How to Increase the Size of the Paging File in Windows XP

If you often use programs that hog up your computer’s memory, you may be getting alert messages stating that your virtual memory is running too low. When you see these messages, you know it’s time to increase the size of your paging file. The paging file is the section of your hard drive that serves as virtual memory and kicks in when your system is low on resources. Follow these steps to make yours more robust.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• PC with Windows XP

1. Click the "Start" button, select "Run" and type in “sysdm.cpl.” Press "Enter."
2. Click the "Advanced" tab, then click the "Settings" button in the "Performance" section. Click the next "Advanced" tab and then click the "Change" button in the "Virtual Memory" section.
3. Find the list of drives and highlight the drive that contains your paging file. By default, this drive will be C: and will contain all of your Windows system files as well. Once highlighted, click the "Custom Size" button under "Paging File Size" for selected drive.
4. Reset both the "Initial Size" and "Maximum Size" values to higher values that better suit your needs. Click the "Set" button.

Tips & Warnings

• Clicking "System Managed Size" will automatically set the values to the “Optimal” level, although this may still be insufficient for running multiple applications with extensive memory needs.
• Do not click the "No Paging File" button. This deletes the paging file and therefore your virtual memory, putting your computer at greater risk of crashing.

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