Your System has Run out of Application memory

I don't think the testing manager shouldbe fired either, but Apple should review its testing protocols.

It's more than an inconvenience to me. I run a photography business. I've been using Mail, Chrome and Aperture. Changed Chrome to Safari and doing online mail for the moment (but I still can't avoid Apple Mail altogether). However, it's not practical for me to change off Aperture and constant rebooting is significantly affecting my productivity.

And what would you suggest I do about Aperture causing the problem?

If restarting solves the problem, then there is something that happens during the start-up process that fixes it. The question then to the group is: What happens during start up? Which part of it clears up this problem? Can that part be done without restarting?

It's not the Restart that temporarily alleviates the issue, it's the stop that precedes the restart.

I have a "run out of application memory" problem. Mavericks late 2013 MBP. When I launch Mail, my memory use immediately skyrockets and after a minute or so, I get the "run out of application memory" error message. This happens even if I quit mail immediately after launching it. No other program does this. I ran Etresoft both before and after launching Mail. Results are below. Any help would be GREATLY appreciated!

Before Launching Mail

Hardware Information:

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)

MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro11,1

1 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 2 cores

16 GB RAM

Video Information:

Intel Iris - VRAM: 1024 MB

Audio Plug-ins:

BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0

AirPlay: Version: 1.9

AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0

iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3

Startup Items:

HP IO - Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO

System Software:

OS X 10.9 (13A2093) - Uptime: 0 days 0:6:5

Disk Information:

APPLE SSD SM1024F disk0 : (1 TB)

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 999.7 GB (761.42 GB free)

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB

USB Information:

Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

FireWire Information:

Thunderbolt Information:

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Apple Inc. Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

Kernel Extensions:

Problem System Launch Daemons:

Problem System Launch Agents:

Launch Daemons:

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

[not loaded] com.displaylink.usbnivolistener.plist

[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

Launch Agents:

[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

[failed] com.displaylink.useragent.plist

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist

User Launch Agents:

[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist

[loaded] com.facebook.videochat.[redacted].plist

[loaded] com.spotify.webhelper.plist

[loaded] com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper.plist

User Login Items:

None

3rd Party Preference Panes:

DivX

Flash Player

Flip4Mac WMV

Internet Plug-ins:

AdobePDFViewer.plugin

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin

AmazonMP3DownloaderPlugin101750.plugin

Default Browser.plugin

DirectorShockwave.plugin

DivXBrowserPlugin.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

FlashPlayer-10.6.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin

GarminGpsControl.plugin

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin

o1dbrowserplugin.plugin

OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

RealPlayer Plugin.plugin

Silverlight.plugin

User Internet Plug-ins:

CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin.plugin

Picasa.plugin

WebEx.plugin

WebEx64.plugin

Bad Fonts:

None

Time Machine:

Auto backup: NO

Time Machine not configured!

Top Processes by CPU:

2% WindowServer

1% EtreCheck

0% coreservicesd

0% Dock

0% CoreServicesUIAgent

0% imagent

Top Processes by Memory:

344 MB mds_stores

213 MB Safari

115 MB Dock

82 MB mdworker

66 MB mds

33 MB MacKeeper Helper

33 MB PluginProcess

33 MB WindowServer

16 MB com.apple.dock.extra

16 MB storeagent

Virtual Memory Statistics:

12.72 GB Free RAM

1.77 GB Active RAM

176 MB Inactive RAM

1.33 GB Wired RAM

660 MB Page-ins

0 B Page-outs

Immediately After Launching Mail

Hardware Information:

MacBook Pro (Retina, 13-inch, Late 2013)

MacBook Pro - model: MacBookPro11,1

1 2.8 GHz Intel Core i7 CPU: 2 cores

16 GB RAM

Video Information:

Intel Iris - VRAM: 1024 MB

Audio Plug-ins:

BluetoothAudioPlugIn: Version: 1.0

AirPlay: Version: 1.9

AppleAVBAudio: Version: 2.0.0

iSightAudio: Version: 7.7.3

Startup Items:

HP IO - Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO

System Software:

OS X 10.9 (13A2093) - Uptime: 0 days 0:8:39

Disk Information:

APPLE SSD SM1024F disk0 : (1 TB)

EFI (disk0s1) <not mounted>: 209.7 MB

Macintosh HD (disk0s2) /: 999.7 GB (761.39 GB free)

Recovery HD (disk0s3) <not mounted>: 650 MB

USB Information:

Apple Internal Memory Card Reader

Apple Inc. BRCM20702 Hub

Apple Inc. Bluetooth USB Host Controller

Apple Inc. Apple Internal Keyboard / Trackpad

FireWire Information:

Thunderbolt Information:

Apple Inc. thunderbolt_bus

Apple Inc. Thunderbolt to Gigabit Ethernet Adapter

Kernel Extensions:

Problem System Launch Daemons:

Problem System Launch Agents:

[failed] com.apple.pictd.plist

Launch Daemons:

[loaded] com.adobe.fpsaud.plist

[not loaded] com.displaylink.usbnivolistener.plist

[loaded] com.google.keystone.daemon.plist

Launch Agents:

[not loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

[failed] com.displaylink.useragent.plist

[loaded] com.google.keystone.agent.plist

User Launch Agents:

[loaded] com.adobe.AAM.Updater-1.0.plist

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist

[loaded] com.adobe.ARM.[...].plist

[loaded] com.facebook.videochat.[redacted].plist

[loaded] com.spotify.webhelper.plist

[loaded] com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper.plist

User Login Items:

None

3rd Party Preference Panes:

DivX

Flash Player

Flip4Mac WMV

Internet Plug-ins:

AdobePDFViewer.plugin

AdobePDFViewerNPAPI.plugin

AmazonMP3DownloaderPlugin101750.plugin

Default Browser.plugin

DirectorShockwave.plugin

DivXBrowserPlugin.plugin

Flash Player.plugin

FlashPlayer-10.6.plugin

Flip4Mac WMV Plugin.plugin

GarminGpsControl.plugin

Google Earth Web Plug-in.plugin

googletalkbrowserplugin.plugin

iPhotoPhotocast.plugin

JavaAppletPlugin.plugin

npgtpo3dautoplugin.plugin

o1dbrowserplugin.plugin

OfficeLiveBrowserPlugin.plugin

QuickTime Plugin.plugin

RealPlayer Plugin.plugin

Silverlight.plugin

User Internet Plug-ins:

CitrixOnlineWebDeploymentPlugin.plugin

Picasa.plugin

WebEx.plugin

WebEx64.plugin

Bad Fonts:

None

Time Machine:

Auto backup: NO

Time Machine not configured!

Top Processes by CPU:

98% mds_stores

31% Mail

3% WindowServer

1% opendirectoryd

1% EtreCheck

1% fontd

0% usernoted

0% coreservicesd

0% Dock

0% mDNSResponder

Top Processes by Memory:

9.67 GB mds_stores

262 MB Mail

213 MB Safari

115 MB Dock

98 MB mds

66 MB ReportCrash

66 MB WindowServer

49 MB Notes

49 MB SystemUIServer

33 MB MacKeeper Helper

Virtual Memory Statistics:

1.54 GB Free RAM

12.70 GB Active RAM

396 MB Inactive RAM

1.37 GB Wired RAM

954 MB Page-ins

0 B Page-outs

The CPU & memory indicate part of what is going on…

1st report:

Top Processes by CPU:

2% WindowServer

1% EtreCheck

Top Processes by Memory:

344 MB mds_stores

213 MB Safari

Virtual Memory Statistics:

0 B Page-outs

2nd report:

Top Processes by CPU:

98% mds_stores

31% Mail

Top Processes by Memory:

9.67 GB mds_stores

262 MB Mail

Virtual Memory Statistics:

0 B Page-outs

mds_stores is Spotlight indexing. Has your disk finished indexing? If not allow it to complete before opening Mail.

It could be Mail that is requesting the new email to be indexed for searching, I wonder if an old Spotlight importer could be causing Spotlight to leak memory?

I find it odd that you have not gone into paging memory to disk, it's almost like that feature is turned off.

You have items installed that I think are questionable, but you should probably try the regular troubleshooting steps first.

Also look in the 'all messages' section of Console (in the /Applications/Utilities folder) as mds_stores is gobbling up RAM. See if there are any messages that appear, & post a few examples here (not the entire log 🙂).

Boot into 'Safe mode' (hold shift after the chime until the spinning 'cog' appears). Ensure the login window says 'safe mode'.

https://support.apple.com/kb/HT1455

It will disable all third party extensions & startup items.

If the Mac is better in safe mode it is time to look at the third party items.

Be aware that some features will be disabled like wifi on some models, graphics drivers will be in a reduced mode - this is normal in safe mode. Reboot to go back to normal.

The items that concern me are:

Startup Items:

HP IO - Path: /Library/StartupItems/HP IO

Launch Agents:

[failed] com.displaylink.useragent.plist

User Launch Agents:

[loaded] com.zeobit.MacKeeper.Helper.plist

Startup Items: Stored in /Library/StartupItems/

Startup Items have been discontinued by Apple since Mac OS 10.4. They are responsible for making changes at a system level. Remove them all or spend time ensuring ALL related software is up to date. You need a very good reason to have anything installed in here. The developers are ignoring Apple guidelines by installing these - not a good sign.

Launchd jobs: several types

LaunchAgents - Stored in /Library/LaunchAgents

LaunchDaemons - Stored in /Library/LaunchDaemons

User LaunchAgents - Stored in ~/Library/LaunchAgents

These are all background jobs, they are not necessarily bad, but if they are loading old code it could be doing untold damage to the performance & stability of the entire OS. Focus on the System level jobs (the ones inside /Library - the system level) also remove ['failed'], non-system jobs.

EtreCheck gives a status on launchd jobs…

[loaded] - a running job

[not loaded] - jobs that are set not to run, basically harmless, remove them unless you plan to use the associated software (if it is up to date)

[failed] - jobs in a crashed or unknown state, it could be forking processes or using all the system resources, remove these.

MacKeeper has a bad reputation on these forums, it's up to you if you want to use it, personally I think it adds unnecessary tasks to the OS and encourages you to delete system files.

All the usual caveats apply, backup before you modify the system, if you choose to remove items look for uninstall instructions so you remove all the relevant parts.

I'm not sure that the problem is so easily identified as systemic. I've been following this discussion just purely out of general interest and the hope that I can help once in a while, but I don't suffer from the condition. I use almost all of the applications listed here (with the exception of Aperture, I use Lightroom) and I've not had this error even once. My current uptime is 18 days since the last reboot. The reason I am posting this is to say that waiting on Apple to fix something wrong with your system may be waiting in vain. Specific conditions with Apple applications may or may not be addressed and third part apps are always the responsibility of the developer, common or not.

I'm not convinced that this is purely a bug in Mavericks "memory management tricks" as you say. I'm running Mail, Safari and more on both a Macbook Air (8GB Ram) and iMac (32GB Ram) without any memory errors or reboots. I would suggest that you proactively pursue a solution to your problem by posting a new thread with a report from EtreCheck and let the knowledgeable folks here have a look at it. I'll be happy to try to help you as well.

Kenneth Collins1 wrote:

I joined this discussion because I wanted to know if this problem was specific to me and if there was a fix. The anwer is that it is a bug and the fix is to wait for Apple to fix it. The problem is in the new method of managing memory, not with anything a user does. Apple will fix it as soon as they can.

No, the testing manager should not be fired. The first version of any software has bugs, sometimes conspicuous ones, either because they only become apparent after the software is released, or because the software was deliberatly released with the bug, if it is cosmetic, does not harm anything, or is just an inconvenience.

I found out what I needed to know, and I'll wait.

Thank you Drew!

There is no problem if I start in safe mode, so it must be a third party application.

Were you able to open Mail in safe mode & let it run for a while?

mds_stores didn't eat all the memory?

I wonder if you can let it run in safe mode then try again in normal mode, if you are lucky maybe the items worn't try to reindex?

Check the logs too, it would be best to isolate it to a specific app or spotlight plugin.

You can also logout completely & log back in but hold shift as you click the login button, that will disable just the user login items, it can indicate issues inside your account.

If it's any consolation to you, since I originally posted my experience with this annoying OS X memory leak (adopting the label of others), it has not reared it's ugly head. Hopefully I didn't just jinx myself.

Whatever the cause ... it has worked itself out without the need to uninstall/reinstall, download and run 3rd party software, or run through an endless list of troubleshooting tasks that could possibly give me an answer as to why it happened.

I hope that everyone else encountering the issue is as lucky as me *crossing fingers*.

You probably waited long enough for the indexing to finish, which is not a bug, it is required for Spotlight to work.

bigd_pdx wrote:

I'm not sure that the problem is so easily identified as systemic.

Nortons and MacKeeper certainly do the OSX absolutely no favors, as you can see from these Forums over the past few years, and more times than not, their proper removal appears to instanstanly alleviate the problems that a lot of users have. Sure, in some cases it is a Hardware issue, but is Nortons or MacKeeper are identified as being on a system, then the first step, IMHO, is to uninstall them first and then move onto other troubleshooting tips if it has not fixed the issue.

Pete

Indexing probably causes macs to stop responding, pause all applications, and give the ominous message: your system has run out of application memory? 😕 Yikes.

I should add that between my original post and now I have actually had to re-index (http://support.apple.com/kb/ht2409) because I needed to flush out a bunch of Outlook messages that were inaccessible because they were not associated with the default identity, or some stupid like reason, and were cluttering my search results. And during that re-indexing I had ZERO problems with my machine, even while running all my usual apps/software (avg. 16+).

My point being, maybe it was indexing; maybe it was a BUG that exists in Mavericks. Maybe.

Out of curiosity, why did you feel the need to reply to my message? I understand the drive to troubleshoot and good will to help others, which you and others have (read Drew), but why is it that some of your replies border on being a defensive post of how Mavericks itself cannot be the source of the issue? Just curious.

This is slightly off-topic, but I always tell newcomers to the Mac not to buy the Mac version of a Windows program. In such a case, the company's main business is developing for Windows and the Mac is a sideline. Since the program is designed for Windows and adapted to the Mac, it may have performance and quality issues, UI weirdities, and a smaller feature set. Instead, look for a functionally equivalent program from a company whose main business is developing software for the Mac. It's often better and less expensive. Windows freeware is generally poor quality, while Mac freeware can be better than commercial software; such as Titanium Software's utilties.

So ditch Norton Anything. You probably don't need it anyway.

It's a possible explanation, not a defense.

If Spotlight is still performing its initial indexing it should be allowed to finish, it consumes resources to the point that other processes may be affected. It has been that way at least since SL (10.6) so this is in no way limited to Mavericks, any new install of OSX will trigger it.

Reindexing uses far less resources usually (much of the system will be unchanged)

But as you have no more issues (except maybe with the 3rd party stuff) I have nothing more to offer.

Bye.