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Wednesday 4 September 2024

The computer says there is ...

... 'Insufficient memory to perform this operation.'

This message has repeatedly appeared on my laptop screen every time that I have tried to work on and save my newest campaign map ... and I am finding it very frustrating. What makes it worse is the fact that as far as I can ascertain, the BMP image file that I am trying to work on is actually smaller than the size of my recently created map of Zubia ... which is only 27.8 MB.

I have trawled through the internet to see if I can find a solution and I can find plenty that work for MS Word, MS Excel, and MS PowerPoint but not for MS Paint. (It is worth noting that I am not getting this error message when I use any of the first three programs I have listed.)

I suspect that there is either a problem with my MS Paint program (which is not longer supported by Microsoft) or there is a program running in the background and that it is using enough operating memory to make it impossible for me to work on large image files. I am therefore going to purge my laptop of any applications that I not longer use and reinstall MS Paint.

I hope that this will sort the problem out. If it doesn't, then I may well have to think about buying a new and bigger laptop, something that I have been considering for some time.

10 comments:

  1. Bob,
    I use an external hard drive to store all those pictures and documents. Frees up space on the laptop.
    Neil

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Neil Patterson (Neil),

      I use a removable hard drive for exactly that reason. The problem does not appear to relate to the amount of file storage that I have but with the operating memory, which is rather limited.

      I think that I have solved the problem. I’ve now cancelled a recurring file update problem (my security software was trying to upload an upgrade but kept stalling each time that it did), removed and reinstated my MS Paint program, and done a very thorough clean up of my laptop, which now seems to be working somewhat better.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  2. I still use MS Paint (heavily and almost daily--see all the graphics on my blog and the self published materials there). Every now and then it just chokes on a particular file for some reason. It has to do with the file and not the program in those cases has been my experience. You might try opening that file in the MS photo viewer. There are options to resize it there (not by cropping, bur changing the resolution) or you might try and manipulate it and save it via that program and then try opening it in Paint. Or...if you can open it in another program, take a screenshot and then paste that in MS Paint. Some workarounds from a fellow "MS Painter"

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ed M,

      Thanks very much for your very helpful advice. I have had a thorough cleanup of my laptop and identified at least one background problem that was using up my operating memory. I have also removed and reinstalled MS Paint but have yet to see if the problem with recur.

      If the problem persists, I will try your suggested ‘work abounds’, all of which make lots of sense.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  3. Hi Bob, I recently had similar problems around 2 weeks ago when my machine had downloaded a lot of Windows updates and a system process was holding on to about 1.5GB of RAM. So I restarted to apply the updates and everything was suddenly smooth again.
    Good luck freeing some space.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Pompey Dave,

      Thanks for the suggested solution. I must admit that I may well have downloaded those same Windows updates, which might account for the problems that I am having. I will check that the updates have all been applied ... just in case.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  4. Hi Bob
    Check the file properties. If the file came from the internet it may have been blocked by Windows and you will need to unblock it. Then google how to prevent a re-occurrence. It's one of the unsolved riddles from a pyramid as to why Microsoft chose to manage the situation like this. Hope this solves the issue.

    Arthur

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Arthur (Arthur),

      Thanks for your useful suggestion. I have checked the file's properties and it is well within the sort of limits of other files that I have not had this problem with. I suspect that there is a program running in the background as when I press 'ctrl, alt, delete' to look at the Task Manager, the list of programs that I am using flashes a longer list before displaying what I would expect to see. It is almost as if the 'extra' program (or programs) realise that I am looking for them and hide!

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete
  5. Same thing happened to us the constant windows updates are not only extremely annoying they clog up the system with heavy size update files that drain away free space so much so that we have turned off updates temporarily. Quinn

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glory to Ruritania (Quinn),

      Updates are an unfortunate necessity with most modern computer programs. I only wish that companies would not release software that constantly need them.

      All the best,

      Bob

      Delete

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