Windows Virtual Memory Question

[Guest]

Greetings all!
I recently installed a new 30 GB IBM Deskstar 75 GXP and have it partitioned as follows:
C:\50 MB Boot Disk
D:\1.4 GB Windows ME
E:\800 MB Swap File
F:\5.0 GB Apps
G:\5.0 GB Games
H:\5.0 GB MP3
I:\5.0 GB Web
J:\7.0 GB Main
My question regards the swap file partition. I have 128 MB of Ram in my box. In the control panel I have chosen to set my own virtual memory settings and have used 799 MB for min & 799 MB for max - this uses the entire partition. I am now getting an annoying popup message occasionally saying "Drive E:/ has run out of space. Would you like to run disk cleanup..." Why am I getting this message when the only thing the drive is used for is the swap file? Should I adjust my min and max values to leave extra space on the swap drive?
Thanks in advance, and feel free to comment on my partition setup.
Hardware Junkie

 

[yoda271828]

When a drive has less than 10% (I think) free space, Windows will run that message. I think there is an option to turn it off, or change the value, or something. However, an 800MB swap file is outrageously large! You really only need about 256MB. You could set it to 512MB just because you already have the space for it, and that way the message would go away.

 

[Raistlin]

that is correct when you get to a % or 50-100 left it will give you that annoying error, i used a 300meg swapfile for a long time now i personally would set yours to like 512mb and leave it at that, in these days of 30gig and 60gig who cares about 200-300meg?

 

[Guest]

I agree with Yoda, 800Mb is way too large for a swap file. This guide http://www.dailyradar.com/features/game_feature_page_610_2.html
recommends 512MB total (128MB RAM + 384Mb swap file). I have mine set a little above that at 425MB min and max.

 

[RamaV]

Maybe someone can comment on this: Someone once told me that the best place to put the swap file is at the partition at the front of the disk..which i never quite got because W9x needs to boot from the first amd primary partition. Can anyone shed any light on this for me? i was only wonderin a bit. Also i wondered if it made any real improvement, but i figured hey if it was small improvement, why not, wont make any diff to me which partition i put the swap in. Id like to know because ill soon get a new HD.

Rama

" He who (BLEEPS) nuns, will later join the church " Joe Strummer, The Clash - "Death or Glory"

 

[yoda271828]

The hard drive has faster data transfer rates at the beginning of the drive, and the first partition resides on the first part of the drive. My IBM 46.1GB 745GXP drive has a data transfer rate of 37MB/s at the beginning of the drive, and about 20MB/s at the end. I use Norton Speed Disk instead of MS defrag because it moves the swapfile to the beginnig of the drive. If you can get Norton Utilities fairly cheap, then I suggest it.

If you think about it. The beginning of the drive is the outside of the disk, which spins faster than the inside of the disk. That also means that the seek time would be faster.

You will probably notice a difference if you have less than 128MB of memory. If you have more than 128MB then your computer will rarely use the virtual memory.