Virtual Memory
There is a dedicated folder that resides on your hard drive, and allows for extra memory, (virtual memory) and is known as the `page file’. Basically when system memory (RAM) runs out of space, your computer looks to the page file for that extra bit of memory. It then uses this as extra RAM.
The bigger the page file, the more virtual memory you have. This helps you to run programs simultaneously without the computer feeling the need to shut down when it runs out of memory. The size of the page file is governed by the amount of physical RAM your system has.
If you have 1Gig of RAM (1024 megabytes) your page by default, or as set by Windows, may be approximately somewhere between 768 and 1500. Your goal here should be to change this number to the highest possible. In most circumstances it is often best to allocate your page file to either, a separate drive partition, or even a separate drive, having it be the first space allotted after formatting. This will increase performance significantly, but is usually the kind of thing left to the professionals.
This tutorial will ultimately focus on simply increasing your page file size. Below details the simple steps involved, keep in mind however, that the page file size numbers will differ from computer to computer.
To increase Virtual Memory:
1) Click Start and then click Control Panel.
2) Once in Control Panel Click System
3) In System Properties click the Advanced Tab followed by Settings listed under Performance
4) Now under Performance Options, simply click the Advanced tab and Click Change
5) Make the top number in the number box as high as the one below.
6) Once you have completed the steps above, simply click Set and OK
There is much more you can do to boost your computers performance, Under the Performance Options window for example, you may wish to change your settings for `Best Performance’. This will also slightly enhance your computer's performance.
This will take away all the fancy graphics and colours you see in Windows XP’s default setup, and replace them with the`Windows Classic Style’, which is rather plane by comparison. The difference in using this format is that your computer has a little spare power, which was before being used to generate all the graphics and highlights for Windows.
The results of these steps will vary and only make a slight improvement. Along with regular computer housekeep duties such as Disc Cleanup and Disc Defragmenter, the above will help boost performance. Because the topic of computer performance and enhancements, upgrades and so forth, is so vast, I will add more information in the future, and include some tutorials on the computer’s registry and hardware upgrades.
Perhaps one of the most important and immediate things anyone can do to improve their computer’s performance, is to reformat the computer. This is where you reload Windows onto your computer, wiping everything and re-installing a fresh copy. You must backup your data first, and be prepared to also setup your internet, email, and re-install drivers etc.