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Windows XP Tips & Tricks

Setting up the Pagefile (Swap File) (Virtual Memory)

The Windows XP pagefile is the subject of much debate and has many views, by
various gurus, on how to best implement it's use. I will try to give you a "middle of the road"
plan of action on making use of the pagefile. Also known as the swap file or virtual memory.
There are three different ways to setup the pagefile in Windows XP.
These ways are as System Managed, Static and Dynamic.
A Static pagefile is one in which the minimum and maximum values are the same.
The main attribute of this type of pagefile is the computer doesn't have to waste CPU cycles
resizing the pagefile. It is, also, less likely to become fragmented. This under certain
circumstances can improve overall computer performance.
A Dynamic pagefile is one in which the minimum and maximum values are different,
but user set. This type can, also, have benefits depending on your computer hardware and setup.
An example of this would be the availability of more than one hard drive.
A System Managed pagefile is one in which Windows XP automatically manages the size of
the pagefile. It is a dynamically allocated pagefile, but it's maximum value is only dictated by the
maximum allowed size of 4095 MB or 4 GB. This type of pagefile will grow and shrink as needed.
Which is best for me? Well, that is the question, isn't it?
I cannot give you a definitive answer to that question, because I do not know what
hardware you have or what your daily use case is. But, By the rules and the charts below,
I will try to help you, help yourself.

Rules

1. Never make your pagefile unduly large.
This will only waste hard drive space and odds are the extra pagefile space allocated will never even be used.
You can use the Task Manager (as shown in the video above) to get an idea of the pagefile usage.
This can help you decide on the maximum value of the pagefile, if you choose to assign one manually.

2. Do not make a separate partition to house your pagefile, only.
With a 4200 rpm hard drive this could give you a performance boost. With hard drives becoming much faster,
the time it takes the drive's read-head to navigate to the separate partition negates any performance gain.
The only time this would make sense is if you are dual-booting Windows XP and Windows 98.
Then you can use one pagefile for both Operating Systems. You will need to make sure the partition is FAT32,
which is readable by both operating systems and that the pagefile is static.
But, with the increase in hard drive sizes, this too becomes obsolete.
If you are concerned about fragmentation there are plenty of programs available to defrag your pagefile.

3. Never rely on your pagefile as a substitute for RAM.
If you notice pagefile being heavily used, it's a good indication you need to upgrade your RAM.

4. Never put your pagefile on a network or removable drive.

5. Once every 30 days it is good to clear your pagefile on shutdown. (as shown in the video above)
*Warning* - Before you make any changes to the Windows XP Registry,
make sure you have a backup of all your files and the Registry itself. Understand,
making a mistake in the Registry can render your computer unusable or unstable.

Charts

Notes: 1. Remember this is just a guide. Try a couple of different configurations until you get
the desired performance. 2. Keep in mind running Windows XP with a SSD (solid state drive) may require
AHCI compliance, an add-in SATA controller, optimizer tools and registry tweaks.
Do your homework on this one , kids.

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