INCREASING VIRTUAL MEMORY

Virtual memory, also known as page file or swap file, is a file on your hard disk that Windows uses in addition to physical memory (RAM) whenever the need arises. Usually the swap file is 1.5 times the amount of physical memory, i.e. a system with 512MB of RAM will have 768MB page file.

When there isn't enough RAM resources and more space is needed, the Virtual Memory Manager (VMM) scans the memory for sections that are not in use and transfers them to a swap file on the hard drive. The virtual memory is not as fast as real RAM because your hard drive isn't, but it can still help your computer run smoother.

If your swap file is too small, you don't have enough RAM, or you are running an application with a memory leak, your computer will start freezing up and you'll start getting the "Virtual memory too low" error. So it's really important to set the correct amount of virtual memory. The size of the swap file is set automatically by the operating system. However, in most cases it's best to configure virtual memory yourself. By default, Windows sets your page file 1.5 times the size of your physical memory. You can improve performance by setting your page file to twice the size of your RAM. If you don't feel like assigning that amount of disk space to your swap file, you can always set it to 1.75 the size of your RAM, as it will still be better than setting it to 1.5 the size. Here is how you can configure virtual memory:

Windows XP:

1. Right-click on My Computer and go to Properties
2. Click on the Advanced tab and then click on the Settings button in the Performance section
3. A new window will open. Go to the Advanced tab
4. Find the Virtual memory section and click on the Change button
5. Select the System managed size option or manually change the size of the swap file. Alternatively, you can set a Custom size by typing in the new size in MB in the Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB) boxes. Make sure it's the same amount to prevent your CPU from constantly adjusting virtual memory
6. Click on Set and then click OK
7. You might need to restart your PC for the changes to take effect.

Windows 7:

1. Click Start, right-click on Computer and go to Properties to open System
2. Click the Advanced System Settings link to open Advanced Tab
3. Click Settings under Performance
4. Go to the Advanced tab, find Virtual memory and click Change
5. Uncheck the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives checkbox.
6. Under Drive [Volume Label], click on the drive where you want to change the size of virtual memory
7. Click Custom size and type the new size in MB in the Initial size (MB) and Maximum size (MB) boxes. Make sure it's the same amount to prevent your CPU from constantly adjusting virtual memory
8. Click Set and then click OK
9. You might need to restart your system for the changes to take effect.

However, it's not always good to have a large page file. In fact, those of you who have 4GB of RAM or more will benefit from disabling the swap file altogether. Do not disable your swap file if you have less than 4GB of RAM, as you will start encountering multiple problems. Like applications crashing because there isn't enough memory for them to work.

 You can also increase performance by moving the swap file to a drive or partition other than where your operating system is installed. To do that, just select a different drive or click on C drive when changing the size of virtual memory and select a different partition. When you are done, click Set and then click OK.