How to set paging file size for windows xp

You'd do this by creating a static pagefile, which has the same minimum and maximum size. This prevents the operating system from dynamically resizing the pagefile -- it's the dynamic resizing that causes an unfragmented pagefile to become fragmented. Diskeeper can perform an "offline" defragmentation of the pagefile after the system is restarted. It cannot perform this task while the system is running normally.

If you don't have Diskeeper, you'll need to move the pagefile off its current partition and re-create it. See what this Product Spotlight has to say about Diskeeper. You can now run an analysis again using the Disk Defragmenter application to confirm that the pagefile is no longer fragmented.

If you want to max out your computer's memory-handling performance, you must do more to optimize your pagefile. Factors to consider when optimizing the pagefile include:. There is some debate on where to place the pagefile. If you look in Microsoft TechNet, you'll see several references on this subject.

From my analysis of the available literature, I submit the following recommendations:. To get the best performance out of the pagefile, you should place it on a dedicated disk.

This is especially the case on high-end systems with a large amount of RAM. If your budget doesn't allow you to do this, you can place the pagefile on a disk that contains files that are occasionally read and written to, such as archive files that you create once a month. Since the pagefile is subject to frequent reads and writes, you want to make sure it isn't placed on a RAID volume.

Various formulas are available for how to optimally size the pagefile. Most are based on some percentage of the amount of RAM installed on the computer.

These RAM-based pagefile size recommendations are just estimates. None of them will accurately reflect the best pagefile size for your computer. The best way to determine the appropriate pagefile size is to use the Performance Monitor, which has two counters that you can use to determine your pagefile's optimal size:.

You specify the minimum and maximum size of this file. If the size is different from the default in Windows XP, applications may return errors. However, some applications may require a non-default size for the paging file.

Change the size only if other applications aren't adversely affected. Note: You must be logged on as an administrator to change the size of the paging file. From the Drive list, select a hard disk partition that has free space equal to at least three times the amount of the computer's installed RAM. To determine the amount of space available on a hard disk partition, click the drive letter; the amount of space available appears in the Paging File Size For Selected Drive area.

The Adobe Captivate demonstration below illustrates how to set the virtual memory paging file to the default size. Homepage - Contact Us - Sitemap.

Archive Contact Sign in Subscribe. When selecting drives, keep the following guidelines in mind: Try to avoid having a pagefile on the same drive as the system files. Avoid putting a pagefile on a fault-tolerant drive, such as a mirrored volume or a RAID-5 volume.

Pagefiles do not need fault-tolerance, and some fault-tolerant systems are slow because they write data to multiple locations. Do not place multiple pagefiles on different partitions on the same physical disk drive. On the Advanced tab, under Virtual memory , click Change. Under Drive [Volume Label] , click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change. Under Paging file size for selected drive , click Custom size , and type a new paging file size in megabytes in the Initial size MB and Maximum size MB box, and then click Set.

If you decrease the size of either the initial or maximum page file settings, you must restart your computer to see the effects of those changes. Increases typically do not require a restart. Notes: To have Windows choose the best paging file size, click System managed size. For best performance, do not set the initial size to less than the minimum recommended size under Total paging file size for all drives. Use the following formula for calculating the correct pagefile size.

Minimum pagefile size is one and a half 1. Maximum pagefile size is three 3 x minimum pagefile size.