Standby-like feature - for individual applications in Windows?

Is it possible to temporarily freeze (pause, block) an application in Windows - so that it doesn't use processor at all and sit in the memory only - and unfreeze it later when you need it?

I am asking this because I figured out if I have 3GB of memory, at least 1GB always free, why not use it to speed up the applications startup: if I kept, for example, 10 of my most used applications open all the time, but blocked, so they don't consume processor, but memory only.

If this is possible, I hope there is some system application that can manage the frozen apps, so their usage can appear as normal: you open them with a shortcut and close them with the 'X' button, only that they are not really closed, but frozen and just hidden again.

Ognjen

Posted 2011-10-09T12:03:32.540

Reputation: 509

Yeah, Windows 8 is finally introducing a similar feature. It's one step towards abstracting away memory management from the user. It's always been my opinion that the user should never have to close applications on their own or worry about memory management. The OS should just start closing applications on its own. – surfasb – 2011-10-09T13:55:27.217

I fall under the opposite opinion. The system cannot predict my next move , I can. Haveing 2 buttons one for stay and one for stop, would not be a hinderance to the user. That the system has an amasing complexity of memory management , that does not work for all users in all ways at all times. So if it goes off on its own, just leave in the button to allow user control. – Psycogeek – 2011-10-10T18:02:45.310

Thanks for the great info! Another thought... what if we don't freeze the app, but only reduce its process priority to a minimum? Wouldn't that get us almost the same effect? – Ognjen – 2011-10-14T12:53:42.443

it depends, if your thinking like I am thinking, it is some of the web based items that could do with a bit of suspend for a while. I cant think of any priority things including net-limiting that would really suspend them. Any High CPU use but more backgrounded activity, can already be put on IDLE, and doing that really does allow the User free reign of the CPU for other tasks. especially with multicore processors. the CPU priority of the system works very well. Then Disk based activities, a heavy disk based activity can really hinder the user. Fastcopy for one has throttling for that. – Psycogeek – 2011-10-17T22:08:15.110

Answers

Process explorer will do a Suspend in XP. you could test that , then see if the programs have a fit or lock up other things when they get suspended. Then resume them and see if they still function correctally.

http://forum.sysinternals.com/various-pe-feature-requests_topic11122.html you can see pictures of that there.

PE has a command version of it (if i remember right) that could be batched.

http://j00ru.vexillium.org/?p=118 This link has some of the information about what can happen badly, and better he linked to a lot of utilities that perform the function. So check out the bottom of the page there.

The more Complex a program is, and multi-threaded and dependant , the less likly it will suspend properly and safely. The more Simple a progam is, the less likely that suspending it will do any good. :-)

Psycogeek

Posted 2011-10-09T12:03:32.540

Reputation: 8 067

Setting an app's priority will not calm it down but only change its position in line - it will still take all remaining CPU cycles. You MIGHT be able to accomplish a different task that would be otherwise preempted. But I don't consider that a solution so much as a prayer.

Process Explorer will suspend a CPU hungry app - but is itself a CPU hungry app.

SIMPLE IS BETTER. Simple is not always available. The more complexity that gets designed in, the more complexity that is needed to get around it. Until we are gridlocked. No solution. No escape. None. Ever. :)

The problem is that Windows is not communicating with Process Explorer, so as far as it knows it has a bad behaving app. Anything that suspends a program therefore is going to be in the same category - it's creating Zombie Apps that Windows (from Vista on) is going to try to "help you" by killing.

I think we can all point towards Redmond and prostrate now....

If they finally did do something about this with Windows 8 - that would be just severely retarded - but so full of love. Just be happy. And remember this ... it used to cost - well, you had to be a pretty good sized company just to edit text. Now, any homeless guy can have the world's best education for free.

And while it's true - that's also the sole reason why, there is no inflation, and the "great ulceration" of the money system is just a mathematical anomaly ... not to worry. The system is under control....

Ion-Christopher

Posted 2011-10-09T12:03:32.540

Reputation: 1