How to Maximize Virtual Memory

Virtual memory is memory saved to a computer hard drive as a "paging file" to assist the main system memory or RAM. If a computer does not have enough virtual memory available, system performance may be sluggish and pop-ups may appear warning you that your system has insufficient virtual memory. Virtual memory can be set manually by users; altering the virtual memory limits can alleviate problems caused by insufficient virtual memory.

Instructions

1. Click "Start" type "sysdm.cpl" into the search field and press "Enter." You can also click "Start," "Run," type "sysdm.cpl" into the run field and press "Enter."

2. Click the "Advanced" tab and then click "Settings" under "Performance."

3. Click the "Advanced" tab and then click "Change" under "Virtual Memory."

4. Uncheck the box called "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives," click on the hard drive containing the paging file in the list of drives and then click the box next to "Custom Size."

5. Multiply your total system RAM in MB by 1.5 and type the result in the field called "Initial size (MB)" and then multiply that amount by 2 and type in the result to the field called "Maximum size (MB)." You can check your total RAM by clicking "Start," right clicking "Computer" and then clicking "Properties." 1 GB of RAM is equal to 1000 MB; for example, if you have 2 GB of RAM your initial size should be 3000 MB, and your maximum should be 6000 MB.

6. Click "Set" and then "OK."

Tips & Warnings

• Microsoft recommends setting the paging file to about 1.5 times the amount of RAM on your computer.

• The virtual memory size is limited to three times the amount of RAM installed on your computer.

References

• Microsoft: RAM, Virtual Memory, Pagefile and All That Stuff
• Microsoft: Change the Size of Virtual Memory