# System Resources Dangerously Low??? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 4, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446 "2003-11-04T23:38:18Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![dj88qc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@dj88qc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dj88qc)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/1 "2003-11-04T23:38:18Z")
Here’s the problem… My computer is 3 years old and everytime I go try to play pogo my computer constantly locks up on me. then I hit ctr,alt,delete and I get the message System resources Dangerously low? I have cleared all my temporary internet files, I have slowed the program acceceloration down to nothing. I dont know what else to do to keep this computer from locking up while I am playing squelchies. I am running windows 98. I was running Me, but I took that out, because of to many problems. Is there anything else I can do? Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/2 "2003-11-04T23:42:19Z")
Hi **dj88qc** Welcome to the boards! How much ram are you running? Go to your start button…then run. Type in msconfig and list for us, what you have a check mark beside. ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/3 "2003-11-04T23:43:44Z")
Oops… sorry. After you goet to msconfig…go to the start up tab…and list for us what you have checked please? Start Run Type in: msconfig Click ok Go to start up tab ---
**Author:** ![Alereon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecd19e/32.png) [@Alereon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alereon)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/4 "2003-11-04T23:45:12Z")
Welcome to the boards! You simply have too many programs running. Look in the system tray (bottom right corner of the screen), right click and exit anything you don’t need, such as virus scanners. You can also try using [Spybot Search and Destroy](http://security.kolla.de/) to clean out spyware and other annoyances that can cause problems. Also, when you first start your computer, you can use ctrl+alt+delete and End Task every application listed except Explorer. This will give you a clean slate, and thus the maximum amount of free system resources and memory. ---
**Author:** ![dj88qc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@dj88qc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dj88qc)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/5 "2003-11-04T23:51:47Z")
Daizy, I apparently have every box checked. Is this bad? Alereon, said I had to many things running, but right now the only thing that is in the system tray is task schedular? What Next? ---
**Author:** ![dj88qc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@dj88qc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dj88qc)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2003, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/6 "2003-11-04T23:53:13Z")
Where do I get ram info? I am stupid when it comes to computers. Thanks for all your help? ---
**Author:** ![dj88qc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bbe5ce/32.png) [@dj88qc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dj88qc)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/7 "2003-11-05T00:00:02Z")
Ok, I have 128 Ram 76% free - system resources 32Bit I hope this helps ---
**Author:** ![aeropl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f05b48/32.png) [@aeropl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aeropl)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/8 "2003-11-05T00:52:25Z")
> [@](#): > > You simply have too many programs running. This is usually the case for most people, but it may not be. I can’t tell you how many times in Win98 I have gotten that error message when no programs were running other than explorer. I know not a whole lot about computers, but it seems to be some kind of “memory muddle”. You just have to restart your computer to clear it up. ---
**Author:** ![Daizy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/46a35a/32.png) [@Daizy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daizy)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/9 "2003-11-05T01:21:53Z")
Hi again **dj88qc** You can list them for us, and we can tell you waht to uncheck, to free up some system resources, or you can compare the list against [this one](http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_pages/startup_all.php) to know what is safe to uncheck. **Alereon** has also given you some great advice. Do run Spybot, or [Ad-aware](http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail.php3?fid=965718306) as well, to rid yourself of any spyware you may have picked up along the way. ---
**Author:** ![Toddly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/22d042/32.png) [@Toddly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Toddly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/10 "2003-11-05T01:41:48Z")
I tend to agree with aeropl in that Win 98 doesn’t free up memory after programs are opened. I too have seen this message with only one program running. Does it work better after a restart? ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/11 "2003-11-05T02:07:46Z")
I’d suggest switching to Windows 2000 or XP, but 128 MB of RAM is a little low for running those. The limitation on “system resources” is a bizarre quirk in Windows 9x/ME. No matter how much RAM you have, you only have a tiny pool of “system resources”, which is shared by all the window structures and graphics objects (pens, brushes, bitmaps). Windows NT/2000/XP don’t have that limit; they can store those objects in any available RAM. ---
**Author:** ![GawnFishin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e9bcb4/32.png) [@GawnFishin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GawnFishin)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/12 "2003-11-05T02:52:08Z")
I’ll ask the question how much hard drive space do you have left? Because this will also cause the same error message because windows cannot write a swap file and the memory management system goes nuts. Given more physical RAM never hurt but Windows also needs the virtual stuff as well. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/13 "2003-11-05T05:13:54Z")
Does in only happen with your computer game? I asked as we had a similar issue and we found one of the programs we had our IT guy had copied (illegally) and it must have been corrupted. When we replaced it with a version we bought no problems. ---
**Author:** ![vasyachkin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/c5a1d2/32.png) [@vasyachkin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vasyachkin)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/system-resources-dangerously-low/211446/14 "2003-11-05T05:23:45Z")
what are the game’s stated minimum system requirements ? by the way, upgrading ram is not going to kill ya, its quite cheap nowadays, i am not saying its the cause, i am saing its always a good idea to have plenty of it. there is no “right” amount of ram, more is always better. its just a matter of how much money you want to spend.