Inside Operating System Memory Management When an operating system manages the computer's memory, there are two broad tasks to be accomplished: 1. Each process must have enough memory in which to execute, and it can neither run into the memory space of another process nor be run into by another process. 2. The different types of memory in the system must be used properly so that each process can run most effectively. The first task requires the operating system to set up memory boundaries for types of software and for individual applications. As an example, let's look at an imaginary small system with 1 megabyte ( 1,000 kilobytes ) of RAM . During the boot process, the operating system of our imaginary computer is designed to go to the top of available memory and then "back up" far enough to meet the needs of the operating system itself. Let's say that the operating system needs 300 kilobytes to run. Now, the operating sys...