Memory question. How to control the swap file?? Windows or?

[SnoopyDog]

Hi there

I have been looking for now sometime about how to control my swap file. We all know the old saying about "the swap file has to be set at 2.5X your MB of ram".

Now is this also true or???

I have got 320MB of 133 Mhz ram installed on my computer, now what is the score????


Cheers

Snoopy Dog

 

[Spoooon]

I have 384MB in mine, and I'm not about to set my swapfile to 960MB. My swapfile is set at 128. I haven't had any problems yet. If I get a message saying I don't have enough memory, I'll just up it 32MB or so. You should probably do the same.

Also, go to system.ini and under the 386enh, add a new entry: "ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1"
You may or may not see a performance increase.

 

[AngelOfDeath]

In win2k it's best to let it control the memory since it already does the job pretty good. In win98 it's best to create a swapfile at - Yes! - 2-3 times the amount of memory.

AoD

 

[Mday]

my swapfile is fixed to 1 GB. that's right... ;-)

 

[bluesky]

Well, I'm getting tired of running out of memory, so I'm getting up to 768mb. Does it mean I've got to set the swap file around 2 gig? I don't have that much space on my boot drive.

 

[AngelOfDeath]

Nope. With 768mb I think u should be okey with atleast 500mb and at best the same amount as you got memory.

AoD

 

[Oyeve]

hehehe. I got a gig of memory and i'll be DAMNED if Im gonna set my swap to 2 gigs! Actually, if you have a lot of memory, then the swap file gets used less, right?

 

[ArchAngel777]

*Sigh* Sh!t people, the swap file size is not rocket science. Someone who has 128MB of memmory is NATURALY going to need a bigger SWAP file than someone with 256 or 384. If you have 128MB of physical memmory, then a 256MB swap file sounds good giving you an effective 384megs of memmory. This would be the same as someone having 256MB of physical memory and a 128MB swap file. And I think you get the picture... The point is, you do not need a fukking gig swap file or god forbid even a 500 meg swap file, either download a MEM defragger or restart your machine or simply close programs when you are done using them. I am so tired of the "swap file size" sh!t I could just puke. Each person in reality is going to need a different size, so lets just quit asking how much you need, and start experamenting with your swap file... windows will give an error when you run out.. that is all... simple as that. there is no MAGIC number and you do not need outragously big swap files.

~THE END~

 

[AngelOfDeath]

-*--*--*removed for convinience *--*--*-

AoD

 

[ArchAngel777]

Most people that are using win2k, are either gonna act as a server, or a workstation with important work, often times they will have many windows open at any givin time. Of course there are users that use it just because it's more stable. IF i remember correctly, windows NT 4.0, recomendeds the amount of ram+12 megs, to set the swap file, i have no problem with that.... but 2-3 tims the size? No way not unless you have very little ram, or you are playing in photoshop with 200-400 meg TIFF files. Basicly, people do not understand that the swap file size is really not a big deal, because if you run out of mem, then you simply up the size of your swap file, or add more RAM. Why make the swap file bigger than it has to be? All I am saying.

I have 384 mgs of ram, my SWAP file is disabled. WinME. I never have a problem with memory, i play loads of counter-strike, Quake 3, Unreal, never run out of RAM. The system is speedy

 

[MassMhz]

To put an end to all this,all you have to do is monitor your swapfile useage and you will see exactly what you need.So just use your system monitor,that's what it's for.Log it for a while with normal use and see how large it is.

 

[SnoopyDog]

Thanks for everything guys.

I really appreciate this. I know that this forum and many others are made for the people using them.

What just pisses me right of whith some of the members in these forums, is that you willALLWAYS have somebody who only whants to make you look like an idiot in their reply post. In my oppinion these forums are NOT made for these members. But I guess that some members dont really care WHAT they write in these forums just as long as they get to the top of the member status(i.e. member-senior, junior-member or just member) ASAP. Meant by getting as many posts messages as possible.

If you dont have some good advises or any other kind of help to the people using these forums dont reply to their post.

Ah, that was good to get of my chest. But to all the rest of you thanks for a very good job done. I still see this forum as one of the most serious on the net.

Snoopy Dog

P.S I am not English, I am Danish

 

[AngelOfDeath]

<< you willALLWAYS have somebody who only whants to make you look like an idiot in their reply post. In my oppinion these forums are NOT made for these members. But I guess that some members dont really care WHAT they write in these forums just as long as they get to the top of the member status(i.e. member-senior, junior-member or just member) ASAP >>

Ehhhmmm yes that's right...We call it neffing in here, but what's your point???.

AoD

PS. I'm a dane to

 

[MCS]

I run 256MB of RAM and I have found that I get the best performance by:

1) Let Windows manage my swap file
2) Use the &quot;ConservativeSwapFileUsage=1&quot; tweak
3) Use a program like MemTurbo 2.0

I find that most of the time my win386.swp file is at 0MB, and I when I see my RAM usage dropping I &quot;defrag&quot; using MemTurbo.

Works for me!

 

[rmblam]

1) Run system monitor and add memory monitor - swapfile usage.
2) Use your computer like you normally would.
3) Fix the swapfile to a value somehwere just above that recorded amount. Set min and max the same.
4) Use Norton Utilities (download the demo for free) to defrag and optimize the swapfile (moves to outer tracks.) Windows Defrag will NOT move the swap file to the outer tracks.
5) Don't change vcache settings or alter RAM cluster size (see Rojakpot.com)

See http://www.rojakpot.com/Speed_Demonz/Swapfile_Optimization/Swapfile_Optimization_01.htm for more detailed information.

I have 256MB RAM and I opened up about 10 instances of IE (like normal) AND loaded Quake while mp3's playing and it did not register a swapfile hit... I fixed the swapfile to 200MB because I hate the &quot;error message&quot; that Nocturne gives if I have it set lower. Just a nuisance....

You hardly have swapfile worries with 320MB.

 

[velvetfreak]

AngelOfDeath: You place that much faith in Microsoft? This is the company that created filecache options in System.ini (to improve memory usage) - and then didn't enable them. Ever tried Cacheman... ?

There is an argument for setting a minimum swapfile size - when the swapfile gets used, it doesn't fragment all over the place until it has to expand.

But the 2.5x equation... ArchAngel's right. It's a fairytale.

 

[AngelOfDeath]

I have done a little searching myself and it seems like I've gotten it all wrong so sorry. With so much memory a swapfile isn't necessary.

AoD