How to increase the paging file?

First, let's look at what a paging file is, how it helps to increase the speed of the computer and why you might need to increase the paging file. You probably know that The computer's RAM stores data and commands that the CPU needs to perform certain operations. When the memory load is too highlarge (for example, you are trying to work in several resource-intensive applications at once), it ceases to "cope" with this amount of information. Then the paging file comes to the rescue.

Individual fragments of memory (most often -inactive) from the RAM are moved to the hard disk, into the swap file (pagefile.sys). Thus, RAM is freed for more important fragments of memory, and less important ones are loaded from the hard disk if necessary. The process of swapping memory pages is called swap, and the swap file itself is sometimes called swap file or swap file.

If the load is large, and the swap file is toosmall, the computer can start to brake and hang. You have to either reduce the load (which is not always possible), or increase the swap file. Do not be afraid, for this you do not have to go into the registry or perform manipulations with the command line. You can change the size of the paging file using standard Windows tools.

AT Windows XP To do this, click Start, and then clickSetting item, in it - Control Panel. In the panel, click System. The System Properties window opens, in which you select the Advanced tab, find the Performance section in it and click on the Parameters button. The Performance Options window opens. In it you need to go to the Advanced tab, find the section Virtual memory and click on the change button. The Virtual Memory window opens; in the Disk section of this window, you must select the disk for the paging file. In the Section, the size of the paging file for the selected disk is set to one of the following switches:

1. 
   A special size is the size of your choice (original and maximum).
2. 
   The size at the choice of the system - the operating system itself will set the optimal size of the paging file.
3. 
   Without a paging file, the paging file will not be used.
   

Click on the Set button, then on the OK button in each of the open windows.

To increase the swap file in Windows Vista / 7 also need to go to the Control Panel (Start -Control Panel), select the System item and in the left menu select the Advanced System Settings option. Further the sequence of actions is the same as in Windows XP. But be careful: some items can be called a little differently (for example, specify the size instead of the special size).

But to improve the performance of the system, it's not enough simply to increase the swap file - you need to do this with the mind, ie. optimize paging file. How to do it right?

1. 
   The optimal amount of paging file is two or three times the amount of RAM.
2. 
   If there are several hard disks (not partitions, namely disks) on your computer, then the paging file should be placed on the disk:
   
   • 
     different from the disk with the system;
   • 
     the least loaded with reading and writing information (most rarely used);
   • 
     having the highest speed of reading and writing information;
   • 
     having the largest amount of free space (if the disk space for the paging file remains "close", then you should not place it there).
   
   
3. If you have one hard drive broken intosections, it is best to place the swap file on the partition closest to the partition with the system (for example, the system is on drive C, which means that the swap file is on drive D).
4. 
   Do not turn off the paging file if you have Windows Vista / 7, and if you have Windows XP and the RAM is less than 1 GB.
5. 
   Set the initial size of the paging file to the maximum.

But keep in mind that paging file can not replace RAM, because the speed of reading data from the hard driveless than from memory. Therefore, sometimes simply increasing the paging file is not enough. If the system does not work faster after increasing the paging file, you will have to increase the amount of RAM.