memory leak in W2K. Fix?

Sonicide · 28th December 2001, 12:14

Hey,

I know you guys are aware that sometimes you get this memory leak thing in Windows 2000 when using Winamp for a while. Your memory totally maxes out and everything just freezes eventually. I am using Winamp 2.77 and I've discovered that the problem is still there. Any word on when it's going to be fixed?

Rocker · 28th December 2001, 13:57

update winamp to 2.78c

and then tell us if the problem isn't fixed

also... what plug-ins are you using?

(these take a big part on the resources that winamp uses)

papadoc · 28th December 2001, 16:10

For memory leaks for Windows,
download and use MaxMem. (it's free)
I had the same problem (not with Winamp but with running allot of
high memory programs like Adobe Photoshop and Image Ready, and Winamp at the same time).
MaxMem has been a savior for me.
No more freezes or crashes.
Easy to install and very easy to use.

tirwin · 2nd January 2002, 20:17

I've a momery leak in W2K also. One question, are you running
the Winamp minibrowser while playing? If so, I found my memory leak
stopped when I disabled the minibrowser. I know this isn't a fix,
but it's a possible workaround until the source is fixed.

DJ Egg · 2nd January 2002, 22:05

More info about Windows Memory Leaks here

btw, the minibrowser is just a front end for InternetExplorer,
so tirwin, maybe your problem lies somewhere in IE config/installation?

Sonicide · 7th January 2002, 22:00

Hey guys,

Sorry I haven't read the thread for a while, but I've been busy. Most of you have been asking me questions about what I said so I'll try and answer them:

Winamprocker: These problems happen when I'm not using any plugins. Different skins, but no plugins other than the standard output one.

papadoc: MaxMem sounds like a good program. I'll check it out and get back to you when I've had a look.

tirwin: I'm not using the minibrowser when this problem happens. Your problem sounds like something different. Maybe DJEgg's got the right idea about that one.

DJEgg: Thanks for the info, but it didn't seem to be related to my problem. My MP3s don't skip. They play fine and then eventually one of my other programs gives me an error about not enough memory to load itself or something like that (either that or I see it in task manager before it happens and close winamp)

I'll take Winamprocker's advice and upgrade to 2.78c and then get back to you guys. Thanks for all the help

DJ Egg · 7th January 2002, 22:44

cool

good luck!

btw, that link I provided is relevant!
It should've taken you straight to one of my posts in that thread, not to the start of the thread. It's a very long thread for sure, but my post re: memory leaks & various fixes is right toward the end of the thread. In fact it's my last post in that thread, about ¾ of the way down the page.

Furthermore, the only known memory leak problem we've ever been aware of with the default winamp setup is caused by leaving WMA files on pause. I don't suppose this is what you're doing by any chance?

Further info:
The Official Winamp 2x Bug List

"DJ-Egg's addendum" section

#4. Memory leak with WMA file on pause:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=49470
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=52339

*fixed in v2.78

The only other issues we're aware of are caused by dodgy 3rd-party plugins, usually general purpose ones (winamp\plugins\gen_*.dll), but you say above that you aren't using any. Though some software silently install some of these plugins, without letting the user know. The main guilty party for this is Creative Labs (gen_nomad.dll with PlayCenter from SBLive/Audigy drivers+software cd)

Further info:
The Official 3rd-party Plugin Buglist

If v2.78 doesn't fix your problem,
even after you try the Basic Uninstall -> Reinstall procedure
then you should definitely look at updating your hardware drivers, eg. soundcard, videocard, mobo, etc.

You can also try this patch:
Winamp 2.78 Update
(Updates both out_wave & out_ds plugins to peter's (PP) versions, also updates in_midi.dll & in_wave.dll to new pre v2.79 versions)

Further details: (READ THIS FIRST)
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....threadid=68811

Sonicide · 13th January 2002, 04:48

Ok sorry I didn't look at the link in more detail. I'll have another look at it now.

I'm not playing WMA files so I'm afraid that doesn't help me much. I'm not using any plugins that I know of and I haven't updated any of my hardware components since I bought my computer. I am now using 2.78 and I haven't got the problem yet so maybe it's all good now. Thanks for all your help!

Sonicide · 13th January 2002, 10:05

Ok. I've been using 2.78 for a while today and it did it again. arggggghhhhhh! what do i do?

DJ Egg · 13th January 2002, 14:18

Errmm, like I said, apart from the (old) WMA Input plugin issue and the dodgy 3rd-party General Purpose plugins (gen_nomad.dll & gen_mircex.dll), we are not aware of any memory leaks caused by Winamp. Your problem must lie elsewhere.

Many many users have Win2k and leave their Winamps running for hours on end without any problems. If you're getting "not enough memory" error messages from Windows, then this suggests that their is a problem either with your Windows installation/configuration, or a hardware related issue, possibly with faulty RAM.

What are your full sys specs?
CPU+speed; RAM; mobo; graphics card; soundcard; etc etc.
Do you have all the correct & latest drivers?

What else is running at the time?
Maybe one of these other programs is to blame?

If you are convinced that the problem lies with Winamp (something I'm definitely not), then try some of these:

Troubleshooter Guides:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....827#post275827
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....166#post308166

Basic Uninstall -> Reinstall procedure:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=50818

If the problem persists, then try running the Hardware Diagnostics Tool.

btw, did you try installing a Memory Management utility?

Sonicide · 16th January 2002, 00:21

ok I'm running a PIII 800Mhz with 256 RAM. The motherboard, graphics card and sound card are all just standard IBM crappy stuff I think. I haven't put any new hardware in my comp since I bought it and it came with Win2k and all the drivers installed.

There's nothing consistent about when the problem happens except that Winamp has been running for a few hours. Sometimes I'm not running anything else, sometimes I'm running heaps of stuff.

I don't think it's any of my other programs because the problem never happens when I am not running Winamp no matter what else I am running.

I tried using a memory manager (AnalogX MaxMem). I set all the limits as high as possible so it wouldn't disrupt any of my stuff that would legitimately max out my CPU for a while. It worked really well at stopping the leak, but my computer made really unhealthy sounds when it corrected the memory. There was this kind of clicking and funny hissing noisy. What I really want is just something that sits in the tray and monitors memory without tampering with it. That way I can see when there's a problem and just close and re-open Winamp to fix it. Do you know of a program that just does that for Win2k?

Why the hell have Microsoft taken away the System Resource Meter? That's exactly what I need!

I think we're just going around in circles with this problem so I should probably stop wasting your time. If you could help me out with a program like the one I described I would much appreciate it.

DJ Egg · 16th January 2002, 01:43

Resource Meter isn't in Win2k ?????????

Are you sure? Can some other Win2k user confirm this please ?!?!

Try some of these places for freeware system monitoring tools:
http://www.webattack.com/freeware/system/system.html
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/hotfi...freetools.html
http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/toolkits/essentials/

quote:
graphics card and sound card are all just standard IBM crappy stuff I think

This doesn't help us much, but . . . if they are both standard on-board chips (integrated with mobo), then this might be the root of the problem.

For full details:
System Control Panel -> Device Manager
Videocard will be listed under: Display Adapter
Soundcard under: Sound....Controllers

It might be wise to use DirectSound Output in Winamp instead of WaveOut.
(Prefs -> Output -> select DirectSound plugin)
Make sure you've got the latest DirectX drivers first.

Also make sure you've got the latest Win2k service pack from M$

btw, did we mention the Winamp 2 Update patch?
(Updates both out_wave & out_ds plugins to peter's (PP) versions, also updates in_midi.dll & in_wave.dll to new pre v2.79 versions)

Further details: (READ THIS FIRST)
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=68811

Good luck!

peskypescado · 16th January 2002, 04:11

Just do CTRL+ALT+DEL and click on the task manager. Or you can click on a black spot on the task bar and click task manager. You'll get all the info you need right there. This info applies to XP too. While I'm typing in here. Does anyone have problems with Win2k w/ a SB Live and there music skipping every once in a while. It's totally random. I can't figure it out. I DJ with this system so it's kind of important that I get rid of the problem. And yes, I have all of the most recent drivers.

paul

Sonicide · 20th January 2002, 00:30

yeah I use task manager all the time, but I wanted something that would display the free memory in the system tray rather than the CPU usage. Anyway now I'm using this program called Free Meter, which seems to work well at picking up all this crap.

Sonicide · 20th January 2002, 00:39

ok DJEgg time to answer your questions

I've looked everywhere and I can't find the resource meter, but it may be my install of it or something like that...

I'll check out those sites you suggested. Graphics drivers appear to be Intel 82815 Graphics Controller and sound I think is Legacy Audio Drivers. I'm not sure if I am reading the right fields because the Device Manager stuff is different in Win2K.

I'll have a look at using the DirectSound plugin. Actually I haven't installed either Service Pack 1 or 2 for Win2K (lazy bastard) so I'll go and do that first. Reading about the Winamp 2 update it sounds like it's all experimental and it may cause more problems than it solves. Wouldn't it be safer to wait for 2.9?

DJ Egg · 20th January 2002, 03:00

No, all the plugins included in wa2update will be included with v2.79
Trust me, they are a big improvement on the old plugins

But yes, you should definitely install the Win2k service packs (sp2)
And look for updated motherboard drivers. These should include drivers for your onboard sound and video chips.

Though, to be honest with ya, this is the root of all your problems.
Acquire a proper decent soundcard & videocard, and all your troubles will go away . . . either that, or they'll be replaced by new ones j/k

Some potentially useful links:

List of recommended soundcards:
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=57617
http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....948#post426948

Driver updates:
http://www.driverzone.com/
http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0...0001.dir.10010
http://www.driversguide.com/
http://www.drdriver.com/

Sonicide · 25th January 2002, 03:31

Thanks for the advice. You're right: I really should get myself good sound and video cards. About to install sp2 so I'm on to that one...

I'll check out the updated output plugins and see what happens. Also I'll have a look at driver updates.

28th December 2001, 12:14	#1
Sonicide Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 23	memory leak in W2K. Fix? Hey, I know you guys are aware that sometimes you get this memory leak thing in Windows 2000 when using Winamp for a while. Your memory totally maxes out and everything just freezes eventually. I am using Winamp 2.77 and I've discovered that the problem is still there. Any word on when it's going to be fixed?

2nd January 2002, 22:05	#5
DJ Egg Techorator Winamp & Shoutcast Team Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 35,894	More info about Windows Memory Leaks here btw, the minibrowser is just a front end for InternetExplorer, so tirwin, maybe your problem lies somewhere in IE config/installation? Playlist -\|- Twitter

7th January 2002, 22:00	#6
Sonicide Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 23	more information Hey guys, Sorry I haven't read the thread for a while, but I've been busy. Most of you have been asking me questions about what I said so I'll try and answer them: Winamprocker: These problems happen when I'm not using any plugins. Different skins, but no plugins other than the standard output one. papadoc: MaxMem sounds like a good program. I'll check it out and get back to you when I've had a look. tirwin: I'm not using the minibrowser when this problem happens. Your problem sounds like something different. Maybe DJEgg's got the right idea about that one. DJEgg: Thanks for the info, but it didn't seem to be related to my problem. My MP3s don't skip. They play fine and then eventually one of my other programs gives me an error about not enough memory to load itself or something like that (either that or I see it in task manager before it happens and close winamp) I'll take Winamprocker's advice and upgrade to 2.78c and then get back to you guys. Thanks for all the help

7th January 2002, 22:44	#7
DJ Egg Techorator Winamp & Shoutcast Team Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 35,894	cool good luck! btw, that link I provided is relevant! It should've taken you straight to one of my posts in that thread, not to the start of the thread. It's a very long thread for sure, but my post re: memory leaks & various fixes is right toward the end of the thread. In fact it's my last post in that thread, about ¾ of the way down the page. Furthermore, the only known memory leak problem we've ever been aware of with the default winamp setup is caused by leaving WMA files on pause. I don't suppose this is what you're doing by any chance? Further info: The Official Winamp 2x Bug List "DJ-Egg's addendum" section #4. Memory leak with WMA file on pause: http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=49470 http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=52339 fixed in v2.78 The only other issues we're aware of are caused by dodgy 3rd-party plugins, usually general purpose ones (winamp\plugins\gen_.dll), but you say above that you aren't using any. Though some software silently install some of these plugins, without letting the user know. The main guilty party for this is Creative Labs (gen_nomad.dll with PlayCenter from SBLive/Audigy drivers+software cd) Further info: The Official 3rd-party Plugin Buglist If v2.78 doesn't fix your problem, even after you try the Basic Uninstall -> Reinstall procedure then you should definitely look at updating your hardware drivers, eg. soundcard, videocard, mobo, etc. You can also try this patch: Winamp 2.78 Update (Updates both out_wave & out_ds plugins to peter's (PP) versions, also updates in_midi.dll & in_wave.dll to new pre v2.79 versions) Further details: (READ THIS FIRST) http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....threadid=68811 Playlist -\|- Twitter

13th January 2002, 14:18	#10
DJ Egg Techorator Winamp & Shoutcast Team Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 35,894	Errmm, like I said, apart from the (old) WMA Input plugin issue and the dodgy 3rd-party General Purpose plugins (gen_nomad.dll & gen_mircex.dll), we are not aware of any memory leaks caused by Winamp. Your problem must lie elsewhere. Many many users have Win2k and leave their Winamps running for hours on end without any problems. If you're getting "not enough memory" error messages from Windows, then this suggests that their is a problem either with your Windows installation/configuration, or a hardware related issue, possibly with faulty RAM. What are your full sys specs? CPU+speed; RAM; mobo; graphics card; soundcard; etc etc. Do you have all the correct & latest drivers? What else is running at the time? Maybe one of these other programs is to blame? If you are convinced that the problem lies with Winamp (something I'm definitely not), then try some of these: Troubleshooter Guides: http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....827#post275827 http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....166#post308166 Basic Uninstall -> Reinstall procedure: http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=50818 If the problem persists, then try running the Hardware Diagnostics Tool. btw, did you try installing a Memory Management utility? Playlist -\|- Twitter

28th December 2001, 13:57	#2
Rocker Hiding in plain sight (mod) Join Date: Jun 2000 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 9,910	update winamp to 2.78c and then tell us if the problem isn't fixed also... what plug-ins are you using? (these take a big part on the resources that winamp uses)

28th December 2001, 16:10	#3
papadoc Comfortably Numb (Forum King) Join Date: Jun 2001 Posts: 4,619	For memory leaks for Windows, download and use MaxMem. (it's free) I had the same problem (not with Winamp but with running allot of high memory programs like Adobe Photoshop and Image Ready, and Winamp at the same time). MaxMem has been a savior for me. No more freezes or crashes. Easy to install and very easy to use.

2nd January 2002, 20:17	#4
tirwin Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Posts: 4	I've a momery leak in W2K also. One question, are you running the Winamp minibrowser while playing? If so, I found my memory leak stopped when I disabled the minibrowser. I know this isn't a fix, but it's a possible workaround until the source is fixed.

13th January 2002, 04:48	#8
Sonicide Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 23	Ok sorry I didn't look at the link in more detail. I'll have another look at it now. I'm not playing WMA files so I'm afraid that doesn't help me much. I'm not using any plugins that I know of and I haven't updated any of my hardware components since I bought my computer. I am now using 2.78 and I haven't got the problem yet so maybe it's all good now. Thanks for all your help!

13th January 2002, 10:05	#9
Sonicide Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 23	Ok. I've been using 2.78 for a while today and it did it again. arggggghhhhhh! what do i do?

16th January 2002, 00:21	#11
Sonicide Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 23	ok I'm running a PIII 800Mhz with 256 RAM. The motherboard, graphics card and sound card are all just standard IBM crappy stuff I think. I haven't put any new hardware in my comp since I bought it and it came with Win2k and all the drivers installed. There's nothing consistent about when the problem happens except that Winamp has been running for a few hours. Sometimes I'm not running anything else, sometimes I'm running heaps of stuff. I don't think it's any of my other programs because the problem never happens when I am not running Winamp no matter what else I am running. I tried using a memory manager (AnalogX MaxMem). I set all the limits as high as possible so it wouldn't disrupt any of my stuff that would legitimately max out my CPU for a while. It worked really well at stopping the leak, but my computer made really unhealthy sounds when it corrected the memory. There was this kind of clicking and funny hissing noisy. What I really want is just something that sits in the tray and monitors memory without tampering with it. That way I can see when there's a problem and just close and re-open Winamp to fix it. Do you know of a program that just does that for Win2k? Why the hell have Microsoft taken away the System Resource Meter? That's exactly what I need! I think we're just going around in circles with this problem so I should probably stop wasting your time. If you could help me out with a program like the one I described I would much appreciate it.

16th January 2002, 01:43	#12
DJ Egg Techorator Winamp & Shoutcast Team Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 35,894	Resource Meter isn't in Win2k ????????? Are you sure? Can some other Win2k user confirm this please ?!?! Try some of these places for freeware system monitoring tools: http://www.webattack.com/freeware/system/system.html http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/hotfi...freetools.html http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/toolkits/essentials/ quote: graphics card and sound card are all just standard IBM crappy stuff I think This doesn't help us much, but . . . if they are both standard on-board chips (integrated with mobo), then this might be the root of the problem. For full details: System Control Panel -> Device Manager Videocard will be listed under: Display Adapter Soundcard under: Sound....Controllers It might be wise to use DirectSound Output in Winamp instead of WaveOut. (Prefs -> Output -> select DirectSound plugin) Make sure you've got the latest DirectX drivers first. Also make sure you've got the latest Win2k service pack from M$ btw, did we mention the Winamp 2 Update patch? (Updates both out_wave & out_ds plugins to peter's (PP) versions, also updates in_midi.dll & in_wave.dll to new pre v2.79 versions) Further details: (READ THIS FIRST) http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=68811 Good luck! Playlist -\|- Twitter

16th January 2002, 04:11	#13
peskypescado Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2000 Posts: 2	Resource Meter.... Just do CTRL+ALT+DEL and click on the task manager. Or you can click on a black spot on the task bar and click task manager. You'll get all the info you need right there. This info applies to XP too. While I'm typing in here. Does anyone have problems with Win2k w/ a SB Live and there music skipping every once in a while. It's totally random. I can't figure it out. I DJ with this system so it's kind of important that I get rid of the problem. And yes, I have all of the most recent drivers. paul

20th January 2002, 00:30	#14
Sonicide Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 23	task manager yeah I use task manager all the time, but I wanted something that would display the free memory in the system tray rather than the CPU usage. Anyway now I'm using this program called Free Meter, which seems to work well at picking up all this crap.

20th January 2002, 00:39	#15
Sonicide Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 23	ok DJEgg time to answer your questions I've looked everywhere and I can't find the resource meter, but it may be my install of it or something like that... I'll check out those sites you suggested. Graphics drivers appear to be Intel 82815 Graphics Controller and sound I think is Legacy Audio Drivers. I'm not sure if I am reading the right fields because the Device Manager stuff is different in Win2K. I'll have a look at using the DirectSound plugin. Actually I haven't installed either Service Pack 1 or 2 for Win2K (lazy bastard) so I'll go and do that first. Reading about the Winamp 2 update it sounds like it's all experimental and it may cause more problems than it solves. Wouldn't it be safer to wait for 2.9?

20th January 2002, 03:00	#16
DJ Egg Techorator Winamp & Shoutcast Team Join Date: Jun 2000 Posts: 35,894	No, all the plugins included in wa2update will be included with v2.79 Trust me, they are a big improvement on the old plugins But yes, you should definitely install the Win2k service packs (sp2) And look for updated motherboard drivers. These should include drivers for your onboard sound and video chips. Though, to be honest with ya, this is the root of all your problems. Acquire a proper decent soundcard & videocard, and all your troubles will go away . . . either that, or they'll be replaced by new ones j/k Some potentially useful links: List of recommended soundcards: http://forums.winamp.com/showthread.php?threadid=57617 http://forums.winamp.com/showthread....948#post426948 Driver updates: http://www.driverzone.com/ http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0...0001.dir.10010 http://www.driversguide.com/ http://www.drdriver.com/ Playlist -\|- Twitter

25th January 2002, 03:31	#17
Sonicide Junior Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Australia Posts: 23	Thanks for the advice. You're right: I really should get myself good sound and video cards. About to install sp2 so I'm on to that one... I'll check out the updated output plugins and see what happens. Also I'll have a look at driver updates.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search
Display Modes
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode