In Microsoft Windows, there's an error message that goes something like "Resources are low." Logically, if resources are low, you need to fill them up again. System resource is plain old memory. RAM. System resources are simply one way your computer uses memory. The resources part is what Windows uses the memory for: windows, icons, fonts, graphics, and other pieces parts.
As you use Windows, it consumes resources. When you have several windows open on the screen, they devour resources. Using lots of fonts? There go the resources!
Some programs are real resource hogs. Microsoft Word is one. When Word runs, it sets aside memory for oodles of resources — whether it needs them or not.
Bottom line: When you run lots of programs, you use lots of resources. When those resources get low, some programs may not be able to run. The quick solution is to simply close a few programs and try again. Or, restarting Windows often flushes out all the resources and lets you run the program.
Monitoring resources
In older versions of Windows, the System Monitor program was used to check up on resources and see how much of them were left and what Windows was using. In Windows XP, the System Monitor program has vanished, but you can still check on resources. Here's how:
1. Open the Control Panel.
2. Open the Administrative Tools icon.
This step opens the Administrative Tools window, which is like another Control Panel, but one that contains advanced toys for you to use to seriously mess up your computer.
3. Open the Performance icon.
The Performance window opens, which displays a graphical chart of how Windows is using some of the computer's resources, as shown in Figure 1.
Figure 1: The Performance window monitors system performance.
In Figure 1, and most likely on your screen, the Performance window is monitoring three resources: memory, disk usage, and microprocessor usage. These are shown on the bottom of the window, each associated with colors: yellow for Memory; blue for Physical Disk, and green for Processor.
Try opening a few windows or popping up the Start menu to see how that affects the graph being drawn — a real-life example of how resources are used in windows.
4. Click the Add button to monitor additional resources.
Or, you can use the Ctrl+I keyboard shortcut. The Add Counters dialog box appears.
5. Select resources to monitor in the Add Counters dialog box.
The Add Counters dialog box allows you to select which resources and stuff to monitor. You select the resource from the drop-down list labeled Performance Object. Then, select individual aspects of that resource from the counters list, or just click All Counters to see everything.
Use the Explain button in the Add Counters dialog box to understand what each item represents, though often the explanations are really cryptic.
6. Click the Add button to add the specified resource.
For example, to further monitor memory usage, select Memory from the Performance Object drop-down list and then select Available Bytes from the counters list. Click the Add button. This action adds that item to the System Monitor. (You may have to move the Add Counters dialog box out of the way to see it.)
7. Close the Add Counters dialog box when you're done.
Click the Close button.
8. Close the Performance window, as well as any other open windows, when you're done gawking.
There's really nothing you can do in the Performance window other than look. But, when you know what to look for, you can easily spot problems and pinpoint solutions. For example, if running one particular program causes all resources to suddenly dwindle, you know that there's a great demand for resources in that program.
Suppose that when you quit a certain program, you notice that the resources are not reduced, meaning that the program isn't releasing resources as it quits. This is known as a memory leak.
Perusing performance
Another place in Windows where you can monitor performance is the Task Manager, which is a little easier to get at than the Performance window.
Specifically, the Performance tab in the Task Manager's window is home to a quick summary of key resource information in Windows, as shown in Figure 2. Granted, it's not as exciting or as interactive as the Performance window (see Figure 1), but it does boil down the information to the bare essentials.
Figure 2: The Task Manager monitors your PC's performance.
The top chart monitors microprocessor (CPU) usage, similar to one of those machines that monitors heart patients in a hospital. This line represents the same information as the Processor line in the Performance window.
The lower chart in the Task Manager/Performance window (refer to Figure 2) shows page file usage, which shows you how often and how much stuff is being written to or read from virtual memory. Increased activity here could show signs of memory trouble.
Below the two scrolling graphs are four areas of text information that look really impressive, but don't worry about that right now. The real solution to the memory leak problem lies on the Task Manager's Processes tab.
Virtual memory is disk storage used to supplement regular memory, or RAM.
If you want to see the CPU usage jump, open a few windows or play a sound.
If your PC's performance meter just suddenly and randomly spikes, don't sweat. Nothing is wrong. This behavior is entirely normal for a computer. If you click the Processes tab in the Windows Task Manager, you see dozens of programs all running at once in your computer. A performance spike simply means that one of those programs went about doing its task and occupied the PC's microprocessor for a wee amount of time. That goes on all the time. It doesn't mean that your computer has a virus or a worm; it's just standard operations.
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