Free up RAM

[ikilledkenny]

Hey guys, I want to know if there is a way to free up RAM. I have 1 GB of slow RAM and it is at 60% full when idle. No programs running either. When I click on a few programs like OpenOffice and Chrome, it shoots up to about 80% full. Are there any non-essential processes that I can just kill in order to free this up (other than the programs I'm running)?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Maka]

Nothing running at startup?

 

[Orbital Shark]

If you open up task manager (right-click the taskbar) you will see what each process is using as far as CPU & memory is concerned. I'm using a fresh install of 7077 with only winzip & my GFX drivers installed & have 79% memory used out of 758MB.

 

[ikilledkenny]

If you open up task manager (right-click the taskbar) you will see what each process is using as far as CPU & memory is concerned. I'm using a fresh install of 7077 with only winzip & my GFX drivers installed & have 79% memory used out of 758MB.

I know how to get the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and all, but I just wasn't sure which of the processes weren't necessary. Also, it sounds like you need some more RAM to me. But I think my craptop is broken (to an extent), and that I just need a new computer in general.

 

[Orbital Shark]

I'll get more RAM when i deem it necessary

Also, a screenshot of your task manager might allow for 1 of us to see which processes you can kill.

 

[RST101]

Here you go ikilledkenny, follow this link and you can choose what services you will need and one's you can prevent from auto starting.

http://www.blackviper.com/Windows_7/servicecfg.htm

 

[palettenmann]

Since Vista it is not necessary any more to kill processes in the background. Windows is assigning free RAM to processes if no app is running. When you start an app, vista reduces the amount of memory needed for the bg-processes. Same for Win7.
1,5 Gig of my 4 are filled when win7 ist just started w/o any app like mail or browser.

 

[RST101]

If you open up task manager (right-click the taskbar) you will see what each process is using as far as CPU & memory is concerned. I'm using a fresh install of 7077 with only winzip & my GFX drivers installed & have 79% memory used out of 758MB.

Well you learn something new everyday. Although I do regularly right click taskbar I have never noticed that. maybe because I wasn't looking for it, nice one.

 

[ikilledkenny]

OMG! It shows, "Start task manager!"

That may be the first time I have successfully followed someone else's computer instructions. This time, everything was all there!

Let me elaborate: You know how you have a problem with your computer, so you do some Google-Fu and go to a forum post that shows you exactly how to fix it, but when you follow the instructions, you find that you don't have something installed or something is disabled and you don't know how to fix that? I hate when that happens. It completely ruins my day...

 

[TechOutsider]

Yes, I Google, however I only post when I have experience in doing it.

Open up "services.msc" via the start menu search function. You can easily disable several services, such as the "crypt. services", "power", "server", "workstation", "upnp", etc.

 

[ikilledkenny]

I have experience with Google, too. I'm just too lazy to keep looking

 

[Nicodemus]

If you open up task manager (right-click the taskbar) you will see what each process is using as far as CPU & memory is concerned. I'm using a fresh install of 7077 with only winzip & my GFX drivers installed & have 79% memory used out of 758MB.

I know how to get the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and all, but I just wasn't sure which of the processes weren't necessary. Also, it sounds like you need some more RAM to me. But I think my craptop is broken (to an extent), and that I just need a new computer in general.

Yeah you do learn somthing every day. I did not know this either. That is rad as hell!. I ran into the same problem. 50% of my RAM being used for no reason. This site popped up for a google search. Although I didn't solve the problem, knowing this made me make an account and post this.

 

[chev65]

If you open up task manager (right-click the taskbar) you will see what each process is using as far as CPU & memory is concerned. I'm using a fresh install of 7077 with only winzip & my GFX drivers installed & have 79% memory used out of 758MB.

I know how to get the task manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and all, but I just wasn't sure which of the processes weren't necessary. Also, it sounds like you need some more RAM to me. But I think my craptop is broken (to an extent), and that I just need a new computer in general.

Yeah you do learn somthing every day. I did not know this either. That is rad as hell!. I ran into the same problem. 50% of my RAM being used for no reason. This site popped up for a google search. Although I didn't solve the problem, knowing this made me make an account and post this.

Win 7 takes half of my 1 GB Ram without fail and runs perfectly that way. Your Ram is being used "for a reason" there are zero problems with this and it's also perfectly normal.

 

[Mike89]

Don't know why you want to free up ram. When it's free, it's not being used which kinda defeats the whole purpose of it being there in the first place. When it's being used, the result is it speeds things up. Windows 7 will reallocate used memory as needed for other things so it's always using it. Instead of thinking of ways to free up ram (and have it sitting there doing nothing), I would be thinking of ways to make sure all my ram is being used. The more ram I see being used the better I like it. I know I'm getting the benefit of added performance and see that what I paid for is being used (which is the whole point). If I find my uses are demanding more memory than what I have (or I can use more memory than what I have), I get more memory rather than trying to free up memory.

 

[Nicodemus]

Win 7 takes half of my 1 GB Ram without fail and runs perfectly that way. Your Ram is being used "for a reason" there are zero problems with this and it's also perfectly normal. [/QUOTE]


okay I guess I understand that. There are a lot of programs that are valuable to the system that uses RAM. I suppose I should just get more RAM.

 

[Kavoc]

Another thing you may look at.

I use Advanced System Care by IObit. Aside from it being a wonderful all in one sweeper for the free version, if you look under utilities you will find a nice little SmartRAM program that frees up RAM at any given time and compresses during idle time. It may not be an interest to all, but it's just a little programs that makes this whole package wonderful. Also, if you are having RAM issues while playing games, take a look at the Game Booster.

 

[Mike89]

I'll say it again. People who want to free up ram are going backwards. Freeing up ram is essientially slowing down performance, not increasing it. Windows 7 makes use of ram on purpose, it's supposed to be doing what it's doing regarding ram. It makes ram much more useful than XP did and hence uses more ram. Windows 7 is always moving internally, trying to predict the users habits and moving information in and out of ram to suit this. Information can be retrieved from ram much quicker than from the hard drive so you want as much of your information stored in ram as possible, not less. One gig for Windows 7 is not enough. I have 6 gigs and regularly use more than 3. If I do more stuff, I'll use even more. Programs designed to free up ram are worthless and counterproductive. One of the fastest components (or should I say responsible for the fastest performance) in the computer is ram. Never can understand why people want to throttle it (by not using it's potential).

 

[yaya1899]

Here you go ikilledkenny, follow this link and you can choose what services you will need and one's you can prevent from auto starting.

Windows 7 Service Configurations by Black Viper

Thanks for the link.....disabling services now...

 

[ba5ik]

OMG that is the worst site to just go to and start disabling services cause he says its okay! his lists do not take into account the almost infinite differences in software, hardware and peripheral combination's.

And I can guarantee that not one of you that used that site took the time to read and fully understand what each service you are turning off actually does.

You may need a certain service and not realize, then when you "break" some function of your setup how are you going to know what service you need to re-enable to fix it?

Look at what one disabled service can cause. http://www.sevenforums.com/sound-audio/39547-no-audio-devices-installed.html

 

[ggrrttdd]

The only services I would recommend changing to manual would be the desktop window management and themes, but then you have to use the classic theme.

However I find that if I stop, but leave set to automatic, the superfetch service a couple of minutes after I boot up the computer this helps free up some RAM.

You can make a .bat file with NET STOP "Superfetch" which you can place in a toolbar to save going to services etc....