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Mom
3rd June 2009, 07:11
My lovely ancient PC has delivered me a message thismorning that says my Windows Virtual Memory is too low. What does that mean, apart from the fact that this thing is running slower than snail?

SARGE
3rd June 2009, 07:14
from CNET.com



Low virtual memory

Any programs currently running on your computer must reside in memory. These programs include Windows itself and any programs that you have started; they may be running in the foreground – where you interact with them, or in the background – where they act on their own or await your interaction.

The main memory in your computer is the physical memory, or RAM (random access memory). This physical memory generally is not large enough to hold all of the running programs, so Windows sets up some additional virtual memory as a file on the hard drive. It then swaps portions of the programs between the physical and virtual memories, always having the currently active portion of a program in the physical memory.

Windows sets the default minimum size of virtual memory at 1.5 times that of the RAM, and the maximum size at 3 times the minimum. Windows then manages the actual size, expanding and contracting it as needed within these limits – provided you have adequate space on the drive. You can override this and set the minimum and maximum limits of virtual memory yourself; however, I usually do not recommend this for most users.

The message that virtual memory is low means that the programs you are running need more space, but Windows cannot find enough within the constraints imposed. So, lets try to find out why this is so in your case. You say this problem has only arisen recently, and this suggests it may be due to recently added programs or perhaps due to your hard drive getting too full.

First I would check the drive: Go to Start, click on My Computer, right click on the hard drive icon, click on Properties, and select the General tab. If you don't have at least eight or ten percent free space, the drive is getting too full. This would be a good time to perform a Disk Cleanup by clicking that button, even if the disk is not full; you probably will recover quite a few megabytes of wasted space. If the disk is too full, you should also archive some seldom-needed files to CDs or to an external drive.

Too many programs running can also deplete your virtual memory, and you may have some running that you do not know about – especially if you have installed new ones recently. Some programs (actually, the programmers) egotistically think that you will always want that program running; therefore, when it is installed, it places itself in your startup group. It is now always sitting there, idling in the background and using up resources, even if you seldom use it. To find such programs, go to Start and click on Run. Enter msconfig in the dialog box and click OK. When the System Configuration Utility comes up, select the Startup tab. You will see a list of programs that can start immediately when Windows boots; if there is a check in the box at the left of the name, the program will start; if there is no check, it will not.

You will, of course, want Windows components, security programs (antivirus, firewall, anti-spyware, etc.), control programs for peripherals, etc. to start immediately. Most other programs are optional; you generally can start them when needed through All Programs on the Start menu, or through shortcuts on the desktop. Some of the program names are rather cryptic, so you may need to google the names, or refer to a database of startup names, such as the one from bleepingcomputer, to identify the program and decide if you really need it at startup. To keep a program from starting, simply check the box to uncheck it.

Hopefully, the above actions will resolve your problem. If not, you should check to see if the amount of virtual memory has been set to less than the Windows default. Go to Start, Control Panel, and then click on System. Choose the Advanced tab, and under Performance, click on Settings. Choose the Advanced tab, and under Virtual Memory, click on Change. If System managed size is indicated, the Windows defaults apply. If Custom size is chosen, and the size is less than the Windows default, change to System management. You could also customize it, setting the minimum to at least the recommended minimum and the maximum to more than the Windows default – say four or five times the minimum. If you make a change, click on Set and then on OK.

However, if the Windows default is inadequate, I would want to find out what is creating such a demand. Simultaneously hold down Ctrl and Alt, and hit Del to bring up the Task Manager. Select the Processes tab; click View on the Menu bar, click on Columns, and select Virtual memory. You will now see how much RAM and how much virtual memory each process is using. Look for anything using an inordinate amount of virtual memory – perhaps hundreds of MB. This is the culprit, but you may need to google the process name to learn what program is involved. It could be a memory intensive program such as movie editing, or it could be a poorly written, poorly debugged program that gives rise to "memory leakage." This is when a program does not release memory when it is finished with it. It then will take new memory the next pass, and not release that. This can continue until all available memory is used.

In either of the above cases, you must minimize the programs running concurrently with the memory hog. If memory leakage is suspected, I would try to find another, better written program to do the job.


from Tech-Faq.com



Prior to revising your Virtual Memory settings, you should check on how much Virtual Memory you would need, based on how much RAM you do have and how memory-intensive your normal applications are.
Specifying Virtual Memory Settings

The best way to do this is by installing the built-in System Monitor applet from the Add/Remove Program component in the Control Panel. Go to Windows Setup, highlight System Tools and click Details. Put a check on System Monitor and then hit the OK button, and exit the program. A prompt will appear to insert the Windows CD. Do so and follow the instructions to set up System Monitor.

Use this for a few days to monitor the size of the swap file, available (or free) physical memory and the swap file in use as you work. This will give you a better idea of the adjustments you need to make.
Adjusting Virtual Memory Settings

The required settings can be accessed from within the System Control Panel applet which is accessible by right-clicking on the My Computer symbol and then clicking on Properties from the drop-down menu. The other approach is to click on the Start button, go to Settings/Control Panel/System. When the applet opens, choose the Properties button and click on Virtual Memory.

For Windows XP, the sequence is to right-click on My Computer, choose Properties, go to the Advanced tab button, click Performance Settings, click on Settings, click on the Advanced tab once again and in the Virtual Memory section, click Change.

The default setting for this is set on the "Let Windows Manage my virtual memory" option. Click the "Let me specify my own�" and select the drive where you will put the swap file on by clicking the drop-down list in the Hard Disk field and specify the maximum and minimum swap file size in the proper fields. Once the parameters are set, exit the system and reboot the computer.
Dual Hard Disk Drives

If you have two hard disks in your computer, choose the second hard drive for the swap file to reside on. Windows will be working from the C: drive (your primary hard drive) AND simultaneously swap program codes and data to and from the swap file on the other drive.
What Size Swap File?

Using a fixed swap file size means that the swap or page file will be static so that it will occupy side-by-side cluster chains and will run little risk of fragmentation. At the same time, Windows will not need to waste time or resources in sizing or resizing the swap file. The downside to this is that the swap file cannot go beyond the maximum size when needed - which can lead to a system crash.

The best approach is to set up a minimum swap file size that is larger that would ever be needed. Find out how much actual memory is used by the Swap File when you're using memory-intensive programs and set the minimum Swap File size to a higher level.

James Deuce
3rd June 2009, 07:25
Flippin' eck! Nice one Sarge.

SARGE
3rd June 2009, 07:31
i run a relocated 1 GB Swap File on my D: drive..runs anything with no stuttering


Google is your friend

Slyer
3rd June 2009, 08:51
Short answer: Your hard drive is too full, you need to delete some files to clear up room.
The computer needs extra room to work with on the hard drive essentially.

davereid
3rd June 2009, 08:54
My lovely ancient PC has delivered me a message thismorning that says my Windows Virtual Memory is too low. What does that mean, apart from the fact that this thing is running slower than snail?

Yep, hard drive is getting full.

Delete all the rubbish that you don't need, and there will be heeeeeppps of it.


START -- ALL PROGS---ACCESSORIES -- SYSTEM TOOLS -- DISK CLEANUP may help

As may
START -- ALL PROGS---ACCESSORIES -- SYSTEM TOOLS -- DISK DEFRAG

eliot-ness
3rd June 2009, 09:16
I had the same problem, 5yrs old Compaq Presario with 512 mb ram. (256mb virtual) When I worked in Photoshop I got the same warning, sometimes not enough memory to shut down the computer. I cured it simply and quickly by fitting a 1gb memory card. 5 minute job, no more problems. Dick Smith have the cards, DDR PC3200 400MHz for mine, yours is probably the same but check by looking up in the handbook under performance upgrades, or on the web.
I think the price was around $130, but I found a place on the shore that has the same thing for $40 so I fitted a second one to make sure.

Winston001
3rd June 2009, 09:23
Agreed - clean up your hard drive. CCleaner does the job http://www.ccleaner.com/download and I also use Advanced System Care http://www.iobit.com/advancedwindowscareper.html?Str=download

Both are free.

sinfull
3rd June 2009, 09:53
Could also mean you aint got good spyware protection, and them kutu's are running in the background as you surf all that porn ! Well it's the case with me now and then hehe
My pc was a freebe 4 yrs ago and although i have upped the ram and disc space out of other freebes over the yrs , it still only has .9 ghz of processor so i understand snail !
But keeping it clean is the key, cc cleaner is a goody
or manually
I have an external hard drive so storage aint an issue but still get the virtual memory shortage regular, it's basically telling ya you have shitloads of temp internet files (which ya dont need)
i empty the recycle bin regular, empty the deleted items out of outlook and delete the jokes i get every day (outlook takes up a lot of space)
Manually delete temp files, i open internet explorer, tools , internet options, delete, delete all (temp files, cookies etc)
Never paid for virus protection and only once have i been caught out with a worm that forced me to reboot (but that was a dirty dirty site lol and while i was using avg)
run www.adaware.com (got the anniversary one and find its easy to use) for spyware cleanups after surfin porn (or any sites really)
run www.avast.com for virus protection which works great (apart from the updates if your volumne is too high lol)
Both free downloads

Waxxa
3rd June 2009, 11:52
Simple fix mom, increase your memory! if your memory is 512MB increase to 1GB. Get rid of any old crap that is on the hard drive too, like excess Antivirus or Spyware software etc. These can conflict against each other. You can increase the swap file (you really want to keep that setting on Automatic though) but you yourself dont want to go down that road right now.

Slyer
3rd June 2009, 11:58
Buying a new computer is better... computers are so fast for so cheap these days.

p.dath
3rd June 2009, 12:59
My lovely ancient PC has delivered me a message thismorning that says my Windows Virtual Memory is too low. What does that mean, apart from the fact that this thing is running slower than snail?

You have two options, increase the amount of virtual memory available, or decrease the amount of memory you are using with running programs. You'll get better performance by decreasing the amount of memory you are using.

Try going to add/remove programs, and removing any program that you don't need anymore, reboot, and see if your still having problems.

hutchy52
3rd June 2009, 16:05
Post up your PC specs, will make it easier to diagnose

NighthawkNZ
3rd June 2009, 16:16
throw out the window get a new one.... or the cheaper way...what they said above...

martybabe
3rd June 2009, 17:48
I posted virtually the same thread a while back and this lovely bloke solved it for me. Follow the easy instructions step by step and your problem should be solved. Good luck.


http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showpost.php?p=1497498&postcount=10

RantyDave
3rd June 2009, 19:49
Hard disk space is low,
clear recycling to make room.
Should've bought a mac.

(computer advice doesn't work unless it's a Haiku)

Dave

davebullet
3rd June 2009, 20:30
One of two things have happened:
1. How many programs were you running? When Windows runs out of physical memory (because you are running too many programs) - it starts robbing from the disk.
2. As Sinfull said - you're PC has an STD / kooties and needs a good visit from the STD clinic (aka virus cleanup).

Unfortunately - running Windows means you really should rebuild your PC once every 6 months. Windows treats your PC like a giant landfill. It dumps a bit of shit here, a bit of shit there. Pretty soon you have a sespit and your hard drive needs a format and a clean install. Things run much quicker.

Technically speaking - you are running a program with a memory leak or you are running with a fixed sized swap file (unlikely since the default is to have a dynamically growing swap file).

It actually doesn't matter what the reason is. Give the bastard a swift kick and you'll feel much better.