Too much memory being used. What can I do?

[mia928]

Hello, I've noticed that my RAM usage has gone up by a lot randomly. It used to not be using much at all when I had lots of things open, but now, even with nothing opened (other than my browser), it is using 1.74GB out of 3GB.
Can someone help me situate the problem? Or should I simply buy some more RAM? I've been trying to play Sims 3 and it's been painfully slow...

My computer has 2 free slots and it can handle up to 8GB of RAM, so I figured I could get 2X2GB to have 7GB total.

Thanks in advance!

 

[kbrady1979]

Have you recently updated Java and/or Firefox?

 

[mia928]

I just updated Java yesterday or the day before actually.
And Firefox updates itself, so I'm not sure when was the last time.

 

[kbrady1979]

I had a problem recently where my memory usage went up for no reason.....and when I closed everything, instead of going down to normal, it stayed the same. Turned out to be a Java/Firefox problem.

You might start with a virus/malware scan to make sure that isn't what is using your memory.

 

[mia928]

I did a full scan with Microsoft Security Essentials yesterday when I noticed the high RAM and it came out completely clean.

 

[x BlueRobot]

I know, FireFox has some memory leak problems in one of it's browser versions, and I'm not sure if it was ever patched fully. Have you tried using a different browser?

Please post a screenshot of Resource Monitor:

Start rb: > Type: Resource Monitor > Accept UAC prompt (if it appears) > Memory

 

[kbrady1979]

Also, do you remember if you did anything, such as an install, upgrade, etc about the same time the problem started?

 

[mia928]

I know, FireFox has some memory leak problems in one of it's browser versions, and I'm not sure if it was ever patched fully. Have you tried using a different browser?

Please post a screenshot of Resource Monitor:

Start rb: > Type: Resource Monitor > Accept UAC prompt (if it appears) > Memory

I haven't tried any other browsers. I think I still have Internet Explorer, though.
My Firefox is at version 19.0.2 if that helps. It says it's up to date.

EDIT: I closed Firefox, and the RAM went down to 1.14GB with nothing opened. :/

 

[mia928]

Also, do you remember if you did anything, such as an install, upgrade, etc about the same time the problem started?

Uhm...recently I've downloaded quite a few movies (utorrent) and a mp3 file converter a couple of weeks back, but I deleted that program when I was done with it. Other than that.. I'm not too sure.

 

[kbrady1979]

To find out if it's a Java/Firefox issue, you could uninstall all instances of Java in Control Panel> Programs and Features. If that doesn't fix it, you can always reinstall Java.

 

[x BlueRobot]

Firefox seems to be consuming almost of all of your memory, do you use any extensions/add-ons in Firefox? Try using IE, and then post the same screenshot.

 

[x BlueRobot]

Add-ons aren’t intrinsically leaky, but the memory team identified dozens of add-ons that were causing huge memory leaks and made significant process improving the experience for Firefox users.

• More on Firefox Memory Improvements | Future Releases

Here's a little info about some the improvements on memory leaks.

 

[mia928]

To find out if it's a Java/Firefox issue, you could uninstall all instances of Java in Control Panel> Programs and Features. If that doesn't fix it, you can always reinstall Java.

After deleting Java: 1.61GB
I suppose I should reinstall it? lol

 

[kbrady1979]

It might be the Java Plug-Ins for Firefox........I would try disabling them first.

 

[mia928]

Firefox seems to be consuming almost of all of your memory, do you use any extensions/add-ons in Firefox? Try using IE, and then post the same screenshot.

The screenshot of the RAM shows me with Firefox open, closing it, starting up IE, then closing it after a while and going back on Firefox.

The other one is my extensions on Firefox. I deleted a couple of useless ones before the screenshot, and checked the RAM usage again, but it didn't seem to change anything.

 

[mia928]

It might be the Java Plug-Ins for Firefox........I would try disabling them first.

It has apparently been disabled the whole time. :/
I posted a screenshot of my extensions and you can see that it is disabled.

EDIT: Nvm, I just saw the plugins.. I will disable it now and see what it does... or should I just post a screenshot of all the plugins and let you experts see what could possibly be wrong?

 

[mia928]

Here are my plugins.. seems like Adobe needs to be updated.

 

[x BlueRobot]

Scan for any malware:

• http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/166445-windows-defender-offline.html
• Anti-rootkit utility TDSSKiller

Do you really need to be running Google Update, Windows Live Photo Gallery and even Java? Many plug-ins and websites do not require Java anymore, it's best to check if the plug-ins, websites or programs you use, require Java, especially with the numerous Java and Adobe Reader security exploits which have occurred.

How to Disable Java:

• How to Disable Java

If you only need it for desktop programs, then disable it within your browser.

 

[kbrady1979]

Disable the Java Plug-In, and give it a reboot. See what the RAM usage is then.

 

[mia928]

I have disabled Java on my browsers and it didn't seem to affect the RAM.. Neither did disabling the other useless plugins.

I will scan for malware later. I need to work. I will be back in not too long. Thanks for your help so far!