Page file logically sits between the RAM and Operating System, helping the frequently used applications loaded into a temporary big system file which is called pagefile or virtual memory. This big file creates problems some times due to fragmentation. Here are some tips to setup page file.
- Some people think keeping page file lot bigger make the system run faster. It is not totally true. Think of a water tap with running water. If you increase the width of the pipe, say double the size may result in more water to flow. But it makes no sense making it 100 times of its orginal size. Pagefile works in the same way.
- If you have 512 MB of RAM, keep a Pagefile of 1024 MB, means double it. If you have 1GB of RAM, keep a size of 2048MB. This need not be a magic number, any near by number is acceptable. Microsoft says double the size of RAM + 12 MB. I did not see any magical changes in my system by using this formula.
- System Managed Size - Unfortunately Microsoft default page file settings are not good in a long run. When you purchase the OS or install it freshly, the default settings let the Pagefile grow dynamically. This only helps in conserving few hundred MBs of disk space, but in a long run fragments the page file. As per today's disk space availability, no body cares if the pagefile takes even more than a GB to offer better system speeds.
- Make sure you have at least few GB of free disk space before you proceed to change the setup of the Pagefile.
- Defrag the drive.
- To change the page file setup
- Login as Admin or with an account that has administrator privileges if you have not already logged in so.
- Click on Start --> Control Panel --> System -->Advance Tab --> In the Performance block, click Settings --> in the "Performance Options" tab click Advanced --> in the Virtual Memory Block click Change.
- If the page file already set to some size, select "No Paging File" option, click OK 2 times and restart the system when it prompts. Note that we will not leave the system with out page file option, we will set it to new unfragmented pagefile size after the machine comes back from reboot.
- Select Custom Size. Select the double the size (or even two and half times is also OK) of the RAM as your Initial size and as well as Maximum size. Setting the Initial and Maximum is the key here to avoid fragmentation of page file in future.
- The following are bad practices. The advantages of these bad practices out weigh the disadvantages. So do not use them.
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