AnsweredAssumed Answered

Memory error, How to increase the available ram.

Question asked by 1-5YT7VZ on Feb 8, 2008
Latest reply on Mar 18, 2008 by Pete Yodis

Like • Show 0 Likes0
Comment • 15

Here is what's up. I have a Dell Inspiron 530 with a Quad processor, 4 gigs of ram, 300gig hard drive. Page file set at 32 gigs and /3GB switch on. It is running XP Pro. I have only SolidWorks and Office installed. I use this computer only for solving Floworks calculations. I have a P4 system or design and such. When I run the batch solver with the 4 cpu selected in Floworks I continually get Memory errors, looking for such and such and only finding such and such. I am amazed on how fast the hard drive gets fragmented. What can I do to increase my capacity and to reduce the fragmentation? Would adding a second drive for the page file help? The CPUs have plenty of speed. They show 100% across the board when solving. I really rather not go to a 64 bit system. Simply put, Help

No one else has this question

Outcomes

15 Replies

Kelvin Lamport Feb 8, 2008 2:00 AM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
Is your system recognising the full amount of RAM?

Is the Page file contiguous when first created? If not, set it to zero, reboot, defrag the HDD, then re-create the Page file.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
- 1-5YT7VZ @ Kelvin Lamport on Feb 8, 2008 2:59 PM
  Mark Correct
  Correct Answer
  Yes and yes. It shows under system the 3.XX memory like it does on any 32 bit system. I have also run Win mem test for 24 hours with out any errors. The ram is OCZ 800MHz. I use Diskkeeper to defrag both the hard drive and the page file during reboots. I have also moved the page file from one partition to another to insure that it was in a fresh space but that also did not help. I have left a small page file on C: because I understand that XP likes that.
  Like • Show 0 Likes0
  Actions
Ken Kollin Feb 8, 2008 3:17 PM
Mark Correct
Correct Answer
32 GB seems a bit excessive for a pagefile on a 32-bit OS. Windows will probably report that you have 3.25 to 3.5 GBs of RAM so use the x1.5 or x2 rule for the pagefile.

http://technet.microsoft.com/e...s/bb897426.aspx

There's a link to the pagefile / registry defrag tool I use. You don't need to install anything: just run the executable, select the radio "defrag on next boot", and restart your computer. It works on XP 32, not sure about XP 64.

Another idea is to run some memory test utility, such as memtest86.

Drives are so cheap these days. If you have two drives you could adopt the 1 = system, 2 = data/pagefile scheme.

Last idea for now: how much tweaking does your BIOS allow you to do? I'm guessing not a lot. If the RAM was OEM there is the possibility of improper voltage/timing settings. A good portion of "DOA" or "buggy" memory would probably turn out to be just fine if the voltage and timings were either properly detected or configured.

*edit*: you answered most of my questions while I was making this post. Sorry for the redundancy.
Like • Show 0 Likes0
Actions
- 1-5YT7VZ @ Ken Kollin on Feb 8, 2008 3:20 PM
  Mark Correct
  Correct Answer
  For the page file, I started with listing 4 GBs, then 8GBs, and so forth but was still getting the errors.
  Like • Show 0 Likes0
  Actions
  - Kent Hanners @ 1-5YT7VZ on Feb 13, 2008 7:34 PM
    Mark Correct
    Correct Answer
    Bill,
    One thought here. You are not required to have a pagefile on drive C: with the OS. I have two physical hard drives on my machine. Both are 10K RPM Raptors and one (the D: drive) is dedicated to pagefile with no paging on drive C. This is under Windows XP 32 SP2.
    I suspect that with the small page file on C: it is filling that up then scratching its head looking for more space. The page file works best when it is on continuous space and it seems that the OS may not be seeing the other portion of it for some reason.
    I would double check the pagefile space on the other partition to make sure it is properly applied and recognize. I would then remove the PF from C completely using the one on the other partition exclusively to see what happens. The general rule of thumb is twice the size of Physical memory.
    Like • Show 0 Likes0
    Actions
    - Jason Capriotti @ Kent Hanners on Feb 13, 2008 8:12 PM
      Mark Correct
      Correct Answer
      In task manager, what does your memory usage look like total and for just SolidWorks/Floworks?
      Like • Show 0 Likes0
      Actions
      - 1-5YT7VZ @ Jason Capriotti on Feb 19, 2008 9:09 PM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        Well, with a bit of testing and with a new Raptor hard drive I finally realized that I was barking up the wrong tree. It is not the Page file that is giving me the problems. It is the cosmos files that it writes to the hard drive. It re-writes to the file continuously during the solving. And as I increase the number of CPUs that I solve with the fragmentation problems increase. If I use only one CPU is finish in about 16 hours and need to Defrag. If I run 2 CPUs I must defrag every two or three hours or it hangs up for lack of file space (Error message "looking for 5 MB, 4 only available", something like that). If I use all 4 CPUs I must defrag every hour. Any ideas on how to move the cosmos solution directories? I don't know if my defrag program is part of the problem. It packs the files next to each other. Any suggestions?
        
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions
        tuan nguyen @ 1-5YT7VZ on Feb 20, 2008 8:09 AM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        Hi,
        I am a regularly user of CosmosFloWorks and like you I also have the same issue.
        According to my Cosmos VAR, it isn't a problem of CosmosFlo (even if occur only with CosmosFlo....!?), it isn't a problem of harddrive fragmentation, it is only a problem of defective RAM memory management of Windows XP and Vista 32 bits.
        Some answer's abstract from my Cosmos VAR :
        "The problem is memory fragmentation, this problem happens when there is no contiguous free block that is big enough. It is caused by the distribution of used and free memory blocks in address space - the free space is cut in small pieces...
        Solution:
        Reduce the number of cells of your model.
        Reduce the number of softs runs on the back on yours PC.
        The drastic solution is Windows 64 bits or perhaps another CFD software.
        Regards,
        Tuan
        
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions
        Basil Gello @ tuan nguyen on Feb 20, 2008 9:00 AM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        Bill,
        
        how about using 64-bit Solidworks and Flo?
        
        Regards,Basil.
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions
        1-5YT7VZ @ Basil Gello on Feb 21, 2008 8:44 PM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        Tuan,
        Thanks for the info, I was hoping for something better, a switch or something but I was expecting exactly that. Such is life. Unfortunately, right now going 64 is not an option. Have you tried 64? Does it actually take care of the problem? Thanks all for all of the help.
        
        Bill
        
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions
        Mike Wilson @ 1-5YT7VZ on Feb 21, 2008 9:09 PM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        I went to x64 soon after it was out and haven't looked back. It was, without a doubt, the best SolidWorks investment I ever made.
        
        Combined with plentiful RAM and multi-CPU's, I'm able to multitask like crazy. I'm never bored.
        
        There is no slowdown for the most part when several SolidWorks sessions are open doing CPU heavy tasks. Just occasional small waits every so often. The OS is pretty good at allocating necessary CPU cycles to whichever program needs it.
        
        Why have a dedicated computer chomping at some analysis, when you can analyze, render and edit large assemblies, all on the same computer at the same time?
        
        Here is me working on an 8,000 part assembly in 2006, while rendering the same assembly in 2008 at this very moment...
        Attachments
        x64.jpg155.5 KB
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions
        Pete Yodis @ Mike Wilson on Feb 22, 2008 12:42 PM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        Impressive Mike. Could you list the specs of the hardware you are running this on?
        
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions
        Ben Floan @ Mike Wilson on Feb 28, 2008 3:01 PM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        Michael, I would be very interested to hear more about your hardware and x64... any other issues of compatibility you may have had. I've heard mixed reviews about x64.
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions
        Michael Gera @ Mike Wilson on Mar 18, 2008 12:20 PM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        I think you are lying to us. (just kidding)
        
        Michael Wilson wrote:
        
        I went to x64 soon after it was out and haven't looked back. It was, without a doubt, the best SolidWorks investment I ever made.
        
        Combined with plentiful RAM and multi-CPU's, I'm able to multitask like crazy. I'm never bored.
        
        There is no slowdown for the most part when several SolidWorks sessions are open doing CPU heavy tasks. Just occasional small waits every so often. The OS is pretty good at allocating necessary CPU cycles to whichever program needs it.
        
        Why have a dedicated computer chomping at some analysis, when you can analyze, render and edit large assemblies, all on the same computer at the same time?
        
        Here is me working on an 8,000 part assembly in 2006, while rendering the same assembly in 2008 at this very moment...
        
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions
        Pete Yodis @ Mike Wilson on Mar 18, 2008 12:31 PM
        Mark Correct
        Correct Answer
        Mike,
        
        Care to benchmark here....
        
        http://spreadsheets.google.com...aB1pR234GH7LFc4ExRGgQA
        
        and here....
        
        http://spreadsheets.google.com...z7wTpIkC7LA28ybEyxyTPw
        Like • Show 0 Likes0
        Actions

Memory error, How to increase the available ram.

Outcomes

Attachments

Related Content

Recommended Content