Memory usage 100%

B

bjl1976

Geek Trainee
Hello there, first time poster here so please go easy on me especially as I'm a bit of a computer dummy!

My problem appears to be something in the PC using up all the memory as soon as I boot up. According to Fresh Download's system information the memory usage is 100% with only that software opened by me.

The PC also takes ages to boot up and, even after the desk top is fully open, the hard drive (presumably it's the hard drive!) continues to "click" and the light flashes for a minute or two.

Any suggestions for a remedy would be greatly appreciated.
 
Hi and welcome to Hardware Forums.

Your post needs more data. What OS are you using? How much RAM do you have? Can you load other programs? How did you discover this problem? Etc. As it stands there's not much advice I can offer you except to say that I would be suspicious of the program you are using to get the data unless there is a genuine problem with the computer.
 
Unfortunately, your predicament is not at all uncommon. Judging by the information you've provided, I'd guess at a few points:

* You have a PC running MS Windows
* Your hard drive was manufactured by either Maxtor or IBM
* Your system has a relatively low quantity of RAM (>=256mb)
* Your operating system is infested with a high volume of spyware/malware
* It may also be infected with various virii

Our security FAQ applies heavily to your situation, so please read it. Also, if your hard drive is making clicking noises, it's likely damaged. Maxtor and IBM/Fujitsu hard drives (the type typically found in manufactured PCs) are generally very low quality and suffer damage quite easily. You'll probably need to replace it eventually (if not immediately). I recommend Seagate or Western Digital hard drives. Please let me know if any of this was on the mark, and also if you need any more help.

-AT
 
Wow, you could get all that out of a single post AT! Nice work mate, if you want to check for spyware I was recommended Spybot-Search & Destroy, it works great and made a major difference for me.
 
Thanks for your replies. As requested, a bit more information:

PC is a Dell with generic hard drive
OS Windows 98SE
Memory 1x 64mb + 1x 128mb

I used "Fresh Diagnose" to give the information on memory usage. Today it says "Memory Load" 100%, "Total Physical Memory" 189.99mb, "Available Physical Memory" 584kb.

I probably misled you about the clicking; what I meant was it continues to make the same "clicking" noise as it does when reading/writing from/to the hard drive for ages after boot up. Today it must have been 5 minutes and nothing would open. I did ctrl/alt/del to see what software was running and noticed that "Wlancfg8" (what's this??) was not responding but the "clicking" then stopped. After cancelling the close program box I was able to open Fresh Diagnose.

I run AdawareSE regularly and always have to remove some "critical objects". Is it likely that one of these has infected the computer? If so how do I find and remove it and get the PC back to normal?

Thanks in advance for your further advice.

ps Forgot to say that I have McAfee Firewall, Anti virus, and Privacy Service (although, at the moment Privacy Service is not working because it has "missing components". I'm trying to uninstall and reinstall it but the instructions on the McAfee site don't work - I'm waiting for an answer from them to sort it).
 
What I'd do is just reformat your drive and reinstall everything, if you've got a considerable amount of spyware and the possibility of worms the only sure way to get rid of it is to do a reformat.
 
I realise re-formatting is probably the best solution but I was hoping for a less drastic cure - especially as I don't have all the disks/cds for the software currently installed (eg Excel/Word). Is there another answer?
 
Apologies in advance, I'm about to be blunt. Windows is insecure. Very insecure. When you put it online, it attracts garbage like a magnet attracts iron ore. Even if it didn't, the structure of Windows does not lend itself to long-term stability. If you want a long-term operating system, consider migrating to Linux or perhaps Mac. I use Linux because it's stable, secure, free, it'll run on anything, and I can do pretty much anything with it. I can use it on my common PC hardware or run it on a monster server. Mac systems are nice, but you're gonna spend some money to get a decent one. I recommend Mac to those that don't want to mess with their systems at all, want them to 'just work' and with very little learning curve.

If you plan on sticking with Windows, expect this kind of thing to happen. A lot and without fail. Backup often, and use the best anti-virus and anti-spyware software you can. Sure you're going to spend a lot of money on the OS and the 3rd-party security tools. You're also going to waste a lot of system resources running a runtime virus scanner just to make sure your unstable, insecure, expensive operating system doesn't get violated by some random script written by a 14-year-old kid. Even then it will get violated; that's what all the backups are for. Good luck!

...OK, that was rude, pushy, and arrogant. For that I apologize. But it was also true. I'm an experienced admin of Windows networks, and I've worked on thousands of computers in my lifetime. All my formal training and education is in MS Windows. However, once I'd learned Linux, I'd never, ever go back to windows again. Since I've migrated, I've never had a single stability problem, never had a virus, never had spyware, and never missed a single feature of Windows. At this point I just feel bad for Windows users, because I can relate. I feel like MS' customers get the pointy end of the stick. Feel free to flame me if I'm wrong.

-AT
 
Right now, there are no anti-spyware programs that does the job correctly, therefore you need to use a couple at the same time. Spybot S & D is good and will find things that adaware doesn't and vice-versa, so use both.

As for an anti-virus, I use AVG Free Edition and I think it works good, and is free.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top