schmuk

My pc consists of a VIA KM266PRO mobo, 1GB RAM, AMD sempron 2200+,
WinXP Pro SP2, an LG DVD burner and a Samsung CD burner.

The thing is, before I installed the DVD burner, I used to have a Gigabyte
CD-ROM drive. And everything is running smoothly. My pc's average free
memory is 700++MB. After I've installed the burner, I average at about
100++MB of RAM! And when I clicked 'My Computer>Properties', only 448MB of
RAM is available.

I've checked the Task Manager and didn't find anything suspicious.
I've ran HijackThis and found nothing suspicious.
I've also ran complete spyware tests and AV scan on my pc, but i found
nothing.

So what's going on? I just found out yesterday on Crucial's website that I can
install up to 2GB of RAM on my mobo. And I got 3 slots (2 of which are already
occupied by 512 MB sticks). What would u recommend for a better
performance? 2 512MB + 1 1GB sticks or 2GB RAM sticks?

Someone pls help me...

ruben123jr

1. upgrade to 2gb of ram
2. download pc booster
3.go to run, type msconfig, go to the last tab and un-check applications you dont want them to load on startup. that will w8st lets ram

Terrister

What burning software do you use with your burner?

schmuk

I'm using Nero express 6.

Terrister

Nero does have a part that loads when the pc boots, but I would not think it would eat up that much ram.

Try Mconfig, like Ruben said, and see what is being run when the system boots.

schmuk

this is all i have in my msconfig window.

half of them are from mcafee.


jusched.exe
mcagent.exe
mcupdate.exe
zlclient.exe
mcmnhdlr.exe
mcvsshld.exe
oasclnt.exe
mscifapp.exe
freeram xp pro.exe
yahoo! widget engine.exe

i'm very sure that's not the reason for the drop in free memory.
i think it's because of the LG burner. i forgot to mention that i didn't install the bundled software for the LG burner.

Terrister

Try it without freeram and the Yahoo widgets and see what your memory shows.

schmuk

i had those on even b4 the hardware upgrade.

u guys dont get it?

i only experienced the drop in free memory after i've installed the dvd burner in
place of the old cd-rom drive.

speedster123

Listen, we read a lot of posts, and do this for the good of all. So take it from there.

Now, check your device manager for yellow alerts.

schmuk

as a matter of fact, i just disabled both the widget and freeram xp pro upon startup and all i got was 200++ MB of RAM. i used to get 700MB of RAM on a regular basis.

and on the device manager thingie, there's 1 yellow alert on my video controller.
but that was a long time ago, ever since i bought this pc. it's cos i didn't install a video card.

is because the hardware itself consumes so much RAM?

Terrister

The above does not really add up. Let's rule out malware. Please look at the link below.

http://www.techsupportforum.com/secu...sting-log.html

speedster123

Reading your previous posts, you had this issue for at least 2 years. ???
Follow Terrister's advice, and then resolve the video conflict in your device manager, as it doesnt help matters.

schmuk

ok here's the thing:

i've had the yellow alert thing ever since i bought this pc.
i asked the guy i bought the pc from and he said that it's because i didn't install a video card (other than the one on my mobo). at that point of time, i've installed 1GB of RAM. and at that point of time also, my pc average abt 700++MB of RAM on a daily basis. everything is running smoothly (and it still is) despite the yellow alert and all. that was before i installed the LG dvd burner.

fast forward 2 years later, after i upgraded the mentioned hardware, i only managed 100++ MB daily. and when i right click my computer > properties,
only 448MB of RAM is stated under system properties (out of the 1GB of RAM installed).

so my questions to u are:

1) where did the other half of my RAM go to?
2) is my mobo able to handle 2 GB of RAM?

schmuk

I only just have this issue for the past month or so.