- Start PMON from NT Resource Kit.
- Monitor paged / non-paged pool usage. If these increase over time, there
is a memory leak.
- Monitor commit counters. If this increases over several hours, there is a
probable leak.
- Monitor the Commit Charge column. The process with the leak will increase.
for several days.
To release the leaked memory, use Resource Kit utility:
empty { PID | progname }
where PID is Product Identification number. EMPTY frees the working set of a
task or process
Microsoft TechNet related articles:
How
to Use Dh.exe to Troubleshoot User-Mode Memory Leaks
How to Use
Poolmon to Troubleshoot Kernel Mode Memory Leaks
Using
Performance Monitor To Identify A Pool Leak
MS-DOS-Based
Apps Starting Non-MS-DOS-Based Apps
WM_DDE_EXECUTE
API Causes a Memory Leak in the WOW Subsystem
SetTimer()
API Causes Memory Leak in the WOW Subsystem
Memory
Leak in Ntfs.sys
Memory
Leak in SERVICES.EXE Causes Performance Degradation
There are many examples. Many are fixed in various service pack releases.
Many are not. If your box gets sluggish or unreliable, this is an area worth
checking.