"System Resources is one of the most widely-misunderstood
aspects of Windows 95 and 98. Many people equate the term 'System
Resources' with how much RAM they have or with all the things
that might be considered 'resources' in general--things like
hard disk space, processor speed, etc.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The term 'System Resources'
has a very specific meaning in Windows 95 and 98, and it doesn't
at all mean what your instincts might lead you to believe.
The term 'System Resources' refers to two fixed heaps of memory,
each 64K in size. These heaps are called 'User Resources' and
'GDI Resources,' and Windows uses them to keep track of running
programs and graphic objects. The overall term 'System Resources,'
expressed as a percentage (which you can see if you right-click
on My Computer, then click Properties and look on the Performance
tab), refers to the lower of the percentages of free User and
GDI resources.
The most important thing to realize about these System Resources
is that we all have the same amount of them, regardless of how
much RAM we have or how our systems are otherwise configured.
It's 64K for each of us--the person with a 16MB 486/50 as well
as the one with a 512MB 1.4GHz Athlon.
Many people get very worried when they look at the System Resources
percentage, and see numbers like 80%, 70%, 60%, 50%, They want
to know why their number isn't 100%, or something close to it,
and want to know how to solve the 'problem.' They mistakenly
assume that lowered free resources means lowered performance.
Have no fear. There is no 'problem.' Resources are there to
be used, not hoarded. Using a greater percentage of resources
occurs because you're doing more--running more programs. There
is no performance hit as you use more Resources, and no disadvantage
of any kind (except that the number of additional programs you
can start is restricted by available Resources).
Of course, if you run out of Resources entirely (or even get
very close), there's a serious problem--you will crash or lock
up the computer. But problems don't normally occur until you
get very close to zero--under 10% or so.
I'm writing this article on WordPerfect at the moment. I also
have Outlook 98 and Outlook Express open, and a bunch of small
background programs. My free Resources are at 32% and I'm experiencing
no slowdown and no problems of any kind. This 32% is fairly
normal for me. I tend to keep a lot of programs open and free
resource percentages below 50% are commonplace here."
Ken Blake |