Spice Mines of Kessel

Virtual memory (it is also referred to as the page file) is a good thing to have. Its effect typically improves system performance by basically utilizing disk space to allow an application to “think” there is more memory. Do not confuse virtual memory with your physical memory (or RAM). They are totally different. However the virtual memory kicks in when an application requires more memory than available physical RAM. A file is created on your hard disk (page file) and it pretends to act like memory. Wikipedia has an article on virtual memory that will explain it in more detail. Essentially, you will want to increase your virtual memory for performance (we know Vista needs all the help it can get). However, increasing virtual memory will decrease hard drive space. So, you will likely want to find a good balance.

Increasing virtual memory in Vista is not too difficult (even though it was easier in Windows XP). Like everything else, this feature is buried in the Control Panel. Now, I know there is more than one way to go about this. So, I will give the most universal method.

1. Open the Control Panel
2. Go to System and Maintenance
3. Then, click on System (should be the 3rd item down the list)
4. Next, look in the side bar to the left and click on Advanced System Settings (UAC will announce its presence) and a new window will pop up
5. Look for the Performance section on the window and click the Settings butto, which will open a new window
6. Click on the Advanced tab at the top of the new window
7. Now, in the middle of the window, there should be a section called Virtual Memory

Examine this number. A good practice is to set this number to twice that of your physical RAM. For instance, if you have 1024MB of RAM, you will want your Virtual Memory set to 2048MB. I have 2048MB of RAM and therefore, I will set my Virtual Memory to 4096MB.

This number has a limit, depending on your version of Vista. All 32-bit versions of Vista have a memory cap of 4GB of memory (due to limitations of the x86 processors). The 64-bit versions of Vista vary.

• 64-bit Home Basic caps at 8GB
• 64-bit Home Premium caps at 16GB
• 64-bit Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate can exceed 128GB

In case you are unsure of how to find out how much physical RAM you have, do the following.

1. Open the Control Panel
2. Click on System and Maintenance
3. Then, click on System
4. The 2nd section down (under the large Windows logo) will give you the amount of physical RAM in your system

Go back to the window with the Virtual Memory information. Once you have determined the amount of physical RAM in your system, you are now ready to set the size of your Virtual Memory. If the amount shown in your Virtual Memory is already twice the amount of physical RAM, you are good to go and do not need to increase it (unless you want). Click on the Change button. This will open a new window with more options (this was much easier in Windows XP). In the middle of the window, click the option for Custom Size. Then, change the Initial size and Maximum size to the desired amount and then click OK. Click Apply/OK on each window trailing back to the Control Panel. Finally, close the Control Panel.

There you have it. You have just increased your Virtual Memory and could very well have increased system performance.