Management of the file of exchange (Swap)
By: Staff
Date: May 23 , 2006
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The file of exchange, pagefile.sys, allows stage the physical lack of memory, it east creates automatically on the partition where your operating system is installed. By defect this file has a variable size and is modified permanently according to the needs for memories physical. This process makes waste time since the fastest hard drives even to date (15000 turns/min) will be in any case much slower than physical memory (RAM). It is thus recommended to allot to card-indexing of exchange a consequent and fixed size.
Microsoft bases itself on the following formula to determine the size of this file:
1,5 * RAM = Size of the file of exchange (pagefile.sys)
For example if you have 128Mo RAM, you will need a file of exchange of: 128 * 1,5 = 192Mo
This formula is valid only if you have less 2Go of RAM (yes, I say 2Go well). If you have 2Go of RAM or more, it is not useful any more to increase your file of exchange consequently, fix quite simply at 2Go. If you wish to have a file of exchange of bigger size will know than the limit imposed by Windows is of 4Go.
The file of exchange is essential to the good performance of Windows even if you have more 512Mo of random access memory. Thus avoid removing it or even reducing its size.
Note: If you have several hard drives it would be judicious to put the file of exchange on a disc not containing your operating system, this will enable you to have better performances.
Definition:
- Physical RAM = memory = random access memory
- Swap = file of exchange = virtual memory = pagefile.sys
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