What does it mean there is not enough RAM memory. Solving the problem with lack of RAM in Photoshop

I received this question from a member of our community.
I didn’t have such a problem, but I decided to look into it. What could be the reason for this and how to get rid of it?
I’m describing it as I understand it, but I may end up not being entirely right in some ways.

Allocating RAM for Photoshop

RAM - RAM STORAGE DEVICE. Simply put, the random access memory of a computer or other device (RAM). Serves to enter data into temporary memory. When you restart the computer, the contents of the RAM are not saved.

Photoshop displays volume available RAM And ideal memory range required for its operation (share of total available memory as a percentage).
The value "Occupied by Photoshop" is the default, but if desired, you can change it to about 75%
You can see this: Editing-Settings-Performance for Cs5

Edit-Settings-Memory and cache memory for CS2

Purpose of scratch disks

If the system does not have enough RAM to perform an operation, Photoshop uses its own technology virtual memory, also called working disks. A scratch disk is any disk or disk partition with free space. By default, Photoshop uses the hard drive on which the operating system is installed, usually Drive C, as its primary working drive.

Photoshop detects and displays all available internal drives in the Settings panel. Using the Preferences panel, you can enable other scratch disks that will be used after the main disk is full.

For CS2 this can be done: Edit-Settings-External modules and scratch disks

For CS5 this can be done: Editing-Settings-Performance

Main working disk must have the fastest hard drive; make sure there is plenty of free, defragmented space on it.
To turn on Virtual memory(swap file), check the box next to the drive that has free space.
Click "OK".
Restart Photoshop for the changes to take effect.

PS: Virtual memory will be used only when there is not enough memory on the Main working disk for further work in Photoshop, when you exit Photoshop it will finish its work, i.e. You can safely use the Paging file; no saving will be made on disk.

Free memory

Team " Delete from memory" allows you to free up memory used by: the Undo command, the History panel, and the clipboard.

Select the Edit menu - Delete from memory and select the element type or buffer you want to clear. If the element type or buffer has already been cleared, it will be dimmed.

Note: Team " Delete from memory" permanently deletes from memory operations stored using commands or automatically in a buffer. Delete from memory impossible to cancel.
For example, selecting Edit-Delete History will remove all archived states from the History panel. Use the Delete from Memory command when the amount of information in memory is so large that it is noticeable affects performance Photoshop.
I think this will be useful for everyone to know

When working in Photoshop on weak computers, you can see a scary dialog box about the lack of RAM. This can happen when saving large documents, applying heavy filters, and other operations.

This problem is due to the fact that almost all Adobe software products try to make maximum use of system resources in their work. It’s always “not enough” for them.

Physical memory

In this case, our computer may not have enough physical memory to run the program. These are strips installed in the corresponding connectors of the motherboard.

Its volume can be found by clicking RMB by icon "Computer" on the desktop and selecting "Properties".

The system properties window displays various information, including the amount of RAM.

It is this parameter that should be taken into account before installing the program. Carefully read the system requirements of the version you plan to work with. For example, for Photoshop CS6 1 GB will be enough, but the CC 2014 version will already require 2 GB.

If there is not enough memory, then installing additional memory sticks will help.

Virtual memory

Computer virtual memory is a special system file in which information that “does not fit” in the RAM (RAM) is recorded. This occurs due to insufficient physical memory, which, if necessary, offloads “extra” information to the hard drive.

Since Photoshop very actively uses all system resources, the size of the paging file directly affects its performance.

In some cases, increasing the virtual memory may solve the problem with the dialog box appearing.

Choose a disk for the paging file with sufficient free space, since, configured in this way, it will immediately be of the specified size (9000 MB, in our case).

You should not increase the size of the swap file indefinitely, as this does not make sense. 6000 MB would be enough (with a physical memory size of 3 GB).

Performance settings and Photoshop scratch disks

These settings are located at “Editing – Settings – Performance”.

In the settings window we see the size of the allocated memory and the disks that Photoshop uses in its work.

In the allocated memory block, you can increase its size using the provided slider. It is advisable not to increase the size above 90% , since problems may arise with applications that will be running (possibly in the background) while Photoshop is running.

With scratch disks, everything is much simpler: choose the one with more free space. It is advisable that this is not the system drive. Be sure to check this parameter, as the program may act up if there is not enough work space on the allocated disk.

Registry key

If no standard means help get rid of the error, then you can simply trick Photoshop by telling it that we have a lot of RAM. This is done using a special key in the system registry. This technique will also help resolve the warning message that appears when you try to configure performance settings. The reason for these errors is the same - problems or insufficient memory.

1. We launch the registry editor with the appropriate command in the menu "Run" (Windows+R).

   

2. Let's go to the branch

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Adobe\

   

   Open the directory "Photoshop", in which there will be another folder with numbers in the name, for example, "80.0" or "120.0", depending on the program version. Let's click on it.

   If there is no such folder in this branch, then all actions can be performed along this path:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Adobe\



3. Right-click in the right block with the keys and select "New - DWORD Value (32 bits)".

   

4. We give the key the following name:

   OverridePhysicalMemoryMB

   

5. Right-click on the created key and select "Change".

   

6. Switch to decimal notation and assign a value from «0» before "24000", you can choose the largest one. Click OK.

   

7. To be sure, you can reboot the machine.
8. Now, having opened the performance settings in the program, we will see the following picture:

If the errors were caused by glitches or other software factors, then after these steps they should disappear.

At this point, the options for solving the problem with insufficient RAM have been exhausted. The optimal solution would be to increase physical memory. If this is not possible, then try other methods, or change the version of the program.

Microsoft's operating system contains small flaws. Some users have experienced that their computer has little virtual memory. What they are notified about by error. Before this, 95% of users are faced with the problem of the computer slowing down or programs not starting. This is the first sign that the machine does not have enough RAM. Problems are solved by performing simple manipulations. Even a beginner can perform the steps. But first, let's determine the cause of the problem.

When a user works with a computer, the latter has to perform a number of operations and respond to requests and commands from the administrator. If the RAM is loaded, then processes are difficult to complete and the computer gradually freezes. Initially, the user sees that the program is not responding, and then the operating system prompts it to terminate the process. This is necessary to prevent data loss. Here it is important to learn to recognize the problem at the first manifestations.

An indicator that the RAM is heavily loaded is a decrease in system performance. In this case, the computer does not yet signal a failure. There are problems opening applications. This can be seen when the user launches a program, but it does not open. If there is no response from the program for a long time, this indicates that the computer’s physical memory is full and will need to be freed

WHAT WINDOWS MEMORY IS IMPLIED?

When the user saw a message about lack of free space, it initially meant RAM and virtual memory. The latter is controlled by the paging file. It is used as an addition to the operational one when there is not enough RAM.

Windows message about low RAM memory

Users who have no computer experience or are not technically savvy consider the error as insufficient hard drive space. This gives them justifiable bewilderment, because the hard drive holds a lot of GB, but there is not enough memory in the system. It turns out to be a dead end situation from which they cannot find a way out.

REASONS FOR THE ERROR

Before we begin to fix the problem, we will identify the common causes that could cause it to occur. Provoking factors include:

• Opening 3-10 applications or programs at the same time (depending on the resources consumed) will result in the computer not having enough memory to process the command and an error will pop up. This is the most common case, and can be solved by shutting down unused applications;
• limited amount of installed space, and it is not necessary that the computer is old, because some programs require 4 or more GB of RAM for correct operation, and the average 2GB is not enough;
• the hard drive is overcrowded, respectively, the user does not have enough free storage space for the correct automatic configuration and operation of the paging file, that is, the virtual one does not fit;
• changing the size of the paging file, perhaps the user previously played with optimization or used a third-party application for these purposes, that is, the size was forcibly changed to insufficient for correct operation, and the user simply forgot about it;
• the action of malicious or potentially dangerous programs, when their algorithm is based on the gradual consumption of free space, a constant leak occurs;
• incorrect operation of the program, when launched, a message appears stating that there is not enough RAM.

In principle, these are, if not the only, then the main reasons against which the problem occurs. Now let's start exploring ways to solve the problem.

4 WAYS TO FIX LOW SPACE PROBLEM IN WINDOWS 7, 8 AND 8.1

So, as we decided earlier, if there is not enough RAM on the computer, then we try to fix the problem by opening a small number of applications. This will protect the user from losing personal information and increase the performance of the machine. The user must pay attention and remember those programs that consume a lot of resources. If you don't run them at the same time, the problem will disappear.

It is not always possible to solve a problem this way. After all, people often use heavy programs at the same time for work, that is, the above measure is permissible only at home, it is not implemented in a work environment. Often users are faced with the fact that the message “There is not enough memory to complete the operation” pops up on the desktop. By following the instructions below, you will learn how to solve the problem in a matter of minutes.

Error message due to insufficient RAM

So, freeing up RAM in Windows 7 and subsequent developments is done in several ways; you may have to combine them, but this is only in the most severe cases.

METHOD #1 – INCREASE THE SIZE OF THE SWAP FILE

If the problem does not appear systematically, then to fix it you need to clear the computer’s virtual memory. This is done through the Task Manager (close unused processes). Otherwise, the user will have to make adjustments to the size of the paging file. Sometimes the operating system itself does this.

Here I will immediately note that if you adjust the size of this file, the problem will disappear, but there is a high probability that the computer will slow down. The system processes information contained in RAM faster. If you increase the size of the swap file, the computer will read information from the hard drive, because that’s where it is located, hence the brakes. To make adjustments to the file size, hold down the keys marked in the picture:

Press the required key combination

Or open the start menu, then go to the control panel, from there go to the system menu and select additional options:

Go to advanced options

After clicking, a dialog box will open in which we will go to the “Advanced” tab and open the performance parameters:

To adjust performance, click Settings

Here let's go to the additional settings tab, where we have virtual memory, and click on the change button:

At the very top, uncheck the automatic size detection and set the desired number yourself:

Advice! If you have two physical hard drives installed, then move this file to where the system is not installed.

If you do not know what parameters you need to specify regarding the size of the paging file in order to free up RAM on your computer, then I recommend proceeding from the following proportions: for standard work, set to 1.5 of the total amount of RAM, for games, at least 2.

METHOD No. 2 – INSTALLING AN ADDITIONAL RAM MODULE

The first method is recommended for those users who very rarely encounter a problem; if your RAM is constantly loaded, then it is best to install another stick in the system unit. Look at what is installed now: brand, type, volume and buy an identical one.

If the user does not have the means or there is a problem at the workplace, then you can try to clear the RAM on the computer through the Manager and do not run many programs at the same time. There is no other way.

METHOD No. 3 – CHECKING MEMORY CONSUMPTION BY THE PROGRAM

When an error occurs while running a certain program, you need to check how much resources it is consuming from RAM. If there are too many of them, then a memory leak occurs. The problem can be fixed by a RAM cleaning program or by the user himself. In the second case, we do the following:

1. We define the consuming application in the task manager: right-click on the bottom panel of the desktop and select the appropriate item;
2. In the application, go to the processes tab;
3. For ease of identification, arrange applications by consumption. To do this, click on the word “Memory”.

When you have found the required process, check it for errors; you may have to remove and reinstall the program.

If cleaning ram in this way causes difficulties, then we will resort to the Ccleaner program. If it is not installed, then download it from the offsite, go through a simple installation process and start working. Next, you need to select the “Cleaning” option, select the Windows tab. When the program finds errors or unnecessary files, click on “Clean” and you’re done.

METHOD No. 4 - CHECK THE MEMORY WITH BUILT-IN TOOLS

In rare cases, the system itself determines that the computer's memory is loaded and then the troubleshooting wizard opens. If the user sees such an agreement, then open the application and start troubleshooting

Important! Before you begin, save all your data and close applications.

Click on the first option and wait for the wizard to complete. Everything happens automatically. Upon completion of the application, if it is discovered that the system memory is excessively consumed or incorrectly allocated, you will be prompted to contact the hardware supplier; there may be a technical malfunction of the memory board chip.

Here are the main ways to help fix the problem. Everything is quite simple and even beginners in computer science can cope with them.