Because I won't understand the answer.
Recently......Dear old steam powered PC often comes up with something along the lines of.....
"Your virtual memory is to low.....Windows is going to play for a while to make it all better."
I had a quick surf to find out whether there was anything I could do to help matters....Just a little.....And found a set of easy to follow instructions....
"Do this, do that...go to advanced....go here, go there.".....All fine and good.
The bit I can't get my head around is that right at the end, I end up on a window for virtual memory that has two wee boxes that I can change.
One box says 'Initial size'.....the other 'maximum size'......
The instructions tell me to 'increase the number'.......But as they're both the same (766Mb, I think).....How can I increase the maximum size ?.....But if I can..... By how much ?
Cheers - Phil. (Now to try and send 'Orcs' a mail with a piccy on it.....For the umpteenth time.....AAARGH !)
Are you planning on a new PC?
If so don't worry about it.
If not - then you are probably running out of disk space, so there isn't enough to make the VM bigger. I can't recall the optimum for XP (which I assume you are on) but try 4000 MB (i.e. 4GB)
To check disk space, go to my computer, right click on C:, choose Properties, you should see a little pie chart with pink and blue. Can't recall which is free, but you want at least 10-25% free.
To free up disk space delete programs and files you don't want any more.
Thanks Fred.
HOPEFULLY.....A new PC in around 6 weeks....But that's hopefully! ;)
I'm assuming that this poor old thing (although it says there's 60% free space when I run the defragment thingy ) is basically 'chock-a-block'.
And the free space is, in fact, full to the nines of old 'so called' deleted files.
A little later, I'll find the 'pie chart' as you suggest.
'edit'.....Pie chart looks as though I've got around 60% free
At least Mark's (Orcs) mail seems to have gone at last.
Thanks again.
Cheers - Phil
The biggest disk hogs are programmes: Go to Control Panel -> Programs and Features. You can sort by size, and uninstall those you don't want.
Have a look at Disc Cleanup: START -> Accessories -> system tools
After you delete stuff defrag the disc. START -> Accessories -> system tools
Your computer has two kinds of hardware memory - RAM which it uses to "think" with and tht gets wiped clean and reused all the time, and the hard drive which it uses to store information on permanently (mostly). However it's then complicated by Windows using bits of the hard drive space to (sort of) beef up the RAM as "virtual memory" for big stuff or queuing stuff up to process next.
From memory and without seeing it the last window you mention is asking for the minimum and maximum
Amount of hard drive space that 'Doze is able to use for beefing up the RAM/taking some load off it's thinking process. It's worth trying knocking up the second number to something heftier but XP normally caps out at 3gig of "actual" RAM so I suspect setting it to that is probably your best bet - assuming you hav sufficient space for that on the hard drive!
As mentioned use Explorer and check free space on the hard drive - you want lots on the C drive, minimum a few gig. Depending in how the hard drive is set up and what's installed where that might mean uninstalling program's or shifting data around. Or just buying a new PC, my favourite option ;D
Just done a defragment......There were some VERY fat red lines....All better now.
I did have a look at 'unwanted' programs a while ago....and got rid of what I thought were a load of poop....
I'm sure there are still more....Trouble is....I'm not sure what some of them do as regards 'tinternet'.
I can certainly take out.....after transferring them to disc.....OOOOODLES of pics of wee men that I've made.....That'll make a bit more space.
It's photo's and my iPod files that are by far the biggest 'hogs' of disc space.....
I think this old thing has only got an 80Gb hard drive.....Pretty sure 20Gb are music files.
Thanks to you too, Pixie.
Cheers - Phil.
If you have 60% free then don't worry about disk space. It's only if you are down to less than 10% or under 10GB then start clearing some space.
De-fragging is somewhat over-rated. It seems worth doing as you get all the pretty lines together, but how much impact this has is small.
Most programmes aren't too bad space wise. It's games that can be huge, and as you mention photos and music files.
Games are programmes - I was using a catchall term! Agreed Defrag isn't a game changer, but it helps seek time a little not having bits scattered all over the place
Quote from: Techno on 24 August 2014, 06:00:24 PM
Just done a defragment......There were some VERY fat red lines....All better now.
I did have a look at 'unwanted' programs a while ago....and got rid of what I thought were a load of poop....
I'm sure there are still more....Trouble is....I'm not sure what some of them do as regards 'tinternet'.
I can certainly take out.....after transferring them to disc.....OOOOODLES of pics of wee men that I've made.....That'll make a bit more space.
It's photo's and my iPod files that are by far the biggest 'hogs' of disc space.....
I think this old thing has only got an 80Gb hard drive.....Pretty sure 20Gb are music files.
Thanks to you too, Pixie.
Cheers - Phil.
If your music is from popular (or even not so popular) bands try downloading the free version of Spotify. You get a couple of adverts every two or three songs but everything I've looked for has been on there, the only other prob is that you can only listen online. But it can be downloaded to different devices. The pay version allows you to download to listen offline and no adverts. Of course the other big bonus is that it's stored somewhere else thus freeing up your 20Giggly Bits.
Though you are forgetting the Phil is connected to the internet by two tin cans and a bit of string. Streaming anything is always 'interesting'
Quote from: fred 12df on 24 August 2014, 07:59:07 PM
Streaming anything is always 'interesting'
Phil isnt using a watermill then?
Download music from the ether with this sorry old machine ? ;) ;D
Nah.....It's the music downloaded from CDs for the iPod wossname.......
Can't delete those.....Unless I had an external hard drive ?
Plan is......WHEN the new PC at last sits on the desk.....I shall delete virtually
everything from this machine, and then just use it for the iPod and piccies.
But don't tell Mrs T.......She wants to take a sledgehammer to this machine, to teach it a lesson... :o :o :o
Quote from: Fenton on 24 August 2014, 08:19:19 PM
Phil isnt using a watermill then?
Quote from: fred 12df on 24 August 2014, 07:59:07 PM
Though you are forgetting the Phil is connected to the internet by two tin cans and a bit of string. Streaming anything is always 'interesting'
:P ;D ;D ;D
Cheers - Phil
You could TRY cloud storage - I use dropbox, even you could cope with that un. Your ISP my offer it as well as part of the contract. Move your photos there.
IanS
I'm favouring Mrs T's plan.
You could give the old computer to an organisation like these guys
http://www.computersforcharities.org/
Quote from: ianrs54 on 25 August 2014, 07:53:36 AM
You could TRY cloud storage - I use dropbox, even you could cope with that un. Your ISP my offer it as well as part of the contract. Move your photos there. IanS
I've used Dropbox in the past, Ian.....Basically when I was doing some bits and bobs for another 'firm'....
I used it so little, that's one of the 'things' I've uninstalled.....Might give that another whirl though. :-\
I DO back up all the photos on DVD-Rs or a flash drive.....For some reason I'm reluctant to 'not have' some physical back up....I just like having photos on the PC too...So I can flick through them at any time.....I know that's sad ! ;D ;D
Quote from: Fenton on 25 August 2014, 08:58:02 AM
You could give the old computer to an organisation like these guys http://www.computersforcharities.org/
I have to say that I'm just a little bit paranoid about doing something like that, Steve.
It bothers me that some 'naughty personl' could glean useful info from it. Even when it's 'cleaned'.
Otherwise, that's a great idea.
Cheers - Phil
Or... Hit it wiv an nammer!
I'd go with Lemmy on this, although my lifetime subscription to Mackeeper has got me out of all sorts of problems with just a few clicks each time.
Get a tool called C Cleaner and auslogics disk defrag. install and run both of them. Uninstall all unneccessary software and get an external HD for storing stuff. I have a 2TB HDD just for that and a 500GB one for System etc.
Yes, a 500GB external drive is very useful for keeping the drive in the computer clear.
That said if you're getting a new machine in a few weeks you might be as easy to get a hard drive caddy and take the HDD out the old machine an pop it in. Then you can just plug it into the USB slot on the new box and not even need to take up the space the old one does :)
Quote from: toxicpixie on 25 August 2014, 12:08:26 PM
That said if you're getting a new machine in a few weeks you might be as easy to get a hard drive caddy and take the HDD out the old machine an pop it in. Then you can just plug it into the USB slot on the new box and not even need to take up the space the old one does :)
Oh....
Come on !......ME !!......Actually.....I think I actually follow that...... :o :o :o :o :o :o :o.....As a technological numpty, I didn't realize you could do that !
Do I get one of these caddy things from the local golf club, or are we talking about something that tea's kept in ? ;)
Cheers - Phil.
Quote from: Techno on 25 August 2014, 04:08:55 PM
Oh....Come on !......ME !!......Actually.....I think I actually follow that...... :o :o :o :o :o :o :o.....As a technological numpty, I didn't realize you could do that !
Do I get one of these caddy things from the local golf club, or are we talking about something that tea's kept in ? ;)
Cheers - Phil.
If you only lived any closer. I would keep your computer up to date and you could keep the minis coming.... :-\
Quote from: Techno on 25 August 2014, 04:08:55 PM
Oh....Come on !......ME !!......Actually.....I think I actually follow that...... :o :o :o :o :o :o :o.....As a technological numpty, I didn't realize you could do that !
Do I get one of these caddy things from the local golf club, or are we talking about something that tea's kept in ? ;)
Cheers - Phil.
If you can tell the difference between a flat head and a cross head screw you can take a HDD out ;) Although it might be worth a google first just to reassure yourself you know what the drive actually looks like ;)
I know what the hard drive in a laptop looks like......'Cos I have taken a hammer to one of those. :D
(Mrs T wanted it smashed to little bits after it was replaced.)
Us ?.....Paranoid ?
Cheers - Phil
You can potentially recover the info from the smashed platters if you're good and have the kit ;)
If it's music taking up space move the mp3s to CD-R, then delete off your hard disk. MP3 gets about a minute per Mb - so about 700 minutes on a cd, compared to 70 mins of 'Music CD'. The CD will act like normal storage, you'll be able to play via any computer (and even MP3 enabled CD players). Same with your pics -get them off and onto CD. If the computer goes west you will still have them.
Oh, and search to see what large files you have. ~1 son has just found a TERABYTE of uncompressed video! He couldn't work out why he had low space warning! He was recording Minecraft games =)
Quote from: Last Hussar on 26 August 2014, 12:56:32 AM
If it's music taking up space move the mp3s to CD-R, then delete off your hard disk. MP3 gets about a minute per Mb - so about 700 minutes on a cd, compared to 70 mins of 'Music CD'. The CD will act like normal storage, you'll be able to play via any computer (and even MP3 enabled CD players). Same with your pics -get them off and onto CD. If the computer goes west you will still have them.
Thanks LH, but....
Erm.....But if I delete everything out of iTunes......Then want to add a few new tracks to the iPod.....Doesn't the iPod loose everything that's on it apart from the new tracks, when it updates ?
Cheers - Phil
Yes, it will.
Files sitting on the hard disk have no impact of the PC, until you get down to around only 10% of space free.
It is active programmes running that slow things down.
Music files while fairly big, aren't that huge and have a use, when you want to listen to them. I'm not sure that putting them back onto CDs solves much. CDs are pretty big - I have 5GB of music on my phone which is about half the size of one CD in its storage case.
It's irrelevant stuff that you wan to get rid of.
Ta, Fred.
What I believe slows this sad old machine down most is Norton.
They seem to be forever updating 'extra' stuff..(not just anti virus bits and bobs)....or downloading brand new security measures....."For my protection".
I don't actually feel I need some of the new stuff....But they still download it.
The old processor probably has troubles coping with it.
Hey Ho ! ;)
Cheers - Phil
You can probably disable it - and just use Windows Defender. Doubly so if you're about to junk it anyway :D
Well......
Mr sledgehammer has nearly come out of the shed !!
To try and sort a few odds and sods out, I noticed that the "Speedupmypc" prog was telling me that it was running on 'another user's' part of the disc.
No it bloody isn't !....Anyway go to the 'other user' 'bit'....Oooh...a little window saying "There are unused shortcut icons on the desktop...Wanna get rid of them ?"..
Oh all right then...Virtually everything disappears.
Swap user......**** me.....Where have half the icons gone on the 'normal' drive we use 99.999999% of the time, gone.
Fair do's....There were a few spurious shortcuts there...But it took out things that I used half an hour ago.
I HATE this bl**dy thing. >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:( >:(
Cheers - Phil.
PS - Will I'm trying to send you a mail.....I hope it leaves here THIS time !!! :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
The Program speed up my PC gets some really bad reviews
If it is actually "Speedupmypc" no wonder you're having problems.
I keep having to remove it from my Dad's PC as it seems to be bundled with other things he wants in a way that means you can't have one without the other. If it's not actually malware it's pretty damn close IMHO.
Quote from: Techno link=topic=10476.msg128096#msg128096 date
PS - Will I'm trying to send you a mail.....I hope it leaves here THIS time !!! :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
Got, replied, yes, please, thank, you!
"speedupmypc" is malware, simply put... anything like that is generally unhelpful at best :(
The only one I use now is CC Cleaner
I have SlimCleaner on my own PC and CCleaner on my Dad's and on a friend's laptop that I help with fairly regularly.
Thanks chaps.
It seemed to be a help originally....But now I'm getting to the point that in my opinion that it does very little to help......In fact I think it may be causing more problems than it's solving.
It's SpeedUpMyPC, rather than Speedupmypc if that makes any difference.
Are the others free ? ;)
Time to uninstall then.
Cheers - Phil
c cleaner and slim cleaner are free malware bytes if you dont have it is worth getting as well
SpeedUpMyPC.....Uninstalled.....Plus all the little bits that I could find that didn't get removed.
Uninstaller, my bottom ! ;)
Free CC Cleaner downloaded and run.....That found 3/4 of a Gb of poop.
Thanks for all the help chaps. :)
More downloading to do later then. ;D
Cheers - Phil
Not sure if your using Firefox or Chrome or whatever but it might be worth checking to see that all your drivers are up to date
On C Cleaner there is a registry cleaner as well though all it does is delete obselete entries, but can clean out old installer extensions etc ( I only mention this as it took me about 4 months to notice it when I first installed it)
Thanks Steve.
It's 'Chrome' now...I'll have a check a bit later.
Cheers - Phil.
Just to say, that I think this old PC has realized that it's at the last chance saloon, now.....Since I uninstalled SpeedUpMyPC and replaced it with CCCleaner, it's running SO much better.....But that doesn't alter the fact that it will be replaced in a few weeks time. :)........Huzzah !!!
Cheers - Phil
Quote from: Fenton on 25 August 2014, 08:58:02 AM
You could give the old computer to an organisation like these guys
http://www.computersforcharities.org/
Just remove and destroy the hard drive before you do. They can then put another hard drive in
I love this old machine. :'( :'(
Don't know what made me spot it last night...But I noticed that Norton had 'switched itself off'.
Presumably something I'd done a few days ago when I uninstalled that SpeedUpMyPC prog.
Better switch it back on again, thought I.
Every time I tried.... It ran for a while and then crashed...The whole PC, I mean.
I had some poor soul at Norton playing with the machine remotely, for about about 3 hours late last night.
He appears to have taken out the old Norton Progs....and downloaded everything back again.....
And tweaked the new Norton progs (I think)
It all seems to work again......But I bet e'mails take forever to come through as they did previously. (They've been coming in at light-speed for the last few days.)
Just over three weeks 'til we get the new machine.....I can't wait ! ;D ;D ;D
If I disappear between now and the beginning of October.....You'll know the reason why. ;)
Cheers - Phil
QuoteIf I disappear between now and the beginning of October.....You'll know the reason why.
Its your birthday and you're allowed to push the beds together?
;D ;D ;D ;D
Cheers - Phil