Too Much Memory Usage?

Discussion in 'Software' started by grc123, Jan 1, 2009.

  1. grc123

    grc123 MajorGeek

    Happy New Year.

    It appears to me that my Firefox Browser (2.0.0.20) is using too much memory (261,760 K at this moment) on this PC (XP - SP3).

    What might be causing this, and what can I do about it?

    Thanks in advance,
    g ...
     
  2. DavidGP

    DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member

    Hi grc

    Likely there is a reason you're on an old Firefox but updating to Firefox 3 would reduce memory footprint

    http://kb.mozillazine.org/Reducing_memory_usage_(Firefox)
     
  3. grc123

    grc123 MajorGeek

    Hi Halo, thank you and yes, I had an impossible time with my Bookmarks in FF 3 when it first came-out (and with subsequent updates ... the first one or two updates I think).

    Do you know if that (the Bookmarks changes) have been made any more simple (or changed at all) since the first 3.0?

    I know I should upgrade to 3.whatever it is now, for security if for no other reason (and any decreased memory usage/leaks would be a VERY welcome thing), but i just could not seem to get the new Bookmarks to work for me at all.

    Thanks again ...
     
  4. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    Hmm, I have had the latest FF 3.0.5 get up to near 500MB yesterday in Vista and have had the same problem periodically in XP for the last several years, yes it is better than before. I still don't get it as everyone denies memory leaks/creep to this day!:confused I just go into the Task Manager and kill it there so's I don't lose my current tabs when restarting.

    About the only thing that seems consistent is the presence of multiple youtube tabs. :confused BTW, it's in at 95MB ATM with 13 tabs including a youtube, which is normal for me.

    I'll take a screenshot next time.
     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2009
  5. DavidGP

    DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member



    Sorry couldnt comment on that as I never had any issues with bookmarks in Firefox and its Bookmark Library, however now using a beta of a next version of Firefox aka Minefield and Bookmark Library in that is fine, find its tagging and last visit date handy.... managing bookmarks is good as mostly drag and drop into created folders per topic if you wish.

    But wouldnt suggest going Minefield for you as its beta.

    But this may come in handy for you https://library.mozilla.org/Field_Guide_to_Firefox_3
     
  6. grc123

    grc123 MajorGeek

    Thanks again. I probably just wasn't patient-enough with the new Bookmarks (introduced, what, six or nine months ago now I think?).

    I mean, I seemed to have it down for a short while, and then must have 'done something', and all of my Bookmarks seemed to "disappear" (became hidden). If memory serves, I think I did get them back for a short while before "losing" them yet again, and then just gave-up, and reverted back to 2.0... (which is now 2.0.0.20).

    I'm sure I am going to have to figure-out something as I believe Mark Trent had told me that support for 2.-anything is going to end soon ...

    Thanks also for the FF Field Guide link!

     
  7. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    I believe support ended a couple of weeks ago, may as well upgrade.
     
  8. grc123

    grc123 MajorGeek

    Thanks augie. I've always been hesitant to "Kill" (stop) anything in Task Mgr. as I wasn't sure what exactly what I was doing and what that might do.

    Probably the biggest issue I have on this particular PC is that it's my mom's, and it's "aging" a bit (aren't we all!?!), and it's connected to the slowest DSL offered (financial issue). The PC is about 6 & 1/2 years old, with only a 20Gig HD, and I am certain that I don't know all the "tricks' to speed things up - though I am (have been) trying ... (he says, gasping rapidly, and exhaustively exhaling himself into an hyperventilated state of utter confusion, whilst sponging and wringing the profuse, sopping, perspiration from his heated and inflamed brow - 6 & 1/2 years later, now ...).

     
    Last edited: Jan 1, 2009
  9. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    LOL @ blue typing!:-D I still have my 1GHz Celeron PC working which is the same age as your mum's and age or a slow connection have nothing to do with your issues IMO, I was on dialup at the time. Perhaps switch her over to IE6 or seven and use Maxthon if she doesn't mind change or just use the kludge I gave. I've been fighting this memory creep for years on FF with no obvious success through three systems and two OS's, with several clean installs of each. Good luck.:)
     
  10. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    Oops, timer ran out for an edit. Ya, I don't fool around with killing much either in Task Manager except for things that I know about. FF and a few others I will do but that's it, still if you delete something a reboot will fix it but you may lose current stuff that one is working on.
     
  11. DavidGP

    DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member

    Hi GRC


    If that PC has low resources, I would be very tempted to use Opera as the browser as its memory footprint is less than Firefox. Its bookmark manager resembles IEs so is very easy to use.
     
  12. grc123

    grc123 MajorGeek

    Hi Halo, and thank you ...

    I'm not exactly sure how to make a definitive determination on whether this PC has "low resources", but I appreciate your suggestion(s) - always - but yes, I think the time has come for me to do something.

    I know Opera has been around for some years (as long as FF?), but now someone else has suggested "Maxthon", which I had only recently "heard" about (here). Now, when I went to research Maxthon a bit, I see that there is a "Classic Version" and a Maxthon "2" (decisions, decisions!), both of which seem to be even smaller than Opera (?).

    Security is an issue that I am more concerned with than "footprint" or size, but if this Maxthon is as secure as Opera, perhaps I should look into it. I'd value your opinion on that.

    Thanks again, and I suppose I have some reading/research to do (I'm afraid I am going to "miss" FF, at least to a certain extent ...)
     
  13. augiedoggie

    augiedoggie The Canadian Loon - LocoAugie (R.I.P. 2012)

    Maxthon is just a plugin into IE to give it more functionality a la FF but I'm not too sure about the security these days as I haven't used it in three years. I liked it for the most part.
     
  14. DavidGP

    DavidGP MajorGeeks Forum Administrator - Grand Pooh-Bah Staff Member

    Hi GRC


    Opera is one of the older browsers, and had tabbed browsing back in 1994 but didnt release that version till 1996 where as Firefox or more so Mozilla didnt have this until 2001.

    Opera is as secure as Firefox IMHO.

    However in my link in post #2 there is info on Firefox and reducting memory footprint, worth a try if you like Fx However forum soft doesnt like the bracket at end of link so click me


    As for low resources your mentioning excess memory usage, if the PC has enough ram and not running out ( with low memory warnings ) I really wouldnt bother changing anything and install use Firefox 3 (for security reasons as mentioned Firefox 2 support has ended so nu security updates), just try some of the memory saving tips from that Mozilla link.
     
  15. grc123

    grc123 MajorGeek

    Ok. Thank you all. Now ...

    I have, at least temporarily (and QUITE grudgingly) made the update to FF 3.0.5 (though the File Version reads: 4.42.0.0 [??] ... and I don't really "get that" [shocker, eh?], but in any event ...).

    I would prefer, for the sake of the owner of this PC (my dear "old" [67/68 yr-old?] mom, who is rather "change averse") to forge ahead ... and KEEP Mozilla/FF ... if AT ALL possible - if only we could get these wretched, "new" (to us) "Bookmarks" (!#@%*!!!*%@#!) figured-out, i.e. to WORK FOR us :banghead.
    When I get back to my PC (sometime in the next few weeks), I may well be happy to try Opera or perhaps Maxthon, but for now, I am terrified to switch her and in so doing COMPLETELY turn her off from the internet ... she is already a bit "jaded" by my wonderful technical "skill" ;) (he says, whilst further stammering, and "literally falling" into a complete psychological breakdown :cry ...)

    As it stands, we are currently able to display the Bookmarks that "were saved" (on the PC, as a "trace"?) when we last attempted to update/use FF 3.0 (looks like back in October of `08), however, everything Bookmarked since then (in FF 2) has "disappeared" ... though I think that-that is not actually the case, and that they are still on this PC "somewhere" (again, as a "trace"??), as were/are the ones which are now displayed.

    In an absolute last-ditch effort to continue on with Mozilla/FF, could someone kindly offer the link (which I believe M. Trent, or someone, had provided once before, but which I cannot find in my previous threads) explaining/breaking-down/s-i-m-p-l-f-y-i-n-g, the accessibility/inner-workings (no, check that - rather, the OUTER-workings) of these "NEW" Bookmarks?

    It simply cannot be this difficult ... unless there is indeed some vast right-wing (or left wing, or middle wing for that matter???) "conspiracy" to actually make it difficult, to keep knuckleheads like me (!) "locked-in" to it ...

    Mucho Gracias, in advance ...
     
    Last edited: Jan 4, 2009
  16. grc123

    grc123 MajorGeek

    Still not sure how to tell exactly if "Low Resources" is an issue on this PC, or if Firefox was just using more than it should have been? Firefox is now back down to between 50 or 60K and 100K, roughly, since I switched to 3.0.5

    As far as Opera and its Bookmarks - if it's anything like FF3 as you say, I don't think I'll be able to use it, as I can not seem to be able to get FF3 Bookmarks to work for me. I simply don't understand FF3 Bookmarks since the change(s) from FF 2. And I Bookmark A GREAT DEAL, A LOT & OFTEN, which means I now cannot access or utilize years worth of information stored in this PC, because I simply cannot find it.
     

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