Anyone Know of Free Software to Release Memory?

BlumBlumShubBlumBlumShub Posts: 1,108
edited December 1969 in New Users

Hi guys,

Strictly speaking this isn't anything to do with Daz software or 3D but since it's going to help me to get my software running smoother I thought it relevant and might help other people too!

Some software doesn't release memory properly when I close it, and obviously that eventually slows my machine down. I was wondering if you knew of any good memory management software that was that glorious price of free?

Thanks in advance,
Barry.

Comments

  • bighbigh Posts: 8,147
    edited December 1969

    reboot is best

  • frank0314frank0314 Posts: 14,049
    edited December 1969

    yep, the only way I know of is a re-boot

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited December 1969

    If you don't have a reboot, would a heavy leather boot do the trick, As in percussive maintenance. :roll:

  • SzarkSzark Posts: 10,634
    edited December 1969

    I use a flip flop to beat it in to submission at the same time shout "release the memory"

  • larsmidnattlarsmidnatt Posts: 4,511
    edited December 1969

    Hi guys,

    Strictly speaking this isn't anything to do with Daz software or 3D but since it's going to help me to get my software running smoother I thought it relevant and might help other people too!

    Some software doesn't release memory properly when I close it, and obviously that eventually slows my machine down. I was wondering if you knew of any good memory management software that was that glorious price of free?

    Thanks in advance,
    Barry.

    Is the program still running in task manager? If so I would kill it.

  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,206
    edited December 1969

    don't be silly like me and accidently kill windows explorer in task manager!!

    had to get on my android and read on the Microsoft forum how to bring up the run program window and enter Windows explorer to bring it back!!
    pressing alt ctrl shift or something?? forgotten already!!

  • ChoholeChohole Posts: 33,604
    edited December 1969

    I am so glad I am not the only one managed to do that. :red: I worked for the last 18 months or so on the old puta with a shortcut for windows explorer on my desktop after I managed to kill it once. :roll:

  • BlumBlumShubBlumBlumShub Posts: 1,108
    edited December 1969

    I've killed Explorer a couple of times myself. Didn't feel guilty!

    So far I've just used the task manager, but yeah, a reboot is probably best. I tend to do one every month or so!

  • larsmidnattlarsmidnatt Posts: 4,511
    edited December 1969

    sometimes its good to kill explorer every once in a while. Back in XP i used to HAVE to kill it once in a blue because it was getting out of hand with ram/resources. Sometimes explorer had a hard time previewing files and would become a pain.

    But if you do kill it you can always just start a new explorer task. and in some versions of windows explorer would auto relaunch if it got killed anyway. Been a while since I killed explorer though, might not have had to do it since I got Windows7.

  • edited December 1969

    I use FreeMemeory, seems to do the job quite well.

  • BlumBlumShubBlumBlumShub Posts: 1,108
    edited December 1969

    Aelfric said:
    I use FreeMemeory, seems to do the job quite well.

    Hi Aelfric. Sadly I forgot to mention that I use Windows, so the Mac software wouldn't work.
  • ghastlycomicghastlycomic Posts: 2,531
    edited December 1969

    chohole said:
    If you don't have a reboot, would a heavy leather boot do the trick, As in percussive maintenance. :roll:

    Aw man, I haven't started modelling boots yet. I'm still modelling pants. Can I just repants?

  • mark128mark128 Posts: 1,029
    edited December 1969

    Is the program still running in task manager? If so I would kill it.

    I am running DAZ Studio on 32bit Windows XP. It seems to never exits cleanly and the process is always still running in the task manager, except sometimes when it runs out of memory and crashes (need more ram and 64 OS).

    When I first started using DAZ Studio I noticed my computer got slower and slower each time I started and stopped DAZ Studio. Then I looked in the task manager and discovered 5 or 6 DAZ Studio executables running. I killed them all and performance was fine.

    I assume this is a Windows XP problem only. I am planning to get a 64 bit Windows 7 machine soon.

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited December 1969

    mark said:
    Is the program still running in task manager? If so I would kill it.

    I am running DAZ Studio on 32bit Windows XP. It seems to never exits cleanly and the process is always still running in the task manager, except sometimes when it runs out of memory and crashes (need more ram and 64 OS).

    When I first started using DAZ Studio I noticed my computer got slower and slower each time I started and stopped DAZ Studio. Then I looked in the task manager and discovered 5 or 6 DAZ Studio executables running. I killed them all and performance was fine.

    I assume this is a Windows XP problem only. I am planning to get a 64 bit Windows 7 machine soon.

    I believe it may be an OpenGL or Qt problem...there's an old registry hack, for XP to force programs to close...

    Windows has an Auto End Task timer which means that after a specified time interval, the not responding applications will be terminated automatically. Setting this Auto End Task timer to 0 seconds will terminate the not responding apps instantaneously.

    To alter the registry setting for this timer:

    Go to Start –> Run –> regedit

    Go to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USERControl PanelDesktop

    In the right hand pane, find the key called “WaitToKillAppTimeout”, double click it and set the time to wait for not responding applications to come back to normal. The time is in milliseconds. If you want to end the task immediately, give the value as 0 but this will not be wise.

    Now, of course, the better way is to find out what is actually preventing it from stopping correctly...but that involves a lot of debugging and looking, in depth, at all running processes....something that Windows native tools can't do.

    Also, if it is an OpenGL problem...try updating your video card drives.

    As to the original intent of this thread...if you aren't running Win9x, then no, a 'memory' cleaner isn't going to help. Windows memory management has gotten much more complex, from XP on and that old trick isn't all that helpful any longer (and was of marginal value back in 9x days).

    If you want to use less memory...shut off the 'eye candy'...kill the fancy desktop effects (Aero), make sure you aren't running a bazillion things at start up...(really do you actually NEED Yahoo, Google, Ask and every other tool bar? HP, Toshiba and every other vendor's autoupdater?).

    Then make sure that motherboard, video AND audio drivers are up to date (along with Windows updates, Java, Adobe and your AV).

    And most importantly...for Windows reboot, at least every 48 hrs...if not daily. Unless you are running a super lean, clean install that seldom, if ever connects to the Internet, Windows just isn't robust enough to go very long without restarting.

    Of course, if you really want to maximise memory usage/efficiency...get Linux.

  • BlumBlumShubBlumBlumShub Posts: 1,108
    edited December 1969

    I updated my graphic card yesterday and Photoshop has decided to close properly now... How odd is that? It doesn't use OpenGL or anything too fancy from a video point of view. But I don't care, it shuts down nicely now!

    As for Linux, well I went through a phase of using that last year and I found that I hated the lack of software. Someone actually said "Ah yes but with Wine you can simulate Windows" and I wondered why I would want to do that when I've got real Windows.

  • CiqnezCiqnez Posts: 3
    edited October 2012

    A free memory cleaner for windows is simple.

    All the magic happens in 1 single WinApi call(C# interop):

    [DllImport("psapi")]
    private static extern bool EmptyWorkingSet(IntPtr hProcess);

    so all you have to do is:
    (C# code)

    internal class Program
    {
    [DllImport("psapi")]
    private static extern bool EmptyWorkingSet(IntPtr hProcess);

    private static void Main(string[] args)
    {
    Clean();

    //if u dont want the console to auto close uncomment this line
    //Console.ReadLine();
    }

    private static void Clean()
    {
    Process[] processes = Process.GetProcesses();
    foreach (Process current in
    from proc in processes
    where proc.ProcessName != "System" && proc.ProcessName != "Idle" && proc.ProcessName != "audiodg"
    select proc)
    {
    try
    {
    EmptyWorkingSet(current.Handle);
    }
    catch (Exception ex)
    {
    //uncomment these lines if u want the errors to be posted in the console

    //Console.WriteLine(ex.Message);
    }
    }
    }
    }


    -----------------------------------------------------------------

    So u can download the file here
    included in the 7zip file are:
    * a pre-compiled exe
    * full source code (c# .net/visual studio 2010/.net 4.0)

    Post edited by Richard Haseltine on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,206
    edited December 1969

    :-S

  • cjreynoldscjreynolds Posts: 155
    edited December 1969

    mjc1016 said:
    And most importantly...for Windows reboot, at least every 48 hrs...if not daily. Unless you are running a super lean, clean install that seldom, if ever connects to the Internet, Windows just isn't robust enough to go very long without restarting.

    Of course, if you really want to maximise memory usage/efficiency...get Linux.

    Ahhh, for the days of OS/2 - when you could run a server for years without rebooting...

  • Richard HaseltineRichard Haseltine Posts: 100,828
    edited December 1969

    Shortened the separator line to restore formatting.

  • mjc1016mjc1016 Posts: 15,001
    edited October 2012

    mjc1016 said:
    And most importantly...for Windows reboot, at least every 48 hrs...if not daily. Unless you are running a super lean, clean install that seldom, if ever connects to the Internet, Windows just isn't robust enough to go very long without restarting.

    Of course, if you really want to maximise memory usage/efficiency...get Linux.

    Ahhh, for the days of OS/2 - when you could run a server for years without rebooting...

    Yeah...when you did it was to make sure the power switch was still working and not all gummed up...and clean out the inevitable dust monsters (because by that time the bunnies mutated)

    Post edited by mjc1016 on
  • WendyLuvsCatzWendyLuvsCatz Posts: 38,206
    edited December 1969

    I find lately I need to always reboot after a long render of more than 24hours or things start corrupting
    particulary if I have been online too.
    does anyone else find after Windows downloads updates, even if you have the automatic option off, things start misbehaving untill you install the blighters and reboot!!

  • BlumBlumShubBlumBlumShub Posts: 1,108
    edited December 1969

    I find lately I need to always reboot after a long render of more than 24hours or things start corrupting
    particulary if I have been online too.
    does anyone else find after Windows downloads updates, even if you have the automatic option off, things start misbehaving untill you install the blighters and reboot!!

    *raises hand*

    I miss Linux! But I hate Linux!

  • fixmypcmikefixmypcmike Posts: 19,583
    edited December 1969

    Other than when installing things that require it, I seldom reboot any of my Windows computers.

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