The “Out of memory” error message appears when a computer runs out of spare memory to allocate to programs, causing them to shut down. This is usually caused by low RAM, too many programs or hardware components running at the same time, or a large cache. Closing unnecessary programs and upgrading RAM can fix the problem. Deleting items from the hard drive will not reduce the amount of RAM being used.
“Out of memory” (OOM) is an error message that appears when a computer runs out of spare memory to allocate to programs. An out of memory error causes programs, or even the entire computer, to shut down. This problem is usually caused by low random access memory (RAM), too many programs or hardware components running at the same time, or a large cache that consumes a lot of memory. Some people mistakenly believe that deleting items from the hard drive will alleviate this problem, but doing so will not reduce the amount of RAM being used.
The error indicates that the computer no longer has spare virtual memory for programs or hardware. To make room for this memory, the computer often forcibly shuts down programs and possibly the entire computer. This memory is typically allocated to programs, but memory and power are also required to run hardware such as speakers.
One of the most common reasons for receiving this error message is insufficient RAM. The system doesn’t have much memory to use for operations, which causes it to run out quickly. This is especially true when programs like games, which are resource intensive, are running. Even computers with moderate amounts of RAM can experience this problem if multiple programs and hardware components are used at the same time.
Computers with high amounts of RAM can also experience this problem, and while many programs running at the same time could be the problem, computers with high RAM have a different problem. When a computer starts up, it evaluates the amount of RAM available and creates a cache. The cache itself takes up memory. With computers that have large amounts of memory, the cache can take up a lot of memory, causing the out of memory error.
Fixing this problem is usually easy. Close all programs that are not needed to free up resources. At the same time, check the Computer Status window to make sure it has freed up resources, as the computer may not make RAM available for several minutes. Restarting your computer is the easiest way to make sure all resources are free. RAM size can also be upgraded by purchasing and installing new RAM chips.
Some people believe that the error message is referring to memory in the hard drive, because both RAM and hard drive space are randomly referred to as memory. Later, these people will start deleting files from your computer to free up memory. While it will shrink the hard drive, this will not fix the out of memory error.
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