this how you set the page file
To accurately determine the optimal pagefile size you should see how much memory your most memory- intensive programs use and then set the pagefile to comfortably accommodate this. A rough and ready way of doing this is to configure your Task Manager as specified under the Task Manager section, then nm what you believe is your most memory-intensive application or game and use it for a period of time. Then without quitting the game or application, bring up the Task Manager and check the peak memory usage figure for the largest process under the Processes tab -this should indicate how much memory the program usually needs. Also after a period of time using various applications and games on your system, open up Task Manager and go to the Performance tab, then check the Peak figure under the 'Commit Charge (K)' section -this is approximately the maximum amount of memory in KB required so far by your system. These will give you an indication of how much total memory you need when going through the next step.
I understand that for most people accurately working out which is the most memory intensive application or game, and more importantly predicting the amount of memory future software will require is tedious if not impossible. Therefore follow my general recommendation below to set a fixed pagefile that should be sufficient for all your needs. Since the total memory available to Windows XP is a combination of your Virtual Memory plus your 'Real Memory' (System RAM), you should ensure that the suirr of these two is sufficiently large to prevent Windows from nmning out of memory. In general, I suggest a minimum of 2GB (2048MB) for your Virtual Memory +RAM:
Example: If you have 256MB of RAM set the Initial and Maximum pagefile sizes to 1792MB each.
Example: If you have 512MB of RAM, set the Initial and Maximum pagefile sizes to 1536MB each.
Example: If you have 1024MB (1GB) of RAM, set the Initial and Maximum pagefile sizes to 1024MB each.
Exam)~le:If you have 2GB of RAM or more, set the Initial and Maximum pagefile sizes to 200MB each.
Once you've adjusted your Virtual Memoly size settings click the Set button and reboot if required. Your pagefile will now be in a single fixed unfragmented file, created closer to the start of the hard drive for faster performance (See Position of the Pagefile below). There will be plenty of headroom for memory-intensive applications and games and you should notice smoother performance.
Note that the common myth about the pagefile being '1.5 x RAM' or some other multiple is quite clearly counterintuitive. Consider the situation where you only have 128MB of RAM: setting the maximum pagefile size to 1.5 x 128MB = 192MB + 128MB = 320MB of total available memory for Windows XP which is obviously not going to give you enough memory for modem games and applications. Remember, it is about how much total memory (RAM+ Pagefile) that should be made available for Windows to operate efficiently.
If at the end of all this you still have doubts about what to do, or you nln into any problems, you can either increase the fixed pagefile size further (which never hurts), set a 'semi-permanent' pagefile which has an Initial size equal to your current RAM, and a Maximum size which is very high, e.g. 3000MB, or failing that simply choose the 'System Managed Size' setting to revert to the Windows default pagefile size. Whatever you do, don't set a zero pagefile.
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To accurately determine the optimal pagefile size you should see how much memory your most memory- intensive programs use and then set the pagefile to comfortably accommodate this. A rough and ready way of doing this is to configure your Task Manager as specified under the Task Manager section, then nm what you believe is your most memory-intensive application or game and use it for a period of time. Then without quitting the game or application, bring up the Task Manager and check the peak memory usage figure for the largest process under the Processes tab -this should indicate how much memory the program usually needs. Also after a period of time using various applications and games on your system, open up Task Manager and go to the Performance tab, then check the Peak figure under the 'Commit Charge (K)' section -this is approximately the maximum amount of memory in KB required so far by your system. These will give you an indication of how much total memory you need when going through the next step.
I understand that for most people accurately working out which is the most memory intensive application or game, and more importantly predicting the amount of memory future software will require is tedious if not impossible. Therefore follow my general recommendation below to set a fixed pagefile that should be sufficient for all your needs. Since the total memory available to Windows XP is a combination of your Virtual Memory plus your 'Real Memory' (System RAM), you should ensure that the suirr of these two is sufficiently large to prevent Windows from nmning out of memory. In general, I suggest a minimum of 2GB (2048MB) for your Virtual Memory +RAM:
Example: If you have 256MB of RAM set the Initial and Maximum pagefile sizes to 1792MB each.
Example: If you have 512MB of RAM, set the Initial and Maximum pagefile sizes to 1536MB each.
Example: If you have 1024MB (1GB) of RAM, set the Initial and Maximum pagefile sizes to 1024MB each.
Exam)~le:If you have 2GB of RAM or more, set the Initial and Maximum pagefile sizes to 200MB each.
Once you've adjusted your Virtual Memoly size settings click the Set button and reboot if required. Your pagefile will now be in a single fixed unfragmented file, created closer to the start of the hard drive for faster performance (See Position of the Pagefile below). There will be plenty of headroom for memory-intensive applications and games and you should notice smoother performance.
Note that the common myth about the pagefile being '1.5 x RAM' or some other multiple is quite clearly counterintuitive. Consider the situation where you only have 128MB of RAM: setting the maximum pagefile size to 1.5 x 128MB = 192MB + 128MB = 320MB of total available memory for Windows XP which is obviously not going to give you enough memory for modem games and applications. Remember, it is about how much total memory (RAM+ Pagefile) that should be made available for Windows to operate efficiently.
If at the end of all this you still have doubts about what to do, or you nln into any problems, you can either increase the fixed pagefile size further (which never hurts), set a 'semi-permanent' pagefile which has an Initial size equal to your current RAM, and a Maximum size which is very high, e.g. 3000MB, or failing that simply choose the 'System Managed Size' setting to revert to the Windows default pagefile size. Whatever you do, don't set a zero pagefile.
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