How to Defragment the Windows XP Page File

Windows XP's page file stores information in memory when the physical memory is full. Accessing a fragmented page file is slower, so a fragmented page file will reduce system performance under load. However, the defragmenting program included with Windows XP does not support defragmenting the page file. Defragment the Windows XP page file by downloading and using the PageDefrag utility from Microsoft.

Instructions

1. Open the Microsoft PageDefrag download page (see Resources for link).

2. Download PageDefrag by clicking "Download PageDefrag" on the PageDefrag page, then clicking "Save" in your web browser.

3. Open the Extraction Wizard by right-clicking "PageDefrag.zip" on your computer, then clicking "Extract All."

4. Click "Next" in the Extraction Wizard welcome window.

5. Unzip the PageDefrag.zip file into its current folder by clicking "Next" in the "Select a Destination" window.

6. Open the PageDefrag folder by clicking "Finish" in the "Extraction Complete" window.

7. Run PageDefrag by double-clicking "pagedfrg.exe" in the PageDefrag folder.

8. Read the "SysInternals Software License Terms" in the "PageDefrag License Agreement" window, then click "Agree".

9. Select the page file by clicking "C:\pagefile.sys" in the "File" list in the "System File Defragmenter" window.

10. Defragment the page file at the next system boot by clicking "Defragment at Next Boot" under "Defragmentation Control," then clicking "OK."

11. Restart your computer and defragment the Windows XP page file by clicking "Start," "Shut Down" then "Restart."

Tips & Warnings

• Defragment other system files such as the Windows XP registry with the PageDefrag utility.

References

• Windows Sysinternals: PageDefrag
• Microsoft: Windows XP Professional Product Documentation - To extract files from a zipped compressed folder

Resources

• Windows Sysinternals: PageDefrag