How much memory is enough?

paddymee

We have 128 MB on our machines. However, when we launch our app and the OS, we are using 124 MB.

And then our system starts working.

In the task manager it usually says we have 5000 K or so available and about 15000 K. in the system cache.

And our system is crashing, especially after working hard. Is this a coding problem or are we running out of memory.

I we should handle out of memory errors better in the code, but I need to work out if that's the problem. The debugger is no help here either.

Cheers.

phobos

It depends on what OS you are using. I know it's windows based, but is it NT, 2K, 98, ???

It sounds like you have some ba$tard child running in the background unintentially. If you are running NT or 2K, call up task manager, and check the processes running (not programs running). On the processes list, see if something is taking up a sh1t load of memory. If you don't need it, kill it. Try and find, what loads it in to memory in the first place, and kill that.

If the problem occurs during execution of one of your own programs, make sure it's not doing anything infinitely causing your system to block on the process, bringing everything else to a complete standstill.

There are many things that can cause your symptoms but the above are the more obvious ones.

;-phobos-)
PS: On the subject of how much is needed....You can never have enough RAM. I say 128, and 256 if your programming, and more if you have the money.

paddymee

Sorry, I forgot to say it's Win 2 K.

phobos,
The ba$tard applications in the background are ours. We have full control of the machines that we are using. And with the OS running and our apps it's 124 MB. I verified this myself.

I'm wondering if we need 256 on those boxes. If so, I need to prove this to management. The apps run fine, most of the time. But sometimes they don't. It's hard to see cause the boxes are in the field ( the big green one behind your house ;-) ).

So is it's realistic to expect this to work at all. Even before I try messing with the code.

Cheers,

Clinical Waste

Its only gonna cost £25 or so to stick an extra 128Mb into one of the machines to test this theory out.

And if this makes no difference, then look to the running processes on your machine or/and the code in your app.

po0k

Buy a few 256 sticks NOW before they go up.
I have 640MB at home. Sweet. OP|Flash runs perfectly now.

Just one thing...how much disk space do you have left?
Surely Win2k uses the pagefile?
I was running it tehre for the past 4 months and it was hassle free (even when running all sorts of memory intensive stuff).

Do ye use the 'Hibernate' function at all? (also called Suspend to disk I think - though may not be exactly the same thing/function)

ramius

If you do decide to buy the extra RAM www.itdirect.ie usually have the best prices they are located on Parlianemt street in dublin, For 128MB of SDRAM PC133 it costs €37.49 IR£ 29.53

SickBoy

Too much is not enough

Boston

256 is what you want, anything else forget about it

there aload more to what you want to buy and the rest, but they are hardware issues

Typedef

If you are using a 9x based system don't bother getting anything over 768mb of ram because 9x doesn't address it properly as far as I remember. Also if your system is 'crashing' you might want to look at a bad graphics driver or something? Possibly a system important dll has been overwritten somewhere and program or process x is expecting y code in dll_x but it finds that it is no longer dll_x but dll_x_version_2 with a slight code change?

If by crash you mean 'blue screen of death' then I would be looking at perhaps reinstalling graphics, modem, sound, network device drivers, but if your system is using up 124mb of 128mb of physical ram, then there is something wrong with your system. Yes lots of ram is good, I have 512mb in my machine, but that said, it 'should' run just the same with 64mb albeit slower, because it is using swap as opposed to physical ram.

or something.

I have no thorn to prick the sides of my intent, but vaulting ambition

davoc

if you're buying memory, id recommend www.shop4memory.com.
although ram has gone through the roof recently so act fast before it goes up again.

paddymee

Thanks for all the replies.

It may be hard to test, because the boxes are manufacutred to live in other hardware. The user doesn't even know that they are using a PC.

To put more memory into the box may mean we need to manufacture them differently, so I need to prove to upper management that there is a problem. MS documentation would be great.

It's our app that is crashing. I'm looking at the code and realise that it's not programmed to live that close to the edge. But shouldn't virtual memory be enough? OR is it just too dodgy?

My next step is to kick the head of the dopey programmers to let the system go as it is. I'm new to the company.

Cheers

ykt0di9url7bc3

shows that it is missing 4M of RAM could be that some piece of hardware is sharing the ram........Graphics is the main culprit....

find out how many other hardware devices need to us the ram and processorto do thier didrty work! if its a lot then upgrading the RAM might not be enough........

Check if you have a controlerless modem, on board sound, onboard graphics, numerous file transfer devices...(more than usual)....