Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Right... how can I stop explorer.exe using so much RAM?

It's currently using about 34MB (it was running about a seventh of that earlier but I rebooted and it's gone back to using loads again, dunno why it went down so much), and it's slowing everything down...

This is on XP Home SP2, 512MB RAM, Athlon XP 2000+

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

You probably need to start disabling things that explorer uses to enhance itself. Things like, taskbar item grouping, menu animations, etc.

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Maybe- but I didn't disable them and after rebooting the usage went down from the usual 34 to about 5-10, and then after removing a program from the startup (which had been there already) it went back up to 34 again!

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Hmm, that is quite high. Very high for XP, since 2000's explorer.exe (the kernel) only uses 4MB.

Have you tried using the Windows Classic theme?

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Explorer will start with low memory usage and then the amount will change depending on how you are using the pc. Do you have a high res wallpaper that may be adding to the load?

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

I shouldn't worry about it though, not with 512m of physical RAM. You probably have 512 of virtual memory too, so the difference 20 meg will make would be negligible.

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

explorer.exe might even get paged out if the PC is used a lot. That's when the system goes terribly slow, so you will know what it does :)

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Windows Classic... nope, I hate it!

High res wallpaper, well it's a Forest squad, and it's in 1024x768, I think...

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Well just try it and see if it helps.

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Changing the wallpaper has no effect, I've just tried...

Windows Classic- here we go...

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Right, that's taken it down to 10... meaning something in the Xp theme is hogging all the RAM, but what. I hate this look...

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

And pulling it back onto XP, and restoring a wallpaper, brings it back up to 12!

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

I don't think explorer.exe would ever get paged out, it is in constant use. What gets paged out depends on freqeuency of usage. In the old days when memory was small, it was determined line by line, but nowadays probably works more on functions.

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

If changing to the Windows Classic made it drop by that much, then you have a lot of Windows's "good looks" features on. When the XP theme is put on, it uses more memory because of the extra colours and images that have to be put into memory.

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

I know... but it doesn't explain:

- windows theme before anything: explorer - 32MB
- applying classic: explorer - 10MB
- reloading XP theme: explorer - 12MB

Which is what's puzzling me...

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

When reloading the XP theme, it probably didn't put "everything" into the memory, and will probably place it in the memory when it's requested.

Windows theme management can act strange at times :erm:

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

And don't I know it...

I'm determined to find out WTF is going on here, but you guys can all have greenies for helping... :)

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Now, 14,596K

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Still in classic or WinXP theme?

EDIT: Just looked at my XP notebook, and it's at 15MB and it only has BOINC running. All settings on performance (including the Windows Classic theme) so I don't think your going to get it much lower than 14MB I'm afraid.

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

It could be that you have also started many programs and they havent ended the task in the Task Manager properly.

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

That wouldn't effect the kernel. explorer.exe is basically the task bar, anything on it, etc. Do you have a lot of icons on your task bar?

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

Explorer is a shell, not the kernel :)

nffc, I don't know much about explorer in XP, but have you thought of trying an alternative shell. Most shell replacements are built to have a smaller memory footprint and be far more flexible/themeable. Some of them are:

Geoshell (I use this one, very easy to set up)
Litestep
Darkstep

and a whole load more listed here

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

As I said, in the XP theme.

I can't get why it was hogging so much, when it didn't need it.

As for the icons, surely it doesn't matter as it was the same when in classic...

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

No i dont because i disavble alot of programs that are not needed by Windows. I disable them through msconfig.exe and Startup Inspector for Windows which is found at http://www.windowsstartup.com

Re: Explorer.exe and RAM usage
 

8,976K - on the XP theme... :p

Now to fry firefox and its ram usage...