Virtual Memory and 1GB RAM on XP Home

[bernse]

I built my new 2.8C system with 1GB of RAM. When I tried to play a game, I got a warning message that "it did not detect the minimum of 140MB of virtual memory" and cautioned that it might not play correctly.

Is it just because I have so much RAM that XP doesn't bother with a swapfile?

 

[Jeff7181]

Turn your swap file back on... Windows needs it to function properly. Too many people think "I have enough RAM, to hell with the swap file" and disable it. Whether it's being used constantly or not, Windows needs it there because some things just don't need to be in RAM.

 

[Ketchup]

Yes, you do need to re-enable the swap file. Many people think this will adversely affect performance, and while this is theoretically true, it is just not this way in practice. Windows-based programs require virtual memory to run properly, and you system will not be that much slower with it enabled.

 

[bernse]

Did I say anywhere in my post that I turned it off? There is that not reading the whole message syndrome again...

I am just telling you what the game said. Did windows make it so low on its own?

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: bernse
Did I say anywhere in my post that I turned it off? There is that not reading the whole message syndrome again...

I am just telling you what the game said. Did windows make it so low on its own?

No... you or somebody else had to set it that low. If you're getting virtual memory error message, it's because somebody messed with it, or you've got less than 140 MB of free hard disk space.

Next time you ask for advice, you might wanna be a little less rude when someone replies, or people will simply not listen to your problems anymore.

 

[MAW1082]

a lot of hostility there . . .

Control Pane > System > Advanced tab > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Virtual Memory

. . . what does it say the size of th page file is?

 

[Jeff7181]

Originally posted by: MAW1082
a lot of hostility there . . .

Control Pane > System > Advanced tab > Performance > Settings > Advanced > Virtual Memory

. . . what does it say the size of th page file is?

He's the one asking for help... and him, or someone else probably messed with it because Windows will resize the swap file as needed if you don't change any settings. He wrote back with a snappy response because he didn't want to be told the problem might be between the keyboard and the chair.

 

[borgmang]

Originally posted by: bernse
I built my new 2.8C system with 1GB of RAM. When I tried to play a game, I got a warning message that "it did not detect the minimum of 140MB of virtual memory" and cautioned that it might not play correctly.

Is it just because I have so much RAM that XP doesn't bother with a swapfile?

Hostility aside - you should make your swap file static. Since you have a gig of ram set both the minimum and maximum to 2000/2 gigs. Restart and go. Good Luck.

 

[Muadib]

Originally posted by: borgmang

Originally posted by: bernse
I built my new 2.8C system with 1GB of RAM. When I tried to play a game, I got a warning message that "it did not detect the minimum of 140MB of virtual memory" and cautioned that it might not play correctly.

Is it just because I have so much RAM that XP doesn't bother with a swapfile?

Hostility aside - you should make your swap file static. Since you have a gig of ram set both the minimum and maximum to 2000/2 gigs. Restart and go. Good Luck.

Wow, I didn't know you could buy harddrives that big.

 

[Ketchup]

Originally posted by: bernse
Did I say anywhere in my post that I turned it off? There is that not reading the whole message syndrome again...

I am just telling you what the game said. Did windows make it so low on its own?

When Windows was installed, it set the swap file at the correct size. You or someone else either turned it off or made it very small. Do you know how to check the size of virtual memory, or you do just know how to be rude? You are the one asking for help, so why not be nice about it?

 

[bernse]

I am the only one that uses my PC. Nobody touched the swapfile. *NOBODY*. Page file is 1536MB. I'll assume it was a bug in the game.

By the way, I am not asking for "advice". I was asking if windows sets the swapfile to very small if it has 1GB of RAM, thats all. Nowhere did I say I even touched it, or on re-read, did I even allude to it.

So, no "hostility" intended, just an observation of typical responses on this board. I just find it an interesting phenomenon on this board that answers are often given that have nothing to do with the question at hand or are given without reading or comprehending the question in the first place. Assumptions = A Bad Thing.

It is still a great hardware board. Now, everyone hold hands and sing!