Explain Resource Meter's settings

Helpline Q&A Directory

What do the terms System, User and GDI mean in the System Resource Meter?

They are three classes of memory object, which Windows 95, 98 and Me keep track of using fixed-size tables. The percentages show the amount of space free in each table. When you're told Windows is out of memory, it's usually just one of these tables that is full.

Windows 2000 and XP don't used fixed tables for memory management, so they can use all the RAM in modern PCs much more efficiently.