Re: Page file and VM problems

Tech-Archive recommends: Repair Windows Errors & Optimize Windows Performance

From: R. C. White (rc_at_corridor.net)
Date: 01/17/05 

Date: Mon, 17 Jan 2005 13:54:13 -0600

Hi, Dora.

Are you logged in as an Administrator of this computer? If so, then go to
System Properties | Advanced | Performance/Settings | Advanced. What do you
see at the bottom of this screen, just above the Change button? The line
should say "Total paging file size for all drives", and the number should be
1.5 times your RAM, by default.

Another way to verify that you do, in fact, have a page file is to press
Ctrl+Alt+Del to bring up Task Manager, then click the Performance tab. Look
at Total under Physical Memory; this should show the amount of RAM in your
computer. Then look at Limit under Commit Charge; this shows the total of
RAM and Virtual Memory. The difference is your page file.

Pagefile.sys is always created in the Root of a volume (the Boot Volume by
default), with the Hidden and System attributes, so it doesn't appear in
normal directory listings. The file can be created in a different volume,
but it will always be in the Root of that volume. So, the first place to
look in the typical WinXP is C:\pagefile.sys, and be sure you can see the
System and Hidden files. If you have other volumes, look in the Root of
each (D:\, E:\, etc.) You can open a "DOS" window and use the Dir command
with the /a switch to show All files, no matter their attributes: dir c:\
/a

If you click on that Change button I mentioned above, you should see a page
that shows which volume WinXP is using, and you can change your settings
there. First, choose each volume and click No paging file and then Set.
Then, select the volume where you want your page file to be, click System
managed size, and Set. OK your way out and reboot, if necessary, for the
change to take effect.

MVP Alex Nichol knows more about Virtual Memory than most of us. You can
read his explanation at: http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.php

If this doesn't solve your problem, please post back. Tell us the make and
model of your computer, how much RAM, how many HDs and how they are
partitioned.

RC 

-- 
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@corridor.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
"DFD" <DFD@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
news:94C874C5-98DA-4FB1-99EE-BB7F303AB4B9@microsoft.com...
>I have XP Pro. Like many in this group I do not get a page file, and
> eventually run out of VM. This problem precedes my downloading of SP2 and
> fixing of other problems which includes the removal of the GAOBOT worm 
> with
> the help of the Norton antivirus. The problem started with an update 
> download
> and the subsequent help of a MS tech representative, long ago. I have 
> tried
> all of the solutions offered in this group, to no avail. I do not find a
> pagefile.sys file no matter how I look for it. The only files that I have 
> are
> pagefile.vb in C:\I386 and pagefile.vbs in several c-disk folders. The 
> only
> place I see a reference to pagefile.sys, with whatever values I define, is 
> in
> the register keys, local management, as a type REG_MULTI_SZ with data, for
> instance C:\pagefile.sys 500 4000. There are several users set in my
> computer, but mostly I am the only one using it. When I start it and the
> screen shows the users, if I click on a user right away, there is no 
> further
> response until I click CTL-ALT del. If I wait longer, until I see that my
> hard disk stopped working, when I click on a user, it logs in fast but the
> box comes up saying that there is no page file, etc. I'll appreciate any
> advice different from what has already been written, as well as to have it
> phrased in sort of step-by-step instructions. I am no expert.
> Thanks a lot.
> -- 
> Dora

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