How to Free Up Virtual Memory on Your Computer

Fix Slow Computer

Have you gotten a pop up window on your computer with the message 'your system is low on virtual memory'?

If your computer seems to be taking a while to process or open software, Web sites, or documents, your computer may be using too much memory. This can slow down your computer and cause frustration!

The good news is you can actually make your computer faster by freeing up virtual memory.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• RAM

Instructions

1. UNDERSTAND WHAT VIRTUAL MEMORY IS.

   This step is not mandatory, but it may help you understand what is going on behind the scenes on your computer. In simple terms, virtual memory is not 'real' physical memory. This real memory is called RAM (Random Access Memory) and sometimes that RAM is not enough, so it 'borrows' from the hard drive to create virtual memory.

   The file on the hard drive is called a page file. This of course is all transparent to the user.

2. 

   FIGURE OUT THE CAUSE.

   Open your Task Manager by hitting Ctrl-Alt-Delete at the same time on your keyboard. Look under the processes tab and you can see all the programs are open.

   Click on VIEW and SELECT COLUMNS... Then check 'Virtual Memory Size' and hit OK. You can now see the VM Column. If you click on the top of this column to sort, you will see which process is taking up the most Virtual Memory.

   Many times, you can close certain processes you are not using at the current time. The longer you have an application open, the more memory it will typically use.

   CAUTION: Do not end processes if you do not know what they are!

3. 

   CHANGE YOUR VIRTUAL MEMORY SETTINGS.

   On Windows XP, Under CONTROL PANEL, go to SYSTEM.
   Then ADVANCED, Click SETTINGS under PERFORMANCE.
   Go to ADVANCED again.
   Under Virtual Memory, click CHANGE. Toggle "System managed size" option, then click SET. Now, hit OK until you exit.

   This allows the computer to make the optimal amount of virtual memory available.

   NOTE: You can also manually set the size by cicking on Custom Size' and putting in a larger number. If you do not have a lot of hard drive space, this is not recommended.

4. 

   GET MORE RAM.

   An ideal solution is to add more RAM to your computer. By using more RAM or the 'real' memory, your computer will run faster and not use as much of your hard drive for virtual memory.

5. GET RID OF TEMP FILES.

   Your computer will save files under a Temporary folder. This can use up some of your hard drive space. Delete the files under C:\Documents and Settings\Your Profile\Local Settings\Temp.

   NOTE: Be sure that you do not need these files or have saved them somewhere else first.

Tips & Warnings

• The name of the page file is a hidden file called PAGEFILE.SYS

• The size of your page file depends on hard drive space and size of RAM. Using the default is a safe bet, but may not be optimal.

• Be careful when you start adjusting the page file for virtual memory! Know what you are doing if you use custom. If you allocate too much space on your hard drive, it may crash your computer.