Insufficient system resources

It would probably help to check your Virtual Memory settings also. Ensure you have around 1.5Gb of virtual memory assigned. It would further help performance if you assigned the virtual memory to a second drive (or a drive seperate to the primary disk).

To alter virtual memory settings:

Right mouse click on "My Computer",
Choose Properties,
Click Advanced,
Performance,
Advanced,
At the bottom will be a "Virtual Memory" frame, click change to alter the settings.

Its always healthy to have your virtual memory set to 3x your physical ram.

Hope this helps

No - DjDezmond - 3x physical ram is too much!

Microsoft recommend your virtual memory to be set at 1.5x your physical memory. You can put this up to 2x - but I would never use 3x.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314482

If you can find official support from Microsoft recommending 3x  - then I apologise - but I don't think you will be able to!

Lace11 - set your VM to 768Mb for 512Mb physical memory!

As a reason why 3x your physical memory is too much - if your page file is too big, Windows will think you have more physical memory than you actually do have, and some software may try and access memory in an incorrect allocation (you put up the chances of suffering blue screens on your pc)

We deploy machines to client sites with 3x physical mem. Some of these use autocad and other high spec applications. We have never had a problem with any of them.

I suppose its down to personal choice, but 1.5gb of virtual memory, isn't an aweful lot.

Lace11:
  If you dont want to set it that high, i would suggest putting it to 1.5x the recommended value currently assigned. That should leave you comfortable.

DjDezmond - I notice you have no supporting documentation, then?

Also - having too much virtual memory can mean that your xp installation stops using it properly - and you end up slowing your workstation down - not speeding it up.

BTW, DjDezmond - your autocad workstations probably have 2Gb or 3Gb memory in them - 3x the physical memory as VM is perfectly suitable for this amount of ram (as you have said).

and235100:

Your 'supporting' documentation states that its only recommended to have 1.5x. It does not state any problems you may encounter setting it higher.

Like I said, down to personal choice. And it should not matter how much physical memory you have, VM would still be 3x the amount, keeping with your original idea of incorrectly assignable memory. But we've never encountered these kinds of problems, so I would assume it would depend on the 'use' of the machine.

If the pagefile is located on a seperate drive to the operating system directory, file IO would be cleaner and the file would stay defragmented, increasing the stabilty for correctly assigned memory.

My support documentation... which mentions both arguments ;)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_memory (taking particular notice to the "Fragmentation of the Windows page file" section")

This is Wiki we are talking about - don't believe all you read! The content is updated my many people, so this is not a true "reference".

This is a much better document to follow: http://www.petri.co.il/pagefile_optimization.htm

It does say that you can have more than 1.5x the physical memory as VM - but only if your system is under heavy load.

To get back to the Asker's problem in this question - IE7 isn't classed as heavy load - and obviously you wouldn't be trying to run intensive graphics manipulation on a computer with only 512Mb of ram!

and235100 and DjDezmond ,

Please continue your discussion of virtual memory size in the following topic:
http://www.experts-exchange.com/Community_Support/ExpertCare/Input/Q_22071526.html

This thread is for answering asker question.

<<Insufficient system resources exist to complete the requested service.>>

  It's probably not the amount of memory that's at fault, but an internal limit within Win XP.  With Win ME and prior, it was very easy to run out of these resources.

  A quick way to confirm this is when you get the error message, right click on the task bar, select Task Manager.  When the window opens up, click on the performance tab.  Look at the page file usage.  If it's not at 100%, then lack of memory is not the reason your getting the error.

  As has already been said, a reboot will clear it up.

  Outside of that, you'll need to wait for Microsoft to fix the leak before you'll get rid of the problem entirely.  It doesn't surprise me that IE 7.0 being as new as it is has some type of a resource leak.  I'd also check your Antivirus/Internet security (if installed) and make sure you have a version that is compatible with IE 7.0.  You may be blaming it on that when something else that's related may be the problem.

JimD

Lac11, any update?

Greetings all:

Restarting the computer does work, but who wants to re-boot every hour or so?

DjDezmond:  I followed your instructions on altering virtual memory settings, and after reaching the screen for "virtual memory", I clicked on change, then had to make some decisions without guidance.  The "custom" setting was chosen, with 766 as initial and I changed the upper to max (1567), yet everytime I check VM it says that it is currently set at 766?  How do I get it to go to 1567 and stay and not default back to 766.

JDettman:  I have looked at the Task Manager when I get the error message, and find the Physical Memory (K) to have fallen to 30000 from around 200000 at startup.

Bottom line, I am still getting the error message after being connected for 1-2 hours.

Thanks for all of your suggestions.


Louis

Louis,

See if deleting the Temp files will help your issue.  Also, do you have a program like Norton Internet Security, Trend Micro Antivirus, or SpySweeper hogging a lot of resources.  With one of them and IE7, which also a resource hog, you could get the program that you are seeing.

Windows will only assign Virtual memory as it needs it... so at the moment it obviously doesnt need alot, so its only assigned the minimum. Once you start using more resources, you will see this value rise (up to the maximum you have specified).

Are you still using internet explorer when you receive these errors? As war1 suggests, it could be your 'temporary internet file' settings. But only if you are heavily browsing for a while.

Can you give us a list of all the applications you have open when you receive the error? (and exactly what it is you tried to do that initiated the error)

Last night I tried leaving only Windows Task Manager active, with a Physical Memory (K) available reading of 150,000, then by morning the available reading had fallen to 30,000 and any attempt to open another program was answered with the "Insufficient  resources..." message.

I went to Control Panel and deleted some spyware programs, some other programs that I no longer use, etc. and it seems the "leak" at night has ended.

Unfortunately, just by opening IE7, doing light browsing,  and then opening my compuserve 7.0 email account drains my resources to about 30,000

Is anyone familiar with the Roxio product "Go Back".  I have this installed and understand that XP makes this program unnecessary.  Do that seem right?  Would I do well to deleted "Go Back"?

Remember, I never had a problem with low resources until I installed IE7.  Could it be that I was living on the edge of the problem, and IE 7 pushed me over the edge?

Louis

Go Back is a good restore program.  It does take up a lot of resources.  Windows XP has a system restore, but only restores system files.  Go Back will restore all your programs and data as well as system files.

IE7 probably did push you over the edge.

None of the comments helped the problem.  

Lace11,

You asked some questions on 11/30/2006 08:08PM PST.  I answered them on 11/30/2006 08:08PM PST

I said that IE7 did push you over the edge and now you need have low resource problem. Uninstall IE7 and go back to IE6.

Dear war1,

On 11/30/2006, you said "IE7 probably did push you over the edge", not "IE7 did push the system over the edge".  
I'm sorry, I did not read into your comment of "probably" to mean uninstall IE7.

I will try your suggestion of 12/29/06, that is to uninstall IE7 and go back to IE6    
I will try that for a few days and let you know.

Louis