Use the Available Memory
------------------------
If you get a message asking if you'd like to open a program using the
"available memory," click OK, and the program will open. This message
appears when the available memory is greater than the minimum memory
required to open the program, but less than the recommended amount. In rare
cases, you may be unable to use some features of the program.
Quit Some Open Programs
-----------------------
When you open an application and see the "not enough memory" message, you
should quit one or more open programs. Open the Application menu (right
end of the menu bar) to see which programs are open.
This message appears when the available memory is less than the minimum
required to open the program.
Reduce a Program's Memory Size
------------------------------
You can often avoid memory problems by reducing a program's current memory
size. In rare cases, reducing a program's memory size degrades
performance. Follow these steps to reduce a program's memory size:
1) Quit the program.
2) In the finder, select the program's icon.
3) Choose Get Info from the File menu. The program's Info window appears.
4) Reset the memory size.
5) Close the Info window.
6) Try again to open the program.
Quit Some Programs Before Printing
----------------------------------
When you print, you'll sometimes see the Application menu begin to blink.
When this happens, follow these steps to quit a program and make more
memory available for printing:
1) Choose Finder from the Application menu. You'll see an alert box.
2) Click OK to close the alert box.
3) From the Application menu, choose the program you want to close. The
program becomes active.
4) Choose Quit from the File menu.
After quitting one or more programs, try printing again.
Set the Disk Cache to the Smallest Size
---------------------------------------
The disk cache is a portion of the computer's memory set aside to limit how
often the computer must read from a disk. This speeds up the computer's
performance. By reducing the size of the disk cache, you can make more
memory available for application programs. Follow these steps to adjust
the disk cache:
1) Choose Control Panels from the Apple menu.
2) Open the Memory control panel (double-click the Memory icon).
3) In the Memory control panel, click the down arrow repeatedly until the
disk cache is the smallest possible size.
4) Choose Restart from the Special menu to restart the Macintosh.
Drag Optional System Extensions Out of the System Folder
--------------------------------------------------------
System extensions (also known as INITs) compete with application programs
for memory. (System extension icons are often displayed in the bottom-left
portion of the screen when the computer starts up.) You can conserve
memory by removing system extensions that you don't need. For instance, if
your Macintosh is not connected to a host database, you can remove the DAL
(Data Access Language) system extension. Likewise, if your Macintosh is
not connected to a network, you can remove the AppleShare system extension.
Follow these steps to remove system extensions:
1) Open the System Folder.
2) Open the Extensions folder.
3) Drag the system extension icon out of the System Folder to another
location on your hard disk.
4) Restart the computer.
Restart the Computer
--------------------
If you have opened and closed a number of programs, your Macintosh memory
can become fragmented so that you can't open a large program. When this
happens, quit all the open programs, and restart the computer.
Turn Off Background Printing
----------------------------
When background printing is on, you can print while using the computer for
other work. If you don't need background printing, you can reduce the
amount of memory required to print by turning it off. Follow these steps
to turn off background printing:
1) Choose the Chooser from the Apple menu.
2) In the Chooser window, select a LaserWriter icon.
3) Click the Background Printing: Off button.
Turn Off File Sharing
---------------------
When file sharing is turned on, you can share information on your
computer's hard disk with other users on a network. If you don't currently
use file sharing, you can conserve memory by turning it off. Follow these
steps to turn off file sharing:
1) Choose Control Panels from the Apple menu.
2) Open the Sharing Setup control panel (Double-click the Sharing Setup
icon).
3) Click Stop in the File Sharing section of the Sharing Setup control
panel. A message appears asking how many minutes the computer should
wait until file sharing is turned off.
4) Type a number, and click OK.