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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > macOS > Memory compaction/defragmentation in OS X?

Memory compaction/defragmentation in OS X?
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Reddog99
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Mar 22, 2002, 05:51 AM
 
Does anyone know of a way (besides a reboot) or of a program to defragment or compact the memory in OS X ?

I have an iBook with 384 megs of memory and after a while the memory usage is completely unreasonable. Right now, after 8 days of
uptime and with only SETI running, the amount of free memory is down to 40 megs. I can't even imagine how someone could run this
OS with only 125 mb.

Is this usage the experience of anyone else?

Pat
     
me
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Mar 22, 2002, 08:29 AM
 
Paging VM does not suffer from external fragmentation, internal fragmentation is possible, but that is an application level problem. I'm not really sure what compaction would be. It sounds like some app is leaking memory, use a tool like Memory Usage Getter to see if anything's usage is growing over time.
     
malvolio
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Mar 22, 2002, 09:58 AM
 
One way to free up memory is to run the weekly clean-up routine, either in the Terminal or using MacJanitor. I don't know why, but doing so significantly increase free RAM.
/mal
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Detrius
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Mar 22, 2002, 11:32 AM
 
Originally posted by malvolio:
<STRONG>One way to free up memory is to run the weekly clean-up routine, either in the Terminal or using MacJanitor. I don't know why, but doing so significantly increase free RAM.</STRONG>
BUT free RAM is unused RAM which means that there is some piece of code somewhere on your computer that will have to be read from the hard disk instead of from RAM. So naturally, you would want nearly zero free RAM. Otherwise, you paid to have too much RAM in your system.

On the other hand, having large amounts of free RAM in general use means that you have enough RAM for whatever it is that you are doing, and the system doesn't want any more RAM. I have 532MB of RAM being used right now and 364MB free. So, I have enough RAM in my desktop system. But, that 532MB used in my desktop tells me that the 256MB in my iBook isn't enough to run efficiently.
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Don Pickett
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Mar 22, 2002, 02:51 PM
 
Originally posted by Reddog99:
<STRONG>Does anyone know of a way (besides a reboot) or of a program to defragment or compact the memory in OS X ?

I have an iBook with 384 megs of memory and after a while the memory usage is completely unreasonable. Right now, after 8 days of
uptime and with only SETI running, the amount of free memory is down to 40 megs. I can't even imagine how someone could run this
OS with only 125 mb.

Is this usage the experience of anyone else?

Pat</STRONG>
Not the way it works in OS X. X will make use of all the RAM it can to give system and apps room to breathe. Check out some of the screenshots of folks with 512 megs+ and you will see not much free RAM.
The era of anthropomorphizing hardware is over.
     
malvolio
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Mar 22, 2002, 02:59 PM
 
I have 768 MB of RAM, and max it out on a fairly regular basis.
But the original question was how to free up RAM, and my response specified the one method I know of that will do so.
/mal
"I sentence you to be hanged by the neck until you cheer up."
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sungwoo
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Mar 22, 2002, 03:57 PM
 
Originally posted by Reddog99:
<STRONG>Does anyone know of a way (besides a reboot) or of a program to defragment or compact the memory in OS X ?
Pat</STRONG>
logout and relogin makes a lot of free RAM, and also you will feel snappier again.
     
Reddog99  (op)
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Mar 22, 2002, 05:16 PM
 
Well, I didn't think MacJanitor would do anything because I leave the computer on 24/7 and it doesn't sleep. But I tried it anyways and the mem usage dropped to 190 mb afterwards! I'm happy

(Then again, maybe I didn't have anything to worry about in the first place.)

Pat
     
   
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