Windows XP problem with system resources

I am having a problem that I wonder if anyone else has had or is having. The info for my system is -
WinXP Home (5.1.2600) SP1
IE Shell 6.0.2800.1106
Pentium 4 - 1.5 GHz - 512MB RAM
True Launch Bar 2.2.0.7
MyIE2 0.8.2070 Browser
Spamihilator 0.9.7.2
avast! 4.1 home edition
Agnitum Outpost Firewall 1.01817

After my computer runs for 5 hours or more, I start to have system resource problems (yes, I have Windows XP which is suppose to be free from this problem). First, text begins to disappear on the screen, then icons, then error messages pop up such as low on system resources.

I have searched the web, various forums, Microsoft's site, etc. and have tried just about every so call cure for this problem. I have even learned that the problem of running out of system resources has not been done away with, just that it is managed better with Windows XP.

I tried various configurations mentioned at BlackViper.com by shutting down and disabling many of Microsoft's services which I do not need. This included System Restore (which is buggy and many restore points eventually disappear, even new ones) and Themes (now using Windows Classic Style).

I have also done a complete reinstall of Windows XP and installed all of the updates and patches available from Microsoft. I also updated my video card to an ATI Radeon 7000 with 64 mb ddr dram.

I did not have this problem when I first got the computer. Does anyone think that it could be all of Microsoft's updates and patches? Or does anyone have any other ideas? It's a pain that I have to restart the computer after 5 to 7 hours. Any ideas would be appreciated. Thanks.

First try to find application that take all resources. Use Task Manager. Open View->Select Columns... in task manager and select GDI Objects column (this is the first need to check if icons disappear). As I know the max GDI Objects for process is 9999 (or 99999). Find application that take too many resources.

Yuri,

See attached image from Task Manager (taken before stopping unessential programs).

I am now trying some options from other forums I have posted to.

Presently, I have stopped all unessential programs from loading at startup, except avast, Outpost Firewall, Restore It (a replacement for System Restore. My memory problem started way before I installed Restore It), and Spamihilator (spam checker that I installed after my memory problem started).

Now I'll just have to wait and see and gradually add programs.

Hello bbfi

Some questions -

1)Are you using a wireless network and/or wireless card on your computer? Some client managers have been known to eat system resources for snacks (all day long).

2)Have you tried the File Monitor tool from sysinternals? You can find it here: www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/source/filemon.shtml
It is a just a little complex but quite revealing.

3)Have you done a virus/trojan/worm/malware/spyware scan?

Let us know if we can further assist you.
Best wishes and let us know how things are going.

Great News!

My system has been running now for almost 15 hours with NO problems. I have attached a photo of Task Manager. This is after 15 hours and with 28 IE6 windows open, MyIE2 with 183 tabs opened, 12 Dopus windows opened, Copernic Agent Basic opened, and all the other programs seen in the Task Manager photo. I found the culprit that was causing the system resource problem.

The Bad News!

Since I was still having problems after disabling all unessential programs from starting at startup, I decided to first try changing my antivirus checker. I turned off Avast 4.1 and installed AVG 6 free version. The PROBLEM is gone. No more disappearing text, buttons, etc. I am disappointed in my findings though because I really like Avast 4.1. It is a great virus checker, but with my computer setup, it appears that it robs me of memory and causes the crashes after running for 5 to 8 hours.

Also, throughout this frustrating time I have had, I have learned a lot.

1) Windows XP still has a system resource problem although well hid from the public. While searching the web, I have read many instances of this. I have also experienced it first hand. More than once, the error message of running low of system resources has popped up. What Windows XP does is that it manages it much better and overall, it is a far better OS than its predecessors.

2) I have found out first hand from the forums I have posted to, that there are a lot of helpful people out there in Cyberspace willing to offer their time and knowledge to help those out there with problems. I'd like to say THANK YOU to all of you for making me feel welcome to their forums and leading me in the right direction with a problem which could make your hair turn gray.

We are very glad to hear you have found the answer. As a suggestion you can consider these two things:

A) You can use Cacheman. It is a good program to administer your system resources but the main thing is that it can be set to unload your dll files from memory after they are no longer in use.

B) NOD32 anti-virus program from ESET is known to use only a small amount of system resources and it has captured more 100% awards from Virus Bulletin than any other anti-virus program they have tested. It is the only one we use here.

Let us know what you think about the above.
Best wishes

Hi QSection,

I have used Cacheman in the past. I stopped using it and other memory managers when my problem didn't go away. Now that it has, I might install either Cacheman or Free RAM XP Pro again.

As far as NOD32, I have read about it and the good reviews. Biggest problem presently is that as a nonprofit corporation whose funding has been quite poor since 9/11, we have to save every penny and this software does not have a free version (as far as I can see at their site). ???

By the way, my system has been running for 23 hours now with no noticeable problems, slowdowns, etc.

Good news!

There is a new version of Cacheman out - v5.50. Something to look at although being unfamiliar with the other program perhaps it is better than Cacheman. Let us know if you try it out again so we can advise our XP associates.

Updated Info

Over the past month, different people at the Avast Forum have been discussing this problem with system resources and Avast as being the trigger. With the help of a few knowledgeable individuals running various tests on their systems while using Avast, their information enabled the guys at Alwil to find the answer to the problem. It was a system driver of Avast. It has been fixed and Avast is running smoothly on my system and others now. 24 hours and still up and running with no problems.

Forums are a great place to get problems solved!

Hi all.

bbfi, in your 2nd screen-capture, I have noticed how much memory MyIE2 uses.
I'm also a MyIE2 user, and found that minimizing it once in a while will result in some memory being freed.

Hi Denis,

Thanks for the info. I also noticed that minimizing it once in a while will result in some memory being freed. In that screen shot, I was just showing that with 183 tabs opened (only for testing purposes, I don't think that anyone would usually have that many tabs opened at one time, do they? ) my system was still stable without Avast. But now that Alwil fixed the system driver problem with the Avast anti virus program, my system is stable now even with Avast.