Virtual memory

[Smilie]

I've heard that if u have 1 GIG of RAM u could turn off virtual memory and ur system will run faster
i want to know if this is a good Idea??
and what will happen if i run out of physical memory???
will windows re-allocate some virtual memory??

P4 3.0Ghz (800FSB)
2x512ram DDR400 dual-channel

 

[Toejam31]

Don't turn it off, even with 1GB of RAM. It really won't make the system faster. Many programs are still written so that virtual memory pages must be loaded to the paging file, <i>although</i> WinXP will load this information to the physical memory, instead of using the virtual memory, because of an improved memory manager. That's assuming that at least 512MB of RAM is installed, which certainly applies to you.

With that much RAM, the paging file will almost never be used, but should remain in place because the OS requires at least 2MB to boot safely, (although memory dumps cannot take place with a paging file this small.)

Set aside 768MB of space for the paging file, and then just ignore the loss. This way, you won't get any complaints during program installations, while running graphic programs or games, or while starting up the system. The use of the file might never occur, due to the large amount of physical memory, but you'll avoid these issues with it in place. Having the customized, static file will not slow down the system, anymore than removing the file would increase the overall speed. That's an Internet Fallacy, in the same category as $29.95 shareware programs that claim to make hundreds of changes to a system and speed it up to light speeds.

You'd be much better off if you turned off unnecessary services, killed the bulk of the eye candy, got rid of the items in the prefetch folder, kept the temp folders clean, and did things regularly like checking the disks for errors, and defragging on a reasonable schedule.

Toey

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[Jake_Barnes]

You'd be much better off if you turned off unnecessary services, killed the bulk of the eye candy, got rid of the items in the prefetch folder, kept the temp folders clean, and did things regularly like checking the disks for errors, and defragging on a reasonable schedule

Toey - Can you be more specific - especially the "unnecessary services" and "items in the prefetch folder" that can be gotten rid off ...

Thanks.



<b> “Liberals have many tails and chase them all.” – H.L. Mencken <b>

 

[Toejam31]

By default, Windows loads many Services that don't need to run for the system to function correctly. Some are even security risks, such as the Messenger service, which has been a major problem for many users over the last few months, due to viruses using the service as a security breach.

A good website for checking on which services need to run, and which can be customized is this:

<A HREF="http://www.blkviper.com/WinXP/servicecfg.htm" target="_new">Black Viper Windows XP Home and Pro Service Configurations</A>

My current Services list looks like this:

Alerter -- Manual
Application Layer Gateway Service -- Manual
Application Management -- Manual
Automatic Updates -- Disabled
Background Intelligent Transfer Service -- Disabled
ClipBook -- Disabled
COM+ Event System -- Started, Manual
COM + System Application -- Manual
Computer Browser -- Disabled (Automatic if on a network)
Cryptographic Services -- Manual
DHCP Client -- Started, Automatic
Distributed Link Tracking Client -- Disabled
Distributed Transaction Coordinator -- Disabled
DNS Client -- Started, Automatic
Error Reporting Service -- Disabled
Event Log -- Started, Automatic
Fast User Switching Compatibility -- Disabled (with only one user per system)
Help and Support -- Manual
Human Interface Device Access -- Disabled
IMAPI CD-Burning COM Service -- Manual
Indexing Service -- Manual
Internet Connection Firewall/Internet Connection Sharing -- Manual
IPSEC Services -- Started, Automatic
Logical Disk Manager -- Started, Automatic
Logical Disk Manager Administrative Service -- Manual
Messenger -- Disabled
MS Software Shadow Copy Provider -- Disabled
Net Logon -- Disabled
NetMeeting Remote Desktop Sharing -- Disabled
Network Connections -- Started, Manual
Network DDE -- Disabled
Network DDE DSDM -- Disabled
Network Location Awareness -- Started, Manual
NT LM Security Support Provider -- Manual
NVIDIA Driver Helper Service -- Disabled
Performance Logs and Alerts -- Disabled
Plug and Play -- Started, Automatic
Portable Media Serial Number -- Disabled
Print Spooler -- Started, Automatic
Protected Storage -- Started, Automatic
QoS RSVP -- Disabled
Remote Access Auto Connection Manager -- Manual
Remote Access Connection Manager -- Manual
Remote Desktop Help Session Manager -- Manual
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) -- Started, Automatic
Remote Procedure Call (RPC) Locator -- Manual
Remote Registry -- Disabled
Removable Storage -- Manual
Routing and Remote Access -- Disabled
Secondary Logon -- Manual
Security Accounts Manager -- Started, Automatic
Server -- Started, Automatic
Shell Hardware Detection -- Started, Automatic
Smart Card -- Disabled
Smart Card Helper -- Disabled
SSDP Discovery Service -- Disabled
System Event Notification -- Started, Automatic
System Restore Service -- Manual
Task Scheduler -- Disabled
TCP/IP NetBIOS Helper Service -- Disabled
Telephony -- Manual
Telnet -- Disabled
Terminal Services -- Disabled
Themes -- Started, Automatic
Uninterruptible Power Supply -- Disabled
Universal Play and Play Device Host -- Disabled
Upload Manager -- Manual
Volume Shadow Copy -- Disabled
WebClient -- Disabled
Windows Audio -- Started, Automatic
Windows Image Acquisition -- Manual
Windows Installer -- Manual
Windows Management Instrumentation -- Started, Automatic
Windows Management Instrumentation Driver Extensions -- Manual
Windows Time -- Manual
Wireless Zero Configuration -- Disabled
WMI Performance Adapter -- Manual
Workstation -- Started, Automatic

I don't suggest that you set up your system exactly like this ... but use the list as a reference. This works well for me.

Killing the Task Scheduler stops items from being preloaded into memory from the prefetch folder when Windows starts. Supposedly, this feature is supposed to increase program launch speed, but more often than not, it causes conflicts. Updating drivers or programs can cause problems, as Windows continues to attempt to preload older files. In addition, someone may not want every program used on the computer to be preloaded into memory, regardless of how often the program is used.

The folder can easily become clogged with hundreds of entries, many of which over time can be outdated.

I normally just keep the hidden Windows\prefetch folder clean, and avoid unnecessary problems.

Toey

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[Smilie]

thanks for the info
i really appreciate it