High ram usage without running any programs

[mwaddoups]

I have 1gb of ram in my computer and I wanted to know if it is normal for ram usage to stay at about 50% even when the computer has been left idle? If this is not normal, what can I do to bring my usage down? Thanks.

 

[slicksickwilly]

You have to many proccesses running in background and mabe a few too many things running on startup..

Hit control-alt-delete and check your running proccesses out and see which one are the ram hogs then get rid or close them out.. Be careful cause a few are needed for windows..

Also go to start-run then type in msconfig and select selective startup.. Then go to startup tab and uncheck all that junk that starts with windows you dont need..

 

[Sasqui]

You can expect WindowsXP to take up a footprint of 350MB to 400MB, so if you are around there, it's normal.

If you are above that significantly, as mwaddoups mentions, you have some other processes running and eating up memory.

1GB is what I would call the absolute minimum to run XP with decent performance, and even that isn't enough depending on what application(s) you are running (take F.E.A.R. for instance!)

 

[mwaddoups]

I have got rid of some services and gone through with some optimizations - ive got it down to a decent 430mb used idle - I plan to get more ram eventually, but my current motherboard only has room for two slots and they're both 512mb sticks...

Thanks for the help!

 

[trog100]

mine shows 301 mb in use at the moment while browsing.. if u hit control/alt/delete and look in processes that will tell u what is useing what..

trog

 

[Sasqui]

mine shows 301 mb in use at the moment while browsing.. if u hit control/alt/delete and look in processes that will tell u what is useing what..

trog

Yea, that sounds reasonable - I was forgetting that I have firewall, AV and probably corporate big brother monitoring software as well as some backup stuff going on in the background, so your number sounds better.

 

[PVTCaboose1337]

212 mb for me on 2gb.

 

[stealthfighter]

117MB for me while browsing.

 

[Sasqui]

117MB for me while browsing.

Wow - Linux?

 

[_33]

I got 400MB taken from windows and various programs and drivers from boot.

- ATI Catalyst drivers
- AVG Antivirus
- Messenger
- Steam
- Pest Patrol
- Windows Defender
- MBM5
- Taskinfo
- ATItools
- WinTV remote controller
- soundblaster drivers
- Java 2 platform
- Nvidia firewall
- Nvidia RAID
- Apache HTTP server
- Thunderbird Tray
- NERO launcher
- O&O Defrag Agent
..........

It is obviously normal. 400MB worth of stuff loaded, and it's mostly stuff that I need to run the computer. I can cut it down to 250MB by removing a bunch of stuff, but I got 2 GB ram so why worry?

 

[trog100]

yes i wish windows would make better use of my spare ram.. i just altered the memory usage setting from priority to programs to priority to the cache and background processes..

my idea was to make windows use more memory and store more stuff in its cache to speed up the loading of stuff i use often.. dosnt seem to have made the slightest difference... he he he

trog

 

[zekrahminator]

I use 250MB of RAM on Darth Flatulence while browsing and listening to music with...

• Gigabyte WLAN utility
• Logitech device profiler
• Everest
• Nvidia drivers and/or control panel
• Avast! without resident protection (enabling it caused lag in UT2004 and Halo).

Aegis (see case here.) Uses roughly 300MB loaded, with...

• Avast! with resident protection
• AOL services (can't do anything about that)
• ATI Control Panel
• Creative system volume controls

I'll let you know if I forgot anything later .

 

[stealthfighter]

Wow - Linux?

No, Windows XP and alot of tweaking (no antivirus/firewall either)

 

[Sasqui]

No, Windows XP and alot of tweaking (no antivirus/firewall either)

Cleaner = better (until you catch something, lol) God I miss DOS.