About System Resources in Windows

    Many people misunderstand the term "Resources" as it applies to Windows.
Resources have nothing whatsoever to do with the amount of RAM installed on the system, nor does it have to do with Virtual Memory (Swap file). Different versions of Windows handle resources differently.

    Windows has a special area of memory called system resources that it uses to keep track of important information for user interface items such as windows, icons, buttons, menus, and tool bars. The system resources memory area is a fixed size (64K), and does not get bigger no matter how much RAM you install. A system with 32MB of memory has the same size resource area as one with 256MB of memory.
    Each application you run requires some of those system resources. The more applications that you have running, the more system resources you will need to use. The amount required by an application can vary widely; some need only 1 or 2 percent, others need 10 or 20 percent. When free system resources drop below 20 percent, Windows can start to behave strangely. You may get error messages, crashes, or programs just quietly refuse to open dialogs or windows. For some resource-hungry programs, resource-related problems can occur at even higher-levels of free resources.  It should also be noted that the Windows NT kernel manages resources in a more efficient manner than the older Windows 9x kernel.  For another explanation of resources please seC:

 Ron Martell's (MS-MVP) sitC:
http://onlinehelp.bc.ca/tips.htm#resources
or
Jim Eshelman's (MS-MVP) FAQ on the subject:
http://aumha.org/win4/a/resource.htm

Solutions for low resource problems;
    I recommend that you try to keep free resources above 40 percent although much lower figures for a short time period are acceptable.  To check your PCs current value for free resources:

Select Start | Control Panel | System

Click the Performance tab.

    A freshly booted Windows system with nothing running should generally have 80 percent or more of its system resources free. If your number is significantly lower, it is usually due to applications that have been started automatically. Use the MSConfig program to change startup programs.
If an application crashes or it is not programmed correctly, it may not return all the system resources when you close it. This is called resource leakage. There is no easy way to recover leaked resources; you must re-boot the PC to get them back.

    One of the primary causes of low system resources is parasitic software (spyware) running in the background without you being aware of it.  These are generally known as BHO's (Browser Helper Objects) and can easily be picked up when surfing the web.
See this page by Mike Burgess [MS-MVP]
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

And then download and run one of the following programs.
Ad-Aware 6: [free]
http://lavasoft.element5.com/support/download/
or
Spybot - Search & Destroy [free] (for advanced users)
http://security.kolla.de/index.php?lang=en&page=download

    Once installed *MAKE SURE* you update online before scanning with either product.
NOTC:  If any parasites are found during the scan, I recommend a restart of your system immediately after the cleaning process is completed, followed by repeating the procedure.  If you choose to use Ad-Aware, they have an excellent support forum at:
http://www.lavasoftsupport.com/

For more information on specific parasites seC:
http://doxdesk.com/