Junk in the memory?

I'm new here.
I still have Win98SE with 256 RAM, but I love Spider Solitaire! I loaded a standalone version since it doesn't come with Win98.

When I play Spider for a long time, I think it sorta clogs up the memory, because the longer I play, the slower the responses become in the game - eventually becoming jerky.

At this point, all I can do to clear up the problem and get back to normal, is to re-boot.

Also, I'm pretty sure that this lags exists in other places but they aren't as noticable. However...

Since I have to use dialup, I also think that the 'memory lag' affects the connectability - sometimes I just can't make the connection, maybe relative to passwords, etc. Getting the dialup signal is no problem.

Is there some magnificent free program to use to clean up this memory problem without having to re-boot?

 

You might try CCleaner:
http://www.majorgeeks.com/CCleaner_Slim_No_Yahoo_Toolbar_English_d4191.html

 

Musksnipe, thanks for the suggestion. I looked at the summary and don't think it's the right approach. That one seems to be more of a disk-cleaner, where I'm pretty sure the problem is in the memory...

Wasn't there a program 'way back when - something by Quarterdeck - which, in the early days of Windows, when "stuff" would get forgotten or left behind, and QD would clean up the memory? Sorta like a mother going behind her kids, picking up the clothes, sweeping and blotting, making room for the next day's mess...

I think I need a marker in the memory, so that when a program closes, gets reopened, etc., it doesn't leave remnants where they use up the memory or reserve certain spots in the memory.

This may have a lot to do with Spider not being specifically for Win98, rather, for WinXP...

Thinking hard... :banghead

 

OK, I guess I wasn't paying attention (or been listening to my my wife again, as she thinks memory is her HDD) rolleyes
This is a good little app for freeing RAM. Maybe that will do the trick for you.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/FreeRAM_XP_Pro_d1670.html
It says WinAll in the description, so it should work with your OS.

 

Now, THAT sounds like a good idea! I had browsed earlier, finding a few downloads which looked like they might apply, and which looked small enough (and priced right: "free"). Then, I felt so bogged down with "ideas" that I stopped.:tired

I have that one, haven't used it yet. But with you getting the same idea, it must be a good one! I'll try it and let you know what happens.

It's alright to listen to your wife most of the time (probably advised to do it often!). And in those cases where you choose NOT to listen, just say, "Yes, dear" and go ahead with the other thing you were going to do. Most wives won't get mad, just aggravated; but aggravation usually doesn't result in pain.

Thanks again!:wave

 

FreeRAM XP Pro seems to be doing a fine job of fixing and monitoring my RAM usage. The icon in the tray gives a constant reading of the status of the RAM, so I can "clean" it up periodically. I'm learning that opening/closing programs repeatedly will affect the RAM size (but apparently not consistantly), so this may well be my problem.

Also, since I can "clean" it on the fly, it solves the problem of having to reboot.

I think this may be the overall solution to this problem!

Many thanks! :wave

 

Re: Junk in the memory - UPDATE!

I spoke too soon! After extensive testing, I discovered several important things relative to my initial question about Spider Solitaire and about overall performance subsequent to installation and use of FreeRam.

1. It didn't improve Spider's performance over time. There still is the jumpy conduct over time in games' operation.
2. FreeRam would indeed clean up the memory. But it always came back to the original number, regardless of what might be running at the time. Consequently, it cleaned out some info necessary for the operations at that particular point in time. This would lead to a freeze of a program.
3. After some time in use (days), I noticed a freeze of the system - screen, keyboard, mouse. The only way out was a cold re-boot - push-button power off, wait, power on; Scandisk, etc. Eventually, the freezes would take over at startup, and occur frequently during the day. Another screw-up was that the icon in the tray wouldn't allow for exiting the program - it seemed to want to stay there, monitoring the memory.

I finally tried to Add/Remove the program, but it wasn't registered with the A/R utility. I don't know how it started itself (it wasn't in the Startup folder), either. So I just found the installation folder and deleted it, then rebooted. Things have been running well since (except that Spider will still bog down).

Maybe it just doesn't do well in Win98SE... or in cold weather... or when the TV's on. I don't know. I just abandoned it. Now I want to clean out the Registry...

 

Re: Junk in the memory UPDATE 2

I've had a couple more of those system freezes I reported recently, so maybe it's not due to the FreeRam - unless I haven't scrubed it out of the Registry.

Recall that since it wasn't reflected in the Add/Remove tool, I couldn't "uninstall" it, just deleted the folder.

Not too sure what to do next, but felt it only fair to maybe take back the observation about FreeRam.

But the system does operate faster without the FreeRam...

 

I used it with XP and Vista with no ill effects and so do a few others here, butyou never know system to system.
I just posted in your other thread about CCleaner. It seems you have something out of sorts. Have you done a good check for malware?
I hate to suggest another app as they seem to keep crashing on you, but Spybot is a good malware scanner and if there is something there it will find it.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/SpyBot-Search_&_Destroy_d2471.html

 

Re: Junk in the memory- all over the place!

Last night, I tried to start from scratch, first with Ad-Aware 6, build 162, which (I think) is the list I got from MG (since Ad-Aware's built-in update link didn't do squat). But part the way through Ad-Aware, there was that Freeze! As it was so late, I just did a cold Stop - power button Off.

This morning, I booted into Safe Mode, ran Ad-Aware w/o problems; it found 10 cookies which I dumped. Then I rebooted, ran CCleaner Analysis w/o problem (except that it took maybe 25 minutes to go through the entire default checklist). It found loads of stuff, which I said to just delete all. It started... Then, early into the Cleaning mode, it Froze Up! Back to the cold reboot, which put me through ScanDisk again. Of course, ScanDisk at that point, doesn't report on the findings; it just fixes what it thinks is necessary, then goes on to boot up.

I had several glitches after that, none of which seemed logical. It might have to do with the fact that I have only dailup; when it looks like I'm downloading msgs that are huge, I know that almost all of them are junk Forwards; so to eliminate that, I have to do the 3-fingered Stop of the OExpress, go online to my webmail, and delete the big stuff there. Then I reload the OE and try to continue. I think that introduces a weak point somewhere...

Since I have only dialup (can't get anything else where I live - yet), I have to go to the library to d/load any big stuff, like SpyBot. I thought I had done that already, just not run it; but then, when I d/l that big stuff, I put it on a pocketdrive. So now I tried to find it on the p/drive but Spybot wasn't there. After that, I started having trouble with my system recognizing the p/drive.

I've been having so much strange crap happening this morning, that I went to RegEdit and imported one of the earlier registry copies which I thought would have less "weak" entries (remembering that I've not been able to clean a registry up yet).

So now I'm back to where I was... trying to get something done while avoiding the freezes. And to think that all this began happening just because I want to eliminate a bad pointer icon from my OpenWith window... !

And, if memory serves me, these multiple and frequent Freezes have been happening mostly since I installed FreeRam and then tried to Uninstall it (but couldn't use Uninstall, had to just delete the folder).

I'll try to get to Spybot to d/load it and install it, and then run it.

But in the meantime, explain something to me - several things, actually, which questions have arisen as I try to run some of these new programs:
1. Can CCleaner run anything in the background, while I try to do other things?
2. What is SpywareBlaster? I was thinking, a week or so ago, of installing that, hoping to avoid spyware, but I haven't installed it. Does it do any good at any point? I guess I need to find and destroy any spyware already there, first, now; but later...?

Lawd, I'm weary...
Waiting to hear from you!

 

Fact, windows 98SE freezes - a lot! Why, because it leaks. My husband's old 98SE computer was never on the internet so he didn't download email, etc. and his would freeze up with normal usage working in WordPerfect. He hates changes but I insisted I was getting him a refurbed Dell with windows 2K. It wasn't all that fast, 700MHz and didn't have tons of RAM, 256MB and yet he doesn't have the freeze ups.
On top of this, you are perhaps trying to download too much (in terms of MBs) email on dialup. Always go to the web interface and delete the spam before you try and download email into OE.
There isn't much you can do to fix 98SE, other than either reboot or use something that frees up RAM. (Free RAM XP did nothing for me; I used a different program but I'm unable to find it because support for 98SE ended in 2006).

 

I really don't think it's Win98. I've been using it for a very long time with little problem. I've seen no absolute need to change to anything newer, especially Vista! If I upgrade, I'll do it conservatively, probably to Win 2K. I think Win XP still has problems. I usually take my lead from a professional around here, but he's not always available for consultation when I need him!

Why do I think it's not Win98?
First, these freezes have only been happening since I started messing around to remove that bad icon in the O/With window (a week?). From there, I also started messing with cleaning up the RAM, wherein I loaded and used FreeRam. Most of the freezes have occured since I tried to get rid of FreeRam (see earlier posts). The freezes have increased from that point. Also, there were my efforts at trying to clean out some entries in the Registry (relative to that bad icon). Who knows what sort of trash I generated in the Registry from that. That's what brought me to a Registry Cleaner, where CCleaner was recommended.

And, to reinforce my thought that it isn't Win98 leaking, there haven't been any puddles or such around my computer.

I may have inherited some malware, but I haven't yet embarked on any program to detect and remove it. I had Ad-Aware 6, with an updated library from MG, and I ran that in Safe Mode this morning (reported already). I don't think this is the same thing as cleaning out Malware, but checking out SpyBot tomorrow is my next plan. I have to go elsewhere to d/load the program because of it's size.

If anyone wants to jump in here and clarify anything or offer something substantive, please do so!