The performance and speed of a computer are affected by the characteristics of all its components, but the processor and random access memory (RAM) have the greatest impact.

RAM is a temporary storage for applications running on a PC, the code of which is accessed by the processor via high-speed interfaces.

If there is not enough memory in RAM for a newly downloaded file or process, it will be placed in the paging file on the hard drive, and the access speed to it will drop significantly.

The consequence of this will be freezes and a long reaction to user actions. The article describes the main reasons for high RAM load and methods for eliminating them.

First of all, you should make sure that this problem really exists on your PC.

The algorithm for identifying it is very simple:

• Turn off and then turn on your computer.
• Don't run anything manually.
• Wait about 1 hour.
• Launch the task manager by pressing CTRL+SHIFT+ESC.
• Check the RAM load level in the status line. A normal value would be no more than 50%.
• Launch a couple of frequently used programs and wait another 30-40 minutes.
• Check the download again in the task manager. The normal value is no more than 60-70%.

If at any stage of the test an increased RAM load is detected, then you need to move on to the next stage - optimizing the operation of the software and system, cleaning the RAM.

Setting up programs

The stage consists of identifying programs that load the RAM as much as possible. For example, let's launch the Chrome browser, open several pages, launch Skype, open a Word document and launch a torrent client. In the figure, processes are sorted by RAM load, from top to bottom.

Let’s leave aside the question of why a browser needs more than 1 GB (!) of RAM when viewing web pages, and let’s concentrate on how to reduce the number of “heavy” processes.

Here are some simple rules:

• Remove any programs you don't use. After removal, run a garbage collector to clean the system registry of unnecessary entries - CCleaner, for example.
• Remove applications running in the background from startup. In the above figure, this can be done with Skype, a torrent client and a client of the Dropbox cloud service. Such software likes to be registered in autorun during installation. Naturally, your list may be different, but we believe the principle is clear. You can remove an application from autorun manually using the MSConfig system utility or third-party tweaker utilities. Run such applications only when necessary.
• Disable, or better yet, remove all unused and unknown browser extensions. When surfing the Internet, try not to open too many pages.
• Close unused applications promptly. If you suspect that a program is heavily loading your system, close it and check whether the process has disappeared from the list of running ones. If this application is on the list, it’s worth thinking about what it does without the user’s knowledge? It may do useful work, or it may collect data on your PC and send it somewhere. In any case, if this is a program not from a trusted publisher, then it is recommended to remove it.
• As for antiviruses. We will not raise a discussion about which is better and which is worse and which loads the system more, but we will give some tips for all of them. Configure automatic updating of anti-virus databases when the computer is not in use. The same principle applies to scheduling virus scans. Carefully configure your antivirus exclusions and filters for browsing the Internet. This will allow you not to waste precious system resources when you are on trusted and reliable sites.
• Before installing the software, take the time to read its hardware and system requirements. Do not install the application if your PC obviously does not meet the minimum requirements - normal operation will not work.

Setting up the operating system

Here is the sequence of actions.

Here is a short list of those that are not used on the vast majority of PCs:

• Superfetch, which optimizes RAM performance.
• SSDP detection – working with IoT (Internet of Things) devices.
• If you have an antivirus, disable Windows Firewall and Windows Defender.
• You probably haven't looked at it, but the event log exists. Disable the Windows Event Log service if you no longer plan to access its contents regularly.
• And many others.

We recommend clicking the “Services” button in the task manager; the list will open in a separate window. Sort them by the “Status” column and check each one with the “Working” status, disabling the unnecessary ones. To do this, double-click on its name, and in the window that opens, select the startup type “Disabled” and click the “Stop” button.

Be careful when performing this step. If you have the slightest doubt about the purpose of the service, leave it running or find a description on the Microsoft website, and only then make a decision.

In conclusion, it should be noted that performing the described actions does not always lead to a significant reduction in the load on RAM.

The next steps should be:

• Checking your computer for viruses with another antivirus;
• Checking the health of hardware components (RAM, hard drive, video card, power supply), using CPU-Z or others. If a faulty element is identified, it should be replaced.
• Try installing a utility to automatically clear RAM. The choice is quite large, for example, Advance System Care, Mem Reduct, etc.
• Reinstall the operating system.

In any case, the problem can be solved by comprehensively using all the described methods.

There is an opinion among computer technology users that you can never have too much... And you can’t argue with this, dear reader, especially when it comes to modern machines whose hardware configuration corresponds to solid specifications, and the Windows system installed on board the PC is 64-bit version. However, the “painful” problem of many - “the computer’s physical memory is loaded, what should I do” - still continues its inglorious existence, perplexing the average user and sometimes forcing an experienced computer guru to rack his brains over solving the “lack of RAM” problem. However, we will not delve into the extreme complexity of “operational misunderstandings” and will resort to simple but effective methods of diagnosing and optimizing the computer swap system. Well, the article promises to be memorable. RAM secrets are waiting to be revealed!

Guard, the computer's physical memory is loaded!

What to do and how to deal with it? Probably, these are the questions that come to the user’s mind when he becomes an involuntary witness to the monstrous slowness of the Windows operating system.

• With each subsequent turn on of the PC, the startup of the OS becomes slower and slower.
• The clickability of the operating system at startup and during use becomes unbearable due to the “long waiting process.”
• The once “flying” applications, to put it mildly, take a long time to start.
• Incomprehensible service messages attack the monitor with their “unobtrusive” presence.

In general, any of the above scenarios (not to mention their complex manifestations) can quickly drive any user crazy. But not everyone who is “expecting” understands that everything described above may be the result of our own omissions. And it’s unlikely that the average user even knows how to make sure that the computer’s physical memory is loaded?

What should you do first if your PC loses performance?

Of course, first of all, you need to diagnose the system. Moreover, everything necessary for this is provided in advance by Microsoft developers. Well, it's time to move on to the practical part of our story.

• Right-click on the taskbar (the lowest area of ​​the screen).
• From the drop-down list, select “Manager...”.
• Once in the work area of ​​the service window of the same name, use the “Performance” tab.

• A visually presented graph will allow you to evaluate your RAM. If Vista or a later version of Windows OS is installed on your PC, then the value of memory used should not exceed 70-75% of the total nominal value of the physical swap. Otherwise, you need to unload the RAM area.

Memory problems start from the start of the OS

When you observe that your computer's physical memory is loaded at 80% or above this value, pay attention to startup. Most likely, when Windows starts, the mentioned service activates many background applications and various software. Often, it is for this reason that the RAM becomes overloaded, literally “torn” between requests from multiple programs to allocate the amount of memory they need to operate. However, such an unpleasant situation can be corrected quite easily.

• In the search bar of the Windows start menu, enter the command “msconfig”.
• After pressing the “Enter” button you will be taken to the “System Configuration” service menu.
• Activate the “Startup” tab and edit the priority list of startup software.

You will be surprised how quickly your OS will boot after a system restart. Nothing prevents you from making sure in practice that the problematic situation when the computer’s physical memory is loaded on Windows 7 will be exhausted after you remove all unnecessary things from startup.

How to clear RAM: two “fundamental” optimization methods

Let's start with the main thing - you need to disable unused software. As a rule, in order to see which programs are running in the background, you need to look into a special area of ​​the OS - the system tray - and directly from there (by pointing the marker at the object and right-clicking) deactivate the selected software. It may well turn out that immediately after you implement the proposed recommendation, the question “The physical memory of the computer is loaded, how to clear it” will be completely resolved. After all, some applications running are incredibly “gluttonous” in terms of using system RAM resources.

Another way to free up memory

So, in order to see which programs or utilities are “secretly” consuming the kilo- and megabytes of RAM you need so much, do the following:

• Press the key combination “Alt+Ctrl+Del”.
• After you get to the service window that is already familiar to you, open the “Processes” tab.
• Analyze the list presented and use manual correction to turn off the background application that you do not need at the moment.

However, you should not rush to deactivate “aggressive items”, since disabling some critical Windows services can have a detrimental effect on the overall stability of your OS.

“Miracle” RAM optimizers

When the physical memory of the computer is 90 percent loaded (from the earlier section of the article you learned that this value is a deviation from the norm), some users rush to clear the RAM area using various utilities. However, not many of them realize that this type of RAM optimization is a waste of time, since they do not contribute anything concrete to solving the problem. The “promising functionality” of such optimizers only creates the illusion that memory is freed up, while introducing some difficulties into the operation of the OS... Rest assured: the manual method is much more effective and more expedient to implement than imaginary “help” from third-party developers. By the way, we advise you to simply forget about this (second) method of RAM optimization...

Malicious code and methods for detecting it

Often the user asks the question: “The physical memory of the computer is loaded: is it a virus or not?” This problem is especially acute when all the above actions have been implemented in practice. What's the matter and why does RAM continue to lose its working potential? Let's figure it out.

• Download one of the anti-virus utilities from the Internet: Dr.Web CureIt!, Malwarebytes Anti-Malware or HitmanPro.
• After the running application finishes scanning the system, infected objects will be cleaned, and malicious viruses will undergo the removal process.

It is worth noting that the traditional antivirus installed on your PC is not always able to fully protect your system from penetration and the subsequent negative impact of one or another “digital infection.” Therefore, it makes sense to check your OS using the above utilities.

When the amount of RAM corresponds to the concept “NOT TOO”

If you are working in Word and at the same time listening to music using an Internet browser, and you see that the physical memory of the computer is 77% loaded, there is no reason to worry. But if things are different, it makes sense to look at the problem from a technical point of view and ask some questions: how many RAM modules are installed on your PC and what are their nominal “capabilities”? It is worth noting an important fact: depending on the version of the Windows system used, the requirements for the amount of RAM can vary from 256 MB to 2 GB (only for the “needs” of the operating system itself). Well, if you still decide to use a resource-intensive program on a computer with limited RAM, then it’s time to think about expanding

Summing up

So, with some confidence we can say that the once difficult situation for you “the physical memory of the computer is loaded, what to do” has now been resolved. Nevertheless, one important “operative” point is still worth mentioning.

• If you are using Windows Vista, OS 7, or later versions of Microsoft products, then if you do not have enough RAM, you can try disabling the Superfetch service.

And one last thing: do not miss the opportunity to upgrade your PC - adding an additional RAM module will significantly expand the functionality and “combat capability” of your computer equipment. Don't let your computer fall into unconsciousness!

Hello.

When too many programs are launched on a PC, the RAM may no longer be enough and the computer will begin to “slow down”. To prevent this from happening, it is recommended to clear the RAM before opening “large” applications (games, video editors, graphics). It would also be a good idea to do a little cleaning and tuning of applications to disable all little-used programs.

By the way, this article will be especially relevant for those who have to work on computers with a small amount of RAM (usually no more than 1-2 GB). On such PCs, the lack of RAM is felt, as they say, “by eye”.

1. How to reduce RAM usage (Windows 7, 8)

In Windows 7, one function appeared that stores in the computer's RAM memory (in addition to information about running programs, libraries, processes, etc.) information about each program that the user could launch (in order to speed up work, of course). This function is called - Superfetch.

If there is not a lot of memory on the computer (no more than 2 GB), then this function, most often, does not speed up work, but rather slows it down. Therefore, in this case it is recommended to disable it.

How to disable Superfetch

1) Go to the Windows Control Panel and go to the “System and Security” section.

Rice. 1. Administration -> services

3) In the list of services we find the one we need (in this case Superfetch), open it and put it in the column “startup type” - disabled, additionally disable it. Next, save the settings and restart the PC.

After you restart your computer, your RAM usage should decrease. On average, it helps reduce RAM usage by 100-300 MB (not much, but not so little with 1-2 GB of RAM).

2. How to free up RAM

Many users don’t even know what programs “eat up” the computer’s RAM. Before launching “large” applications, in order to reduce the number of brakes, it is recommended to close some programs that are not needed at the moment.

By the way, many programs, even if you closed them, can be located in the PC’s RAM!

To view all processes and programs in RAM, it is recommended to open the task manager (you can also use the process explorer utility).

To do this, press the CTRL+SHIFT+ESC buttons.

By the way, the “Explorer” system process often takes up a lot of memory (many novice users do not restart it, since everything from the desktop disappears and they have to restart the PC).

Meanwhile, restarting Explorer is quite simple. First, remove the task from the “Explorer” - as a result, you will have a “blank screen” and a task manager on your monitor (see Fig. 4). After this, click “file/new task” in the task manager and write the command “explorer” (see Fig. 5), press the Enter key.

Explorer will be restarted!

3. Programs for quickly cleaning RAM

1) Advance System Care

An excellent utility not only for cleaning and optimizing Windows, but also for monitoring the computer's RAM. After installing the program, there will be a small window in the upper right corner (see Fig. 6) in which you can monitor the load on the processor, RAM, and network. There is also a button to quickly clear RAM - very convenient!