Low virtual memory: what to do

The error "There is not enough memory on the computer" is caused by a lack of RAM and virtual memory. In this regard, the most likely reasons that can cause this situation are as follows:

  • There is a real shortage of physical RAM;
  • A lot of processes are currently running on the computer (these can be both programs and sessions inside running applications, for example, browser tabs);
  • The hard disk is almost completely occupied - in this case, the paging file will not work normally;
  • There are also programs that can cause a so-called "memory leak" - a situation where an application takes up all available space to perform its tasks.

It is for these reasons that the operating system gives the error "There is not enough memory on the computer to free memory, close programs."

Actually, the solution to this problem depends on the root cause.

In case of physical shortage of RAM, of course, you will need to increase its volume by purchasing RAM strips in the store. Most computers now use 8 GB, but it all depends on the tasks for which the computer was purchased. You should also pay attention to the support of a large number of brackets by the motherboard. Also, if the computer is not new and there are no plans to upgrade it, then, unfortunately, you will have to put up with such a system operation.

If the reason is that the hard disk is full and there is not enough memory on the computer, then a disk cleaning utility is required to free it. The beauty of it is that it will not allow you to delete the files that are used by the system and make it inoperable. In other words, Windows Disk Cleanup will help you safely delete temporary files and a number of other, in most cases useless, files. You can start it by right-clicking on the C: drive and selecting Properties and then Disk Cleanup.

The utility will conduct an initial analysis and show which files can be deleted. As a rule, in this case it will not be a very large volume. Clicking on "Clean up system files" will go through another stage of analysis and the amount of freed up space will most likely be increased.

You should also check if the swap file is enabled. It is used if there is not enough memory for the programs to work and more is required than is currently available physically - in this case, the shortage will be compensated for by free space on the hard disk. You need to open the "Control Panel", then "System".

After that we open "Additional system parameters".

Switch to the "Advanced" tab.

We click "Change".

In this window, you can control the size of the paging file. It is recommended to set its size automatically.

In the event that memory is not enough due to another program or many processes, then it will be logical to understand which of them. In this case, you can use Task Manager by sorting the processes by the Memory column on the Details tab.

After analyzing the processes in the list, you can decide what to do with them. This can be either a regular mode of operation (for example, during an update), or an abnormal (internal application failure), or it can be malware at all. In any case, checking for malicious objects will not hurt. Be that as it may, if a certain application causes an error that there is not enough memory, it is recommended to contact the support of this software to eliminate the negative effects.

Have a great day!

There are a lot of annoying pop-up errors. One of them is “not enough virtual memory”. What does low virtual memory mean? This usually happens like this: your computer starts to slow down, and after a while an error appears with the text about insufficient virtual memory. Now I'm going to explain what the reason for this error is and how to get rid of it permanently.

What is virtual memory?

There is a file on the hard drive that Windows uses in addition to physical memory (RAM) when needed. It is called virtual memory, as well as a swap file or swap file. For example, if you run a process or an application that the RAM cannot cope with, virtual memory comes to the rescue. In the standard version, the paging file is 1.5 times the amount of physical memory, that is, with 512 MB of RAM, the amount of virtual memory will be 768 MB.

Why is there an "out of virtual memory" error?

There are two things that usually cause this error:

  • You don't have enough RAM;
  • The application on your computer is buggy and causes a memory leak.

How to fix the "out of virtual memory" error in Windows and speed up your computer?

Getting rid of it is quite simple, especially if the reason is - lack of RAM. In this case, all you have to do is add more physical memory to speed up the computer. If you are unable to do this now, then increase the paging file. Here's how to do it:

  • Right-click on "my computer" and go to properties.
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You need to change the amount of virtual memory on the partition where the OS is installed. It is listed in megabytes (MB), so multiply the number of gigabytes (GB) by 1024 to get the size in MB. Write this number on the line and you're done!

You have increased the amount of virtual memory, as a result of which, your computer will run faster after running out of RAM. The speed of a computer with virtual memory is greatly affected by the write speed of a hard disk, the lower it is, the slower the OS will work.

However, if the error is caused by an application bug, the first step is to find it. To do this, open the Task Manager (press the Ctrl, Alt and del keys on your keyboard) and go to the Processes tab. Then click on "View" -\u003e "Select Columns". Check if the checkbox next to "Virtual memory size" is checked and click "OK". Now the Task Manager will show how much virtual memory each application is using. If you click on the "VM Size" column name twice, the processes will be sorted based on how much virtual memory they are using, from largest to smallest. You will immediately see which process is clogging up the computer's memory the most.

Then you should find this application, some like firefox.exe are obvious enough.

If you don't know much about processes, try downloading a program called Process Explorer. It doesn't require installation - all you need to do is run the .exe file. In fact, this program is an improved Task Manager. Once it opens, click on View -\u003e select Columns. Then open the "Process Memory" tab and check the box for "Virtual Size". Click the OK button. As with Windows Task Manager, you can sort the results. Each process will have information about the launch of the application. If you need even more information, hover your mouse cursor over the required process.

Now that you know which program is causing your Windows virtual memory shortage, you can try to fix it.

Try updating your software first - updates usually fix bugs. If that doesn't work, try uninstalling and reinstalling the app. Otherwise, try using an alternative program.

How do I clear the virtual memory of my computer?

In the sequel, I will tell you how to clear the windows virtual memory if you get this error even after increasing its amount. How to increase the virtual memory swap: METHOD 1. We use local security policy to clean up memory:To do this, open "Start", look for and open the "Control Panel", in the pop-up window, select "System and Security" and then "Administrative Tools"

After opening the Administration window, we find the "Local Security Policy". Click on it with the right mouse button and select "Open". You have opened a new window "Local Security Policy", in it we double-click the left mouse button "Local Policies", then also select "Security Settings" and look for a file with the name: "Shutdown: clearing the paging file of virtual memory"

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METHOD 3. We use the program to clean up virtual memory:I am using RamCleaner program to clean up virtual memory. It's very easy to use. Run the program and click on Clean Now in the RAM tab! After these small steps, the virtual memory will be cleared and your PC will run faster!

If there is insufficient memory for all the operations the computer tries to perform, Windows and programs may stop responding (or stop working). To prevent data loss, Windows will report insufficient RAM. You can also learn to recognize low memory situations yourself and take steps to prevent the problem.

Signs of low memory

Signs of low memory include severe performance degradation, low or low memory alerts, and display problems. For example, if the computer does not have enough memory, then when you try to open the menu in the program, it may be delayed in response or stop responding altogether. And even if the menu opens, its items may not appear and the selected item may not respond. In addition, after selecting an item, the menu itself may disappear, and an empty area appears instead of the contents of the working file or document.

Causes of insufficient memory

There are two types of memory in a computer: RAM and virtual memory. All programs use RAM, but when a program that is running runs out of RAM, Windows temporarily places data that is normally stored in RAM in a file on your hard drive called a paging file. The amount of data that is temporarily stored in the paging file is also called virtual memory. Using virtual memory (in other words, moving data to and from the paging file) frees up enough RAM for programs to run properly.

Out of memory problems occur when there is insufficient RAM and insufficient virtual memory. A similar situation can be observed if the computer is running more programs than is supported by the installed RAM. In addition, problems can also arise if the program does not free memory that it no longer needs. This situation is called memory overuse or memory leak.

Ways to Prevent Out of Memory Problems

Running fewer applications at the same time can prevent out of memory and data loss problems. It is recommended that you pay attention to which applications are experiencing low memory situations and do not run them at the same time.

However, limiting the number of applications running simultaneously is sometimes unacceptable from a practical point of view. Low memory symptoms may indicate that your computer needs more RAM to run the programs you are using. The following are recommended solutions for out of memory problems or to prevent them.

To determine which program is using the most memory, follow these steps

  1. Open Task Manager. To do this, right-click the taskbar and select Task Manager.
  2. Open the tab Processes
  3. To sort programs by memory used, click Memory (Private working set)

You can also use Event Viewer to view program errors and information on how to fix them.

  1. Open the section " View events". To do this, click Start - Control Panel - Administrative Tools, then double-click View events.\u200c When prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, enter the password or provide confirmation.
  2. In the left pane, select Applications and Services Logs to view errors. To view a description of the problem, double-click it. If there is a link to online help, then you can view the troubleshooting information.

If Windows detects possible memory problems on your computer, it displays a prompt to run the Memory Diagnostic Tool. There are two options for running the memory diagnostic tool

Important: Save files and close all applications before choosing the first option... The Memory Diagnostic Tool will start automatically after Windows restarts. This tool may take a few minutes to complete the computer memory check. After the test is completed, Windows automatically restarts. If the diagnostic tool detects errors, you should contact your computer manufacturer for information about fixing these errors, because memory errors usually indicate problems with the memory chips in the computer or other hardware problems.

You can also start it manually. There are two ways to do this:

  1. Start - Control Panel - Administrative Tools - Windows Memory Checker
  2. Start - Run and Enter mdsched Click OK.

When you selected "Reboot and Test", after reboot, press F1 while starting the Memory Diagnostic Tool. For advanced users, additional diagnostic options are provided:

  1. Test suite
    • plain
    • standard
    • extended
  2. Cache
    • Default
    • On or off
  3. Number of passes

Press F10 to run the test. It should be borne in mind that the more difficult the test, the longer the test takes. After checking and loading the system, the Windows Memory Checker icon will appear in the tray.

View the "Computer Problems and Stability Log":

Opening the Support Center Service -.

Click any event on the graph to view more details about it

Click to view only problems that have occurred on the computer. This view does not include other computer events that are shown in the System Stability Monitor, such as software installation events. Please select Windows Memory Checker to view the verification report.

Some problems and solutions can only be viewed and fixed by the administrator. Log in with an administrator account to view these issues

When working on a computer, a message may appear that , so the question "what to do?" First, it is desirable to understand the essence of the type of memory in question. Secondly, you should set the most acceptable size to the maximum value.

As you know, a computer is characterized by two types of memory: constant, implemented in the form of a hard disk, and variable, that is, represented by strips of RAM. Along with this, the operating system creates a so-called paging file that resides on the hard disk. It is he who is virtual memory, which in some cases may not be enough.

At its core, the paging file takes over the functionality of the RAM to solve tasks that require significant resources. That is, it becomes in demand in cases where there is simply not enough "RAM". Using the "seven" as an example, let's move on to setting up virtual memory:

  • start menu;
  • right click on the "Computer" line;
  • selection of the bottom line "Properties", which has become available from the menu;
  • following the link "Additional system parameters", located on the left;
  • opening the "Advanced" tab;
  • click on the "Parameters" button in the "Performance" section;
  • re-opening the "Advanced" folder, followed by clicking on the "Change" button in the "Virtual memory" section.

As a result of the actions described above, virtual memory settings will become available to eliminate problems when there is not enough of it, which is achieved by setting optimal values. To do this, the system initially offers to specify certain settings with the activation of one of the three available options by setting the switch:

  1. "Specify size" - enabling this item will allow you to manually set the initial and maximum values \u200b\u200bof virtual memory.
  2. "Size at the choice of the system" - in this case, the OS will automatically select the appropriate values.
  3. "No paging file" - disables the ability to create a paging file, not recommended for activation.

If you opt for the first option, keep in mind that the maximum size of virtual memory is considered optimal if it equals two or three volumes of RAM. In this case, the minimum size is calculated based on the correspondence to one volume of RAM. When you decide on this, click on the "Set" button, then OK and reboot the system.

Safety

Due to the fact that virtual memory is just the functionality of RAM, a security issue arises. This is due to the fact that the RAM is cleared, but the virtual is not, since it is an area of \u200b\u200bthe hard disk on which, for example, the same passwords can be stored. To avoid this, you must modify the ClearPageFileAtShutdown registry value to set its value to 1:

  • call the "Run" window - the Win + R keys or enter the word of the same name to the called window into the start bar of the "Start" menu;
  • in the open line, enter regedit and click OK;
  • go to the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE branch and open the System folder in it;
  • then, in this folder, open in order the following directories CurrentControlSet \\ Control \\ Session Manager \\ Memory Management, where the latter contains the desired ClearPageFileAtShutdown object, located in the right column;
  • right-click on it and select "Change";
  • in the available window, enter the value 1 and confirm the change with the OK button.

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If you get a message on your Windows PC about insufficient virtual memory or "brakes" appear in games that are caused by the same reason, then do not despair, because there is a solution to this problem.

First, let's considersymptoms of insufficient virtual memory... One of these factors is the appearance of a message on your monitor that a program or application has stopped responding. Another symptom of this problem is a decrease in PC performance, the appearance of problems with the timely display of windows or the system menu. Do you have to wait a long time after clicking on the explorer start button? This is a sure sign that the system needs more memory to complete all current tasks.

Causes of insufficient memory there may be a lack of RAM or a small paging file, which is created by the system to compensate for the small size of the RAM. It is this paging file that is called virtual memory.

Increase paging file can be done in the following way: right-click on my computer -\u003e properties -\u003e additional system settings -\u003e advanced -\u003e Settings (performance) -\u003e Advanced -\u003e change (virtual memory). Here you can set the required amount of paging file.

Another reason for the lack of memory is the untimely release of the used resources by any program. In this case, they talk about a memory leak.

If we always have one way to increase RAM - the purchase and installation of new additional memory strips for PCs, then you can increase the virtual memory using software methods.

The main way to prevent the lack of virtual memory is to control the number of processes and applications running on the PC at the same time. By reducing the number of main consumers of your PC's resources, we will achieve a significant reduction in the load on RAM and virtual memory, and, consequently, freeing it up to perform priority tasks for us. This can be achieved by excluding from startup some not very important applications by disabling processes that are not used in everyday work on a PC. But in doing this, we must be extremely careful, because this way we can disrupt the performance of the entire system.

The way to increase virtual memory, which the OS itself provides to us, is to change the size of the paging file up. To do this, you need to open the system parameters and set large parameters in the virtual memory section. The best option would be to set these values \u200b\u200bat a level that is twice the amount of RAM.

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