This is usually a software problem.  It is caused by applications which
allocat memory and then do not adequately de-allocate.  This leaves the
system with a portion of memory that it cannot use.  It can happen with
small or large allocations... it depends on how much the program may need at
the time.  AND it is usually cumulative (i.e. it takes a little time for all
the little allocations to add up to something significant).

When your machine is on, all sorts of applications can be running.  For
instance:  the screen saver, a virius scanner, perhaps a utility to run
utilities...  any of these can cause problems.   There are also programs
which will detect "leaks" and shut the offending program down.  I believe
Connectix makes one.

Frank B Smith
>There was some talk about "memory drain" some time ago on the list. Can
>someone out there explain what this is. Does it occur while the computer is
>being used or is it something that occurs only when the computer is idle. ?