What does "there is not enough memory on the computer" mean? Messages about the lack of RAM Windows, the solution to the problem of Windows 8.1 is not enough memory, close applications.
This manual is about what to do if, when you start a program, you see a Windows 7 or 8 (or 8.1) message stating that the system does not have enough virtual or simple memory and “To free up memory for the normal operation of programs, save files , and then close or restart any open programs."
I'll try to take everything into account. possible options this error, and how to fix it.
About what kind of memory is not enough
When in Windows 7, 8 and Windows 8.1 you see a message that there is not enough memory, it means primarily RAM and virtual memory, which is, in fact, a continuation of the RAM - that is, if the system does not have enough RAM, then it uses the Windows swap file or, otherwise, virtual memory.
Some novice users mistakenly mean free space on the computer's hard drive by memory and are perplexed as to how this is so: many gigabytes are free on the HDD, and the system complains about the lack of memory.
Causes causing the error
In order to fix this error, first of all, you should figure out what caused it. Here are some possible options:
- You opened a lot of things, as a result of which there was a problem with the fact that there is not enough memory on the computer - I will not consider how to fix this situation, since everything is clear here: close what is not needed.
- you really don't have much random access memory(2 GB or less. For some resource-intensive tasks, 4 GB of RAM may not be enough).
- The hard disk is filled to capacity, so there is not enough space left for virtual memory when the paging file size is automatically adjusted.
- You yourself (or with the help of some optimization program) adjusted the size of the paging file (or disabled it) and it turned out to be insufficient for the normal operation of programs.
- Some particular program, malicious or not, causes a memory leak (gradually starts using all available memory).
- Problems with the program itself, which causes an "out of memory" or "not enough virtual memory" error to appear.
If I'm not mistaken, the five options described are the most common causes of the error.
How to Fix Out of Memory Errors in Windows 7, 8 and 8.1
And now, in order, about how to fix the error in each of the listed cases.
Little RAM
If your computer has a small amount of RAM, then it makes sense to think about buying additional RAM modules. Memory is not expensive these days. On the other hand, if you have a very old computer (and old-style memory), and you are thinking about acquiring a new one soon, the upgrade may not be justified - it's easier to temporarily put up with the fact that not all programs run.
Low hard disk space
Despite the fact that the volumes of today's HDDs are impressive, I myself often had to see that a user has 1 gigabyte or so free from a terabyte - this causes not only an “insufficient memory” error, but also leads to serious brakes at work. You shouldn't bring it up.
Well, the main advice - do not store a lot of films and other media that you will not listen to and watch, games that you will no longer play and similar things.
Configuring the Windows paging file resulted in an error
If you have configured the Windows paging file settings yourself, then it is likely that these changes led to the error. Perhaps you did not even do it manually, but some program designed to optimize the performance of Windows tried. In this case, you may need to increase the swap file or enable it (if it was disabled). Some old programs will not start at all with virtual memory disabled and will always write about its lack.
Memory leak or what to do if a separate program takes all the free RAM
It happens that some separate process or program starts to intensively use RAM - this can be caused by an error in the program itself, the malicious nature of its actions, or some kind of failure.
You can determine if there is such a process using the task manager. To launch it on Windows 7, press Ctrl + Alt + Del and select Task Manager from the menu, and on Windows 8 and 8.1, press Win (logo key) + X and select Task Manager.
In the Windows 7 Task Manager, open the "Processes" tab and sort by the "Memory" column (you need to click on the column name). For Windows 8.1 and 8, use the "Details" tab for this, which gives a visual representation of all the processes running on the computer. They can also be sorted by the amount of RAM and virtual memory used.
If you see that some program or process is using a large amount of RAM (a large amount is hundreds of megabytes, provided that it is not a photo, video editor or something resource-intensive), then you should figure out why this is happening.
If it's the right program: Increased memory usage can be caused both by the normal operation of the application, for example, during automatic updates, or operations for which the program is intended, or by failures in it. If you see that a program is using a strangely large amount of resources all the time, try reinstalling it, and if that doesn't help, search the Internet for a description of the problem in relation to a particular software.
If it is an unknown process: perhaps this is something malicious and it is worth checking the computer for viruses, there is also the option that this is a failure of some system process. I recommend searching the Internet for the name of this process in order to figure out what it is and what to do about it - most likely you are not the only user who has this problem.
Finally
In addition to the options described, there is one more: it is the instance of the program that you are trying to run that causes the error. It makes sense to try downloading it from another source or read the official support forums for this software, there may also be described options for solving problems with insufficient memory.
Now we are discussing
We create a menu in the VKontakte groupThank you, it worked with the albums!
Reasons why Steam might not install Here's what's left in the folder after downloading
Reasons why Steam may not install the same when uninstalling
The reasons why Steam may not install, see, I download the Steam installer from the official site, install it., the folder is correct, but an error occurs in it, the following is written: “Steam has stopped working” “Windows fixes a way to fix this error” and the download line for this error is I close it twice, Steam is installed, but does not start, and in the folder, except for the Steam itself and the uninstaller with
We create a menu in the VKontakte groupProblems with following links can be if errors were made in them. The link to the album should look like this, regardless of its location: "http://vk.com/albumXXXX_XXXX". It should be added in the " External reference". Plus, this transition should not be hindered by privacy settings.
We create a menu in the VKontakte groupThank you, I figured it out! And tell me one more thing, why can the link to the album be redirected to my page, and not the album?
We remove the cooler from the processor. In what position should the half-turn levers or screws should be, I don’t know for sure what to call them. In general, how openly and how openly thank you
About what kind of memory is not enough
When in Windows 7, 8 and Windows 10 you see a message that there is not enough memory, it means primarily RAM and virtual memory, which is, in fact, a continuation of the RAM - that is, if the system does not have enough RAM, then it uses the Windows swap file or, otherwise, virtual memory.
Some novice users mistakenly mean free space on the computer's hard drive by memory and are perplexed as to how this is so: many gigabytes are free on the HDD, and the system complains about the lack of memory.
Causes causing the error
In order to fix this error, first of all, you should figure out what caused it. Here are some possible options:
- You opened a lot of things, as a result of which there was a problem with the fact that there is not enough memory on the computer - I will not consider how to fix this situation, since everything is clear here: close what is not needed.
- You really have little RAM (2 GB or less. For some resource-intensive tasks, 4 GB of RAM may not be enough).
- The hard disk is filled to capacity, so there is not enough space left for virtual memory when the paging file size is automatically adjusted.
- You yourself (or with the help of some optimization program) adjusted the size of the paging file (or disabled it) and it turned out to be insufficient for the normal operation of programs.
- Some particular program, malicious or not, causes a memory leak (gradually starts using all available memory).
- Problems with the program itself, which causes an "out of memory" or "not enough virtual memory" error to appear.
If I'm not mistaken, the five options described are the most common causes of the error.
How to Fix Out of Memory Errors in Windows 7, 8 and 8.1
And now, in order, about how to fix the error in each of the listed cases.
Little RAM
If your computer has a small amount of RAM, then it makes sense to think about buying additional RAM modules. Memory is not expensive these days. On the other hand, if you have a very old computer (and old-style memory), and you are thinking about acquiring a new one soon, the upgrade may not be justified - it's easier to temporarily put up with the fact that not all programs run.
I wrote about how to independently find out what kind of memory is needed and upgrade in the article How to increase RAM on a laptop - in general, everything described there is also applicable to a desktop PC.
Low hard disk space
Despite the fact that the volumes of today's HDDs are impressive, I myself often had to see that a user has 1 gigabyte or so free from a terabyte - this causes not only an “insufficient memory” error, but also leads to serious brakes at work. You shouldn't bring it up.
I wrote about disk cleanup in several articles:
- How to clean C drive from junk files
- Running out of hard drive space
Well, the main advice - do not store a lot of films and other media that you will not listen to and watch, games that you will no longer play and similar things.
Configuring the Windows paging file resulted in an error
If you have configured the Windows paging file settings yourself, then it is likely that these changes led to the error. Perhaps you did not even do it manually, but some program designed to optimize the performance of Windows tried. In this case, you may need to increase the swap file or enable it (if it was disabled). Some old programs will not start at all with virtual memory disabled and will always write about its lack.
Memory leak or what to do if a separate program takes all the free RAM
It happens that some separate process or program starts to intensively use RAM - this can be caused by an error in the program itself, the malicious nature of its actions, or some kind of failure.
You can determine if there is such a process using the task manager. To launch it on Windows 7, press Ctrl + Alt + Del and select Task Manager from the menu, and on Windows 8 and 8.1, press Win (logo key) + X and select Task Manager.
In the Windows 7 Task Manager, open the "Processes" tab and sort by the "Memory" column (you need to click on the column name). For Windows 8.1 and 8, use the "Details" tab for this, which gives a visual representation of all the processes running on the computer. They can also be sorted by the amount of RAM and virtual memory used.
If you see that some program or process is using a large amount of RAM (a large amount is hundreds of megabytes, provided that it is not a photo, video editor or something resource-intensive), then you should figure out why this is happening.
If it's the right program: Increased memory usage can be caused both by the normal operation of the application, for example, during automatic updates, or operations for which the program is intended, or by failures in it. If you see that a program is using a strangely large amount of resources all the time, try reinstalling it, and if that doesn't help, search the Internet for a description of the problem in relation to a particular software.
If it is an unknown process: perhaps this is something malicious and it is worth checking the computer for viruses, there is also the option that this is a failure of some system process. I recommend searching the Internet for the name of this process in order to figure out what it is and what to do about it - most likely you are not the only user who has this problem.
If you encounter an error "Insufficient RAM" in Photoshop when saving or otherwise, is it time to add more RAM to your computer?
- Right click on "My computer" and choose below "Properties".
- Left click on "Advanced system settings".
- In the window that opens, select the tab "Additionally".
- In chapter "Performance" press "Options".
- In the window that appears, open the tab "Additionally".
- In chapter "Virtual Memory" press "Change".
- We mark the "Automatically choose swap file size".
- Choose NOT a system drive, usually a disk "D", larger volume.
- Choose below "Specify Size", enter into "Original Size" and in "Max Size" meaning 9000 , then press the button "Ask".
- Rebooting the computer...
If this method did not help, then we perform the following steps already in Photoshop:
- Open the menu at the top "Editing".
- At the bottom of the list, point to "Settings", in the list that appears, select "Performance".
- In the window that opens, select NOT a system drive, which we selected before in the "Virtual Memory" settings.
- Move the slider to the limit of 90%.
- Click OK, close Photoshop and open it again.
If, when you try to enter Photoshop in the section "Performance" an error "Requires an integer between 96 and 8. Substituted nearest value.", then read HERE how to fix it. Fix it, then go back in "Performance" in Photoshop and follow the instructions.
Content distributed via the Internet, programs and operating systems is becoming more and more demanding on the hardware of our computer every day. High-quality videos take a lot of processor resources, OS updates "clog" free space on your hard drive, and applications with a huge appetite "devour" RAM. In this article, we will analyze the problem with the system low memory warning in Windows.
Computer memory is the system resource most demanded by applications, and if it is insufficient, we will see a well-known message on the monitor screen.
There are several reasons for this:
- The PC is physically out of RAM.
- Missing or insufficient swap file size.
- High memory consumption by running processes.
- "Clogged" to failure systemic HDD.
- "Pumping out" RAM by viruses or very demanding programs.
Below we will deal with each of these reasons and try to eliminate them.
Reason 1: RAM
RAM is the place where information is stored that is transferred to the processing of the central processor. If its volume is small, then there may be “brakes” in the operation of the PC, as well as a problem that we are talking about today. Many applications with claimed system requirements in fact, they can consume much more "RAM" than what is written on the official website of the developer. For example, the same Adobe Premiere, with the recommended amount of 8 GB, can “use” all the free memory and “remain dissatisfied”.
There is only one way to eliminate the lack of RAM - to buy additional modules in the store. When choosing sticks, you should be guided by your needs, budget, and the capabilities of your current PC platform.
Reason 2: swap file
The paging file is called the virtual memory of the system. All information that is not currently used by RAM is “unloaded” here. This is done in order to free up space for the latter for priority tasks, as well as for faster re-access to already prepared data. It follows from this that even with a large amount of RAM, the paging file is necessary for the normal operation of the system.
An insufficient file size can be perceived by the OS as a lack of memory, so if an error occurs, you must increase its size.
Read more: Increasing the paging file in Windows XP, Windows 7, Windows 10
There is another hidden reason for the failure associated with virtual memory - the location of the file, in whole or in part, on the "broken" sectors of the hard disk. Unfortunately, without certain skills and knowledge, it is impossible to accurately determine its location, but it is quite possible to check the disk for errors and take appropriate measures.
Reason 3: Processes
At its core, a process is a collection of resources and some information necessary for the application to work. One program during operation can launch several processes - system or its own - and each of them "hangs" in the computer's RAM. You can see them in "Task Manager".
With a small amount of RAM, certain processes that must be launched directly by the operating system to perform any tasks may not have enough "space". Of course, Windows immediately informs the user about this. If an error occurs, look in the "Dispatcher" (click CTRL+SHIFT+ESC), there you will see the current memory consumption as a percentage. If the value exceeds 95%, then you need to close those programs that are not currently in use. Here is such a simple solution.
Reason 4: Hard Drive
The hard drive is the main storage location for data. From what was written above, we already know that it also “lies” on the paging file - virtual memory. If the disk or partition is more than 90% full, then the normal operation of the latter, as well as applications and Windows, cannot be guaranteed. To fix the problem, you need to free up space from unnecessary files and, possibly, programs. This can be done both by system means and with the help of specialized software, for example, Conclusion
The reasons that cause an out of memory error on a computer, for the most part, are very obvious and are eliminated quite simply. The simplest step - buying additional RAM sticks - will help solve almost all problems, with the exception of a virus infection.
The most common user problem on Windows 7 and now it's tens is the lack of memory on the computer. It is caused not by the fact that it is not enough, but due to the fact that a certain amount of time has passed and the memory has “clogged”. As a result of this, errors occur, for example, "There is not enough memory on the computer" when installing the software. Let's look at what can be done if the computer "writes" about insufficient memory.
What kind of memory are we talking about?
Almost all beginners, when the above error appears, think about the lack of hard disk space. In fact, we are talking about RAM, which is used by programs running on a computer, the operating system and its processes. As a result, with intensive use, errors may occur. This seemingly daunting task has a solution.
In addition to RAM, we can really talk about permanent memory. Most often, the C drive on which the OS is installed is very “clogged”. In this case, there are solutions, we will indicate them below, but first we will deal with the reasons for the shortage.
Reasons why RAM becomes insufficient:
- Too many applications running at the same time;
- A small amount of RAM or the failure of one of the bars without the knowledge of the user;
- The use of a large amount of RAM by a "gluttonous" process;
Reasons why permanent memory becomes insufficient:
- Many installed programs and saved files;
- Crowded system files and folders;
The main reasons are indicated, in some cases there may be others, less common.
First you need to figure out which applications "eat" a lot of operatives. If possible, do not run too many of these programs at the same time, and you will already start saving RAM.
Immediately I would like to remind you about autoload. This functionality also heavily loads the system. To remove the program (s) from it, you need to perform simple steps:
The next option to clean up RAM is to terminate unused applications. For this, in the same dispatcher» go to the tab « Processes” and select the option we need. After selection, the button End task” will be active and can be clicked. The program will leave the RAM - it will be freed.
They love to "eat" background applications, which can be disabled in the Taskbar next to the sound, time, network icons.
We select the icon we need, right-click on it and select "Exit", "Close", "Disable" - depending on the program itself.
In principle, nothing more sensible can be done, except to simply buy an additional bar of RAM and thereby unload the system to the fullest. By the way, if you can not buy yet, use which we wrote about earlier.
With memory on a hard drive or SSD, things are, most often, much easier than with operational memory. When assembling a computer, they select the amount of memory that would be optimal for a particular machine and do not look much at the price, which is usually (we are talking about HDD) not very high. However, in older computers, the memory becomes clogged faster, because if a fresh OS is installed, it requires more space than, for example, Windows 2000.
To free up memory on your hard drive in order to avoid errors like “Not enough memory on your computer”, you can follow these instructions:
AT modern world work on a PC is indispensable. But sometimes users encounter such problems that prevent them from performing any tasks. Such troubles include incompatibility of the program and computer capabilities, mechanical breakdowns and, of course, lack of memory. It happens that a person tries to install the application he needs, but receives an error and a message in response: "There is not enough memory in the system." It is about the solutions to this problem that will be discussed.
Virtual and RAM: how to understand what exactly is missing?
When a message occurs: "There is not enough memory in the system," the user is usually lost and cannot understand what is happening at all. You need to know what steps to take with such a problem. Many users mistakenly believe that hard drive space is all of the PC's memory. Usually newcomers have such an opinion. Therefore, when the corresponding message appears (“there is not enough memory in the system, save files and close programs”), not everyone understands what this means. Here is how this problem is solved.
First you need to figure out with which software the difficulty arose. No matter what version of Windows a person uses, the computer always uses RAM initially. in its essence is, as it were, part of the operational. Therefore, if the user sees a warning that the system does not have enough memory, he needs to understand the following: when there is not enough space, the PC accesses Windows.
Reasons for this error
In order to solve the problem, you need to figure out what could cause it. The reasons may be as follows:
- too many applications are open, they all take up an impressive amount of space;
- the computer itself has a small amount of RAM;
- the hard disk is full to capacity and there is simply no free space for virtual memory;
- the user manually configured the paging file to be too small, and it is not enough for the normal functioning of the computer;
- one of the applications takes up too much space;
- a problem with a program that gives error messages like "There is not enough memory in the system."
These cases are the most common among users. Almost all of them can be solved by the owner of a portable computer or laptop. So, there is not enough memory in the system. How to fix this situation?
What to do if there is not enough RAM?
Getting rid of this error is not as difficult as it seems. If the difficulty lies in the amount of RAM, then just buy an additional RAM module. This part is now not very expensive and many will be affordable. Again, you need to understand that if the PC itself is old, then it's easier not to buy additional memory. This upgrade may not. Then it's better to save money for a new computer.
Low hard disk space
Today, hard drive storage capacities are impressively huge. But even with a disk size, for example, in terabytes, it often turns out that the user has filled it to the eyeballs, and there is literally a gigabyte of space left there. This is what often leads to slow computer performance.
Each user should be aware that the computer memory, although large in most modern models but is far from limitless. And there's no point in keeping junk files, programs and films. At least once a month (and even then with occasional use) it is necessary to check the system for unused files and, if possible, get rid of them. This can be done manually or with additional software. In addition, an antivirus scan also cleans the PC, clearing it of malware.
Windows paging file
Some users sometimes change very important data on the computer, and then do not know how to fix everything back. And they suffer, most often, with the fact that there is not enough memory in the system, how to fix it (Windows 10 is especially notable for this problem) is also incomprehensible. And I don’t even remember that they manually changed the size of the paging file. Some users disable this file altogether. So if your system crashes and then you get a low space warning, you need to check if the swap file is enabled and increase its size if necessary.
Sometimes users install programs to optimize PC performance. And already these upgrades begin to host and change the size of the paging file or completely disable it. In this case, it is recommended to disable the action of this program or remove it.
One of the installed programs takes all the memory
It also happens that one of installed applications crashes and starts taking up too much space. Then the user may also have a question like: “There is not enough memory in the system (Windows 10), what to do with this problem?” Everything is simple. For starters, you can check the program for viruses. Malicious applications are often the cause of this error. If the program is not pirated and does not harm the PC, then most likely some kind of error has occurred in it. In this case, you need to deal first with the application itself.
In other versions of Windows, of course, there are similar misunderstandings. If the question “There is not enough memory in the system (Windows 7), what should I do if the program crashes?” you need to call the task manager and see how the processes are going on in it. When you open the "Processes" tab, you need to sort everything by the "Memory" column and determine which program is the culprit for the lack of space.
If the application with the largest coverage of space is the right one, and its removal will disrupt the operation of the entire PC, then you need to somehow reconfigure this software. Depending on the program that caused the problem, the solutions may also be different. As a last resort, you can try reinstalling the program.
But if the process that takes up a lot of memory is unknown and suspicious in itself, you should immediately turn to the network and find out by the name of the object what it is and how to rid the computer of its presence.
Nothing helped: what to do?
It happens that the problem is not solved in any way. Neither the change of software, nor the addition of iron does not help. In this case, it is a good idea to compare the age of the computer and the requirements of the programs installed on it. Perhaps that is why there are problems.
Many forums discuss similar difficulties. You can look for solutions there. If this does not help, it makes sense to contact technical support. Simply describe your problem, and the developers will advise you on how to make your PC more efficient.
Finally
Most often, memory problems occur due to computer games. It is recommended to carefully check the compatibility of the computer's capabilities and the requirements of the game, otherwise there is a risk of running out of memory.
New users can generally create problems for themselves by changing memory settings or by mistakenly installing malicious software. You need to check the installation files. In addition, downloading programs from unofficial sites can also cause your computer to crash. If there is no official website desired program, you need to check at least the reviews about the application. By following these simple rules, you can save your PC from many problems.