virtual memory

How can i get or make more virtual memory i use the windows def settings

 

Slightly hijacking this thread but what size VM do you recommend for XP Pro, and why?
With 288mb of RAM, what size should I use? Any advantages of setting VM to 512mb, or 1 gig on my laptop? Is there a sweet spot? Bazza

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The size of the virtual memory shud be set 1.5 times the size of the RAM. larger VM facilitates the programs dat require more memory.It boosts up dere performance.

 

I know that is the "standard" answer, but is it the best answer? Any benefit in going larger, or smaller. I only use 200mb with my 288mb RAM. According to theory it should be 288 x 1.5 = 432mb. For the average user, does size matter? Bazza

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I have seen VM set with a Min 1.5x Max 3x of system memory. In your case a VM of 512 would probably be just fine.

Personally I find with large system memory VM standard rules to be a bit ridiculous. A system with 3 gig would have a VM of 4.5 gig to 9 gig, that would be a bit of overkill don't ya think.

 

Thanks S_P_D, rule was probably set when 32/64mb of RAM was a biggie.

I agree, when you have 1 gig or more, that the "1.5" rule is overkill. Bazza

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I think this was a link on the front page at one point about virtual memory/page file optimization click here. If you decide to setup up the monitoring on the last page, just remember to readjust so you don't waste HD space.

Oh, my work computer has 256MB of RAM and 384 MB virtual memory and it lags a little when I first start using it and if I've got 4 - 5 windows open (but its also got all kinds of network stuff running in the system tray).

noahawk

 

1.5 rule is not correct. The proper way to set to the virtual memory is to run your system harder than normal and choose the value of the peak commit charge(k) located under your performance tab (task manager). This value properly reflects the amount of memory used at a peak level since last boot.

 

Thanks Kodo, I've never heard of that method, although my defrag program, DisKeeper, does a similar thing to set the page file.

I've read so many conflicting settings from so called experts.

Micro$$oft recommends 1.5 minimum and 3 X for maximum, yet I've read others that recommend a fixed size and/or 3 X .

 

Wat exactly is commit charge ..like wat does it mean n all? Thx.

 

Commit Charge(k):
Is the memory allocated to programs and the operating system.
Total is the current usage of ram+pagefile,same as that depicted in the Page File Usage History graph.
Limit might be total available pagefile + available ram
Peak is maximum used since last boot.

 

http://www.techbargains.com/hottips/hottip12/index.cfm
Memory Tweaks

There are 3 tweaks you can make to change how XP uses memory.
Open Regedit and Find HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\

Disable Paging Executive:
XP pages data from RAM memory to the hard drive. We can stop this happening and keep more data in RAM, resulting in better performance. Users with a large amount of RAM (256MB+) should use this setting. The setting we change to disable the ’Paging Executive’, is DisablePagingExecutive. Changing the value of this key from 0 to 1 will de-activate memory paging.

System Cache Boost:
Changing the value of the key LargeSystemCache from 0 to 1 will tell XP to allocate all but 4MB of system memory to the file system cache, allowing the XP Kernel to run in memory. The 4MB of memory left is used for disk caching, if more is needed, XP allocates more. Generally, this tweak improves performance by a fair bit but can, in some intensive applications, degrade performance. As with the previous tweak, you should have at least 256MB of RAM before attempting to enable LargeSystemCache.

Input/Output Performance:
This improves performance of large file transfers. If this entry does not appear in the registry, you will have to create a REG_DWORD value called IoPageLockLimit. The data for this value is in number of bytes, and defaults to Zero which equates to 512KB on machines that have the value. Most people using this tweak have found maximum performance in the 8 to 16 megabyte range, so you will have to play around with the value to find the best performance. The value is measured in bytes, so if you want, 12MB allocated, it’s 12 * 1024 * 1024, or 12582912. As with all these memory tweaks, you should only use this if you have 256MB or more of RAM.

Use your hard drive less for Virtual Memory:
The Windows 98/ME "ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1" optimization does not work for XP.

 

ok i use xp and ive got 256 mb of ram,The why is the system asks when i play some games it say i have no more virtual memory !!! So how would i change it and to how much??

 

Games can use a lot of virtual memory,some dont even start if it find out you have low virtual memory.
Your best option is to keep minimum around 500 and maximum of something near 1 gb.This will be good.For accurate values,try kodos method.

 

Thanks, noahawk. That's a really informative link. Bazza

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Ok will changing these setting do any harm to the pc?
And in the commit charge do you change it to the limit or peak or total?

 

yes and no?
So i have changed the initial size to 500mb and the max to 1000mb
is the ok i dont want to harm the pc

 

Run your system harder than normal watch the peak commit charge in taskmanager
and set it in virtual memory is kodos rule

The minimum should be around/or 50mb more than this value.
The max can be the same or higher.

Your ram size is 256,Windows xp requires a pagefile around 650mb,so you can set the min virtual memory at around 400mb,if your usage ever exceeds that windows will do it for you.

Games might hang during this period when windows does this that is why I suggested
1gb max.

Having fixed virtual memory may be bad for your situation because too much virtual memory is bad, but your games require you to make more.The variable page file will not hang your games so that would be good.

Play your games and watch the peak commit charge,you might be able to reduce the required value.

 

Just sharing the wealth

 

No.
650 includes RAM and virtual memory(min).
If your apps need more,try kodos rule.

Games and video editing could make that a higher.

You could try 300 fixed.

 

Try to make it small as possible so windows will utilize your RAM more.