With 768 MB of RAM, that machine is probably swapping its brains out.

Most computers will run OK on that one and a half gigabytes of RAM
without a hitch. unless you use heavy graphic of run games or want more
that two windows open at the same time. I don't and none or the people I
know.

Your obviously very rich and have all the bells and whistles variety of
computer Brian but so many do not and can not aspire to the biggest and
best

I wrote it a little misleading.

There is 2gb of RAM in that DT computer but the read out gives Total
Physical memory 768gb Available Physical memory 491.49 and Total Virtual
memory 2gb Available Virtual memory 1.96 Page File space 1.83gb

That the MS way.

You're misinterpreting that information. You only have 768MB of physical memory
(actual RAM). The 2GB number is the swap space. You have one half GB of
physical memory available after booting. Loading one application will use that
up in short order. Then your system starts using the swap space. And, if your
swap space is on the same physical hard drive as your primary storage and boot
partitions, you're going to have a very slow system, one that will go
non-responsive on a regular basis.

Recommendation: Get some additional physical RAM.

Are you trying to tell me that with two 2gb I cannot run Ubuntu.

You really are not very well versed on what is required.

I suggest you look at what Ubuntu say here.


https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Installation/SystemRequirements


My OS are on two HDs not one.

Swap partitions are just the size of the HD space used not the Physical RAM

That figure I gave is the Windows figure not the Linux one. Windows does
not use a swap file.

I have install loads of different Linux OSs and never once run out of
space om an 80gb drive so with the 120gb drive I should be laughing.

I'm telling you that your hardware inventory says you only have 768 MB of
physical RAM. And I'm not the only one telling you that. You need to open the
box and look at the memory that's physically in the system.

I did not recommend you get 4 GB memory. I posted that as evidence that memory
is cheap. I recommendation is simply to get more memory. 2 GB would be a much
better amount to have and, from the sounds of it, that's all your motherboard
could support.

That's the last I'm going to contribute to this thread.

In Linux it will show only 766MB in the Cached


This is the free m read out on the desktop at first boot state


Total
Used Free Shared Buffers Cached
mem 765968 366444
399524 0 41804 204092

-/+ buffers 120548 645420

swap 2239480
0 2239480


I see that as OK for my needs.


My motherboard will take 4gb of RAM for you info, but I do not intend to
increase at this time.

RAM is comparatively cheap to what it has been in the past, but still
not to the retired with fixed incomes.

I will say again. I already have 2gb of physical RAM in that machine.

If you have nothing better to contribute thats fine. I have learnt
little from it.

All computers are not created equal. My Toshiba L305 could only access
2gig. I might put 5gig in that machine but alas only 2gig would show.
The machine may have 2gig but only able to access one. Has nothing to
do with the OS but everything to do with the address bus and hardware.

a simple search on the web using the motherboard identification will
give you this limit. The BIOS may be set-up wrong to access the memory
as well so needs to be checked. I recall the Ubuntu wiki had something
to say about memory setting in the BIOS just can't recall what.

The usual criteria is that a 32 bit system can only assess 4gb max.

This motherboard is assessed as 1gb max and 2gb max by Dell. Even they
cannot make up their mind.

I will be using 2x 512mb sticks when I get round to using the Tower again.

Your computer has 768 MB of RAM, and a swap file of 2 GB. The amount of RAM is
entirely adequate for what you run, and your style of computing. If you ran
Firefox with 25 tabs open, and at the same time ran GIMP to edit large images,
and also did some other stuff, your computer would "swap its brains out."

Thank you it has 2gb of physical RAM and more that twice that for the HD
swap file so it is more than enough in my view.

If you have 2Gb worth of memory plugged in but the system is only
seeing 768Mb then there's definitely something screwy there !! How is
this 2Gb made up - 2 x 1Gb, 1 x 2Gb or what ?? What are the specs for
that Dell system regarding memory per slot ??

Have you tried running Memtest86+ and checking how much memory it can
see ?

Thought you knew Windows was different to Linux, that was a Windows
system read out.

Two slots 1gb each. Slots can take up to 2gb each. These prcessors will
not readd above 4gb

Other Dell machines have 4 slots, easier to upgrade by smaller sticks.

If it does not freeze I will run that memtest again.

Doesn't matter which OS is used to get system data, it's the same
hardware and that's what it reports. From your other post giving the
full readout you have 768Mb physical RAM in that Dimension 2400.

As for the amount of memory that a slot can take, this is determined
by the motherboard maker and on a Dimension 2400 it's 512Mb per slot.
Fitting anything larger will either lead to instability, failure to
boot, or the extra ignored - again depending on how the motherboard
firmware / BIOS handles the mismatch. Whatever the outcome, it's a
total waste of money trying it :-)

If you are 100% sure that you've plugged in 2 x 1Gb RAM sticks into
this Dell then I say again there's something definitely screwy but
going by the information posted you have 1 x 256Mb and 1 x 512Mb.

Memory testing is best run from a stand-alone bootable CD or flash
drive if the BIOS supports booting from USB devices. That way the OS
has no input at all in the matter

while Dell set the amount for this motherboard Windows does read
2x2gb but I will remove them and put two 5.12mb in and seem if it still
crashes. XP will run OK on the 1gb so its alright that way.

I and you must be aware that MS and Linux use and read memory differently.

I do use a pen to read and test memory but that does not give the read out.