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Author Topic: Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP  (Read 8486 times)

dhlewis

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« on: October 25, 2008, 10:40:26 am »

can anyone explain the following:

Lightroom version: 2.1 [512205]
Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 2 (Build 2600)
Version: 5.1 [2600]
Application architecture: x86
System architecture: x86
Physical processor count: 2
Processor speed: 1.9 GHz
Built-in memory: 3326 MB
Real memory available to Lightroom: 716.8 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 645.8 MB (90.1%)[/b][/b]
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 655.3 MB
Memory cache size: 87.5 MB
Application folder: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2
Library Path: D:\D620 Drive D Lightroom\D620 Drive D Lightroom-2.lrcat

Notice that this laptop is has the maximum memory allowed under XP. There is really 4gb but Windose only will use 3.3. My questions surrounds why wy LR is only allowed to allocate 716.8 mb of real memory which most is consumed (645mb) which to me means it's going to the swap file thus the mediocre performance. Is there a way to allocate more real memory to a specific session?

thx

Dale
« Last Edit: October 27, 2008, 06:14:29 am by dhlewis »
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barryfitzgerald

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #1 on: October 27, 2008, 06:02:08 am »

I have xp too, and it reports the same with the tab for system info within LR. But clearly the program uses more than that at times.

Just a note, I would edit your post, as you have just given everyone your serial no.
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NikosR

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #2 on: October 27, 2008, 08:15:14 am »

This is indeed strange. I see the same thing in my XP SP3 system (32-bit). In 64 bit systems this issue is not noticed.

I would like to know what this 'Real memory available to Lightroom' really reports on.

Before someone comes with a comment about /3GB switches, 64bit address spaces and the like pls. consider that we are supposedly talking about REAL not VIRTUAL or address space memory here.
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Nikos

rdonson

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #3 on: October 27, 2008, 03:04:40 pm »

Similar info for me with XP Pro SP3 and LR 2.1 on a 4GB machine.

Lightroom version: 2.1 [512205]
Operating system: Microsoft Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 (Build 2600)
Version: 5.1 [2600]
Application architecture: x86
System architecture: x86
Physical processor count: 2
Processor speed: 2.3 GHz
Built-in memory: 3069.8 MB
Real memory available to Lightroom: 716.8 MB
Real memory used by Lightroom: 278.3 MB (38.8%)
Virtual memory used by Lightroom: 283 MB
Memory cache size: 1.3 MB
Application folder: C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2
Library Path: C:\Documents and Settings\Ron\My Documents\My Pictures\Lightroom\Backups\2008-10-03 1737\Lightroom Catalog-2.lrcat

It always interesting to see what MS is reporting and how Adobe is interpreting it.  Here's a screen shot from MS Process Explorer for LR on my machine
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Regards,
Ron

dchew

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #4 on: October 27, 2008, 07:00:59 pm »

Same with Vista 32.

Dave Chew
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Tom Dowell

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #5 on: November 29, 2008, 07:47:54 am »

I have had the same problem when adding 2GB to the existing 2GB in a Dell XPS machine.  The solution is to modify the boot.ini system file by adding the /3GB switch..  This can be a rather hairy procedure and I suggest reading thea article at this addrss:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291988   It is also helpful to follow some of the links in the article for explanations of the usage of memory by XP.

I hope this helps.
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Tom Dowell

David Sutton

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #6 on: November 29, 2008, 05:35:03 pm »

Quote from: Tom Dowell
I have had the same problem when adding 2GB to the existing 2GB in a Dell XPS machine.  The solution is to modify the boot.ini system file by adding the /3GB switch..  This can be a rather hairy procedure and I suggest reading thea article at this addrss:  http://support.microsoft.com/kb/291988   It is also helpful to follow some of the links in the article for explanations of the usage of memory by XP.

I hope this helps.
I can't comment on whether this is a solution, but I used an article at
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ps/it...;linkID=9240697
for the details on enabling the 3Gb switch. Yes, quite hairy. On my computer the relevant line in the boot.ini file now reads:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(1)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional 3GB" /3GB /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
Once I was satisfied it was working I deleted the old boot.ini file for faster start up, but kept a backup copy somewhere. David
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NikosR

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #7 on: November 30, 2008, 04:21:46 am »

/3GB switch has to do with how the 4GB virtual storage address space per application is distributed between application data and system (kernel) data (default is 2+2, the switch changes this to 3+1 respectively). Absolutely nothing to do with how much REAL storage is usable by the OS (which is only about 3GB for both WinXP and Vista32, depending on device drivers installed). Furthermore, for this switch to be honored the application itself has to have been linked with this in mind (PS does honour it, don't know about LR) otherwise it has no effect on the application virtual storage address space.  This is one of the most misreported Windows startup options on the web, usually by people who have no notion of the difference between real and virtual storage, OS storage and application address space. This http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms791558.aspx explains it clearly for the people who can understand the basics.

I don't know if this would have an effect on 'Real' memory reported by LR since nobody seems to have explained what exactly this LR report pertains to...
« Last Edit: November 30, 2008, 04:34:13 am by NikosR »
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Nikos

Tom Dowell

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #8 on: November 30, 2008, 05:43:33 am »

The /3GB switch has provided a solution for me in the sense that the "Real memory available to Lightroom" is reported to have increased to 1228.8 MB and there does appear to be an improvement in performance.
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Tom Dowell

NikosR

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #9 on: November 30, 2008, 06:12:27 am »

Quote from: Tom Dowell
The /3GB switch has provided a solution for me in the sense that the "Real memory available to Lightroom" is reported to have increased to 1228.8 MB and there does appear to be an improvement in performance.

Good. Although you have to monitor the 'real' memory usage as reported by LR to see if it makes a difference. I'm pretty sure though this has nothing to do with you adding another 2GB of memory to your Dell computer...
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Nikos

dhlewis

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Lightroom Memory Usage in Windows XP
« Reply #10 on: December 01, 2008, 07:23:50 pm »

Quote from: NikosR
Good. Although you have to monitor the 'real' memory usage as reported by LR to see if it makes a difference. I'm pretty sure though this has nothing to do with you adding another 2GB of memory to your Dell computer...


Thanks to everyone to your replies on this post. I did try the 3GB switch as suggested above and to be honest don't see any change in performance one way or the other. I'm still not really clear on how Lightroom allocates "real" memory in Windows.  Having more available may help in certain settings but I don't know as of yet. Hopefully 2.2 will inch things up another notch or two.

Dale
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