Hoping someone can help me with this. I am currently running a streaming stock ticker (java). The ticker works fine for awhile, but continues to slowdown as time goes by. My PC becomes slower and slower until I have to close the ticker and restart it. Then the process repeats. I have a 2.4 G Intel processor, 256m of RAM, and the only other program I am running on this PC is the IB workstation. The IB workstation seems to be operate fine. An ideas what is going on here? (yes, i'm technically incompetent for those who want to hear it). How can I prevent or slow this process down without having to buy another PC (i'm doing just fine with one machine). Thanks to all who reply.
Your CPU is adequate, but your RAM is way low. Java is a memory hog, so you'll need to upgrade it... add 500MB RAM.... 1GB of RAM would not be overkill. For an interim fix, try increasing your page file to maybe 768MB. It's possible that the problem is really "resources"... but as you are so short on RAM for a Java app, you should at least upgrade that and see where you stand.
Control Panel/System/Advanced/Performance Settings/Advanced/Virtual Memory CHANGE/Custom... set both values to 768, click OK and reboot. Page File is like artificial memory which Windows creates on the hard drive and uses when there isn't enough physical memory. It's slow compared to physical RAM, so you'll not want to routinely rely upon it.... it should be for occasional overflow, only. Sorry... tried to do it from memory and left a step out.
I would upgrade to 1G. It depends on how long you want to hold this computer for. If it's more then 2 years upgrade to as far you can afford. If less then 2, 750 will be ok.
Java is quite memory consuming. Makes me question why IB hasn't upgraded to a Windows application and then add for Mac & Linux as well.
I bought 1 gig or ram from 4allmemory.com, I think a year ago, and it was 100 bucks, good service, no I am not affiliated just trying to help. Your virtual memory should be 1.5 times your actual memory, if memory serves me correct!
Java is fine. Note he says his IB TWS is working fine and he only has 256K of memory. these days it's hard to run a decent spreadsheet with only 256K of memory. Memory is cheap, it's easy to install and the performance boost you'll get by going to 1gig+ will prove most worthwhile.
I think you mean 256 Mb and not 256 Kb, don't know if there is much left out there that will run under 256 Kb. PS. I am not buying into this argument of "memory is cheap". It is not so much the financial cost of memory. Large applications still need to be swapped in and out of memory and that all takes time. There is a performance cost with increasing memory but most PC's are so over-configured that it does not matter. However in my case it matters a lot and I am running at the limit of what a PC can handle. In fact I need to run three PC's and share processes between them... Have found that the optimum memory size in my setup is between 512 and 768 Mb. vital statistics
whoops, thanks for the correction. I think in the case of the orginal poster who stated "I have a 2.4 G Intel processor, 256m of RAM" a boost in memory will bring vast improvements to many of his applications and solve his current problem.