XP: Prevent Windows Kernel From Using PagingExecutive Function

Contributor Icon Contributed by AlexTheBeast Date Icon November 30, 2003  
Tag Icon Tagged: Windows

Placing the XP Kernel into RAM is quicker than allowing it to page.


If you system has more than 256MB of RAM, then you should try this tweak. In theory, the kernel (and thus XP) should run faster if it kept in RAM instead of the slower page memory.

This involves editing the registry so make a registry backup before trying this.

Navigate to:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\DisablePagingExecutive

Setting the value to 1 will prevent the kernel from using slower page memory.

Changing it back to the default value of 0 will return your system back to normal.

Remember that registry changes require reboot before you will see their effects.

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Viewing 2 Comments

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    This article is quite misleading. Program code must always be in memory before it can be run. Windows designers were well aware of the importance of the Kernel so Windows will always attempt to retain it in memory whenever possible. This will be true regardless of any registry settings and can not be pevented.

    When the system is under heavy memory load Windows will be forced to unload either code or data to cope with the situation. Under these conditions Windows may elect to unload a portion of the Kernel. It will never do this arbitrarily or without good reason. The "DisablePagingExecutive" registry entry will prevent this from occuring. If memory is adequate the Kernel will rarely be unloaded. If this occurs frequently you should lighten the load or install more memory. A registry tweak such as this will accomplish little.

    This setting can be of use in certain conditions, particularly for systems used primarily as servers. Under typical use it is unlikely to be of much use.

    Generally XP manages memory very well on it's own without user intervention. Interfering with it's operation is more likely to impair performance than improve it. Windows designers know more about memory management than you do.

    References:
    http://home.comcast.net/~SupportCD/XPMyths.html
    Also consult the references on ths page.

    Larry Miller
    Microsoft MCSA
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    Agree with the comment that the paging process swaps out infrequently used stuff rather than trying to make the Kernel run somewhere else than in RAM.

    I have an XP system with a 2 Gb CompactFlash pretending to be a hard disk. It has about 0.9 Gb free, and the system has 0.5 Gb main memory, which I am sure is enough for my primitive needs. I would rather have XP dump infrequently used data than to try to write it to the CompactFlash.

    Whether or not I use the Control Panel to specify "no page file," XP refuses to create a page file--not sure whether this is because it has identified C: as Removable, or whether it is unable to allocate its recommended 0.75 Gb contiguously. I have the system in a state where it no longer nags me, but I saw this Registry entry and followed a Google search here.

    Separately, Toshiba suspend/resume seems to crash on suspend if a page file is not present, and I'm hoping it will not crash if I disable the entire paging executive.

    --Spike, Brentwood NH
 
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