A.J. Loc: Fayette County, Pennsylvania USA

Trying to use my Photoshop Elements 14, this message keeps coming up, that there is not enough RAM.

What does that mean?

Can this be fixed so I can continue to use this program?

Thank you in advance for any information you are able to give to fix this problem.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Does your system meet the requirements?

Windows

1.6GHz or faster processor with SSE2 support
64-bit versions of Microsoft Windows 7 with Service Pack 1, Windows 8, or Windows 10
4GB of RAM
5GB of available hard-disk space (additional free space required during installation and additional 2GB required to download all optional content)
1280x800 display resolution (at 100% scale factor)

macOS

64-bit multicore Intel processor
macOS X v10.11, v10.12, or v10.13
4GB of RAM

JCam Loc: MD Eastern Shore

AJ, I use PSE14 too. Somewhere in the early part of the installation a question pops up asking how much of the available RAM you want to let PSE use. I think mine is set at 75%, but unless you are very close to using all the RAM to run the computer, the amount you choose shouldn't interfere. I'm not a computer guru, but I think it only uses the bulk of the Ram it is looking for during the startup.

The real answer, not this workaround may be toadd top the computer's ram or move PSE on to a external hard drive that has more than enough unused RAM.

Good Luck.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

Did you install a new program since you last used PSE? It sounds like something is running - and sucking up the memory - that wasn't previously. If you Google "pse ram use" several You-Tube videos and a bunch of help topics will come up.

A.J. Loc: Fayette County, Pennsylvania USA

I have Windows 10.

A.J. Loc: Fayette County, Pennsylvania USA

Thank you for the info.

A.J. Loc: Fayette County, Pennsylvania USA

I do not understand even what RAM is, fairly new to all these technical terms.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Then I'm surmising more than 4GB of RAM.

Ka2azman Loc: Tucson, Az

RAM- Random Access Memory - The computer uses that to run various items on your PC. It needs electricity to operate. When you shut down, anything on the RAM disappears and lost forever because of no electricity going to it. That is why a PC asks if you want to save before shutting down, some programs you have running. If you say yes, it saves the items in RAM to the Hard drive so when you restart the PC the next time, what you had worked on is there to see, add, delete or change in any way you want from the HD and placed back into the electricity operated RAM.

If you didn't save when you shut down, and you bring up the program you had running, it would only bring it up to the point you started of what you had before the previous start. I.e. You had a photo program running and you did some work on pictures on it. When asked to save, you didn't. When you bring those pictures up again nothing has changed, everything you did to it in your last session isn't there. You have to do it all over again and save it because basically all the alterations are in RAM memory that was wiped out when you shut down.

RAM is important not so much in starting the PC (it does help), but using programs when it is on. You can run out of RAM but your PC will still operate because it send information to the HD Hard Drive to be written there so it can use it to continue running the program. But writing to and reading back is much slower than having enough RAM so the electricity is the holding reservoir of information.

The basic statement 'the more Ram you have the better and faster your machine will run'. There is a limit of how much RAM your machine can have installed though. Need to look in your manual or talk to your manufacture. Usually 8 to 12 GB runs most machines enough for most people other than gamers!

Dave327 Loc: Duluth, GA. USA

RAM is the abbreviation for random access memory. It stores no information. It is used to quickly store & access information when the computer is running. It is the fastest way for the processor to access & work when you using a program. 4 GB is a little lite. I have 12 to 16 GB in my laptops & desktops. If the ram gets full the computer will start “caching” to a sector of the hard disc to get around the shortage of ram. That is a slow process. When you turn the computer off the ram goes blank storing no information. There are free programs on the net that will run a scan and tell you everything about your machine.

A.J. Loc: Fayette County, Pennsylvania USA

Thank You, I may have missed up when shutting off my computer.

A.J. Loc: Fayette County, Pennsylvania USA

O.K. I thought all computers were the same, just some were newer models?

A.J. Loc: Fayette County, Pennsylvania USA

Thank You for the information as this will help.

Dave327 Loc: Duluth, GA. USA

Most computers with only 4 GB of ram have slots available to install more. It is not a difficult process and can usually be done in 15 min. I do it myself. Best Buy, Micro Center or any computer shop can do this for you, usually on the spot. It is not expensive.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Oh no.
There may be an "average" RAM population though, with what most systems are populated.
My laptop has 4Gb, and my desktop has 8Gb (both 6 years old).
Newer computers are built with larger amounts than older ones.