Win2K Swap File not on C: Drive - is this okay? System balks when setting up Debugging/Dump

[Fun Guy]

I put my swap file/paging file on a small partition just for the swap file itself. Now when I attempt to set up memory dump, the machine tells me it needs something (at least the size of the physical RAM as I am choosing a complete dump) on the C: drive. Why won't it automatically write to the file I made on the separate partition just for this purpose?

 

[Dark1]

first off how large is this partion

 

[Fun Guy]

4.5GB for a 550MB swap file (on a 80GB HDD).

 

[allansaunders]

From what I've been told, you must have a page file on your system partition slightly greater than the largest crash dump your system is capable of producing, if you wish to save memory dumps.
I think the formula is something like 20 megs more that total memory for full dumps and 100 megs for kernel dumps.
If there is no page file on the system partition, you cannot create dumps.

 

[Saltin]

It's actually wise to move the pagefile to a disk that doesnt have the system files on it. If it's just a different partition on the same disk, you won't gain anything.
When you moved the pagefile, how did you do it? It sounds like to may have done it improperly, as the system cannot locate it.

 

[Fun Guy]

I simply went into System Properties/Advanced/Performance Options and sized the C: drive paging file down to zero, adding one of 550MB to this separate partition.

Probably did it wrong, eh?

 

[Saltin]

Yeah, I think so.
You would want to completely remove the reference to a page file on C:, not just size it to zero.
Go back and remove the reference to C: altogether. It should clear up your issues.

 

[Woodie]

I thought the only place that Windows would put dumps was on C:? (which means that the swap-file on C must be larger than physical memory)

That's the problem w/ trying to move the majority of the swap-file off the C partition--you lose the ability to capture dumps. For most home users, it's an acceptable trade-off, but for us business users, it's not acceptable.

 

[bsobel]

Originally posted by: Fun Guy
I put my swap file/paging file on a small partition just for the swap file itself. Now when I attempt to set up memory dump, the machine tells me it needs something (at least the size of the physical RAM as I am choosing a complete dump) on the C: drive. Why won't it automatically write to the file I made on the separate partition just for this purpose?

The assumption is made that during a dump scenario, the system volume is the most likely one the driver can still write the dump to. For example, say your swap file was on another controller and the driver for that controller caused the bluescreen, how would the dump get written? Anyhow, that is why they do this...

Bill