Why does my RAM usage keep increasing?

Question

When I reboot my laptop using Vista 64-bit and IE8, the Task Manager shows 38% of my 4GB RAM being used. After several days of use, the RAM increases to over 65%. Why does this happen and is there any way to control this? Thanks.

Answer 1

If the PC has been in extended continuous use memory leaks can occur from some programs (usually badly written ones) that mean used memory is not released for reuse. Over time this can then accumulate.

Provided that after each reboot your memory usage drops to the same level, I wouldn't worry. Rebooting more frequently than you currently say you're doing would however probably be a good idea.

The only other possibility than the above reason that I can think of would be malware. Make sure your security software (including real-time protection) is present and up to date. Do a full scan of all drives for malware.

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All answers and suggestions are provided by an enthusiastic amateur and are therefore without warranty either explicit or implicit. Basically you use my suggestions at your own risk.

Answer 2

"charita142" wrote in message

news:ad9c87db-67db-4125-b936-d1858c9c379a...

> When I reboot my laptop using Vista 64-bit and IE8, the Task Manager

> shows 38% of my 4GB RAM being used. After several days of use, the

> RAM increases to over 65%. Why does this happen and is there any way

> to control this? Thanks.

As a general rule, you should not have *any* available RAM (or at

least very little). Available RAM is wasted RAM. You paid for all of

it and shouldn't want to see any of it wasted. Windows works hard to

keep all your RAM working for you all the time, for example using it

for cache if your apps don't need it, then taking it back again if

your apps need it later. This is *good*, not bad.

--

Ken Blake, Microsoft MVP (Windows Desktop Experience) since 2003

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Ken Blake

Answer 3

this may be but why would it fill my RAM then when my applications need the RAM windows does NOT try to open the RAM up it instead starts paging? Is there a way to turn caching off? or somehow clear RAM of unneeded information and free it for reuse without rebooting?