Memory problems with finder?

[mgoulet25]

Hi,

I have a G3 350 mhz with 9.2.2 installed and I do have a problem with memory. On a previous message, I tried some of the solutions given me lilke disabling some extensions, reconstructing the destok and so on and I still get the information on the Apple menu that the OS eats up 65 mo!!! Is this normal?? I tried with as many configurations as possible, always saving the last one to see which extension was eating so much memory, but sometimes when I disable like a dozen, I end up with more memory eated up by the OS! Is this a Finder problem or just that the 9.2.2 OS needs so much memory? I'm also wondering if some applications that I don't use at all still need mem to "be" in background? Also I tried rebooting with all the extensions disabled and my OS still needs some 25 mo. I'm maybe fraking out for nothing but I have a few freezing problems when I shut down the computer or when I try to open up an application like Eudora or Opera.

I have a few pheripherics installed like a scanner, a printer, a 4-Hub, external ADSL modem and a ZIP-Drive which I use for my backups. Could it some kinf of conflict?? Frankly, I'm confused and don't know from which way to start!!

ANy help would be appreciated!!

Thanks

 

[Fezwick]

Turn on virtual memory. The finder should take up less memory that way.

 

[MacBandit]

This is normal in OS9. The more RAM your computer has the more RAM that will be allocated to OS9. How much RAM do you have in your computer. Let me see if I can guess. You must have between 250-350MB of RAM. My old B/WG3 with 768MB of RAM used almost 85-100MB for the system.

Desktop pictures also tend to eat up ram. I'm sorry I don't have more info. I did read at some point in MacAddict and also at http://www.xlr8yourmac.com why it used more ram the more ram you had installed but I can not find these explanations now.


Personally if you have enough ram or are willing to spend a few dollars to put enough in I would never run Virtual Memory. In OS9 Virtual Memory just slows the machine down and causes fragmentation on your hard drive.

 

[mgoulet25]

Thanks for the reply!

]This is normal in OS9. The more RAM your computer has the more RAM that will be allocated to OS9. How much RAM do you have in your computer.

I have 512 mo installed

Let me see if I can guess. You must have between 250-350MB of RAM. My old B/WG3 with 768MB of RAM used almost 85-100MB for the system.

Desktop pictures also tend to eat up ram. I'm sorry I don't have more info. I did read at some point in MacAddict and also at http://www.xlr8yourmac.com why it used more ram the more ram you had installed but I can not find these explanations now.

I tried searching for that particular article but could not find it

Personally if you have enough ram or are willing to spend a few dollars to put enough in I would never run Virtual Memory. In OS9 Virtual Memory just slows the machine down and causes fragmentation on your hard drive. [/B][/QUOTE]

Would it help just to give it a try? I could also try to reinstall my system with minimum extensions. Is there a way to know exactly which one are really useful and the ones I can trash?

Thanks again!

 

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by mgoulet25
Thanks for the reply!

Would it help just to give it a try? I could also try to reinstall my system with minimum extensions. Is there a way to know exactly which one are really useful and the ones I can trash?

Thanks again!

Well first off extensions don't eat up much ram on there own. Second off the ones you can get rid of and the ones you can keep I discovered purely by trial and error. Since I no longer use OS9 I couldn't tell you what they were. Also the fact that you have a different model of computer makes the required extension set different. The only ones I would get rid of if I were you would be anything related to speech and macintalk any unecessary extensions related to printers or scanners that you don't use. I would just move all of these to the disabled extension folder.

The way I organized my extensions and control panels in OS9 was to color code using labels my normal extensions and control panels and leave the disabled extensions and control panels un labeled. This way when I installed new software I new what it messed with.

For the most part you aren't going to save yourself much memory. The biggest savings will come from disabling speech and using a blank desktop background. Other then that we are talking a 100k or less for each item.

 

[barkmonster]

I run OS 9.2.1, I've got 320Mb installed and it's a beige G3 so there's no system ROM being loaded into RAM on start up like the B & W G3s and above.

My extension set for protools/internet consumes 23Mb of system RAM on a fresh restart, I run in thousands of colours and no desktop picture aswell. My other extension set with all the QT extensions, Open GL and a few other needed for running various emulators and games only comes to about 30Mb and that's with millions of colours and still no desktop pic.

I think there's definately some stray extension with serious memory leak, I'd disable apple guide and control strip for a start, they're bad for causing memory leaks in my experience.

 

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by barkmonster
I run OS 9.2.1, I've got 320Mb installed and it's a beige G3 so there's no system ROM being loaded into RAM on start up like the B & W G3s and above.

My extension set for protools/internet consumes 23Mb of system RAM on a fresh restart, I run in thousands of colours and no desktop picture aswell. My other extension set with all the QT extensions, Open GL and a few other needed for running various emulators and games only comes to about 30Mb and that's with millions of colours and still no desktop pic.

I think there's definately some stray extension with serious memory leak, I'd disable apple guide and control strip for a start, they're bad for causing memory leaks in my experience.

I don't buy it. I've never heard of anyone getting OS9 under 30MB.

To test his theory all you have to do is start the computer up with extensions off (hold the shift key down durring start up) and see how much ram the system uses then.

 

[barkmonster]

I don't buy it. I've never heard of anyone getting OS9 under 30MB.

To test his theory all you have to do is start the computer up with extensions off (hold the shift key down durring start up) and see how much ram the system uses then.

Sorry for making this thread way longer than it needs to be but if you really need the details, here's my extension sets :

Protools/Internet version (23.6 Mb on start up)

Apple Audio Extension
Apple CD/DVD Driver
Apple Enet
Apple Monitor Plugins
Apple Packet Media Access
Apple Photo Access
AppleScript
ATI Driver Update
ATI Graphics Accelerator
ATI Resource Manager
Audio CD Access
CarbonLib
Contextual Menu Extension
Digidesign¨ Direct I/O
Digidesign¨ DSP Manager
Digidesign¨ Sound Drivers
Digidesign¨ StreamManager
DigiSystemª INIT
Display Library
DivXª Video 5
DNSPlugin
Foreign File Access
High Sierra File Access
Indeo¨ Video
Indeo¨ Video 4
Indeo¨ Video5
Intel Raw Video
Internet Config Extension
Iomega Driver
ISO 9660 File Access
Microsoft Component Library
Microsoft Framework
Microsoft Internet Library
Microsoft OLE Automation
Microsoft OLE Extension
Microsoft OLE Library
Microsoft Structured Storage
MS Font Embed Library (PPC)
MSL C.PPC.DLL
MSL RuntimePPC++.DLL
MSL RuntimePPC.DLL
Open Music System
Open Transport
Open Transport ASLM Modules
QuickTimeª
QuickTimeª PowerPlug
SampleTankLibrary
Shared Library Manager
Shared Library Manager PPC
SOMobjectsª for Mac OS
Sound Manager
System Monitor Plugins
Text Encoding Converter
Toast CD Reader
TokyoIO
UDF Volume Access
URL Access
USB OMSMIDIDriver
Voxware Sound Component v1.5
Windows Compressors
WMA Audio
Apple Menu Options
AppleTalk
Date & Time
Digidesign¨
Energy Saver
Internet
Memory
Monitors
Mouse
OMS Preferred Device
QuickTimeª Settings
Sound
Startup Disk
TCP/IP

Protools/Internet/General Purpose version (26.9 Mb on start up)

As above plus the extensions/control panels below :

Apple Guide
Apple QD3D HW Driver
Apple QD3D HW Plug-In
ATI 3D Accelerator
ATI MPP Manager
ATI Video Accelerator
CDDBLib
Color Picker
Control Strip
Control Strip Extension
DrawSprocketLib
File Exchange
Find By Content
General Controls
HID Library
HTMLRenderingLib
InputSprocket Extension
Internet Access
LDAP Client Library
LocalTalkPCI
NBP Plugin
NetSprocketLib
Network Setup Extension
OpenGLEngine
OpenGLLibrary
OpenGLMemory
OpenGLRenderer
OpenGLRendererATI
OpenGLUtility
QuickDrawª 3D RAVE
QuickTimeª MPEG Extension
QuickTimeª VR
Serial (Built-in)
SoundSprocket Filter
SoundSprocketLib
Time Synchronizer
TSM Fix 1.03

Boring to read I suppose but it might be helpful if you're having memory issues or something. I know it doesn't include coloursync or any printing related extensions but I only enable what I really need (or think I need at least, Not sure about that TSM extension, it seems to solve some mouse responsiveness issues with a few apps even under OS 9.2.1 so I still keep it enabled). Obviously as I've already said, the B & W G3s and above load most of the system ROM into RAM so they consume more memory than the same OS on a legacy mac like mine would.

 

[marcvaneldonk]

9.2.2 is a very stable system. Just take care that your programms and extentions are uptodate. At our company we run tens of macintoshes with
9.2.2 and they work fine. Check stuff as atm atr etc etc for updates.
The same for Qpress, because this programm can cause a lot of problems
when not uptodate ( if you use it)
With a G4 or G3 and aprox 384 Mb of memory it works fine.

Marc

 

[MacBandit]

Originally posted by barkmonster


Sorry for making this thread way longer than it needs to be but if you really need the details, here's my extension sets :

Protools/Internet version (23.6 Mb on start up)


Boring to read I suppose but it might be helpful if you're having memory issues or something. I know it doesn't include coloursync or any printing related extensions but I only enable what I really need (or think I need at least, Not sure about that TSM extension, it seems to solve some mouse responsiveness issues with a few apps even under OS 9.2.1 so I still keep it enabled). Obviously as I've already said, the B & W G3s and above load most of the system ROM into RAM so they consume more memory than the same OS on a legacy mac like mine would.

That was really an unecessary amount of data if you were simply replying to me. A simple capture of the, "About this Mac," box would have sufficed. The ROM that is loaded on the B/W G3s is only 4MB so it doesn't expalain the ram useage. Thank you any way.

 

[mgoulet25]

Originally posted by MacBandit



I don't buy it. I've never heard of anyone getting OS9 under 30MB.

To test his theory all you have to do is start the computer up with extensions off (hold the shift key down durring start up) and see how much ram the system uses then.

Actually I tried what you said, and it does get under 30mo but It's not useful at all since I can't use all my main applications...