Windows 7: RAM Defrag tool

My original issue was something (a program...I found it had been the index service) had left memory allocated but was no longer actually using it. it was not because I 'had too many programs open' or etc
I appreciate the replies but some of you seem to have missed the point.
I always keep my startup clean of BS and have numerous services disabled that I don't need, etc.



yeah I've used ones that have done the same thing. this one doesn't seem to have that problem. it's quite instant and I really haven't noticed any performance degradation after using it. honestly...if anything....stuff runs better. but that might just be some placebo.


I guess that's a bit outta my IT scope....cuz it doesn't mean much to me =P
superfetch is there for a reason though, I'd like to leave it alone. since I open pretty much the same programs all the time it's probably being beneficial to me

Ram cleaners are completely useless in windows 7

Define Ram Cleaner. CleanMem as pointed out by MilesAhead uses an API that Win 7 uses itself for the same purpose. Does that also make Windows 7 useless? CleanMem just allows you to use what Win 7 is already doing except Win 7 in my opinion doesn't do it in a timely or thorough enough manner.

Perhaps I am missing something here but ...

If you have a application that truly has a memory leak and causing problems you need to isolate the culprit and either remove it, or update/patch that app.

Things like this just mask the issue and fix nothing. The memory leak will still be there.
All you will do by using apps like this, as well as disabling services to "tweak' the system to run better is break it, and make things worse in the long run.

If you leave all the services set as Windows 7 has them, and don't worry about RAM use, the system will be far more responsive and smoother running than if you try to optimize it.
It tweaks itself.



As far as RAM use:

When you run a program and close it, It doesnt always get dumped from memory, just moved to standby.

That way, if you decide to use it later, (amoung everything else 7 thinks you might use) its already loaded in memory and ready to go. It simply changes it to in use status.

It will dump things out of memory you are not currently using whenever a application or game requests that space if needed.


I guess I've never understood why anyone would want to stop the OS from using what RAM it has available to it, to its full extent.

You have have it, why let it set empty when the OS can make use of it?

By stopping it from doing so, or manually cleaning it out constantly is just crippling the system.


I know there will be those who completely disagree, but thats my 2 cents.

i agree with wishmaster. fix the cause not the symptoms. fix the leak. disable windows indexing if needed.

and one sure fire method to ensure you always have half your memory free is to open the case, remove half of your memory boards & lock them in a safe. they'll always be free then. free memory is memory that is not being used. useless.

as it's up to you, if you insist on persuing this, try 'process lasso' from bitsum, in it's current beta incarnation it does allow you to set memory and cpu% limits on a process which if exceeded will shutdown or restart the process. it also allows you to trim (manually or on a schedule) the memory of all, or of individual processes and they even tell you it's NOT RECCOMMENDED. it also adjusts prioritys of processes that are hogging the cpu...they have a freeware version if you are tight, i've got a lifetime license myself.

The reason I stated there might be to many things running is OP post #7. It shows winamp 582 kb, Firefox 578 kb, 4 chrome open 198000 kb, Search inderer 117000 kb and of course we can't see it all. If the rest of the list is like this would suggest to me there are a lot of things open and using up the ram. Now if the OP wants or needs all this running at the same time stick more ram in your computer. Your ram is working properly, you are just using it all.

What it means is, the OS allocates memory for a process to use called a Working Set. Say the app doesn't need the average amount of memory given since it's not going to do much, but it's going to sit in the tray in case you hit a hotkey. It can call EmptyWorkingSet() to tell Windows to take the memory back.

This memory utility is just doing that. If the program does need the memory it will call functions to get some from the OS. So you can be giving it up just to turn around and ask for it back. It may be ok to use it on some apps. Guess that's why it has a list to control the apps you use it on or exclude some apps or whatever.

Afa Superfetch, if you don't want to change the setting, I'd still advise deleting the stats so it doesn't cache the program with the memory leak. Open an admin command prompt. Change to C:\Windows\Prefetch. and do
delete *.*

It will calculate new stats from there. Contrary to popular believe it doesn't take like 5 years to figure out what programs you use a lot. When I delete the stats for my boot files, I get one slow boot then it's back in business.

these best describe my feelings about this thread:
once again I'll reiterate....the problem was / is NOT a program with a memory leak
it was because windows index service had memory allocated for it that it was no longer using
the reason it had so much allocated is because it just ran through ~2 million files rebuilding the index
somehow windows (or indexing itself) decided because of this that it still needed a bunch of ram allocated
thnx for the info MilesAhead, that all seems to make sense!
yeah. the apps that need it will just ask for it again, but the apps that really don't need it and have a bunch allocated....it'll solve that issue. which is exactly what I was wanting.

-Layback Bear
I have pretty much the same things open now as I did then and I have ~2.5GB of free ram (this is without doing anything with the cleanmem). I did NOT have too many things open. also you have kb confused with MB for the FF and winamp use.

Do you have to use a page file in windows 7? Its just my machine never really uses more than 2.5gb of my 4gb of ram, the annoying thing tho i noticed that my machine does use virtual memory at times even tho my RAM is not fully used? How do you turn off or change the page file size that you set for your HD?

pacaveli420 could please post your resmon again, I like learning things.
Firefox 578.040 KB.