page file going out the roof

i'm looking at the pf usage on the task mgr- and when i dont have any applications running my pf usage is going up to 1.6gigs-- norm is 400-500mbs-- freezes up my compter- any idea how to fix?

 

I would guess one of your applications is malfunctioning and leaking memory. When I say applications, I include those that are running in the background or on your taskbar (bottom right). I had AVG malfunction exactly like this on a customer's machine once.

My diagnostic solution would be to run "msconfig" using the run prompt on the start menu. Deselect services and startup under selective startup and reboot (making sure that selective startup is selected). If your page file no longer goes thru the roof, run msconfig again and start re-selecting services and startups (last two tabs).

Repeat this until you can identify the service/startup that is causing your problem. The simplist solution after this is to re-install the application.

I hope I made this clear enough. Tell me otherwise and I will try to clarify further.