XP: General Page File Tweaks For Improving Your System Speed

Contributed by davak February 8, 2004  
Tagged: Windows

General hints regarding how to optimize your virtual memory in XP.

Like prior versions of windows, XP uses a paging file for its virtual memory. XP does a better job of managing its memory that it’s younger siblings so allowing XP to do it automatically usually works.

The biggest performance boost actually is gained when you switch your pagefile to a physically separate hard drive. Likewise, in a system with multiple hard drives, the paging file should be on the quickest one.

If XP has to decrease the size of the page file because you have too little hard drive space, you will take a serious performance hit; therefore, leave plently of room on the drive that contains your page file.

Using a page file less than 1.5 times the amount of physical RAM installed on your computer will also decrease your computer efficiency.

Be sure to frequently defragment the drive that contains your page file as well.