Sever Problem with Windows 7 and RAM Usage

[M17x]

There is definitely something wrong with Windows 7 64-bit and its use of physical RAM. I have an Alienware M17x 4-core with 4 GB RAM. Amongst the reported problems here on this forum with Win7's use of RAM I experiened a certain behavior that to me is just plainly unexceptable.

I booted the laptop and then let it settle down out of its boot. At this point it was using just 1.37 GB of RAM. The 4-cores were each equally settled in at idle. I came back 4 hours later after doing absolutely nothing and found that the RAM usage was at 100% with 0% unused RAM.

The computer was at a complete crawl taking over 5 minutes to go from one window to another. It took over 20 minutes to shutdown and turn the computer off.

I have read all the conversations here surrounding this topic and most of them seem to let Windows 7 off the hook. But this is something that Microsoft cannot be left off the hook for. There is definitely a memory leak occurring for some reason or as a result of some feature that Windows is trying to provide to the user.

I think this behavior is totally unacceptable, unwarranted and not correct and needs to be investigated thoroughly to identify the root cause of this huge problem. I cannot buy anyone's excuse posted anywhere in this forum that dismisses this problem. This just isn't correct nor efficient or proficient operating system behavior.

 

[zigzag3143]

There is definitely something wrong with Windows 7 64-bit and its use of physical RAM. I have an Alienware M17x 4-core with 4 GB RAM. Amongst the reported problems here on this forum with Win7's use of RAM I experiened a certain behavior that to me is just plainly unexceptable.

I booted the laptop and then let it settle down out of its boot. At this point it was using just 1.37 GB of RAM. The 4-cores were each equally settled in at idle. I came back 4 hours later after doing absolutely nothing and found that the RAM usage was at 100% with 0% unused RAM.

The computer was at a complete crawl taking over 5 minutes to go from one window to another. It took over 20 minutes to shutdown and turn the computer off.

I have read all the conversations here surrounding this topic and most of them seem to let Windows 7 off the hook. But this is something that Microsoft cannot be left off the hook for. There is definitely a memory leak occurring for some reason or as a result of some feature that Windows is trying to provide to the user.

I think this behavior is totally unacceptable, unwarranted and not correct and needs to be investigated thoroughly to identify the root cause of this huge problem. I cannot buy anyone's excuse posted anywhere in this forum that dismisses this problem. This just isn't correct nor efficient or proficient operating system behavior.

Hi and welcome

I can understand your frustration, and would like to give you a hand in fixing it if you are inclined.


Ken J+

 

[logicearth]

I have read all the conversations here surrounding this topic and most of them seem to let Windows 7 off the hook. But this is something that Microsoft cannot be left off the hook for. There is definitely a memory leak occurring for some reason or as a result of some feature that Windows is trying to provide to the user.

I think this behavior is totally unacceptable, unwarranted and not correct and needs to be investigated thoroughly to identify the root cause of this huge problem. I cannot buy anyone's excuse posted anywhere in this forum that dismisses this problem. This just isn't correct nor efficient or proficient operating system behavior.

Sure it. What ever you installed it causing you grief you better uninstall it. However since you have not provided us with any clues to help you solve it. Telling you what program is causing it is currently impossible. Good luck. However your claim, "...a memory leak occurring...as a result of some feature that Windows is trying to provide to the user..." Can not be proven or disproven without providing information.

 

[mushroomboy]

Looks like we have a mem leak, as I can't think of any other reason it would be like this. We would need to know a list of recently installed programs.

 

[zigzag3143]

We wont know until and uneless the OP wants to work on it. I suspect I know what it is (svchost) but cant know until the op is ready to move on.

Ken J+

 

[M17x]

I'm ready to move on this. There are no other applications installed except Windows Office 2007 which was already on the computer. What's next?

 

[M17x]

We wont know until and uneless the OP wants to work on it. I suspect I know what it is (svchost) but cant know until the op is ready to move on.

Ken J+

I noticed the other night that 8 copies of svchost were loaded. I never remember windows XP ever loading this many copies of svchost.

 

[logicearth]

SVCHOST is just a host process for other processes. It is not the source of a memory leak. Multiple SVCHOST process should be running with each running a different group of Services and other processes.

 

[mushroomboy]

Yeah, I've got a bunch running as well, usually you have multiple ones using very little memory and one of them using 50-100mb though that varies too.

 

[M17x]

SVCHOST is just a host process for other processes. It is not the source of a memory leak. Multiple SVCHOST process should be running with each running a different group of Services and other processes.

Interestingly all I have been doing is writing on this forum using explorer and went from 30% usage to now now 70%...with just one explorer windows open. BTW I checked svchost and there are no svchost processes loaded.

 

[M17x]

OK RAM usgae has climbed again from 70% to 73% usage...and I'm not doing anything but this posting.

 

[logicearth]

Do you have any antivirus? Or have you installed the latest drivers for your hardware? I remember Nvidia having a memory leak in there Stereo3D thing, not sure if it has been fixed.

 

[M17x]

Do you have any antivirus? Or have you installed the latest drivers for your hardware? I remember Nvidia having a memory leak in there Stereo3D thing, not sure if it has been fixed.

Yes I have anti-virus going. I have the latest NVIDIA drivers as well as far as I know.....last release I know is 10/2009.

BTW...just sitting since my last post an hour ago the memory usage went from 73% to 87%....just writing this message the memory usage jumped from 87% to 91%.

What the heck is going on???!!!

 

[logicearth]

What antivirus? Do you still get the memory problem if you uninstall it? Just for the sack of testing, uninstall it.

 

[M17x]

What antivirus? Do you still get the memory problem if you uninstall it? Just for the sack of testing, uninstall it.

OK I shutoff the McAfee anti-virus and shutdown the network hub as well. The memory usage was at 33%. I then loaded all of Office 2007 which drove the memory upto 41% usage. I then shut down the Office 2007 stuff and the memory usage satyed at 41%. I then let the computer just sit there idle with nothing running. At the end of 20 minutes the RAM usage went from 41% to 50%

So the virus protection is not the problem as it went up 8% when virus and network were shutdown. So not only is it creeping upward but Windows isn't releasing anything either once applications are closed.

These are typical classic symptoms of a memory leak....

BTW...just doing this post has driven the usage up from 50% to 60%.....

 

[logicearth]

I said uninstall...there is a lot of internal mucking about with antivirus software. Turning them off doesn't always work. However it doesn't appear your memory usage is sky-rocketing like it was. Instead I would let it sit for a while. While you are not using the computer several background task are going to run, these task run more noticeably on fresh installations. They soon tapper off after the initial workload is done and over with, only coming to life ever so often when there is more work to be done.

 

[Frostmourne]

Uninstall McAffee and use Microsoft Security Essentials. What runs at startup and has Alienware installed any proprietary apps?

 

[M17x]

I uninstalled McAffee and decided to install the Microsoft Security Essentials in place of McAffeee. I just don't trust McAffee after the nightmares I had with it when using it with Windows XP.

As for the culprit I display the processing times and found that the alienfusion (power) services was stuck in a continuous "starting" (NOT Started) loop and was getting all the 4-core processing time when the computer is supposed to be idle. So I have disabled the alienfusion.exe service and rebooted.

I confirmed that alienfusion though it ran under Vista without incident is not compatible with Windows 7 at the moment. So I am gusess that I am going to see and end to this problem. A couple days observation will tell the tale....

 

[M17x]

Frost Mourne... it appears you and I had the same idea at the same moment!....

 

[M17x]

Wow...talk about a big performance difference already. The boot time was cut in 1/2. The 4-core is now truly sitting at idle and not perculating as it was before. Initial RAM boot usage went from 33% down to 29% and just sits there. When I fire up all the Office apps the RAM goes to only 33% and then drops back down when I quit the applications.

Finally this thing is acting as it should. So I guess McAffee may be vindicated, the culprit being the broken AlienFusion service. But I am going to keep the Microsoft Security Essentials instead of going back to McAffee...I just don't trust their software. I don't understand why people continue to use and recommend their malware...