Memory Loss? Not always a problem

[zapjb]

Source: http://tomcoyote.org/

Memory Loss? Not always a problem

Have you ever wondered why after spending some time working on your computer, that the more programs you open and close, the less available resources you have? You'd think that closing a program would free up any resources it takes up when running right? Wrong.

Windows has a DLL caching mechanism that keeps certain Dynamic Link Libraries (DLL files) loaded to help shorten the time it takes to open programs you use often. While this is a good idea in itself, it is only really useful when you use the same programs over and over and open and close them frequently.

This tip I've found quite some time ago turns off the DLL Caching "feature" and allows the unloading of all program-related DLL files upon closing the program that loaded them. This can and does in fact free up resources used and can also help gain overall stability of the system, especially if the computer is going to be run for long periods of time without restarting.

I've found two variants of this tip, one of which is labeled for Win9x family of the Windows platform (which includes Windows 95/98/98SE/ME), while the other was aimed at Windows XP. Although the Win9x tweak was tested on a XP system and verified to have the same result. So I'll give both here.

Win9x unload DLLs:

Go to Start - Run - type in "REGEDIT" without quotes and press enter. The Registry Editor opens up. Now use the lefthand explorer pane to find this key:
"HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" In the Righthand pane, right click in an empty space and choose "New... - String Value" and name it: "AlwaysUnloadDll" (without quotes and capital letters are important). Give this new string a value of 1, close the Registry Editor, and reboot Windows.

WinXP Unload DLLs: Go to Start - Run - type in "REGEDIT" without quotes and press enter. The Registry Editor opens up. Now use the lefthand explorer pane to find this key: "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer" Still in the lefthand pane, right click on the Explorer folder and choose "New - KEY". Give it a name of "AlwaysUnloadDLL" (without quotes and capital letters are important). Inside that key change the default string to 1 and close regedit and reboot.

This tweak is perfect for low resource systems. The drawback of using this is a very small slowdown in the initial opening of programs, but this isn't half as bad as it sounds. And the benefit of using this tweak far outweighs the drawback.


Hope this tweak helps all of you.
Regards,
Galadriel - TomCoyote Forums




from zapjb - just tried it on my XP VLK OS w/2x512MB 2700 crucial RAM. Works excellent.

[fkdup74]

why in the world would you need that reg tweak with a gig of ram?
up until about a week ago i was running 1.25 GB, never used it all
remember, there are some n00bies that will see that and try it...
then be pissed at you when they fk up their system from an incorrect reg edit
you should put a disclaimer at the bottom of that post or something
"IF YOU DONT KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING IN THE REGISTRY THEN FK OFF"


btw: that trick has been on tweak xp forever

[Snee]

Testing it out on win2k now(the xp version of the tweak), just out of curiosity.

Not really noticing anything tho'.

[Ariel_001]

Have you ever wondered why after spending some time working on your computer, that the more programs you open and close, the less available resources you have? You'd think that closing a program would free up any resources it takes up when running right? Wrong

I think you are talking about this: http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article07-104
http://www.pcnineoneone.com/howto/resources1.html

The way Windows 9x/Me handles a small area of memory called System Resources is one of the biggest shortcomings of the Windows 9x/Me architecture. Understanding the concept of System Resources is key to reducing system crashes and helping to maintain your sanity in an average workday.
Every time you open an application, it loads all of its visual components, such as windows, menus, text boxes, buttons, checkboxes, and lists, into memory. Windows keeps track of the visual components of all the applications so that, for example, when you drag a window across the screen, it knows what was behind the window and is able to redraw it. These visual components are stored in System Resources. Regardless of the amount of physical memory installed in your computer and regardless of the number of open windows, the amount of memory allotted to System Resources never increases.

What’s more, not all of the System Resources an application uses are released when the application is closed. So, you could open and close an application several times and actually run out of System Resources. That’s why Windows may complain that you’re out of memory, even when you have only two or three applications open.

The symptoms of low System Resources include slow performance, error messages when starting programs, application windows not updating properly, applications hanging, and the entire system crashing. The fix, at least as far as we lowly users are concerned, is to restart Windows. When Windows is restarted, the System Resources are cleared, and everything returns to normal.

This aspect of Windows, as well as many other troubleshooting tips, are discussed in detail in the book, Windows Me Annoyances.

The long-term solution is to upgrade to a version of Windows that doesn't have this problem. Both Windows 2000 and Windows XP are based on the Windows NT architecture, which has a much more sophisticated method of dealing with system resources. Both of these products will fix any "Out of memory" or "System Resources" problems you might be experiencing with Windows 95, 98, or Me.

[peat moss]

Testing it out on win2k now(the xp version of the tweak), just out of curiosity.

Not really noticing anything tho'.

I never look a gift horse in the mouth . But do remember a xp memory reg tweak that does n't work with ATI cards , sadly found out too late. I had to reinstall !


This one : http://www.blackhaloinc.com/tweaks/

[Snee]

Meh, I don't use pagefiles on XP.

But I have tweaked um on 2k (not with that reg edit tho').
[EDit: Actually, I think it was a very similar thing I did on 2k]



Was just about to do this edit on xp too, but maybe I shouldn't then as I'm getting a new card soon.