Limited Virtual Memory Error

Right after booting XP (Pro & Home) systems, I receive an error:

"Limited Virtual Memory Your system has no paging file or the paging file is to small. To Fix: goto System properties, Advance tab, Performance, Settings, Advance tab and click custom size, then type an initial or maximum page file size. "

This has been done several times on several different pc's with the same error on reboot. My question is: just exactly what is the proper size(s) the pc is looking for?

I have searched Microsoft.com and this forum and found there are several threads, but none give the size. Is it "per pc" reflecting on the size of the hard drive and RAM?

Sure would love XP to be extinct....

 

I'm on W2K at the mo. But should be the same? Leave both blank which forces windows to use its default settings, or you can type in the default settings based on the following: Initial size is 1.5x RAM. Maximum size is 3x RAM. In most cases the windows default virtual memory setting is recommended and desireable.
With very large amounts of physical RAM installed 1Gb+ it is possible to switch off virtual memory. Some do, but I've not had any real world benefit from this as windows will always use a small amount of virtual memory regardless, and some programmes expect to see some virtual memory. With my 1Gb I let windows sort out what it wants. It's happy and so am I. I may reduce the initial size a bit based on the below article though.

The following MS article (from the horses mouth ) gives you some suggestions, recommedations and tweakability options.

http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsXP/expertzone/columns/mcfedries/03june16.asp

 

"Leave both blank which forces windows to use its default settings... " ........This is not quite true as the computer is responding that there is "no paging file or the paging file is to small ". Therefore it is already blank.

After going to the dialog box and setting the file size, XP has changes that dialog box to blank. XP is not retaining the input that I select, and if I leave it blank, the error repeats at every boot and during program executions.

Thank you for the url link however, the article is too complicated for a user to understand. XP hides system files from users for a reason and following the directions from that page would lead to circumstances that would cause serious damage. If I get a little confused from the directions on the link, then I believe my users will too. There's got to be an easier, more user friendly way to fix this problem that Microsoft has created to begin with. Think about it, an operating system that has this many holes-is not solid enough to be productive-not IT friendly.....;(

But, if you have any other suggestions, please post....
Suz

 

Some possible causes you may not have considered - taken from Here

 

Apologies Suzette,
I gave you pagefile applete adjustments based on W2K. XP is a little more user friendly. I suggest then in your case if your not comfortable with tweaking, to simply use the "system managed size" setting in XP, which is fine for 99.9% of users and a good deal of the rest. A further problem suggests a software error that will possibly require a repair of XP or maybe a reinstall.
Newts suggestion of temporarily deleting the page file in case of corruption is easy to do and worth trying.

 

Please allow me to extend my gratitude!! You Guys Are Great!! I really love this bbs....!!!!....;

Excuse me--now that I've express myself.....This has been a very trying issue. I have to post what another possible cause may be, which the tech support of the manufacturer-Dell has "concluded "....bad chip.

Dell is sending me a replacement chip (board/card...). This is quite surprising due to the fact that the warranty has expired on this pc... and my experience with Dell-does not have a good track record. But I had to give it a try.

Mr. Newt-reflecting on your comments which I respectully and eagerly anticipate when I come here for help:

I've exhausted all my possibilities of troubleshooting and finally hit a brick wall, (or run out of patience) and called Dell tech support. Even support needs support now and then...

I searched the pc for the pagefile.sys file to find it missing (?). The hdd is 40gig with 37gig open. I couldn't run any applications due to the fact that the pc would not run the applications=just opening norton, the pc would open then close the application. All the windows updates would not retain stating each time that I needed more, and the bloody thing would keep changing the time zone. So, needless to say, all the "tweaks" that I tried, would not stay. (just like a subborn dog)

Once the memory chip is received, I will definately run a series of functions and post back. This-just another challenge-too will pass....

Respectful for all the help-Always!
Suzette

p.s. Newt-being on the user's panel must be interesting. If you haven't gone yet, good luck. If you have, was it a success?

p.s.s. Just when you thought you had "got it licked "...the chip sent will not boot pc.....ok, now what Bat-Man? This is the trend of my luck with Dell!!

 

Ouch. You are having a major league bad time with this thing.

Errr - what 'chip' did they send?

User panel is on May 18th. I'll post back with how it was.

 

Murphy's Law-you know your going to have a bad day when you replace bad memory with bad memory....;(

Dell sent me a refurbished 256mb, DDR, 133mhz 'chip' (wrong id Mr. Newt? s/b board? card?) when the pc actually has a 233mhz. Go figure-If it weren't for bad luck with Dell, I'd have no luck!

Tech Support? When tech support tells you to do things that you already know are not right, like, "goto your desktop and right click 'my computer'" when you know XP originally boots with only the Recycle Bin on the desktop----ya gotta question tech support.

User Panel; if it were to include some Manufacturer's Technical Support, I would have quite the feedback for you. Oh well....

 

As you would have guessed-the second memory shipped by Dell is once again refurbished and bad. Did you know the newer Dell pc's have 4 lights on the back to indicate certain parts on the mother board to be bad? Well, least I learned something from Dell....

Still waiting for memory, for the pc, mines been missing....

Suzette

 

Just a quick reply. After taking matters into my own hands, the PC has been formatted after the fourth chip sent from Dell. This PC is running great now. I still do not understand the cause of this problem. And I don't think Dell Computers does either.

 

Thanks for the update. Hope the thing continues to run smoothly.

 

Different PC--same Error Pagefile.sys & Limited Memory

Hopefully many computer users will benefit from this post. Please post back and share with us your results.

NOTE: step #2 could be harmful to your health, if you don't type exactly what is there.

It took me week of reading, searching, plugging and unplugging parts, and many reboots, but I "put together" several suggestions, from several sites, and fixed the "Limited Virtual Memory...your system has no paging file or the file is too small...." error.

1. Boot with a win98 bootable diskette (or CD)
2. at the a: prompt type fdisk /mbr
3. Re-boot with system cd
4. Enter "R" for the "repair operating system" option
5. Enter the "console" mode
6. In the console mode choose the drive that is giving you the error.
7. At that time you will be at a prompt like: d:\winnt> or c:\winnt> You must type CHDIR \ and enter to get to the root directory.
8. At the root directory do the following: d:\>copy cofig.sys pagefile.sys (this is copying another hidden system file into this corrupted hidden system file).
9. DELETE the pagefile.sys! Yep, delete the pagefile.sys file and reboot......
10. It suddently became "Miller Time "!!!