What are himem.sys and mem.exe for on an XP system?
My XP computer is running awfully slow. I have checked everything it seems, except RAM. How do I test that?
This is written on a W7 computer.William Lockie
himem.sys does nothing on an XP system. Nothing at all.
mem.exe is used to display memory information for the DOS subsystem. This has nothing to do with memory usage in Windows.
What are the specs of the computer?
According to this page:
http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/...
Looks like himem.sys is only included in up to Windows 98. I don't get why it would be in Windows XP.According to this page:
http://www.computerhope.com/memhlp.htm
Mem.exe looks like it is supposed to be in Windows XP. It is a MS-DOS command though.You've been helped by a 14 year old.
Those aren't meant to make your computer slow,
What are the computers specs ( CPU, RAM.etc).
MS DOS is similar to the command prompt in windows XP.mem is an external command used to check available, used RAM. like in task manager.
himem.sys does nothing on an XP system. Nothing at all.
mem.exe is used to display memory information for the DOS subsystem. This has nothing to do with memory usage in Windows.
Well then there is something else using alot of resources which is causing it to be slow (Viruses, antivirus software .etc) or he needs to upgrade parts in his computer.
"My XP computer is running awfully slow" It would help to know the specs. If it's a Pentium 2 with 256MB RAM, of course it's slow!
Asked him twice unless he forgot about this post?
Both those files are on my XP Home in C:\Windows\System32. Their "created dates" coincide with XP's first install. Possibly they are for DOS program compatibility. Are they showing in Task Manager, if not what makes you think that they are causing trouble?
Always pop back and let us know the outcome - thanks
You may still need those programs to run old applications in XP's command processor. If a system ran fine and then slowed down suspect hardware or software. Personally I tend to suspect software and I reload the OS.
You can easily try a few tests like memtest or hard drive diags to see if memory reports as correct size and passes tests.
Hang up and live.
It could be specs as i,ve seen a computer with an celeron d 2.93 GHz 512mb ram with windows xp on performance mode (no special visuals) and it was slower than my oldest computer that had windows xp on it and it had a celeron at 400 MHz and 288mb ram so post the specs and then the answer will start becoming clear.