skywalka, I think I answered those questions in the guide already. Yeah, like Chai said, Photoshop uses its own virtual memory system.
Actually, I did. Let's take a look... Covered in the guide. Covered in the guide. Yes. If I'm not mistaken, it's covered in the guide too. That's because if you have a small paging file on the boot volume, it allows Windows XP to use it if the second drive is busy. Covered in the guide as well, albeit not written directly as such. That's because it shows the actual amount of virtual memory, not the size of the paging files. Hope that helps you some!
I compiled my list of questions as I read thru your guide so I'd B surprised if they were specifically answered in there. Because U know the answers perhaps U think the info is there in a clearcut form but maybe there is some ambiguity to them. I got the impression that programs don't directly use the pagefile. Only that Windows sends the programs 2 the pagefile in case their data needs 2 B retrieved later. I'm thinking no? I have set the minimum & maximum sizes for these drives' paging files so isn't the amount of virtual memory the same size as the combined paging files? I'm using CacheMan 2 monitor (& log) the size of the paging file usage & it hasn't been larger than 250MB. Also, I've only just noticed that there is no pagefile.sys on my C drive at all when checking with Windows Explorer (set @ 2MB min & max). And a new query: Will Windows do a large memory dump over 2 harddrives if neither pagefile on each drive is not large enough 2 hold it independently?
As mentioned in the guide, whether you have tons of memory or not, Windows XP will automatically page out pageable data, just in case you need to free up memory for something else. Remember, no matter how much free memory you have, Windows XP will use up most of it for the disk cache. So, you will still end up with very little free memory, to speak of. But please avoid creating hypothetical questions. I can only answer to the best of my knowledge, and that certainly does not include one million GB of memory. By default, the pagefile.sys file is hidden. Did you set Explorer to reveal hidden files? For your new query = Yes, it should be able to do so.
Hmm.. I have never tried the 2MB minimum size. But it looks like unless Windows XP uses it, the pagefile.sys file isn't created. When I find time, I will try it out on my own system.
Similar setup for XP install on a different drive? Adrian - Great article on swap/page files. Really informative. I did have a question though. I noticed the section on "moving the pagefile to a separate partition" indicates that it won't increase performance because you're moving it from cylinder 0 to some arbitrary number. I'm guessing this is because you are assuming windows is installed on the C: drive and therefore the paging file would be there as well? The reason I ask is that in setting up my new system, I was planning on making a 2GB primary partition (FAT32) first to put my paging file on, (as well as my photoshop scratchdisk) and then installing windows on the D: drive (NTFS). I've been reading how some viruses look for c:\windows to install and this simple drive tactic solves that. Have you come across any problems with this? I can hide the C drive and use it for DOS utilities, paging files, and any other misc things I might need. Plus, if it becomes fragmented, defragging a 2GB partition would be much faster than the entire 250gb. Does my logic make sense? Thanks! -gc
Hello gc, I don't think that "drive tactic" will thwart anything but the simplest of viruses. Current viruses definitely do not simply look for C:\Windows to infect the operating system. If you want to protect against viruses, trust me when I say, don't waste your time with such measures. Load an antivirus software in the background so that it continuously monitors for viruses.. and keep it updated. BTW, if you are going to use the 2GB partition merely for paging files and temporary files, you are unlikely to find the need to defrag it much. Hope that helps you some!
Page File Location Being just about to totally repartition/reformat and clean-install everything (under Win2000) from the ground up (see my post http://forums.rojakpot.com/showthread.php?p=210814#post210814 ), I'm definitely going to apply the tips in this excellent guide--including moving my paging file from the boot/OS drive (on the primary IDE channel) to another drive (on the secondary IDE channel). However, I have a question prompted by Using Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional (Cowart and Knittel), which says, "You should have at least a 2MB pagefile on the boot volume. The system requires this to write events to the system log, send an administrative alert, or automatically restart after a system stop error" (p. 1120). Cowart and Knittel's phrasing implies that you must have at least a small paging file on the boot drive. However, Adrian's Virtual Memory Guide section entitled "Multiple Hard Disks" mentions having pagefiles on multiple drives, but clearly says that you shouldn't have one on the boot drive--not even a little bitty one. So who's right? (I'm sure it's Adrian, of course... ) --Mike
Adrian deals with these topics (and shows why this isn't a good idea) on page http://www.rojakpot.com/default.aspx?location=3&var1=143&var2=40 of the Guide.
I have read that but I can't find the option to set the virtual memory to a ram drive. Anyway I won't be moving the vm to a ram drive. I'm just curious, that's all. By the way ram drive = those ddr ram?
LOL! Maybe you should re-read what I wrote. I certainly did not put it in such strong terms. If you want Windows XP to create a memory dump when it crashes, then yes, create a paging file in the boot drive. There's no harm in doing so. But personally, I'm not bothered about memory dumps so I just skip creating that paging file in the boot drive. The guide touches on a LOT of things concerning virtual memory. But no matter what you choose to do, I always advocate simple solutions. Minor things like a paging file on the boot drive won't really matter one way or the other, performance-wise.
A RAM drive is just a logical drive created using memory (yes, your system RAM). To the operating system, it appears like any other drives, albeit super fast because it's using RAM. So, you can set the paging file to use the RAM drive.
Err.. By creating a RAM drive? That's what a RAM drive really is - a logical drive using system memory.
