspace issues, etc.

On bootup I show 42% free under the "System Resources" under the
Perfomance tab, this is before opening any of the above mentioned
programs. AFter opening up the main working programs, I show: "Very
Low - 8% free - see below" and it tells me that some programs may not
run. With 2 browser windows open it shows only 1% free.

You can expect to see problems in such situations. If you find
visible UI problems set in at times that correlate poorly with
reported resource heap levels, then there may be some other run-time
depletion effect that's causing the problems.

I used to be able to run all this stuff and more without a problem,
what could have happened to now be tying up so many system resources?

Bad drivers or leaky software. Check the FAQs at your apps' sites to
see if there's a known issue that a patch or point revision fixes.

Also, do a formal malware scan and then use free Ad-Aware, Spybot,
CWShredder etc. to chase up commercial malware. What you know you are
running may not be *all* that you are running!

okay will do that....


See http://cquirke.mvps.org/9x/virtest.htm on formal virus checking,
and you can get suitable free DOS-based av by putting f-prot, nod32 or
sophos between a www. and a .com

I use Norton as my primary, but also have up-to-date fprotdos that I
run occasionally.

it's irksome.. and I'm wondering if there's something wrong or I'm
just exceeding the capabilities of this machine?

Run-time depletions are typically NOT fixable by adding hardware
resources; they are nearly always the result of crap software design
(usually known and lamented as bad, but forced in order to preserve
backwards compatibility). Think of a furniture removal company that
arrives with a huge truck, but insists that any item with an "e" in
the name *has* to be stored in the glove box. No good adding extra
traillers to the rig, as long as the loading crew are that brain-dead.

btw, here's the list from my msconfig's startup list. (wow, there's a
lot of stuff that runs here...but it's all stuff I use. ;-( )

Nonetheless, I'd shred the following stuff and test-to-break by adding
them back one at a time:

I have removed several of the following entries and have picked up
about 12% with my 4 "working" programs open.. Eudora/Windows
Explorer/Textpad/browser window, so am seeing "some" progress, will
continue to check things out.

I'll asterick the ones I've removed

PCBeeper D:\PROGRAM FILES\WHITFIELD
SYSTEMS\BEEPER.EXE
Window Washer C:\Program Files\Webroot\Washer\wwDisp.exe
RoboForm "C:\Program Files\Siber Systems\AI
RoboForm\RoboTaskBarIcon.exe"
Dimension4 D:\PROGRAM FILES\D4\D4.EXE
Visual Day Planner
Pop-Up Stopper "D:\PROGRAM FILES\PANICWARE\POP-UP
STOPPER\DPPS2.EXE"
****QAGENT D:\PROGRAM FILES\QUICKENW\QAGENT.EXE
****LVComs C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\LVComS.exe
****QuickTime Task "C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\QTTASK.EXE"
-atboottime
****Gene USB Monitor C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\USBMonit.exe
NvCplDaemon RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\NvCpl.dll,NvStartup
****nwiz nwiz.exe /install
****NvMediaCenter RUNDLL32.EXE
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\NvMcTray.dll,NvTaskbarInit
TB2PROEXE D:\PROGRAM FILES\TIMBUKTU PRO\tb2start.exe
****SAgent2ExePath C:\Program Files\Common

SAgent is known commercial malware. Tora! Tora! Tora!

running Adaware now - also had a "EAgent95ExePath" show up.. I assume
that's similar also...


Files\EPSON\EBAPI\SAgent2.exe
EAgent95ExePath C:\Program Files\Common
Files\EPSON\EBAPI\eEBAgent.exe
Replicator D:\PROGRA~1\REPLIC~1\PTREPL~1.EXE
EPSON Status Monitor 3 Environment Check 2
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\E_SRCV02.EXE
Tscuts.exe D:\TSCUTS\TSCUTS.EXE
ClipMate 4.5 32-bit D:\PROGRA~1\CLIPMT40\CLIPMT45.EXE
Trillian: The Ultimate Chat Program
D:\PROGRA~1\TRILLIAN\TRILLIAN.EXE
voiceclock.exe D:\VOICECLK\VOICEC~1.EXE
Deskmenu C:\WINDOWS\DESKMENU.EXE
Clock D:\PROGRA~1\CWMCLO~1\CLOCK.EXE
Acrobat Assistant
D:\PROGRA~1\ADOBE\ACROBA~1.0\DISTILLR\ACROTRAY.E XE
Alchemy Mindworks Up2Date D:\GIFCON\UP2DATE\AMI-UP~1.EXE
Encoder Agent C:\PROGRA~1\WINDOW~3\ENCODER\WMENCAGT.EXE



-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -
No, perfection is not an entrance requirement.
We'll settle for integrity and humility
-------------------- ----- ---- --- -- - - - -