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System is using too much memory

  • 18-08-2011 7:24pm
    #1
    JabbaTheHut
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,214 ✭✭✭


    A friends laptop, a Dell D600, was really slow to boot. When is did boot eventually, it was using 128mb in the System in task manager. After stopping all, but the esentials from starting up at boot, it booted quicker, but it's still using 128mb of memory in the system. After a blast of googling, it seemed that AVG antivirus was a very possible culprit, so we decieded to uninstall it, but it was telling us it was missing files, so we used Revo uninstaller to get rid of it. It managed to get rid of most of it, but there's still an AVG folder with a couple of files in the program files, and it's still using 128 mb in the system. Is there any way to get rid of AVG for sure, so that we'll be able to see if it's that that is causing our problem?


Comments

  • #2
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 93,599 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    Windows uses memory
    128MB would be the minimum for window XP , assuming you don't want to run any programs whatsoever, 256MB would be for very light usage

    check task manager to see what is using the memory


    how much RAM does it actually have ??

    RAM is cheap - even cheaper second hand
    http://www.shop4memory.com/configurator/?system=3618


    don't forget that windows accumulates crud and sometimes you may have to bite the bullet and do a clean install :(


  • #3
    JabbaTheHut
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,214 ✭✭✭JabbaTheHut


    It has 512mb of RAM. I've attached a pic of the task manager. I put on Microsoft Security Essentials in replace of AVG, and it doesn't help the situtation, but he needs some sort of antivirus.


  • #4
    phill106
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,826 ✭✭✭phill106


    Try using tabs in chrome instead of having several instances of it.
    check msconfig for any programs starting on boot, disable everything but the antivirus.
    Ram is so cheap, if you can fit more, get more!
    Will save so many headaches.


  • #5
    JabbaTheHut
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,214 ✭✭✭JabbaTheHut


    Thanks for the input, guys.

    I stopped most things from starting at boot. We did run it without the antivirus, and it was a lot better. Funny that you mention the instances of chrome; there was only one tab of one window open. I know more ram would be a solution, but the system in the task manager tells me it's using a huge amount. I've tried the same on a few other computers, and it's showing up as only 240K or so. That's 50,000 less than this D600 is using. That's why I'm thinking there must be something running that shouldn't be. Like I said, with googling it seems AVG is a very suspect culprit. But we uninstalled it, yet some files of it still exist. Am I wrong in thinking along the lines that despite the uninstall going well, it may have left enough files behind to cause this high usage of memory, or is it something completely different.


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