Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Since 2 days I am an proud owner of a N900. The first day I've installed about 10-12 apps (some from the extras-devel repo).

After using the phone for a couple of hours I got the error message mentioned earlier. Because of this message I could not open new apps (this gave another error msg). Even after closing all the running apps I still kept getting this msg. The only solution was a reboot.

Today the same thing happened again (after a few hours of usage); but now I sometimes was able to open and use apps. My first thought was that it ran out of virtual mem. The output of the "free" command was about 700MB of free mem (all swap).

After reboot I tested by opening as much as apps. Mem usage went up to 450MB but still did not got any error msg.

Someone gave me the tip to look at the usage of the rootfs filesystem. Yesterday, rootfs was 76% full. So I uninstalled some apps to gain another 3%. After having the error msg again I uninstalled some more apps. Usage of rootfs is now 70%. All other filesystems/mounts have a usage percentage of max. 60% (most of them <10%).

What is causing this error message? Any clue? How to trace the cause? Log files? Where do I have to look?

Kind regards,

Murat
The Netherlands

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

It's because you installed applications from extras-devel probably. Since not all apps in there have been optifyed meaning they don't install to the 2 GB /opt director but to the root instead (which has limited space). But you did look at the rootfs system already and it does show some room... hmm

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Welcome to the forum!

It's not really the issue you run into, but related: https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5450 .
Also, Extras-Devel can be dangerous, as already mentioned.

If you manage to track down the root issue here I'm looking forward to a bug report about it. :-)

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Yes, it did show some room. Today I've only installed one app "KMPlayer". But I didn't get this err msg immediately after install. It was like 10-30 mins after that.

I will try to do some more tracing when I get this msg again. Thanks for the help for now.

@Andre Klapper: Thank you for the warm welcome :)

version:N900-42-11

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Dangerous how?

Also is it possible when downloading apps to save them to the correct repository and if so, what is the extension?

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Untested. Can drain your battery, remove your data, create big problems. That's why it's called "testing" and "devel".
"Extras" itself should be safe for end-users because that software is... tested.

Also see http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?p=343619 .

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

you dont save stuff to a repository on your device.
repositories are collections of software, most of the time categorized and hosted to download.
different repositories have different collections, for the same platform it is most likely that different base repositories have different versions of software from different steps of development.

developers use the testing repository to release a not yet stable and optimized version to other developers to have it tested. They know what they are doing (or think they know). If you are aware of the risk to brick your device you are free to go with extras-testing. you've been told! (was this to scary?)

I use debian testing myself and am aware that using it could mean to get stuck somewhere because of a fault in some piece of software, I had system freezes, constantly restarting xserver and so on. If you dont like to have a challenge like that stay away from testing and developer repositories.

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

I am getting this error as well, when trying to real emails in mail app (modest).

The top shows:
Mem: 149/239
Swp: 95/767

I don't think this is related to any filesystem space issues.

Are other people encountering this issue ?
Maybe it's some sort of mem limitation per process ?

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

I reckon you have systeminfowidget?
This app confirmed to have memory leak issue.

It was promoted a few days ago to extras-testing...

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

I don't have it and it can't be the cause of this.
If an app would leak memory I would see it in the top.
As my numbers show there is plenty of memory, it didn't enough swap seriously.

It looks to me either like a bug or a per app limitation.
I have just started a gazillion of apps and the mem usage shot upwards, still I didn't encounter the error.
It only happens in modest and for a certain email.

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

I had this same error after switching to extras-testing and it was a result of the load-applet that was upgraded upon that switch. I removed that app and all is now fine. Found this bug report, that is still open:

https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=6227

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

I get the message when I am moving bookmarks in the "Web" app.
I am trying to organize my imported bookmarks and I can only move a few at a time before I start getting the "low memory" message.
(I do need to clean out my bookmarks -- it is basically the same set that I have moved from the 770 > n800 > n810 and now to the n900).

I haven't taken the time yet to actually try to figure out what is happening i.e using "top", etc.

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

I have an big problem in my N900
When i go in settings and open memory i see 60 MB of free space WTF
i cant open camera and other application including internet ... itc..
it say : Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
i try rebout ,I used flasher 3.5 to install other versions and problem is still here
Is it same bug or virus???? PLEASEEEEE HELP !!!!!

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

i have installed several extras level apps onto the device, now after 4 months i am having the same error message come up, browser not working and phone slow to function on incoming call
what is the best way to find out which app/s is/are causing the problem? i opened the StorageUsage to see whichs apps/files are taking up space but not quite sure how to find them. any pointers on best strategy to approach this problem?

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Was there any resolve to this? I am having the same problem on my end as well.

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

id flash the whole deal! the fiasco image and the emmc. it does wonders. just do a back up.

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Installing apps from anywhere except the default reps will always be some level of risk. Of course catch is- then you are stuck with a very small amount of app options. In fact, apps are so few in the safe reps that most people are driven to the risky reps.

I do like my N900 for media and MAME, but glad I only use it for that. A consumer that buys this device and expects a lot of apps and features they may be used to on a more "phone-centric" device will be very let down. Then again ,that may be why the N900 did not sell as many as people thought it did.

N900 + Techies = Bliss N900 + nonTechies = Miss

That all said, even if the N900 was phone centric, I would not be using it as a phone now, due to the weak 2G radio. No harm no foul in that regard. I would still love to know how I tested three N900's and all had the same weak-a55 2G signal, but others here state it has the greatest radio ever.

Sorry for the multiple tangents..... More sorry for Nokia's pi55 poor total effort with the N900 though.

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Just got the same error for the first time today and had to reboot (killall hildon-home didn't help). The phone was at 5 days uptime but I've made it to 10 before with no problems.

I'm running dual swap files so swap space couldn't be an issue. I had about 90MB free RAM at the time and 73MB free rootfs. Tons of free space on the eMMC and MicroSD. I have a few apps from -devel and -testing. For widgets I'm running Personal IP address, DCEW, OMWeather, Media, Calendar and RSS.

Too bad the error message is so vague.

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

I have exactly the same problem when trying to add a bookmark in MicroB, the notification is a lie, because there is PLENTY of memory, and I am unable to solve the problem. Note: I even manually made an entry in Mybookmarks.xml, and it does NOT show up in MicroB, of which, by the way, I setted the memory-management to automatic. And in the Operabrowser there is NO problem at all with making bookmarks ... So, WTF is this lunatic again MicroB-problem then? Anybody understands this?

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Depends on which types of memory you checked... ;)

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Just believe me, Andre, I check things before I write, and the problem inherently has nothing to do with an actual memory problem: This stupid notification just pops up in many different situations: HERE, however, the notification is called by MicroB, to illuminate the fact that browserd is unable to perform an action that actually doesn't require any relevant increase of memory at all ...

Just so you know: My RootFS has 64 Mb available and home has 1,2 Gb free ;)

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

I have problem with my N900
When i go in settings and open memory i see 57 MB of free space
i cant open camera and add contact in phone book,can use conversations ... itc..
it say : Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
how to fix this problem ???

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

@sars, I don't know if I was the only one you've PMed the exazct copy of your post but I assure you that it was not necessary. In fact, most people find unsolicited PMs intrusive and, as a consequence, may be less likely to respond to you.

Regarding your problem, which "memory" is at 57 MB of free space? Your phone will give you two or three figures, depending on whether you have an SD card installed: MyDocs, the SD card and "memory for installable applications". If it is the last one, then you may have a serious problem.

Start by pasting the output of
typed in the terminal and we can take it from there.

Re: Operation temporarily disabled due to low memory
 

Sry for PM i send only one to you I solved that problem with flash now i have 1.84 memory for install apps,but now when I try to connect my nokia and pc via mass storage N900 Drive is detected in the Device & Printers but does not show from My computers - http://prntscr.com/4n0rlg
and have RX-51_2009SE_10.2010.13 -2.VANILLA_PR_EMMC_MR0_ARM