Memory issue. Browser crashing, laptop apps not loading.

Hi, my laptop is becoming unusable. Multimedia online has become slower and slower. I regularly delete browser cookies and cache to speed it up.

But lately tabs crash, and the whole browser (Chrome) will disappear sometimes!

Also Windows Picture viewer also doesn't load when it is particularly bad, so it's not just the internet. It looks like the whole laptop is affected.

I keep getting told on the error boxes that there is not enough memory.

I don't understand what type of memory it means. I don't want to add RAM. The laptop has worked fine for ages. It's only recently started doing this in the last week or so.

My 222gb SSD is three quarters full, and I heard that can affect performance. Would that be the main issue?

I don't mind archiving my backups on external devices and deleting most of the files on the hard drive to free up space, But it would be a day's work. And I would like to know if that would make a difference, or if there is something better I can do first, to improve performance.

Any help appreciated.

Thank you

This is what it looks like when a tab crashes:





Laptop Specs:
SSD installed Sept 2019 along with Windows 7 to Windows 10 upgrade
222gb Total. Used: 177gb. Free space: 44.5gb

Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i3 CPU M 370 @ 2.40GHz 2.40 GHz
Installed RAM 4.00 GB (3.68 GB usable)
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

Edition Windows 10 Home
Version 21H1
Installed on ‎19/‎06/‎2020
OS build 19043.1052
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.2020.0

Berton said:

Just something I'd come across a ways back, sometimes the fins on Notebook cooling systems will plug with dust and fine hairs that go unseen, requires more disassembly to clean them out beyond just blowing out with compressed air. Heat can cause issues with other things, can also develop with the heating and cooling of electrical/electronic devices by messing with the solidarity of connections, reseating things may help.

Thank you.
Yes, the fan is going NUTS! It gets faster and faster. That's been happening for over six months.

So what you said sounds consistent with that. I will look on YouTube for how to clean the fan.

Thanks a lot

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TairikuOkami said:

How to remove malware from Windows (Virus Removal Guide)

Thank you, I will do that first!

As every win10 update, memory require increase just for os alone, your ram size is too small. Did you
check you have enough space for pagefile ?

teots said:

As every win10 update, memory require increase just for os alone, your ram size is too small. Did you
check you have enough space for pagefile ?

I don't know what pagefile is, but it's 2am here now. I will check that tomorrow.
Thank you

Berton said:

Pagefile/paging file is Virtual Memory or the older Swap file, when RAM gets too full Windows will swap out older data to it giving more room for newer need. The terms refer to a system file on the drive and can be adjusted to a size that can be more appropriate to the user's or a program's need. RAM is volatile, holds data only while having power to it, while the computer is running, having issues frequently gets clear up when rebooting/restarting the computer as all data in RAM at the time is lost, gives a fresh start.

Thank you Berton,

I spent all yesterday finding out how to clean my fan from YouTube videos and a great article in-depth article here:
Acer Aspire 5742 Cooling Fan Replacement - iFixit Repair Guide

In my model you have to take the whole machine apart. It gives the time for doing it as 30-60 minutes. But I always take longer than other people to do things I'm not familiar with.

I also found comments from people who did this and broke components or whose laptop didn't work afterwards! So I wanted to watch every video on the subject several times before I felt confident. I did the easy version first; I squirted canned air in all the holes.

Will not having enough RAM will make the fan work harder? If so I will do the RAM first.

Also from what you say about data above, does that mean I can improve the situation by making more space on the hard drive? Like I say it's 3/4 full at the moment. Or do you mean different data, such as part of the system?

Thank you
(the forum won't let me add to your rep again yet, but I really appreciate your help!)

This is my current RAM. It totals 4GB and I am in the UK.



I think 8GB is my laptop's limit. Correct me if I'm wrong.

I don't want to buy the wrong thing. Is there anything specific I need to type into a search for new RAM to make sure I buy the right one (or two)?

Thanks a lot

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Berton said:

More RAM aids in the processing of data, running programs but programs can be involved in issues such as their demands on the CPU when working with large spreadsheets, video creating/editing, presentations, etc. It could be equated to the need for more horsepower when having to move heavy loads or going up a steep hill or taking the kids sledding, for each easy part there's a hard part going the other way. As for data storage, it can be important in processing that there's sufficient room for temporary data while working on it, usually a good idea to have 20% or more free. When saving files they won't all fit in one cluster on the drive but get fragmented, makes the HDD work harder in searching for all those parts, a good reason to use SSDs as they don't have the read/write heads and motor driving the disks which in turn creates more heat. As the HDDs get older they may have to work harder, show a bit longer in doing things.

Thank you for explaining it.
Yes I already have a SSD.