Re: Page file and VM problems

From: R. C. White (rc_at_corridor.net)
Date: 01/18/05 

Date: Tue, 18 Jan 2005 15:08:31 -0600

Hi, Dora.

> I don't now how those Win9X/Me files got into Win XP, but they are there.

You might as well delete them unless you have MS-DOS or Win9x/ME installed;
they are just taking up disk space.

Your boot.ini looks fine, assuming WinXP is on the second volume of your
first HD, probably D:.

But you didn't answer my other questions: How many HDs? How are they
partitioned? How much unused space on each volume?

RC 

-- 
R. C. White, CPA
San Marcos, TX
rc@corridor.net
Microsoft Windows MVP
"DFD" <DFD@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
news:877A48C1-6F56-4A15-BBBA-EC1A8E2835D7@microsoft.com...
> R.C. White:
>
> I don't now how those Win9X/Me files got into Win XP, but they are there.
> The other files you mention are in c:\ and the text of boot.ini is:
>
> [boot loader]
> timeout=30
> default=multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS
> [operating systems]
> multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP
> Professional" /fastdetect /NoExecute=OptIn
>
>
> "R. C. White" wrote:
>
>> Hi, Dora.
>>
>> In your reply to Alex Nichol, you said:
>>
>> > The only .sys files I see in the root directory are
>> > congig.sys, io.sys and msdos.sys.
>>
>> Whoa!!  Something does not compute!  Config.sys, io.sys and msdos.sys are
>> Win9x/ME files.  They are NOT WinXP files.  How did they get into your 
>> C:\?
>>
>> There's something about your computer that you haven't told us, Dora! 
>> And
>> it might be what is causing your problems.
>>
>> Do you have the system files C:\NTLDR?  C:\NTDETECT.COM?  C:\Boot.ini? 
>> If
>> so, please post the text of C:\Boot.ini.
>>
>> >> 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.  MY COMPUTER IS A DELL DIMENSIONS 4400, 256 MB DDR SDRAM,
>> >> PENTIUM 4 PROCESSOR AT 1.6 GHz.
>>
>> You left out some things that I asked for (how many HDs and how they are
>> partitioned) and some things that I didn't realize I needed to ask:
>>
>> What was pre-installed on your computer?  Did it come with Win9x/ME
>> pre-installed?  How did WinXP get onto this computer?
>>
>> WinXP will run on a computer with only 256 MB RAM, but sluggishly; 512 is
>> much better.  And your computer apparently shares some of its memory with
>> the graphics system.
>>
>> >> Total under Physical Memory; this should show the amount of RAM in 
>> >> your
>> >> computer.  : 261424 KB
>> > Then look at Limit under Commit Charge; this shows the total of
>> >> RAM and Virtual Memory. : 238552 KB
>> > The difference is your page file.: 42.872 MB
>>
>> My formula failed to consider an important little "-"; I expected the 
>> Limit
>> to be MORE than Total RAM.  In your computer, the 261,424 KB / 1024 = 
>> ~256
>> MB of RAM.  But the Limit is only 238,552 KB / 1024 = ~233 MB, or about 
>> 22
>> MB LESS than total RAM.  Apparently, your computer is sharing the 256 MB 
>> RAM
>> with your video system, which is using this 22 MB of RAM at the moment.
>> I've never dealt with a "shared RAM" system, so I'm not sure how it 
>> affects
>> Virtual Memory.  But my assumption that "the difference is your page 
>> file"
>> was obviously wrong; you can't have a MINUS page file.  (261,424 - 
>> 238,552 =
>> 22,872 KB / 1024 = 22.336 MB; how did you arrive at 42.872 MB?)
>>
>> Your computer apparently was built to support Win9x/ME and may be 
>> inadequate
>> for WinXP.  You haven't told us about your HD space (how much total and 
>> how
>> much in C:); perhaps you have no room for WinXP to create a page file of 
>> ANY
>> size there.  :>(  Go back to that "Change" page, where you set the page 
>> file
>> volume and size.  As we said:
>>
>> >> 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. I DID ALL THESE, NO SUCCESS, NO FILE.
>>
>> On that page, click on C:, then look just below the drive table and see 
>> what
>> it shows as "Space available".  What is that number?  Click on each 
>> volume
>> you have; what is the biggest Space available number you see on ANY 
>> volume?
>> Perhaps you simply don't have enough space for a page file anywhere in 
>> your
>> computer.  WinXP can't create a page file if no unused space exists.  :>(
>>
>> RC
>>
>> "DFD" <DFD@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:19C93834-77CD-47F7-AA27-FF9B3BFAB92B@microsoft.com...
>> > Hi RC:
>> > Thank you for your response. I am answering each of your questions in 
>> > the
>> > text of your reply.
>> >
>> > "R. C. White" wrote:
>> >
>> >> Hi, Dora.
>> >>
>> >> Are you logged in as an Administrator of this computer?  YES
>> > 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.
>> > IT SAYS 0 MB
>> >>
>> >> 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.  : 261424 KB
>> > Then look at Limit under Commit Charge; this shows the total of
>> >> RAM and Virtual Memory. : 238552 KB
>> > The difference is your page file.: 42.872 MB
>> >>
>> >> 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.  : I DID, STILL I DO NOT SEE IT
>> > If you have other volumes, look in the Root of
>> >> each (D:\, E:\, etc.)  I DID, NO PAGEFILE.SYS FILE
>> >
>> > 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 : I DID, NO PAGEFILE.SYS FILE
>> >>
>> >> 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. I DID ALL THESE, NO SUCCESS, NO FILE.
>> >>
>> >> 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 : I READ 
>> >> HIS
>> >> ARTICLE, BUT HAVING NOT FOUND THE FILE TO DELETE IT I WAS UNABLE TO
>> >> PROCEED.
>> >>
>> >> 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.  MY COMPUTER IS A DELL DIMENSIONS 4400, 256 MB DDR SDRAM,
>> >> PENTIUM 4 PROCESSOR AT 1.6 GHz.
>> >
>> > Thank you (and Ken Blake for his attention)
>> >
>> > Dora
>> >
>> >>
>> >> RC
>> >>
>> >> "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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