Many people can get confused about running out of “memory” when they get the message that the systemresources are out of memory. In many cases, an “out of memory” message is misleading, since your whole system really did not run out of memory.
What this really means is that certain systems in your computer are running low on memory. Windows maintains an area of memory for operating system resources.
The maximum size of this area is 128K, in two 64K areas. Windows uses this area of memory to store fonts, bitmaps, drop-down menu lists and other on-screen information used by each application. When any program begins running, it uses up some space in the “system resources” area in memory.
But, as you exit, some programs do not give back system resources they were temporarily using. Eventually the system will crash as it runs out of memory. The crash happens sometimes if you start and close many programs, even the same ones, without a periodic reboot. This is what Microsoft calls a resource leak or memory leak.
When you tell your system to exit a program, the program is supposed to give back the resources (memory) it was using. However, programs are written by humans and mistakes can happen.
The program may not give back all of the resources to the operating system. This failing to “give back” is the “memory leak,” eventually leading to a message that your computer is low on resources. Memory leaks can also be caused by programs that automatically load every time you boot your system.
The system resources problem is something you might have to live with until the misbehaving application is found. If you are sure a certain application is causing the problem, be sure to contact the software vendor. The best preventive maintenance is to periodically reboot your system.
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