# Why is my e-mac memory full?



## ystacey (Aug 31, 2005)

I've just now for the first time received an error message while trying to save an Illustrator file to my e-mac (powermac G4)...it says, "Can't save the illustration. Memory is full". I have 640mb of memory (700 MHz - 100 MHz bus) which I know isn't a ton, but I only have the one file open and have about 9 GB of hard drive space on my internal hard drive. 

Maybe I don't fully understand the memory function but I thought it is used only when you are working on active and open files and would never get "full" if you don't do a billion things at once...am I completely wrong and do I need more memory?


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## VegasACF (May 27, 2005)

If memory serves (pun slightly intended), it seems as though the file in question must be stored in RAM in the process of writing it to the hard drive. Thus, if the file that you are working on is larger than the amount of memory available at any given time (counting what the OS, Illustrator and any other application you have running [even apps like Dashboard running in the background] needs) you will not be able to save it to the hard drive.

If I'm incorrect (it's happened once before) someone please correct me and help this person out!


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## ystacey (Aug 31, 2005)

ha-ha and thanks for the input...the file I'm working on is tiny...nothing compared what I usually save and I had other applications open (photoshop, entourage, word, safari) but no other documents open and not nearly as much as I usually have going at one time...i just don't want to go buy more memory if that's not really gonna work, plus I don't understand why I would need more memory...


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## emoxley (Jan 6, 2004)

You can try unplugging the computer. Leave it unplugged for 15-20 minutes, and plug it back in. Won't promise this will help, but it might. It may clear the ram, and let it work better.
As far as getting more ram................. always get as much as you can afford! There's no such thing as too much ram.


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