How to Conserve Memory When Using Windows?

Without closing any application program you're using, how do you reduce memory
usage on your PC running Windows NT/9x/2000/XP? Here're some tips:

1. Minimize windows frequently. If you don't use some windows for a while,
minimize them. You can watch the effect by monitoring Mem Usage in Task Manager,
which is the process working set (a.k.a resident memory). It's true some
applications don't trim working set when the window is minimized. Some don't
do that by default. For example, Firefox only does that if you add
config.trim_on_minimize to about:config.

2. When you open another Internet browser window, open it with Control-N, which
is the same as File -> New -> Window for IE, File -> New -> Navigator Window in
Netscape or Firefox. (Actually current versions of Netscape or Firefox do that
by default). This way the new window opened is just another thread of the existing
browser process so they share a lot of resources. If you open a new window by
going to Start -> Programs or clicking an icon on your desktop, it starts a
separate process which has its own address space (overhead). The only drawback
of using Control-N to open a window is if one window crashes, all crash, while
the second approach (starting a new process) only crashes one window.

3. When you go to a Web site that contains animated images or moving objects
implemented by Dynamic HTML, press Stop button or Escape key after the page is
loaded, unless you need the animation. Image animation or moving DHTML objects
consume CPU constantly. Your browser particularly Netscape may have memory
leak problems associated with these operations so that leaving a Web page with
such animation on for a while (say, an hour), your memory will be so low the
operating system starts swapping heavily.

4. Don't create too many icons on Desktop. Use a less fancy Desktop Background.
If you use Screensaver, choose a less fancy one. Remember the Blank screen
saver protects the CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) the best.