Virtual Memory Settings...help

[mrmiagi]

Running a P4 1.80a, Soyo Dragon Ultra mobo, 256 mb of Samsung 2700 RAM, and WinXP Pro.

I didn't even have that much stuff running, but when I was playing Q3 it quit the prog and said that my virtual memory was low. This is a bit dissapointing since I just built this comp, I figured it'd be able to handle anything let alone everyday tasks.

Anyway, the settings are currently on my C: (main) drive. Initial size is 384 MB, and Max size is 768 MB. I don't even know how this stuff works, but what numbers should I change it to? Or, should I chang the VM to run on my other (less used) HD? Also, could this be a problem when the HD is totally fraggmented? (mines totally chopped up right now).

Thanks for any info!

Miagi
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Actually, now that I think about it win should not even need to use VM in this case. I wonder if I've got some bad settings in the BIOS that are rendering my nice new Samsung memory worthless.... (?)

[This message has been edited by mrmiagi (edited 05-15-2002).]

[Sylvander]

Hello mrmiagi

Your "Virtual Memory" is the "Paging File" or "Swap File" or "Win386.swp".
This file is normally [by default] put by Windows on the c: drive [at c:\Windows\Win386.swp I think] and the size required is constantly being calculated by a programme within windows and resizing it to suit.
You could [and I have] put this file anywhere you like and make it any size you like. I put mine on the d: drive and made it the fixed size of 120 MB. Putting it on the d: drive means the PC can read the swap-file [on the d: drive] at the same time as reading from and writing to the c: drive. Making it a fixed size free's the CPU from the effort of constantly calculating the needed size.

The swap-file is a sensible [and necessary?] part of the memory higherarchy consisting of :
Primary Cache
Secondary Cache
Random Access Memory
Win386.swp [swap-file = paging file]

The most used data is moved to the fastest memory higher up the "Archy" to be closer to the CPU and the less used data is moved lower down toward the slowest memory which is that on the hard-drive.

There is, I believe, an optimum ratio between swap-file size and RAM size and because you have so much RAM [and not enough free space on your c: drive? which decides the 768 MB figure] it's reporting robot-like that you are short on the necessary!

I can't believe that so much swap-file space constitutes a shortage!

The problem [as opposed to the benefits] of having a dynamically sized swap-file instead of a fixed size is that if your c: drive fills up you have no space left for the swap-file and the PC hits memory problems.

The problem of a fixed swap-file size [as opposed to the benefits]is that if you undersize it you could also hit problems so you must be generous. This is not a problem if you have plenty of hard-drive space and I put mine on my old drive [d:] and it can have the whole drive if necessary.

If you make it a fixed size and hit problems just increase it's size till the problems go away.

To do this go to:
"Control Panel>System>Performance>Virtual Memory>Let me specify my own memory settings"
select a drive where you wish the file located and set the Min & Max settings to be of equal value [Min = Max = your choice of setting] and ok it all.
Windows will move the files present contents to the new location [by re-booting I think]. Make sure the value you choose does not exceed the space available on the drive you choose, and remember if you choose the c: drive and set it to a large value you permanently deny that space for other uses.
Thet's a drawback, and , of course, the reason why it was made dynamic in the first place!

[ski]

ScanDisk and Defrag the HD, go to Start/Run, type msconfig, click OK/Startup, uncheck the boxes for all programs that you do not need running(especially an antivirus program), set the min and max settings for virtual memory to 384.