Optimizing the Page File

The page file (virtual memory) is the part of your hard drive that the Operating System uses as though it were main memory. The OS uses virtual memory when the physical memory cannot hold the data that the application requires it to. Since hard drives are much slower as compared to RAM, accessing data from virtual memory is slower and there is naturally a significant effect on system performance. Moreover, Windows XP uses the virtual memory all the time, regardless of free physical memory, so optimization of the page file is essential for a faster system.

There are two important aspects to the page file -its size and its location.

Page File size

Windows XP uses the page file dynamically, that is the page file grows or shrinks according to need. The page file is often given a minimum value and a maximum value, where the minimum value defines the guaranteed space allocated to the page file and the maximum value defines the limit to which the page file can grow. With a maximum and minimum value set, Windows XP has to resize the page file on the fly. Setting the maximum and minimum value to the same number results in more efficient handling of the page file, since Win XP won’t have to waste time resizing the page file.

Setting the size of the page file

Go to the ‘System Properties’ page. Here, go to the ‘Advanced’ tab and then select ‘Settings’ under ‘Performance’. In the window that opens, go to the ‘Advanced’ tab; towards the bottom of the tab, you will find ‘Virtual memory settings’. Click ‘Change’.

In the next window that opens, you can select the drive on which you want the page file to reside; by default, the page file resides on the C: drive. You can also see the page file size. To change it, click on ‘Custom Size’ and then key in the initial and maximum sizes to be the same. Typically, 1 GB of page file is more than enough for most users, so key in ‘1024′ as your initial and maximum page file size.

Page File Location

Keeping the page file on the same drive as the Operating System is not advised, as the page file requires intermittent read and write cycles that can significantly affect the performance of the system. Those who have only one drive can place the page file on a non OS partition.

Once in the virtual memory settings you can see all your partitions listed in the box. Select the drive on which to enable the page file, then select ‘Custom Size’, and key in ‘1024′ as your initial and maximum page file size.