A More Virtuous Setting for Virtual Memory?

What is the current size on C:?

In general, there is nothing to gain by splitting the pagefile over different partitions on the same hard disk but I don't think there would be any downside since Windows will use the fastest one (I think).

The installations I have done of WinXPpro on computers with 1 GB RAM have by default been set up with 1536MB-3072MB on C: and to my knowledge, the pagefile has never been increased above the initial size but should the need arise, it can be.

Christer

 

My 2 cents worth on this .....

Set a custom pagefile on the Windows partition purely for Memory Dumps, say 5 - 500 MB and leave your other pagefile alone - the size is more than adequate for 1 Gb RAM (1.5x RAM).

This is the method I use on my system with 2 Gb RAM - the main pagefile is on another physical disk and set at 3000Mb. Usage rarely exceeds 300Mb.

Christer is right in that Windows will use the faster drive/partition.

How can I optimize the Windows 2000/XP/2003 virtual memory (Pagefile)?

RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and all that stuff

 

The key words here are "on another physical disk ". In dklines case, I understand that there is only a single hard disk with multiple partitions and in that case, the partition at the front [C:] is always the fastest.

The important thing is to NOT have a "Windows managed" pagefile. It will grow and shrink which means that it will sooner or later be in several fragments.

Should you go my way or Petes way? Your choice ... ... if you try both you won't notice any difference.

Christer

 

Well, that's what I would have done. In my opinion, setting a maximum is an unecessary restriction. The disk space space is not "set aside" and will only be claimed when needed, if ever. If the system should need to go beyond the set value, it will not be able to and the only other option is a blue screen.

A friend of mine runs a 3.0GHz P4 with 1GB of PC3200. The pagefile was set by the WinXP installer to 1536-3072MB. He runs a few video and picture editing programs and his pagefile was resized on a regular basis. More RAM would have been better but upping the pagefile to 2048-3072MB made the system "good enough to live with ".

Christer

 

Your question:

My answer:

So, the answer is YES and the rest of that post was unnecessary information (the reason why, which I didn't manage to explain well enough).

Christer

 

A Windows managed pagefile will shrink and grow and shrink again, as required by the system. This means that it will get fragmented. The "expansions" will be put wherever there is free space. A fixed pagefile (minimum=maximum) will not behave like that and if you set it to a fixed size on a fresh installation, it will be put immediately after the system files and it will stay there in one contiguous chunk. If you do it when the partition is ½ full, it will end up after everything else that is currently there (which is not the optimum but better than a Windows managed pagefile).

Now, with a fixed pagefile, if the system for one reason or the other runs out of pagefile, it will blue screen. That is why I recommend to set the maximum size as 2 x the minimum size. The minimum size should be set to "the most your system is expected to need and some on top of that ". If the pagefile should be increased by the system, the initial part will remain the same and when it shrinks back, it will still be in a single contiguous chunk. If that starts to happen on a regular basis, increase the minimum size (as a temporary solution - see further down).

There is no gain in putting the pagefile on a different partition if they both are on the same physical hard disk. It would only reduce performance since it gets located away from the fastest outer tracks.

If the pagefile is put on a different physical hard disk on a different controller, the system and the pagefile is handled on different channels which means that reading and writing to both can occur simultaneously. Theoretically, this is an advantage if a single channel gets saturated but no matter what, whenever the pagefile is used, the system takes a performance hit.

Download and run the utility XP Pagefile Monitor and if you find that you need more Virtual Memory, the solution is to get more RAM!

Christer

 

There is one other point regarding the pagefile which is specific to the use of some programs - Photoshop is a prime example. Photoshop uses a 'scratch disk' to store information about the image which is being edited; this is a variable amount of disk space which grows and shrinks according to the needs of Photoshop at any specific time and which is freed up when Photoshop is closed. The location of the 'scratch disk' can be set in Photoshop preferences and the use of a partition other than that on which the pagefile is located is preferred. If the computer has only a single drive the pagefile and 'scratch disk' must co-exist and a warning to this effect is flagged up in Photoshop when it is first opened after installation.

The 'scratch disk' can become fragmented in the same way as a variable pagefile and those fragments can interact with fragments of a Windows managed pagefile to the detriment of performance. When running Photoshop it is recommended that the 'scratch disk' is placed on another partition or drive (I have a dedicated partition for the 'scratch disk') to optimise performance, but where this is not possible and the 'scratch disk' must co-exist on the same partition as the pagefile a fixed size pagefile is recommended.

 

Thanks Pete for the explanation on the scratch file. My friend that I mentioned uses Photoshop and I installed the program for him but didn't remember the particulars. Now, I don't have to read up on it and can enjoy my cup of coffee in a reclined position ... ... !

Christer

 

Yes, if Windows will let you but it should.

Christer