Windows Virtual Memory Limit is too low (RAM, hard drive, games)
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Windows maintains a file on the hard drive that is uses to to stick memory pages when you run low on physical memory (RAM). Normally Windows manages this virtual memory silently but sometimes it alerts you when it needs to enlarge it. I'm not sure why it sometimes tells you that. How much memory does your computer have and what version of Windows are you running? If you have less than 1GB on WinXP or less than 2GB on Vista, you'll likely to encounter more low-memory situations and thus more need for virtual memory.
Are you running XP or Vista? Vista's swap file (virtual memory) is set properly to system manged out of the box, XP's is manually set depending on how much memory was installed at the time XP was installed, it should be changed to system managed for most users,especialy if you upgraded the RAM at some point.
I'm running XP. I've had this PC about a year and a half and this is the first time it's happened.
Now, a week later, it seems that I have to double click every time I want to access a link. On CD, Google, to read my e-mail. Weird, a I didn't change any settings. Maybe I will defrag and see what happens. I am pretty good about deleting cookies and tmp files.
I've also noticed that the settings on my toolbars have changed (before virtual memory issue came up). I never changed them, they just changed on their own. It's just this PC, not when I login from my other one, so I don't think it's a matter of someone else using my account.
Windows maintains a file on the hard drive that is uses to to stick memory pages when you run low on physical memory (RAM). Normally Windows manages this virtual memory silently but sometimes it alerts you when it needs to enlarge it. I'm not sure why it sometimes tells you that. How much memory does your computer have and what version of Windows are you running? If you have less than 1GB on WinXP or less than 2GB on Vista, you'll likely to encounter more low-memory situations and thus more need for virtual memory.
How do you know or where can I check to know how many GB I have...I have window XP on this computer.
Follow these instructions and set it to system managed
How to manually change the size of the virtual memory paging file
You must be logged on as an administrator or as a member of the administrator’s group to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent you from completing this procedure.
To manually change the size of virtual memory, follow these steps:
Click Start, click Run, type sysdm.cpl in the Open box, and then press ENTER.
Click the Advanced tab, and then under Performance click Settings.
Click the Advanced tab, and then under Virtual memory click Change.
Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file that you want to change.
Under Paging file size for selected drive, click Custom size, type a new paging file size in megabytes (MB) in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.
Click OK to close the dialog box and apply changes.
Note After you change the size of the paging file, you may be prompted to restart Windows. If you are prompted to restart, the changes will not take effect until Windows is restarted.
Notes
To have Windows select the best paging file size, click System managed size. The recommended minimum size is the same as 1.5 times the RAM on your computer, and 3 times that figure for the maximum size. For example, if you have 256 MB of RAM, the minimum size is 384 MB, and the maximum size is 1152 MB.
For best performance, do not set the initial size to less than the minimum recommended size under Total paging file size for all drives. The recommended size is the same as 1.5 times the RAM on your computer. It is good practice to leave the paging file at its recommended size as performance can decrease if a paging file is too large. However, you may increase its size if you frequently use programs that use lots of memory, such as graphics programs or games.
We strongly recommend that you do not disable or delete the paging file because this can lessen the computer's performance. However, if you decide to delete a paging file, set both the initial size and the maximum size to zero, or click No paging file.
How do you know or where can I check to know how many GB I have...I have window XP on this computer.
Right click on "My Computer" icon. Left click on "Properties." A tab will pop up and it should list your processor speed and amount of installed RAM.
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