RAM is the most important component of any computer or laptop. To a greater extent, it determines the speed of the device and, accordingly, the more RAM is installed on the computer, the better and easier it will work. You can increase the performance of your computer by increasing the physical amount of memory, but in Windows 7 the same result can be achieved in slightly different ways, for example, by cleaning it.

What is RAM, physical and video memory

All operations with information are carried out by the computer's central processor, and it does this only with that contained in the random access memory. A lot of different information is loaded here, including intermediate results of various calculations and current data. Literally all operations that a computer performs involve accessing RAM and its subsequent use. Thus, we can draw a simple conclusion - everything you do on the computer, one way or another, can consume RAM resources. This makes it clear why computers with little RAM perform much worse than other devices with more resources.

In addition to random access memory, there are several other types of memory, these are physical and video memory.

If you look at the system indicators that display the amount of RAM, you will probably be surprised, because it will show a slightly smaller amount than you installed. The system automatically reserves a certain amount of RAM for the functioning of the central processor. As a rule, this volume is not very large, but it is mandatory for the functioning of the “brain” of a personal computer. This part is called the physical memory of the device.

Each video adapter has its own memory. In essence, this is the same RAM, only installed on a separate computer component, which performs the function of transmitting images to the monitor. Unlike traditional RAM strips, each of which the PC owner can independently replace (add, remove some, or replace them), video memory is non-removable. As a result, you can increase the amount of such memory only by replacing the old video adapter with a new one or purchasing an additional video card.

How to see what the RAM is doing

The Windows 7 operating system can show the user information about what is currently occupied by the computer's RAM. All this can be viewed independently, without additional tools, using the system’s built-in capabilities. The Task Manager will help users with this. You can open it in two ways: Press the key combination Ctrl+Alt+Del on your keyboard and select the “Task Manager” application in the menu that appears. Right-click on the “Taskbar” and select “Task Manager” there.

By default, the program automatically opens the “Performance” tab to the user. Here you can look at the load on the central processor at the current time, how much it is used by running programs, and also look at the chronology of physical memory use. In some cases this may be necessary. However, only the loading graph of individual system elements is presented here, and users can find more accurate and detailed information in the “Processes” tab.

“Processes” indicates all information about running applications on the computer, including even those processes that appeared as a result of failures. In the leftmost column you can see the name of the process, in the penultimate column the amount of RAM occupied by a particular process, and in the rightmost column a detailed description. This way you can look at the table and sort all processes, for example, by the amount of resources consumed and terminate them if necessary.

How to free up computer RAM

RAM is often a scarce resource for many applications. The user launches some of them quite consciously, while others begin to work at the “will” of the system or because of startup. We should not forget that there are applications that deliberately harm the device and can consume a significant portion of system resources - malicious software. Be that as it may, they all consume RAM, so the user needs to clean up the RAM regularly.

Close unnecessary programs and applications

The easiest way to clear RAM is to disable various programs and applications.

This way you can free up some of the physical memory. The Windows 7 operating system displays all active programs and applications in the form of special icons located at the bottom of the screen on the “Taskbar”. Thanks to the new Aero interface, which appeared in Windows Vista, the user can easily view the working view of windows. This way you can understand which windows contain important, unsaved information. All those applications that you do not need now, you can disable and increase performance, free up computer memory, and to do this, just click on the cross located at the top of the active window.

Separate mention should be made about the operation of web browsers. The fact is that each new tab that you open in the browser represents a separate process for the system. Thus, if the number of such tabs is large, and the amount of RAM, on the contrary, is small, then the performance of your computer will significantly deteriorate. If you don’t need your browser at all right now, then close it completely. If you only need some individual tabs, then leave them and remove the rest. For example, it often happens that users enter a query into a search engine and leave this tab open. It will also use system resources, so make sure that all those tabs that you don't need are disabled.

If necessary, users can use the Task Manager to disable active applications. To do this you will need:

All active tasks will be displayed here, including those that cannot be closed by simply clicking on the “cross” in the upper right corner of the window (frozen applications). Try to use this method only when some programs on your computer are frozen and do not respond to actions.

Remember that it is better not to abuse this method of disabling applications. In this case, this is an emergency shutdown of the program and, naturally, some data may not be saved. In addition, this method of disabling may cause problems when the application is launched later.

Closing background processes and services

Some types of programs and applications run in the so-called background and consume RAM. As a rule, they do not have an active window. Their entire interface is either minimized to tray or is not noticeable at all. However, this does not mean that they do not consume system resources. Often they become the reason for a decrease in the speed of a personal computer and a deterioration in its performance. Therefore, it is recommended to check all processes at least occasionally. To do this you should:

All active processes will be displayed here. Be careful not to disable system processes, as this may lead to problems with the computer. If you have no idea what exactly can be disabled and what cannot, then take a look at the name of the process itself. Typically, it is identical or very similar to the application name. If you see familiar, unnecessary processes, then feel free to disable them.

PC users rarely pay attention to running services. They, along with other applications and processes, consume resources, namely, they occupy the physical memory of the computer. Some of the services are system ones, which can cause problems when disabled, but there are also those that can be disabled without problems. You can view a list of all services running on your computer as follows:


As soon as you click on “Services”, a special window will open where complete information about a particular service on the computer will be displayed. You can certainly disable the following types of services: “IP Auxiliary Service”, as it is simply useless on a home computer and has no practical value. “Secondary login” - it is advisable to disable it for security reasons. “Changed Link Tracking Client” is a service that the average user will not need at all. “SSDP detection” - needs to be enabled only if you have devices connected to the computer using the SSDP protocol. “Windows Search” - the service is needed only if you use computer search too actively. “Fax” - the service can be left active only if you use your computer as a fax machine.

Cleaning startup options

Autoloading occurs immediately after the graphical shell is launched. In this case, all programs and applications included in the startup list will be loaded according to the list into the computer’s RAM. Typically, various anti-virus applications are prescribed here to ensure the user’s safety while working on the network, email applications (messengers), browsers, as well as malware, provided that they are on the computer and have not been identified by any anti-virus software. If the user does not regularly check the Startup settings, then over time many unnecessary applications may accumulate there, which will partially consume RAM resources.

The most effective way to clean up startup is to change the system configuration. To launch it you should:


All programs and applications that start automatically with your operating system will be displayed here. You can disable all unfamiliar names without any problems.

Please note that “Startup” may contain system utilities, the disabling of which can lead to failures while the computer is running. Therefore, be careful.

Restarting Windows Explorer

You can free up a small part of RAM by restarting the Windows Explorer process. It is nothing more than the user interface (start menu, windows, etc.). First you will have to disable it, and then re-register it in a special line and launch it. This way you will free up some RAM. To do this you will need to do the following:

After this, the entire operating system interface should disappear, but don’t worry - everything goes as it should. The next step is to restart the process:


All icons and the interface will immediately return to their place, and at the same time some of your computer’s RAM will be freed up.

regedit command

You can free up a small part of the memory using the regedit command - cleaning the system registry. To do this you will need:


A special registry editor window will appear, where you have to navigate through it and find:


All of these directories contain shortcuts to software that starts automatically, without user intervention. They are located in the section on the right.

Be careful, as changing data in the registry requires certain qualifications and caution. Removing important system components may cause your computer to malfunction.

Removing malware

It was already said above that some types of malware can consume exclusively system resources. Other, less dangerous ones simply use RAM for their work. In any case, it is necessary to combat these misfortunes in order to return the computer to its previous state. You can detect and remove malicious software using antivirus software. Fortunately, today developers provide free versions with limited functionality, but even so they are fully capable of protecting your computer from external threats. To scan and remove viruses, all you need to do is:


Cleaning your computer hard drive

The computer hard drive often has a hard time. It can store a huge amount of data, including data that is not used by any program or application. All this can lead to deterioration in computer performance over time. In addition, it is on the hard drive that a certain volume is blocked in advance for storing the paging file, which is otherwise called virtual memory. The system resorts to using it when RAM resources are no longer sufficient. Then the information is written into virtual memory and subsequently everything necessary is taken from there, but for effective operation it is necessary to have a sufficient amount of free space on the hard drive. This is why experts recommend regularly deleting unused programs, emptying the trash can, and getting rid of outdated files. In addition, it is recommended to defragment your hard drive. It will arrange all the necessary files and folders into specific sections on the hard drive, which will allow the system to find them much faster and easier in the future, without loading RAM or virtual memory. You can do this as follows:


Video: how to unload RAM

Special programs for cleaning RAM

If for some reason you are worried that you might harm your computer, for example, by deleting some necessary files or closing system processes, then you can use the software. It has all the necessary functionality to clean and unload RAM.

Advanced System Care

This application is a whole set of settings for working with the operating system. With its help, users can clear the computer's RAM of unnecessary data. The developers provide this program in two variations - paid and free. In the first case, the functionality will be somewhat richer, but in the second you will get the same ability to offload RAM, and completely free of charge. It should be noted that the free version contains not the most pleasant “surprises” in the form of additionally installed programs. Therefore, during installation you should specify “Custom installation” and remove everything unnecessary so as not to clog up your computer even more. If you are an inexperienced user, you can change the interface to “Simplified”. In the “Expert” mode, you can specify all the data that will be subjected to thorough verification. Change the parameters as you wish and click on the “Check” button. After this procedure is completed, click “Fix” and you will get the result you wanted.

It should be noted that no matter what mode you perform the scan, unnecessary information from RAM will still be deleted by the program and you will free up a significant part of RAM.

Wise Memory Optimizer

Wise Memory Optimizer is no longer such a professional program, but it still allows you to perform all the necessary manipulations with RAM. It is free and has Russian localization, so anyone can download and install it on their personal computer without any problems. You do not need any special knowledge or skills to work with this utility. You can download a portable version of the program, which does not require installation, but performs all the same functions. To clean and unload RAM, just launch the application and click on the “Optimize” button. After completing the procedure, it is advisable to restart your personal computer, and you will immediately notice how much faster and better it works.

nCleaner

This free application, along with others, allows the PC owner to optimize his own device, and not only by freeing up RAM. It can delete temporary and unnecessary files that are not used by any applications, delete data from the registry and clear information in RAM. To clear the RAM, just select the “Find Junk” item, click on the “Analyze” button and wait for the procedure to complete.

CleanMem

This is one of the simplest utilities that allows you to clean up RAM. It does not have any third-party functions, so it takes up minimal space on your hard drive. In the application settings, the user can change the parameters for displaying processes, the program tray icon, and change other minor parameters. Perhaps the most important feature of the program is that it will work automatically. You don't have to regularly run a RAM check yourself. It will insert itself into RAM every thirty minutes, search for hidden and reserved data and unload it, and all this will happen automatically after installation.

VC RamCleaner

VC RamCleaner is an analogue of the previous utility. This is also a small and simple application, used purely for cleaning and unloading RAM. After launching the utility, you will receive information about the maximum amount of RAM on the computer and the one currently in use. Click on the Clean System Memory button, and you will immediately get the desired result after finishing the cleaning procedure. You can perform the procedure yourself or specify an acceptable time interval in the settings, after which the program will automatically re-analyze the system.

MemoryCleaner

The program, like the others, has a simple interface, does not take up too much space on the hard drive and allows you to unload RAM. After starting, you just need to click on the Start button, the verification and cleaning procedure will begin. The results and history of checks can be viewed in the corresponding tab. The utility shows up-to-date information on the amount of RAM, the amount used and the amount cleared.

RAM Memory Cleaner and Optimizer

The same easy-to-use, small program that is suitable for every user. After installation and launch, a window will appear displaying current information on consumed system resources at the current time. Despite the apparent simplicity of the utility, it allows you to free up not only RAM, but also the central processor. To do this, just click on the Start Optimizer button. You can minimize the application to the tray and not end the process, then the utility will systematically integrate into the device’s RAM and regularly free it of unnecessary information.

How not to clog up your computer's RAM

To avoid cluttering up your computer's RAM, it is enough to regularly monitor what programs you have open. If you don’t need any running application right now, then feel free to close it. Do not forget that each web browser tab also consumes RAM, so while surfing the web, try to remove those sites that you no longer need. Often, users forget to restart their computer, and such a simple procedure greatly helps to relieve RAM. The last thing to mention in this case is to use an antivirus to prevent malware from entering your computer. Many viruses and worms consume a lot of RAM, which will have a negative impact on the performance of your PC.

Video memory, due to its specificity, does not require any specialized cleaning. The user will only need to restart the computer or reinstall the drivers for the graphics adapter.

How to clear virtual memory

Virtual memory is no less important than RAM. The device usually resorts to using it when RAM resources are no longer sufficient. Therefore, users are advised to clean it regularly. This can be done in two ways: using the Control Panel or the Group Policy Editor.

In the first case you will need:


Up-to-date information about the computer's virtual data will be displayed here. Change the paging file parameters using the “Set” button and specify the optimal value.

Remember that it should be no more than 50% of the amount of RAM.

In the second case:

  1. Press the Win+R key combination on your keyboard;
  2. In the line that appears, enter the name of the application gpedit.msc;
  3. Go to the “Computer Configuration” tab;
  4. Open "Windows Configuration" and select "Security Options" on the right;
  5. In the “Local Policies” folder, go to the “Security Settings” directory;
  6. In the list you need to find the option “Shut down: clear the virtual memory page file” and run the parameters;
  7. The last step is to change the switch to the “On” position and confirm the changes.

Video: how to work with virtual memory

Manually or with the help of additional utilities, each user can free up a significant part of RAM and increase the performance of their own computer, optimize it and continue to work without crashes and freezes. Regular cleaning and unloading of RAM will bring excellent results.

Have you noticed that Windows is running slower and are wondering what could be affecting the system's RAM? The answer is simple - over time, the performance of every computer, even the newest one, decreases. This is due to numerous programs that leave behind unnecessary data, as well as files from the Internet that clog up RAM. There are many ways to optimize your PC and clear Windows 7 memory. Let's look at the main ones.

Troubleshoot performance issues

You can start cleaning and fixing errors that have accumulated on your computer using the built-in Windows scan service. It checks all the factors that affect the performance of your PC and suggests solutions to problems that arise. You can start this service as follows:


The CCleaner program will help you clear your RAM of accumulated junk. This is a free and very useful utility that will help you cope with this process in a matter of seconds. To do this you need:


CCleaner will automatically optimize and rid your PC of files clogging it.

Note! When ridding your computer of elements that are slowing it down, CCleaner can remove cookies stored for each browser. If you do not want this to happen, simply uncheck the corresponding option under the search engine.

Removing unused programs

Often the RAM is loaded due to the large number of installed programs and the files they produce during their operation. Let's start by simply removing all unused software:

  • go to “Start”, “Control Panel” and then “Uninstall programs”;
  • scroll through the list and select those that are not used or not needed at all;
  • we delete them manually, which will help free up some memory.

Cleaning autostart

Many programs are added to Windows autorun during installation and begin working in the background when the computer starts. They are often the reason for a sharp drop in computer performance, loading RAM with unnecessary processes. To start optimization and determine which of them are in startup, do the following:

  • go to the “Start” menu, then “All Programs”;
  • find the “Startup” folder and view its contents;
  • We leave only the essentials in it; the rest can be removed, freeing the RAM from unnecessary load.

There is another way to get to the cleaning menu:

The previously described CCleaner will also help you check and configure startup:


Particular attention should be paid to all kinds of updaters designed to download updates from the Internet.

Such software, running in the background, takes up some of the RAM resources and may remain invisible to the user.

This completes the cleaning. It should be remembered that files clogging the RAM appear on the PC literally every minute of its operation. For this reason, it is highly recommended to carry out preventive RAM cleanings without waiting for a drop in system performance.

Lack of or excessive load of RAM is a problem for many computer systems. This applies not only to outdated PCs or laptops, but also to modern models when too many resource-intensive programs are installed on the system. Reducing resource consumption almost always requires cleaning up the RAM. In Windows 7, unloading unnecessary items from RAM is not always done automatically, and manual intervention to end processes may be ineffective, if only because the user simply does not know which process is associated with a particular service or program. Nevertheless, in this case, we can offer several simple solutions that will help, if not completely clean it, then significantly reduce the load on the RAM.

Cleaning RAM in Windows 7: system tools

Since the operating system cannot always unload unused components of services and processes from RAM, users will have to do this manually. And you should start with those components that load along with the system, reserve a certain amount of RAM and sometimes, as they say, hang there as a dead weight.

In our case, cleaning RAM in Windows 7 begins precisely with disabling elements that the user does not need, but which themselves persistently “eat up” memory. Use the msconfig command in the Run console, go to the startup tab in the system configuration and see how many processes are there that start with the system (even after the first installation of Windows, not to mention when custom applications or some additional ones were installed Components).

Basically, startup contains various kinds of updaters that monitor the release of program updates (for example, for a Flash player), agents, loaders, etc. Even for everyone, any Skype program is constantly “hanging” in memory, although you may not use it (the application is not running, but its agent is active).

Thus, cleaning RAM in Windows 7 is done by disabling everything that you consider unnecessary. As a last resort, you can leave only the ctfmon process (if one is displayed), which is responsible for changing the keyboard layout and displaying the language bar in the system tray, and anti-virus updates. This is ideal.

Go ahead. Open the Programs and Features section from the Control Panel and go to system components. And there is a lot of interesting things here. For example, why keep the Hyper-V module active if the computer is not supposed to use a virtual machine? Why do you need an active print service if you don't have a printer? Turn it all off without any doubt. The result will not be long in coming (of course, only after a reboot)

Cleaning RAM in version 7 of Windows: the most popular utilities

But even with this approach, after the launch and subsequent termination of user programs, some elements may remain in memory that the system cannot (or does not want to?) unload on its own. In this case, you will need to use additional measures consisting of using utilities to clean RAM. As a rule, all such applications provide automatic cleaning of RAM (at least according to a schedule), and during installation they take up a minimum of space (several megabytes).

Among the most popular and interesting utilities are the following:

  • Mz RAM Booster;
  • CleanMem;
  • Mem Reduct;
  • RAM Booster;
  • RamSmash and many others.

Mz RAM Booster program as an example of a RAM cleaner

In general, all utilities work on similar principles and use the same algorithms. As an example, we will consider a small program for cleaning RAM, Mz RAM Booster.

This application optimizes memory, unloads unnecessary or unused heavyweight DLLs and even reduces CPU usage by handling process priorities through the system registry. As for the size... You won't believe it - 1.3 MB!

True, all utilities of this type are themselves constantly located in RAM, and the icon is displayed in the system tray. But what is 1.3 MB compared to, say, a full 2 ​​GB of RAM when only 1 GB of memory is available?

Instead of an afterword

That's it for clearing RAM. As you can see, everything is simple. Which program should I choose? This is up to you. However, you should also not forget about disabling unnecessary components of the system itself, since, no matter how good third-party applications are, they still cannot complete some system processes.

A decrease in the speed of a personal computer or laptop is usually associated with a lack of necessary RAM. It is directly influenced by a large number of open applications and computational processes that are not completed for some reason. In order to increase the efficiency of any of the gadgets, you will need to deactivate some of the minor programs and get rid of unnecessary temporary files, which also take up a lot of space in the RAM. See below how to clean your computer's RAM in different ways.

Most programs can be seen on the taskbar. In order to stop their operation, you will need to get into the interface of your software. And in the case when there is not enough RAM and the computer freezes, you must perform the following steps:

  1. Using the keyboard buttons “Alt+Del+Ctrl”, call the task manager function.
  2. Then, in the applications tab, find the program that may have frozen.
  3. Then select it and click on the “End application” command.

Important! When using this method, you may lose all data! It’s better to just wait a certain amount of time until the software goes into operating mode and only then finish its work.

How to clean your computer's RAM by deactivating some background programs

In addition to those processes that can be observed while the computer is running, there are also background processes that occur without any display on the taskbar. And although they are not visible, they can also use a significant part of RAM. To close these processes, you can use the following instructions:

  1. Launch the task manager.
  2. Then go to the “Processes” tab.
  3. All active processes are displayed in order of RAM usage. We select those that are not of great importance and deactivate them.

Note. It is recommended to terminate any process only if you are absolutely certain that it is of secondary importance.

These typically include background operations that are responsible for connecting external devices. Some of the current processes may be visible in the Control Panel. You can find out which of them is responsible for a specific job by hovering your mouse over the icon. After this, the designation of the running program will appear in a pop-up window. To exit it, you will need to right-click on the icon and select deactivation.

Cleaning startup

Every computer has a convenient startup feature. Immediately after starting the device, it launches certain programs. Today, quite a lot of developers of various software include in their software the ability to install at startup without the knowledge of the owner of the computer or laptop. Therefore, many of them would be interested in learning how to clear computer memory through startup. To do this you will need to do the following:

  1. We find the startup folder, which is located on the hard drive.
  2. Open it and select shortcuts for programs we don’t need.
  3. After removing the selected shortcut, reboot the computer.

Important! After the reboot, you need to go back to the startup folder and make sure that the application shortcuts have been completely removed from it.

Clearing RAM manually

One of the most popular options for cleaning RAM is the manual option. Take a look at how you can clean your computer's RAM manually:

  1. First, simultaneously press the following buttons on the keyboard - “CTRL” + “ESC” + “SHIFT”.
  2. Then click on the “Processes” section. In this case, you should pay attention to which current operations take up the most memory resources, since some of the suspicious programs may be infected with various viruses and Trojans.
  3. Next, right-click on the selected application in the list and then on the “End process” line.

To control memory load, you can use the manager menu. Then you will know exactly everything that is happening with your RAM and will be able to prevent it from being overloaded in advance.

Using third party programs

To deeply clean your computer's memory, you cannot do without using a number of third-party programs. How to clean Windows 7 RAM using auxiliary utilities can be seen below:


There are a great many such third-party programs, but we would recommend using only proven and reliable ones that will not cause any harm to your computer or laptop.

Our article shows several simple and convenient ways to clean your computer's RAM. By mastering the use of specialized programs, you will significantly improve the performance of your device. The more free memory you have, the higher the speed of your computer will be, and then solving any problems will not be difficult.

RAM is one of the most important resources necessary for the normal functioning of the system and the launch of application programs. Thanks to this, you can safely play games without losing data from your hard drive, do several tasks at once and not be afraid that one of them will affect another. But, if it has already happened that there is not enough memory, and you don’t have the money to buy a new stick, read this article about how to clean RAM in Windows 7 and decide for yourself what is the best cleaning method specifically for your computer.

How to clean RAM in Windows 7 | Method No. 1

The most common way to quickly clear RAM to launch a powerful application, for example, GTA 5, is to completely reboot the system and instantly launch the game launcher. When it starts, it will take up most of the available RAM, and services that do not have time to load into memory will “wait” until the game is unloaded from memory (this will happen when the game is closed). As a result, the game does not lag, you have a full gaming time, and the RAM performs its functions in full. The only disadvantage of this method is that it must be repeated over and over again, so think carefully before leaving the game.

How to clean RAM in Windows 7 | Method No. 2

We have already mentioned services that load into memory and fill it. In most cases, the services are useless. No, of course they are needed, but they are used very, very rarely. The system launches them just in case, so that when they are useful, it can be launched. The lion's share of these services is never used once during a session, but they take up quite a lot of memory space. What to do, you ask. To clean up unnecessary services, we need the Run utility. After launching it, type “msconfig” into the command field and click “Run”. A window of services that are running now will open in front of you. All services that do not belong to Microsoft and the laptop manufacturer, for example, Asus (ASUSTEK), can be safely deleted from memory. Of course, one service will not give the expected effect, but if you remove about 20 services, believe me, you will thank us! If you come across a strange service and you are not sure whether to disable it or not, write to the administrator https://vk.com/howwindows with your questions, and the author of the article will definitely help you.

How to clean RAM in Windows 7 | Method No. 3

To free up RAM automatically, you can use programs that will themselves get rid of various services. You can find them through search engines, but we specifically recommend CCleaner (to remove unnecessary programs from startup and delete unnecessary data from RAM in real time) and RAMSaverPro. All of them are easy to use and do not require additional explanation.