Thrashing

Thrashing occurs when a computer's processor spends most of its time managing memory rather than performing actual tasks. It happens when too many programs or processes attempt to use more memory than available, causing the system to constantly swap data between the RAM and the hard drive. This excessive swapping slows down overall performance, making the computer feel sluggish or unresponsive. In simple terms, thrashing is like a busy traffic jam in the computer’s memory system, preventing it from efficiently handling the work at hand.