John In Remote Kansas (JIRK) on LIK's cookie

Bill D

If you are running any recent Windows system, you can go to a DOS window [Start - Programs - Accessories - DOS Prompt or Command Prompt] and type MEM to get a reading of what is loaded in memory.
MEM/D (memory - debug) will give you a more complete listing. If you type "MEM /D >memlist.txt" it will make a file named memlist.txt (or whatever name you want to use) that you can open in NotePad, WordPad, or Word, so that you can study it.
Depending on your system, you may get a lot more that you really want to know - but you don't have to look at all of it. Just look for things that might be "suspect."

In the "Command Prompt" Window (sometimes called DOS prompt on older systems), you can get the details on a DOS command by typing the command followed by "/?," i.e. "MEM /?".
You may want to "page" the result, since it could run more than a screen full. The OldDOS "MEM /? /P" or "MEM /? |MORE" will work.
[I'm not sure how an HTML'd | will look, but it's a Shift-BackSlash on most keyboards - pronounced "pipe."]

The results from MEM /D may be pretty cryptic, with a lot of "unknown program" at memory locations XXXX-YYYY, etc; but you might get lucky and find some leaks - or at least something to work with. The trick is to look "at the right time" so that you have an idea what you're getting.

When you're done with the Command Prompt Window, your last "command" should be "EXIT" (without the "" - of course). Windows doesn't always leave gracefully if you just try to close the window with the little X thingy.

There are some other good tools built into Windows, but shotgunning what "might" help could lead us on some pretty wild trips.
Norton's "Guide to Windows XX," where "XX" is your version can be helpful. "The Hackers Guide to XX" is usually also a good source - if you feel like you really need to work a problem. Try to borrow one though, neither of these is cheap.

John