How to Increase Virtual Memory ( Paging File Size Setting ) in Windows XP – 2000 – Vista
If your computer or laptop is very slow, maybe the problem is about your virtual memory or the paging file , just what i experienced a while ago in my laptop running on windows XP.
If you noticed an error message like “Your system is low on virtual memory” then this means that maybe you are running out of space on your hardisk and the paging file setting in your computer is too high for the available space in your hardrive ( freeing space on hardrive will fixed this) or maybe you have enough space in your hardrive but the paging file size setting is too low (to fix this just increase virtual memory setting).
In order to avoid this error “Your system is low on virtual memory” and also for windows to run properly my first suggestion is to upgrade your RAM, Why upgrade RAM ? Why not just increase virtual memory size setting? Because RAM is the root cause of this error and to tweak or to increase virtual memory is only your second option. Are you confuse? lol, let’s talk about what the virtual memory is and how can we increase or tweak it to recommended page file size.
What is virtual memory ?
Virtual memory also known swap file or page file is simulated RAM. When your PC have used up all your RAM, your computer will shift data to an empty space on the hard drive. Meaning your hardisk will act as if a temporary RAM or memory to store data. When your computer starts to use the virtual memory, this is the time that you may experience a slow in your PC’s performance because you cannot effectively use the hardisk as your RAM because obviously retrieving data from the moving head of your hardisk is much slower than retrieving data in electronic memory (Physical RAM). That’s why i suggest to upgrade your RAM instead of tweaking the virtual memory setting.
Recommended Paging File size Setting
The best setting for paging file is to set the initial and maximum size to the same value. For example, 650 and 650. The value should be at least 1.5 times more than your physical RAM. For instance, if your PC has 512 MegaByte of RAM then the paging file size should be…
1.5 x 512 = 768
How to increase Virtual Memory in Windows XP
1. Open System in Control Panel.
2. Click on the Advanced tab
3. Under Performance tab, Click on Settings button
How to Increase Virtual Memory in Windows 2000
How to Increase Virtual Memory in Windows Vista
"Filed under: PC Tips & Tricks
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Hey, thanks for the posting here! It was really helpful!
Just like Larry, I find this post greatly useful. Who wouldn’t want an increased virtual memory, right? Based on how terms were introduced, I would just like to clarify something about virtual memory and paging file. Yes, I agree that alot of IT professionals use these terms interchangeably. However, if we’ll look closely into a more technical perspective, these 2 terms are actually two distinct things. Let’s put it this way, virtual memory is the “tool” that the operating system uses to increase the memory on your computer by taking parts of the RAM that are less frequently used, then puts them in a paging file (found on your hard drive) in order to free more space.
In shorter words, virtual memory is the “tool” while paging file is the “place for storage”. For a more detailed explanation, you can find it here:
http://www.virtualmemoryfix.com/what-is-the-virtual-memory-paging-file.html
For me, there’s no better way to increase virtual memory than to buy extra memory chips. In today’s time they’re very affordable that you can buy as much memory you want for as long as your computer can hold. You can even replace the old ones with higher capacity chips. But even with computers with large amounts of physical RAM, increasing the virtual memory is still inevitable, so I think this guide to increase the page file is extremely helpful.
Some sites (http://makepcfaster.org/increase-virtual-memory.html) also mention that frequent update of windows programs can help re establish optimal virtual memory, but I don’t see the connection with that…any ideas?