Locating the origin of my friend's memory issue... Assistance needed.
Locating the origin of my friend's memory issue... Assistance needed.
This situation seems straightforward yet tricky. His friend has a persistent memory issue that doesn’t seem to drain completely, even after a restart. Once he logs in, the RAM consumption keeps rising until it reaches maximum usage, though no applications are listed as using it. He’s managed to check with basic tools and antivirus software, but found nothing suspicious. It might point toward faulty RAM or malware, but the lack of clear indicators makes it hard to pinpoint exactly. I’d suggest digging deeper in Task Manager for more detailed insights and considering a memory diagnostic tool if possible.
Isn't this exactly what the original poster is explaining? It seems the RAM fills up and doesn't empty out again.
Did you see his comment? "Like bad RAM or a bunch of viruses?" I meant this isn’t about the RAM, and it’s not a virus—it’s related to the operating system or some software he’s running. The fix is to remove programs or turn off startup items or do a clean install of Windows.
It wasn't clear from the text where it mentioned a liquid ram stick coming out of the case.
He’s right, I didn’t mean it was leaking out RAM. I meant something gradually consuming memory space, perhaps a RAM parasite would fit better. Regarding the second point, I wasn’t sure whether RAM would start losing capacity or simply fail. His problem is one I’ve never experienced—there’s always a clear cause in Task Manager, so I thought a virus might be the culprit. For instance, if you sum up all the RAM usage listed in Task Manager, it could show 2GB total, but 10GB is currently active. It’s unclear exactly what’s using more and more memory without visible changes. I’m aware it’s a malfunction, just need to assist him in identifying it without being present.
It might be strange, so suggest checking Resource Monitor instead—it's located at the bottom of the Task Manager's Performance section.
Absolutely, no worries at all. I’d just reinstall Windows myself. A fresh setup is always a better idea from time to time.