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Let My Resource Go

What's slowing your PC down? It's not the long years of hard labor. The most likely culprit is software taking up precious RAM while it runs. Maybe you downloaded a killer MP3 jukebox that also chugs memory, or maybe your machine can't handle running many programs at once. Whatever the reason, a lack of RAM will slow down your system dramatically. The following resource diet plan can help you find the big memory hogs and kick 'em out of your system.

How Much RAM Do You Lose?

It's easy to find out how much memory you're using: Run the System Monitor, a set of gauges for your PC. Click Start, Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Monitor to start the program. When you first use the System Monitor, you'll probably see only its default gauge, called Kernel Processor Usage, which shows how hard the CPU is working at any given moment, similar to what a tachometer does. You need to add the more important "gas gauge"--the one that shows how much physical memory, or RAM, is available for use. To do this, select Edit, Add Item, select the Memory Manager category, and then click Unused physical memory at the bottom of the Item list. (Physical memory is the total amount of RAM on the memory modules plugged into slots on your motherboard.)

Our test system displayed only a sliver of color at the bottom of the graph, meaning that, while we ran a word processor, one Web browser window, and an instant messaging program, only 2MB of our system's 64MB of RAM remained free. Once Windows uses up all the RAM or physical memory, it delves into much slower virtual memory on the hard drive.

Your readings will vary, depending on how much RAM you have and how many programs you run at once, but in our case something really needed to be done. Clearly, Windows was loading more programs at startup than it needed or could handle. To cut out the bloat in the operating system, we turned to another Windows 98 tool, the System Configuration Utility.

Find the Problem Apps

Windows uses several files and the Registry to determine which applications run at start-up. But you don't need to hunt across your hard drive for them; just use the built-in System Configuration Utility. The SCU runs down the programs that Windows launches at start-up, and gives you the ability to toggle on or off the automatic loading of any or all of those programs.

The quickest way to launch the System Configuration Utility is to click Start, Run, type MSCONFIG in the field, and then click the OK button. Click the Startup tab to see the list of programs--each with a checked-off box--that run when you fire up the PC.

The big question is, which ones can you safely turn off? Also, which ones give you the greatest benefit by being turned off?

What to Remove

The first place to look for programs to nix is the system tray, the row of tiny icons next to Windows' clock in the bottom-right of the Taskbar. When you first install Windows, you should have only one tray icon: the speaker, which lets you change audio volume. Over time, and as you install software, more icons move into the tray, consuming valuable RAM in the process. A tray full of icons is the most obvious sign of an overloaded system.

What can you nix from the tray? Any duplicate entries, which can cause system instabilities; anything from Real Networks (usually you'll see the RealPlayer StartCenter); any instant messaging software (unless you're an instant messaging junkie); and any jukebox or music software (Napster, for example, stays running in the tray even when you close the main application). Why hack away at these fun things? Because they suck up a lot of resources even when they're not actively running, and that slows down your work--ironically making it harder to finish quickly so you can get to the fun stuff.

Here's a technique you can use to turn off system tray programs:

1. Place the pointer over each tray icon; the Tooltip will help you determine what application each one represents. To shut them off, click or right-click each icon and select the option that turns it off--usually Exit. If the icon doesn't provide a menu, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete, select the name of the tray application, and click the End Task button.
   
   
2. Check the System Monitor to see how much memory this process frees. (You should still have System Monitor running from "How Much RAM Do You Lose?" above.)
   
   
3. If shutting down an application frees a lot of memory and doesn't cause problems, look at the listings in the System Configuration Utility's Startup tab for those same tray programs you deem unnecessary--for example, the RealPlayer StartCenter. Uncheck the box next to those programs. Never uncheck the TaskMonitor or SystemTray items in this list; Windows needs them to work properly.
   
   
4. Repeat this process until you've freed 20 percent or more of physical memory. In a system with 64MB, try to free at least 12MB; in one with 128MB, shoot for a minimum of 26MB.
   
   

The great thing about using the SCU is that all changes you make are reversible. If you later find that you want the RealPlayer StartCenter after all, just fire up the SCU and check the box again.

A couple of other common background applications you can knock off come from Microsoft Office. Findfast occasionally indexes every Office document on your hard drive. It's supposed to work only in idle time, but what it thinks of as idle time (when the hard disk isn't working) usually doesn't jibe with how you see idle time (when you're not using the PC at all). You can't help but notice Findfast doing its job: Suddenly your hard drive starts spinning wildly when you're just typing or reading. The other waste of space is the Office Startup applet (called OSA.exe), which helps Office apps start a tiny bit faster, but not so much that it's worth the RAM it consumes.

To kill these two resource-grabbers, hit Ctrl-Alt-Delete, select (one at a time) Findfast and OSA from the list, and then click the End Task button. Next, right-click the Start button and select Explore. Navigate to Programs, then to the StartUp folder, and delete the shortcuts to Findfast and OSA.

But this job is only the first step to a heart-healthy PC. You also need to get rid of those useless, space-wasting files on your hard drive.