RAM help for reps

[bradlehman]

I have a Dell Inspiron E1505 laptop (yes pretty old; will prob be replaced next school year; cannot upgrade memory due to the way comp is built). It's got 1GB RAM (kill me please). Anyway, fairly recently I've noticed that I'm at about 90-98% RAM usage at all times. I've tried terminating processes (I don't mess with a lot of them and there are still dozens left, but most don't seem to be demanding too much from the system). I've tried running CCleaner and the like. Nothing seems to help. My computer is an old POS but I feel like it shouldn't have to run this slowly. It sometimes takes minutes to change tabs in Firefox, to start iTunes, etc.

MISC brahs know how I can free up a decent amount of RAM so things run smoothly again? I'd really like to avoid downloading more programs to do the job if it's possible. Definitely not interested in buying anything.

[.:Chris:.]

Reformat. A lot of things could be causing your computer to use up so much RAM.

If you have a copy of your os on a disc I'd do a clean HD wipe and start over. If your going to reformat or totally wipe the HD make sure to back up important documents, pictures, videos, porn..ect. As far as the programs, I'd just write the name down for them and then go for the latest version. Having an outdated program doesnt help either.

You probably have unknown or hidden process thats running in the background. You might even have all kinds of virus/trojans..ect thats affecting the way your computer is running. Anyway, its always good to reformat every couple of years or so just to get rid of crap. Good luck.

[bradlehman]

Reformat. A lot of things could be causing your computer to use up so much RAM.

If you have a copy of your os on a disc I'd do a clean HD wipe and start over. If your going to reformat or totally wipe the HD make sure to back up important documents, pictures, videos, porn..ect. As far as the programs, I'd just write the name down for them and then go for the latest version. Having an outdated program doesnt help either.

You probably have unknown or hidden process thats running in the background. You might even have all kinds of virus/trojans..ect thats affecting the way your computer is running. Anyway, its always good to reformat every couple of years or so just to get rid of crap. Good luck.

Thanks. The comp runs XP and I don't think I have the disc for it anymore, if I ever did. A reformat could be a pain in the ass considering the stuff I'd have to back up, re-downloading all the programs I use, and the time involved (in law school so free time is usually scarce). I'll wait for some more responses and see what sounds best. Repped.

[.:Chris:.]

If reformatting is an issue then may I suggest a few different anti virus programs? Sometimes AV program A wont pick up Virus C where as AV B will pick it up easily.

I recommend Avast AND Malwarebytes. Maybe try running the scans under safe mode.

Then check out the programs that you dont use anymore and uninstall them. Remove search bars that may have been added to your browsers. Then check the startup options and uncheck any programs that you are unfamiliar of. Sometimes you might find a stupid trojan hiding there.

[JDock]

Try turning off the automatic running of non-windows services.

Start Menu --> Run --> msconfig --> Services Tab

Click HIDE ALL MICROSOFT SERVICES
Click DISABLE ALL
Individually enable any services you know you need. If you don't know, don't worry, most applications will automatically start the service or you can start it by running services.msc.

Apply and restart your system.

[bradlehman]

Thanks for advice. I fixed a billion registry errors, cleaned out a bunch of useless files, uninstalled some stuff, disable some start-up programs, etc. RAM usage has been cut down to 1/3 - 1/2 of what it was before.

[mych3e]

You could open up a cmd window, cd to a known directory, and run "tasklist > output.txt". Open up the resulting output.txt file and copy/paste all the processes here. Maybe someone can indentify some useless processes.

[FuzzeWuzze]

Here you go OP

Start->Run
Type msconfig
Goto Startup Tab
Scroll through the list turning off things you dont need, like QuicTime updaters, Java updaters, Itunes background services, etc.
Apply and Reboot

There's nothing in here that your computer NEEDS to boot so you could turn them all off, but some of the things you may want on startup like AntiVirus, etc...

I do this a few times a year to clear out my startup, after awhile of installing stuff that adds hidden startup apps it bogs down your system.