question about task manager

should the sum of available memory + system cache = total memory?


- HandsOff

 

Hi Handsoff

Briefly the answer is no
Read about it here http://www.ecscolorado.com/faqs/cache.htm

There are ways to set the Min and max amount of memory for cache.

Try this
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;895932

Tex

 

Hello Tex -

I'm not surprised the answer is no, but I cannot fathom the accounting method. The diffrence between the two quantities in round numbers is only 6000k...

when my computer shuts down, there is some process that does not stop running, so the memory is not freed up. This happens every shut down and is probably the reason my computer restarts instead of shuts down - Even though I have automatic restart deselected.

At any rate I can't figure out a way to identify the process. I was hoping there was some way of accounting for memory so I could narrow the list of suspect processes down.

I will check those links, but I thought I'd describe my problem a little more so you'd know what I was looking for.

Actually, I guess I asked the wrong question in the first place. I should be asking about memory leakage. Thinking can be a very slow process for me!

Incidentally, that second link was pretty interesting to me since I have wondered about the memory setting in which you choose between allocating more memory for cache or programs. Apparently there is a good chance of hurting your perfomance if you change it from the default programs setting. So tinker with your cache size, but for that setting....

...HandsOff!

-HandsOff

 

Hi Handsoff

I'm not sure if this will solve your problem but there is a program
called Win Tasks which shows you all running processes CPU and memory
usages + many other things.
Maybe you could shut all known running programs down and then
check with Win Tasks what is still running and see if you can decipher
from that where the problem is

You can download a free trial of WIN tasks Pro from here
http://www.liutilities.com/products/trial/

Hope this helps

Tex

 

Actually I do use Wintasks. I don't consider it quite as reliable with memory usage as good old task manager. I use it because it is so much easier to see at a glance what is running!

I'm not sure how to approach this. I just updated a couple of programs and removed something from scheduled tasks. there are non-related improvements, but no effect on the problem.

There is something that makes me wonder...when webroot window washer is set to clean at program start, it will sometimes ask to shut internet explorer first. But internet explorer is not running. normally it only asks this if the browser is open. now i lean towards thinking it is related to IE

-HandsOff

 

Hi Handsoff

Maybe a reinstall of Internet Explorer will cure it.

Tex

 

Tex-

I think I will just wait this out and see if it goes away or becomes obvious. I view the un/installation of xp/ie updates with the same reservation some people have for editing the registry. Thanks anyway.


-HandsOff