[RESOLVED] Diminishing User Resources ???

Hello.

I'm running a P3-500 w/128MB RAM, Win98SE, and just plain suffer from poor system performance. TSRs include: Scheduler, PCanywhere Network Host, Norton Crashguard, Firewall, WinFAX, and a couple of other minor, minor routines. The SETI screen saver is also used, but it has been eliminated as a contributing factor. The system has two NICs: One for the DSL line, another for the local LAN. Both run TCP/IP with DHCP disabled. The machine has 3 IDE disk drives and a SCSI card for 4 (mostly inactive) SCSI devices. Video is run by an ATI Xpert98 card driving the screen at 1024x768x16. Norton System Doctor reports my GDI Resources generally start at 35% used and climb up to roughly 70+%. NSD also reports my User Resources tend to start out 55% used and often climb up over 90%. Right now, after a reboot, Windows System Properties Performance Tab reports System Resources are 42% Free (58% consumed). Exiting the TSRs generally frees up System Resources perhaps as much as 15%, but only marginally reduces User and GDI Resources. (Tech support for one of my applications says not to expect reliable application operation unless System Resources are 75% free or higher. I find this a bit difficult to accept.)

I realize this might qualify as a "fully-loaded" system, but performance and reliability just aren't there. If I didn't have the Norton Utilities, I'd be clue-less and very frustrated. As it is now, I'm just frustrated. Certaintly there is a bottleneck somewhere. Any thoughts as to what it (they) might be and what I might do to resolve this?

In advance - thanks.

JT.

I think the TSRs are the problem. That's an awful lot of stuff to be running all the time and also expect good performance. Exiting them only frees up a little because Windows manages memory like crap. If you try disabling some of them from running in the first place, you would probably get better results. Also, you could try exiting some of them, then using a program that restores memory that Windows lost. I know TweakAll does this, as do quite a few other programs.

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When I hear someone say they give "110%" to whatever they're doing, it makes me feel good inside, because I know I'm not as big a moron as that person is.

lol - If I had a nickel for everytime Norton Utilities or Crashguard caused a machine to run slow or um... CRASH!
You have too much stuff running in the background. Kill some of it and your performance will increase. Use msconfig to see what is really being loaded at startup.
shawn

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I ripped the head assembly out - it spins up fine now...

OK ... I'll write-off Norton's System Doctor and Crashguard as diagonstic tools that have served their purpose - for the time being. I'll report back next week.

Related question however (and I CAN'T believe what I'm about to ask), to what extent would system performance and reliability increase if I took the plunge into NT?

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Just how junior does one have to be to earn the title "Junior Member?"