[SOLVED] I noticed that around 6GB of RAM are constantly used, but what is shown doesn't add up ?

[nicdalm]

I have a MSI Katana GF66 12UC laptop. I have already run the memory test on Windows Assessment Console and it has found one issue "Symbols not found", I don't know if it has anything to do with the crazy RAM usage. I don't really know what to do.

 

[Lafong]

What doesn't "add up".......specifically?

Where are you looking?

 

[nicdalm]

What doesn't "add up".......specifically?

Where are you looking?

I mean that what you get by adding up all the ram used by the running processes is way less than 6gb

 

[Lafong]

What details do you see at this location:

Task Manager/performance tab/memory

There should be 8 or 10 different pieces of information there. What are they?

 

[DSzymborski]

It's hard to comment since we cannot see what you see and you haven't provided anything but a vague description of a problem.

 

[nicdalm]

It's hard to comment since we cannot see what you see and you haven't provided anything but a vague description of a problem.

https://imgur.com/a/BjkmQVE

View: https://imgur.com/a/BjkmQVE

 

[Lafong]

I think Windows loads stuff into RAM based on your previous usage trends even though those processes are not currently active. This can be flushed whenever it is actually needed by another program.

So, the “sum of the processes” isn’t likely to be the same as “how much RAM am I using right now”.

You have over 9 GB available. So, I wouldn’t worry at all.

 

[hotaru.hino]

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/ask-the-performance-team/what-are-symbols-for/ba-p/373196

Symbol Path for Windows Debuggers - Windows drivers

Learn how the symbol path specifies locations where Windows debuggers, such as WinDbg, KD, CDB, and NTST, look for symbol files.

docs.microsoft.com

Symbols is a debugging thing. It has nothing to do with memory usage.

Also when adding up RAM usage, you need to add the Working Set column.

 

[Colif]

Is the PC slow or just using ram? unused ram is wasted ram. You have 9gb free so its not like its a massive problem

You also aren't the only user... you may be the only human one but windows uses other users to do processes for you.
On the users tab, how much are you using?

Try a clean boot and see if it changes anything - make sure to read instructions and make sure NOT to disable any Microsoft services or windows won't load right - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

All this does is only lets windows programs start at startup. Its easily reversed

if clean boot fixes it, it shows its likely caused by startup programs. Do you really need them all starting with Windows?
I have 32gb of ram and just let them go, as even with 10gb in use I still have 22gb free

 

[nicdalm]

I think Windows loads stuff into RAM based on your previous usage trends even though those processes are not currently active. This can be flushed whenever it is actually needed by another program.

So, the “sum of the processes” isn’t likely to be the same as “how much RAM am I using right now”.

You have over 9 GB available. So, I wouldn’t worry at all.

Yeah, it shouldn't be worrying. I still have 9gb of ram, but I don't know why when I try to open a game, it just starts lagging for some reason. That's what made me notice the RAM thing in first place. I don't know, it might be that I have a virus, but I scanned my pc with multiple antivirus and nothing was found. I seriously don't know what to do anymore, I have tried anything

 

[Colif]

laptop only having one m.2 could be reason for some lag as its running games and windows off the same drive
https://www.msi.com/Laptop/Katana-GF66-12UX/Specification

try clean boot and see what ram usage is there. try a game in clean boot and see if it makes any difference.
Could try safe mode as well.

have you run MSI centre to check you have latest drivers?

 

[nicdalm]

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/ask-the-performance-team/what-are-symbols-for/ba-p/373196

Symbol Path for Windows Debuggers - Windows drivers

Learn how the symbol path specifies locations where Windows debuggers, such as WinDbg, KD, CDB, and NTST, look for symbol files.

docs.microsoft.com

Symbols is a debugging thing. It has nothing to do with memory usage.

Also when adding up RAM usage, you need to add the Working Set column.

I

Is the PC slow or just using ram? unused ram is wasted ram. You have 9gb free so its not like its a massive problem

You also aren't the only user... you may be the only human one but windows uses other users to do processes for you.
On the users tab, how much are you using?

Try a clean boot and see if it changes anything - make sure to read instructions and make sure NOT to disable any Microsoft services or windows won't load right - https://support.microsoft.com/en-au/help/929135/how-to-perform-a-clean-boot-in-windows

All this does is only lets windows programs start at startup. Its easily reversed

if clean boot fixes it, it shows its likely caused by startup programs. Do you really need them all starting with Windows?
I have 32gb of ram and just let them go, as even with 10gb in use I still have 22gb free

I just did a clean boot, it just slightly helped. The main problem is that when I open a game the laptop just starts lagging for no reason, that's how I noticed the RAM thing. The strage thing is that even when the game is runnig the values aren't crazy, the RAM does't go above 60%, same with the cpu and gpu, so there shuldn't be any problem, but everything is just lagging for some reason. The other thing that I forgot to mention is that it all started when I uninstalled Norton AV, which again shouldn't be a problem but apparently is. After the reboot for completing the uninstallation, everything went crazy

 

[nicdalm]

https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/t5/ask-the-performance-team/what-are-symbols-for/ba-p/373196

Symbol Path for Windows Debuggers - Windows drivers

Learn how the symbol path specifies locations where Windows debuggers, such as WinDbg, KD, CDB, and NTST, look for symbol files.

docs.microsoft.com

Symbols is a debugging thing. It has nothing to do with memory usage.

Also when adding up RAM usage, you need to add the Working Set column.

Not even close to 5gb

https://imgur.com/a/OZriooE

View: https://imgur.com/a/OZriooE

 

[Colif]

The other thing that I forgot to mention is that it all started when I uninstalled Norton AV, which again shouldn't be a problem but apparently is. After the reboot for completing the uninstallation, everything went crazy

maybe run the uninstall tool and make sure its all gone - https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v15972972

try running a windows defender scan before running games and see if that makes any difference.

 

[nicdalm]

maybe run the uninstall tool and make sure its all gone - https://support.norton.com/sp/en/us/home/current/solutions/v15972972

try running a windows defender scan before running games and see if that makes any difference.

After this, the ram dropped. There must have been some norton process in the background running even tho I uninstalled it. Now games seems to run quite normally. The ram is still higher than it should be. With nothing opened by me running it's still randomly at 3gb, I guess it's better than 6 lol. Hopefully I can find something that will solve this, otherwise I might just do an hard reset

 

[Deleted member 14196]

3 is as good as it gets

 

[Colif]

You not going to get much less usage... i wonder what its like in safe mode but you can't run in safe mode and the only difference is going to be drivers.

windows can run in 2gb of ram as there are PC out there with that much. It doesn't run well at 2gb though, it basically runs of the page file

win 10 can boot to logon screen with just 140mb of ram but no way you want to use it with this little

XP needs 96mb to boot
vista needs 224mb to boot
7 needs 192mb to boot
8 needs 168mb to boot
10 needs 140mb to boot

But you have 13gb free so windows isn't going to try to shrink itself down. And it will move itself out of the way if you needed all that ram.

 

[Deleted member 14196]

No I’ve spent a lot of time on this and 3 GB is as low as it goes actually 2 sometimes but usually it’s between 2 1/2 and three

If you’re at three then you have nothing to worry about absolutely nothing

Oh and Norton is the worst. Never install that turd again

 

[Colif]

I was right, Safe mode only place I can get that low and I prefer to have drivers when I use windows, if only to have a bigger screen resolution

 

[Deleted member 14196]

I was right, Safe mode only place I can get that low and I prefer to have drivers when I use windows, if only to have a bigger screen resolution

If you de-bloat windows then it only needs about 2 1/2 to 3 GB. And I always do that because I want to remove as much of the telemetry as I can and disable it because that gobbles up my bandwidth and I don’t get any benefit from it. It’s my machine in my band with and they don’t have a right to it unless I tell them they have a right to it. In any case you can get it down to 2 GB for a daily driver if you really want to

After a fresh start my machine runs at about 2.4 GB idle and of course as I start to do things during work it goes up

 

[Colif]

i know i could use less than I do but I don't really see point.
Most of its startup programs or things I use anyway. I don't see point in removing things I will just run anyway. It doesn't slow my PC down or perhaps I would remove some of them.

 

[nicdalm]

No I’ve spent a lot of time on this and 3 GB is as low as it goes actually 2 sometimes but usually it’s between 2 1/2 and three

If you’re at three then you have nothing to worry about absolutely nothing

Oh and Norton is the worst. Never install that turd again

No I’ve spent a lot of time on this and 3 GB is as low as it goes actually 2 sometimes but usually it’s between 2 1/2 and three

If you’re at three then you have nothing to worry about absolutely nothing

Oh and Norton is the worst. Never install that turd again

Unfortunately it was preinstalled. I would never consciously install that abomination lol

 

[Deleted member 14196]

i know i could use less than I do but I don't really see point.
Most of its startup programs or things I use anyway. I don't see point in removing things I will just run anyway. It doesn't slow my PC down or perhaps I would remove some of them.

Well, because.... you may want to be running virtual machines and stuff, doing dev, testing, whatever...
more is more and bettererer.

thats what i do anyway. i dont remove startup stuff i need either, but still, 2.4-3.4 at idle after login is pretty good and leaves me tons of overhead for a dev vm and other stuff.

i have 16 gb but am going to upgrade to a set of 2x16 crucial so i can run more than one vm

all this on a microbox... lolz beelink, and now they have the new r9 5900hx beelink for only 745$ on amazon comes with 32 gb crucial and kingston ssd

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