Paratext 9 becoming unresponsive and slow frequently

Question

My computer has a fairly good configuration (Cpu- i7 7th gen, 8GB RAM and extra graphics card). Yet it slows down when I use Logos. Upto Paratext 8, there was no issue of speed. But Paratext 9 frequently slows down the computer. Not just that it becomes unresponsive for long intervals of time (3-5 minutes or more) even after shutting down the heavy program Logos.

Answer 1

anon692560:

My computer has a fairly good configuration (Cpu- i7 7th gen, 8GB RAM and extra graphics card). Yet it slows down when I use Logos. Upto Paratext 8, there was no issue of speed. But Paratext 9 frequently slows down the computer. Not just that it becomes unresponsive for long intervals of time (3-5 minutes or more) even after shutting down the heavy program Logos.

My suggestion is to increase the Pagefile size. Page file is considered as virtual memory. Some programs (like adobe) need virtual memory. I don’t know what about Paratext.

This helped me personally…

You can increase virtual memory at least for C:

To change the pagefile…

1. Access “properties” of This PC or My computer by right clicking.
2. Click “Advanced System Settings” (on the left side of the window)
3. Click the “Advanced” tab in the ‘System Properties’ window
4. Click “Settings” in the ‘Performance’
5. Click “Advanced” Tab in the Performance Options window
6. Click “Change” in the ‘Virtual memory’
7. Uncheck “Automatically manage paging file size for all drives”
8. Click C: (If your OS is installed in C:, else select you OS partition)
9. Click “Custom size”
10. Enter the same value in the “Initial size (MB)” and in the "Maximum size (MB). May be more than 5000 to 9000 (based on your size in the C: drive - how much you can allot for page size).
11. Click “Set” button
12. Click OK for all the 3 windows.
13. Restart your PC.

Comments

I don’t know, so I’ll ask: what impact does (I assume increased?) reading / writing to a larger “pagefile” have on an SSD? The impact would be minimal on a platter drive, of course, but would it consume more than its share of reads / writes on an SSD? Would it shorten the lifespan noticeably? Drive maintenance / management could then become a replacement issue.

---

No, that would not be an issue. While some early SSDs did a poor job of wear leveling and garbage collection so could wear out quickly, most modern SSDs will last longer the computer in which they’re installed. I’ve seen SSDs with durability ratings sufficient to allow the entire drive to be erased and rewritten every day and the drive would still be expected to last 10 years.

You should not expect to wear out an SSD through normal office worker use. The only cases where SSDs may have longevity problems are in specialized applications like a camera surveillance system where video is being recorded and erased 24/7.

But memory (RAM) is relatively cheap these days. If your applications need more memory you should upgrade if your computer will allow it. How much does Paratext 9 + Logos really need?

---

Thanks for answering about SSDs, @LivingField. That’s reassuring!

In regards to RAM, I’ve got 16 GB (2 x 8 GB; see above). “How much does Paratext 9 + Logos really need?” is a really good question! All I know is that when PT9 gets to about 1.5 GB on my machine, it’s swimming in molasses… It doesn’t seem like PT9 is using much in relation to what’s available, but it doesn’t seem to be using it well. I can say that PT8 uses significantly less (~ 350 MB), and remains much more responsive over an extended period. I don’t know what changed ‘under the hood’ from PT8 to 9.

---

@Paul, this slowness issue is not expected behavior and sounds like a bug. Would you please report it to the Paratext Team?

Paratext menu > Help > Give feedback

---

In any case my hard drive is not SSD, but the older type norm. So my hard drive speed would be definitely slower than SSD. Are you people saying that, we all should have SSD hard disks?

---

I did as binoy suggested. It showed improved memory use in Task Manager, but disk use was shown as 100% for quite some time. I think this also is an issue-the overuse of hard disk. I have 50% free space in my hard drive, but it is a normal one, not SSD. so it may be slow and hence disk use is showing as 100%. Are you people saying that, we all should have SSD hard disks for using Paratext and Logos these days?

---

anon692560:

Are you people saying that, we all should have SSD hard disks for using Paratext and Logos these days?

When Windows starts low on RAM, it starts using the hard disk as if it was RAM. If you are using a normal HDD, then things start really slow when that happens. So to fix your problem, you either need to keep Windows memory usage below 80% by closing a bunch of other applications that may be , get more RAM in your computer, or get an SSD so that RAM paging is much faster.

---

You can see how well your system memory settings are working by going to the Performance tab of Task Manager:

image.png834×550 23.1 KB

I have underlined the main value you are interested in - the total committed memory. If this is greater than the amount of physical memory you have, your machine could be using the hard drive for virtual memory.

Once Paratext is fully loaded, I wouldn’t expect it to be using the disk much unless there the disk was being used for virtual memory.

John+Wickberg
Paratext Support

---

For now, after what binoy suggested to use virtual memory of hard drive, there is overall improvement in system performance. I would like to expand my RAM memory from 8 GB to 16GB in the near future. Since there is no option to add an SSD into my computer, I will wait until I will need to change my laptop, at which time I will opt for SSD, even if the total capacity is lesser.

Thank you all for your inputs

---

It sounds like a good idea to expand your RAM to 16 GB.

You might also be able to purchase a SSD that would fit in your laptop, and have your current hard drive copied over to the SSD. They are fairly common these days.

james_post

---

anon692560— I’ve never heard of a computer in which the hard drive could not be replaced by an SSD. (Though I just worked on an HP desktop in which no Samsung or Kingston SSD would work.) I think your computer’s hard drive could be replaced with an SSD, and in most cases I think an SSD is worth whatever cost and effort is involved, even when if it’s necessary to disassemble the entire computer.

If finances are a concern, personally I’d prioritize an SSD over upgrading from 8GB to 16GB of RAM.

Answer 2

Sorry to hear you’re having this issue. That would be frustrating.

Have you tried updating to the latest version of Paratext ([Phone Removed]and Windows Updates?

Paratext updates are here: https://paratext.org/download/

I also don’t know if the latest version of Logos (version 9) is any better? See https://www.logos.com/basic.

If these suggestions don’t solve the issue, would you please send a Problem Report to the Paratext Support team: Paratext Menu > Help > Give Feedback.

I’m also curious to learn if/how others have solved this issue.

james_post

Comments

anon692560:

My computer has a fairly good configuration (Cpu- i7 7th gen, 8GB RAM and extra graphics card). Yet it slows down when I use Logos. Upto Paratext 8, there was no issue of speed. But Paratext 9 frequently slows down the computer. Not just that it becomes unresponsive for long intervals of time (3-5 minutes or more) even after shutting down the heavy program Logos.

I have the latest versions of Logos, Paratext and up to date with Windows. I have reported the problem to Support Team from Paratext

---

I had the same problem. It disappeared after turning off ‘scroll Scripture with any compatible applications’ in Paratext.
It always happened after scrolling forth and back in commentaries in Logos. Apparently Logos sends out a lot of references when you do that and Paratext can’t cope with them all. Alternatively you could make sure that none of your commentaries in Logos are set to scroll with Paratext.
I think the problem would also disappear if it were possible to turn off the reception of references in Paratext.

---

anon015155:

I think the problem would also disappear if it were possible to turn off the reception of references in Paratext.

There is an option in Paratext to turn this off (Paratext > Paratext settings > Scroll Scripture with any compatible applications).

---

Yes, we have that option, but that turns off both, receiving AND sending of references. Ideally I would like to be able to send the references from Paratext to Logos, while not receiving references from Logos in Paratext when I scroll up and down in Logos. Please keep in mind here that synchronizing of commentaries in Logos is already tricky, because the ranges of verses vary from commentary to commentary and often Logos is too reactive in changing references even within Logos already. In BibleWorks I can choose whether to only send references, only receive references or both. I found it very helpful to only receive references in Bibleworks while not sending them, e.g. when I look at cross references in Bibleworks, but don’t want Paratext to jump around together with Bibleworks. But since neither Logos nor Paratext can make scrolling go only one way, I had to turn it off completely in Paratext.
In fact, even if it would not lead to a problem with Paratext, I would prefer the text in Paratext to stay put when I look at other references in Logos in most scenarios. So even without the problems I wish I could choose to send but not to receive references in Paratext. E.g. When I am translating Proverbs 21:4 I don’t want the active verse in Paratext to change just because I am looking at the previous or next verse in Logos, because I still need to go back to Paratext editing 21:4, regardless of what else I am looking at in Logos.

---

This sounds like something you may want to suggest in a Feature Request:

Go to the Paratext menu > Help > Give Feedback.

Choose “Make a suggestion about Paratext” for Type of Feedback.

Similar to what you’ve described above, give a description of what change you would like to see and the reasons it would be beneficial for translators (i.e., the time it would save, the problem it would solve, how it would simplify a current process, etc).

Feature Requests are gathered and reviewed on a regular basis.

james_post

---

Don’t overlook using Scroll Groups strategically, to control which windows scroll and which don’t. It is even possible to have the same resource open twice but in different scroll groups in Paratext. The same is true for Logos’ Link sets, but Logos can really slow down if you have many resources open at the same time.

---

I should add, that Translator’s Workplace, Folio Views addition had the ability to specify which program controlled the scrolling. Adding this functionality would be a new feature for either Paratext, Logos, or both.

Answer 3

anon692560:

But Paratext 9 frequently slows down the computer.

Which version are you using?

anon692560:

Not just that it becomes unresponsive for long intervals of time (3-5 minutes or more) even after shutting down the heavy program Logos.

It sounds to me like your computer is getting low on memory. Can you use Task Manager while you are working to see if you are starving the computer of memory? Anything above 80% physical memory use is considered heavy memory use (when Windows starts to page memory out to the hard drive).

Comments

james_post:

Paratext ([Phone Removed])

Paratext ([Phone Removed]) . Yes In Task Manager it is showing 83-85% memory usage- when you use Paratext

Answer 4

And are using Windows or Linux, @anon692560?

I’ve been using the Linux version of Paratext for a while. I do appreciate the ability to run it in a “foss” environment. I’m using Wasta 20.04 (fresh install a few weeks ago), and Paratext recently updated to 9.0.100.10256. I apply system and security updates when Wasta prompts, so I think I’m up to date OS-wise. I’ve got 16 GB of RAM, an i5 @ 2.3 GHz processor–my computer handles most anything quite capably. But Paratext–and to much the same extent, FLEX–is almost unbearably slow.

It takes about two hours for Paratext to use up 1.7 GB of memory or more, at which point any task becomes a struggle–click something and wait and wait and wait long enough that you begin to wonder if your click really registered; type and not be sure where you’re at in the word or if you made a mistake because it takes a few seconds for the text to appear; and so on. At 2.0 GB, it’s time to shut PT down and start the climb up “memory mountain” all over again… [It has become my practise to shut down anything I don’t absolutely need open when I’m working in PT–browser, word processor, even Logos (which is counter-productive…)–just to free up memory. Not that I would have thought 2 GB out of 16 would be a deal breaker.]

When it comes to shutting down PT it means going into System Monitor and clicking “End Process”, because even after Paratext disappears from the screen it stays resident and has one of the processor cores pegged at 100% (25% of total). I left it for a few hours once, and the process never ended on its own… [I have submitted logs for this, but I don’t know what ever came of that.]

I had hoped that upgrading to Wasta 20.04 and Paratext 9.0.100 would help, but it’s pretty much the same as my experience with Wasta 18.04 and earlier versions of PT. Unfortunately, it hasn’t helped. I had been wondering if this is just my experience, but I’ve heard from a few other Linux users that it’s the same for them. And now you, @anon692560… I’m interested to learn if there’s anything we can do to improve the situation.

Comments

My OS is Windows. If you have 16 GB memory and still have memory problem, how much more for me. What you described about slow performance is my experience too.

Why Paratext still runs even after it is shut down?

Do you think I should shut down the whole computer everyday, for improved performance?

Answer 5

Paratext for Linux hasn’t been updated for a while and is thus very behind Paratext for Windows. We are currently evaluating how to proceed in the Linux space as maintaining it has become too much for our small team to handle. If possible, it would be best to switch to using the Windows version if you are having trouble (e.g. through a VM or Wine).

Comments

Previous paratext versions were not compatible with Wine.
Has Paratext 9 replaced the old libraries which were incompatible so that it may now be compatible?
I know many users who would be interested in a Wine version if it could run on macOS.

Answer 6

While I don’t doubt that you have noticed the slow down after you installed Paratext 9, it is also true that Logos 9 has become very resource intensive. Logos is recommending 16GB of RAM now. If you are not able to install more system RAM, consider increasing the part of your hard drive that is used for “virtual” memory. Articles on virtual memory sometimes refer to it as “swap file” or “page size”. They are the same thing in Windows 10. Here is a general article on the topic, but you could search for an article or video more specific to your hardware configuration.

poweradmin.com

Paging File Percent of Usage Counter | Network Wrangler - Tech Blog

Answer 7

I have an SSD drive and 8GB of RAM and also experience Paratext lagging (on Windows). Some of my projects are very active, though, in terms of commits by different team members and project notes.

Comments

Another tip is to review your Logos layout and close things you are not using, and close any searches you are no longer using. Searches in Logos automatically refresh. But the other thing about them is that when you create a new search it does not replace your last search (as Paratext does), it just opens another one. Next thing you know you can have 10 searches all open at the same time. Here are some tips for speeding up Logos from Logos support:

Logos Help Center

Optimizing Logos Performance

Tips for Getting Maximum Efficiency and Speed for Logos Logos may perform more quickly on some computers than others, especially when using newer hardware. We are constantly working to improve perf...

---

I too have an SSD and a normal HDD with 8GB RAM. Windows, Paratext, and Logos are on SSD.

When I run Paratext9 and Logos my computer, it was getting slow. So I increased the virtual memory and the speed increased. It was my experience, I shared with you.
Regarding increasing Vitual Memory, I have seen some video, people suggesting that virtual memory should be double of your RAM multiply by 1.5
@John+Wickberg your picture of task manager is very helpful.

Recommended System requirements for logos is follows

image1363×583 49.2 KB

Recommended System requirements for Paratext9 is follows

image1017×223 12.8 KB

Here are links…

Logos Help Center

Recommended Hardware and Software

Recommended System Requirements for Supported versions of Logos When choosing a computer to run Logos, or considering an upgrade to an older computer, there are a lot of factors to consider. This a...

https://paratext.org/download/