Again windows guru help needed ...

[marc_256]

Again windows guru help needed ...

As a designer and hobby robot builder,
I don't have lots of experiences with windows.

My problem:
I'm (try to) build a walking robot,
and I use for that a small SBC (Single Board Computer) with integrated Arduino microcontroller.
It have 4GB RAM and 32GB SSD storage.

So,
OS = Windows 10 pro x64
User program = Purebasic x64

As I start windows and my PB program with needed Data files,
my 4GB RAM is just anof to run, but I need more RAM size.
But it is not possible to add RAM memory to that type of computer.
If I look with TaskManager, I see a lot of loaded (windows) files in there.

Q) Is there a way to reduce the windows loaded programs in memory to just the needed ones ?
Is there a setting in windows at startup ?


Thanks,
marc,

[Quin]

One possible piece of software to use would be https://winaerotweaker.com/

I also changed my shell from explorer.exe to cmd.exe, a simple Google should show you the registry key to modify, I don't remember it offhand.

[idle]

try doing a selective start up with msconfig

[ChrisR]

Windows 10 x64 with 4 Gb is really limited.
You should use Windows 7, it is much less RAM intensive.
Or you can also try Windows 10 32 bit, a little less greedy in Ram.

You could also build and use a WinPE, for a lightweight desktop Windows 10 or Windows 11 Preinstallation Environment (WinPE).
Not a full-featured Windows, but it can do the job, see Win10XPE

[skywalk]

Why choose Windows OS for robotics app?
Use a raspberry pi4 or 5 with 4GB or 8GB RAM.

[Olli]

@skywalk

Maybe for several drivers which are pre-installed, or for specific drivers limited to Windows.

@marc_256

What it surprises me, it is that I do not find 4GB are so light for W10. I have a stupid question : is this W10 ARM version ?

I have the same configuration on my computer (4GB, 32GB SSD), a fixed version of W10 (1809 ?) and no network. I am on X64.

My computer does not seem to be limited. You maybe use the camera, and use an IA to recognize the physical objects ?

[marc_256]

Thanks guys for the response,

@Quin and ChrisR
Thanks for the programs tips.

@idle
I already disabled a lot of startup programs.

@skywalk
I started with the LattePanda some time ago, I'm to far now to switch.

@Olli

You maybe use the camera, and use an IA to recognize the physical objects ?

Yes, and in the future AI...

@All
Well, I use a LattePanda Delta 4GB RAM (older model), the new Delta 3 = 8GB RAM.
And a small HDMI screen of 1920x1200 px (8.9 inch).
The Delta is deliverd with Win 10 pro x64 or Linux (Ubuntu).
As I'm only using windows ...
And there is standard a Arduino Leonardo build () on the board for user I/O.
Wi-Fi, BlueTooth, USB, ...

I want to use 2D/3D graphics in my program to visualize position and actions.
And multi VGA cameras for interactions/positioning, voice recognitions and sound interfaces (I'm a dreamer).
So, I have only 464 MB RAM left for now.

As Olli told, all drivers are delivered.

Marc,

[Marc56us]

Hi Marc,

If you're not using the Raspberry I/O ports, why not use a miniPC?
For around €250, you'll usually get an Intel CPU with 16 GB RAM, 512 GB SSD (expandable), RJ45, WiFi, Bluetooth, USB, Windows 10 Pro (so including remote desktop and partition encryption). All this consuming around 10W (mesured)
As a reminder, this type of minipc (size approx. 20x20x5 cm) is often made up of the motherboard of a classic laptop. With no screen, battery or keyboard, it's much more competitively priced when compared with all the extras you'd need to add to a RP.
And as it weighs next to nothing and has no moving parts (SSD), you can put it in a robot with no problem. The power supply is 12V with a small external transformer (supplied).
Type "minipc" on A...z

[ChrisR]

I totally agreewith you @Marc56, miniPCs are worth a look, affordable, small and light, noiseless and with good performance (even for gamers, if you pay the price).
I myself used it for a long time as a multimedia station in my living room and it was a good experience. I don't use it anymore, internet boxes are enough for me now.
I'd like to see your office or your garage, I'm sure it's full of good stuff, PC, laptop, MiniPC and RaspBerry,...

[ChrisR]

What it surprises me, it is that I do not find 4GB are so light for W10. I have a stupid question : is this W10 ARM version ?

I have the same configuration on my computer (4GB, 32GB SSD), a fixed version of W10 (1809 ?) and no network. I am on X64.

My computer does not seem to be limited. You maybe use the camera, and use an IA to recognize the physical objects ?

My daughter's 1st PC had this config, it was fine as long as she used it to browse the Internet (without too many tabs open) and some LibreOffice powerpoint documents but not much more.
She had to install Adobe PhotoShop for her studies and there the PC was more than limited. Then, I installed a Windows 7 on his entry-level laptop and it went really much better.
Windows 10 x64 with only 4 Gb Ram, is still very limited and I wouldn't recommend it, but it's just my opinion

[Kuron]

Love the minis from this company. I bought one for my deceased wife for her internet machine and it was an awesome little system. Now, it works as a media system and may get repurposed yet again. Killer little systems.

[Kuron]

Windows 10 x64 with only 4 Gb Ram, is still very limited and I wouldn't recommend it, but it's just my opinion

Old RCA tablet/hybrid only had 2GB of ram and shipped with Windows 10 32bit. No complaints for a $49 system (liked it so much I bought a second one that is still new in the box), but a powerhouse it was not, but for several years it was my only system since everything else was in storage. Worked fine for my needs, but I always keep updates blocked on any Windows system so it never gets cluttered.

Seems like just yesterday you needed 4MB of RAM if you wanted Windows to run smoothly.

[ChrisR]

You could also build and use a WinPE, for a lightweight desktop Windows 10 or Windows 11 Preinstallation Environment (WinPE).
Not a full-featured Windows, but it can do the job, see Win10XPE

I'd like to advertise again on Win10XPE , building a WinPE is probably worth a small investment to learn how to build it, integrating drivers, network, other apps and tools.
But I think that for a robotics application or for a computationally intensive application, it's definitely worth a look. It's lightweight and can be booted from the hard disk (a 4 Gb partition is more than enough) or booted from a USB key to be portable.
it provides a lightweight desktop Windows 10 or 11 Environment. Not a full-featured Windows but it starts up quickly and it is very powerful, as the OS is Ram-loaded and only the necessary Windows services are started.

Here's an example, in a virtual machine with 3Gb Ram, with IceDesign, PureBasic and other tools integrated.
It's also a proof that PureBasic can run even on a minimal system, needing only very little dependencies, which makes it another strong point too

[marc_256]

Hi guys,

I have the impression you did not understand me well,
this is the SBC/PC I use ...

Well this is my little SBC/PC I uses more than one and it is the best for my use.
But only the 4GB RAM is a little small.

Some info
https://www.lattepanda.com/lattepanda-delta

CPU: Intel Celeron N4100 Quad-Core 1.1-2.4GHz
Core: 1.1-2.4GHz Quad-Core, Four-Thread
Graphics: Intel HD Graphics 600, 200-700MHz
RAM: 4G LPDDR4 2400MHz
Dual-Band 2.5GHz/5GHz Wi-Fi & Bluetooth 5.0


External Memory:
1x M.2 M Key, PCIe 2x, Supports NVMe and PCIe SSD
1x M.2 E Key, PCIe 2x，Supports USB2.0, UART

Connectivity:
WIFI 802.11 AC, 2.4G & 5G
Dual-Band Bluetooth 5.0
Gigabit Ethernet

USB Ports:
3x USB 3.0 Type A
1x USB Type C, supports PD, DP, USB 3.0

Display:
HDMI Output
Type-C DP Support
Extendable eDP touch displays

Co-processor: Arduino Leonardo
GPIO & Other Features: 2x 50p GPIOs including I2C, I2S, USB, TTL, UART, RTC, Power Management, Extendable power button, everything you need
OS Support:

Windows 10 Pro
Linux Ubuntu

Dimension: 115*78*14 mm



@Kuron

Seems like just yesterday you needed 4MB of RAM if you wanted Windows to run smoothly.

I think you mean 4GB of RAM ...


Marc,

[skywalk]

Love the minis from this company. I bought one for my deceased wife for her internet machine and it was an awesome little system. Now, it works as a media system and may get repurposed yet again. Killer little systems.

Ha!
I just bought from the same company for my entertainment PC.
I was able to velcro it behind a flat screen TV and have a 1TB SSD for home networking shared photos and backups.
Super quiet and low power.
I'm considering wiping Windows 11 for Ubuntu, but it came ready to run with Windows but inertia is powerful.