Virtual Memory low??????help please

How much main memory do you have on your system, ( I can almost bet you have 256 mb of main memory ) and what is that systems model number ?  What games are you playing and what video card do you have installed.  We will need some addional information on this, but you can change the page file size yourself and reboot.  My page file is set to 1 1/2 times the main memory or in my case 1150 in both boxes, since I have 768 mb of main memory.  You can custom size the page file amount both in the initial size box and the max box, click Set, than click Apply and OK.  You will have to reboot inorder for this amount to change. 

Windows XP likes 512 mb on its own to work at its best and some games will want more or they will go into the virtual memory for what is needed and if you don't have enough, then you will get the error and will have to increase the page file to a higher number.  So, tell us about the games, the cpu on your system, the model number as I have listed below and how much memory you have. 

 Read the below link for page file information

http://www.theeldergeek.com/paging_file.htm

Dim 4400 ( 2002 )
2.6 Ghz
Bios A06
768 MB DDR 2100
Windows XP Home
SP-2
1703 FP LCD monitor
Windows XP Firewall   PC-Cillin now..Great
Nortons Anti Virus 2005   PC-Cillin

Message Edited by SR45 on 02-13-2005 02:37 PM

                                Hey thanks for the feed-back but it really means nothing to me, it was like Latin....I do not really no much but here is as much info that I can gather my pc is a dell dimension 2400 and I have a nvidia G-Force FX - 5200 PCI 128MB DDR Video card in it and yes it has 256mb of RAM nice guess, ummm it is a pentuim 4 and I play the game Delta force team sabre and Joint operations not sure if you have heard of the them the website for them is www.novalogic.com I just want to be able to play ya know I mean it was rather strange one day it was fine not that I knew what my virtual memory was at before the point of the message but at least I had no problem and then just all of a sudden a message what did I do...I have not installed anything new on my pc and I just do not know how to get it back to normal is there something I can do to just solve this problem without losing any performance???? I do have about 56 processes going on when I boot up but I can not figure out how to shut them down some of them come right back on but then again I have no idea if this could be a cause of my problem.....is there any other info I can give to you to help me please just let me know.......I really appreciate all the help thank you.........

                                                 CavalryScout

You can increase the page file a bit more to see if this helps the problem, ( Remember the page file is from the hard drive and is much slower than the main memory, and games will suffer if and  when you run out of main memory, and has to go to the hard driver for virtual memory.  If the virtual memory is set too low than you will get the error message that you got )    You really do need more memory, since windows xp wants 512 to work at its best. 

Canned response :  You may wish to do some or most of the following, in order to get your system running faster, but other factors may be involved in your system having problems....


1. Windows XP likes at least 512 Mb of memory in order to work at its best, even though you can get by with 256 mb. Some games like 1 GB of memory, so the more memory, the better...

2. Older cards will not cut it with the newer games out today and in the future. Try to purchase a newer card if possible. Nvidia's 5600 card would   be better for you if you can afford it...

4. Use a can of compressed air on the air vents and fans. Open the case up and clean out the system, but be careful not to touch anything unless you are grounded properly. Notebook computers need to be cleaned out with the compressed air often, so as not to have dust build up that will slow the system down or worse....

5. If you want to play games and need all the frames per second you can get, turn off Windows XP eye candy, any running applications in the back ground. Look towards the lower right side of your monitor ( System tray ) and see what is running.  If you have the anti virus on during game play, this will take resources from that game.  If you are not on the internet, turn that anti virus software off, than back on after the game. Any other running applications you really don't need during game play can be disabled and turned back on later. 

6. Turn off your windows xp wallpaper and screen saver during games play.....

7. Defrag the Hard drive and do a Disk CleanUp as well......

8. Download and use a spyware program often, to get the spyware gunk off your system, that will slow it down...You should run more than one spyware program, since just one may not catch all the spyware on your system.

9. Prefetch file should be cleaned once per month, that will help a slow system....
    http://tweakxp.com/tweak525.aspx    ....Link to instructions

http://www.lavasoftusa.com/      Spyware program
http://www.safer-networking.org/en/index.html      Spyware program
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html       Spyware program

http://www.sudhian.com/showdocs.cfm?aid=648      Dust build up information site

In the game itself, you should go into game options and make sure you don't have the graphics set too high.  That system with 256 mb and that video card will not give you the best game play.  Lower the settings to improve the frame rates little by little, until you find the best settings for you. 

Message Edited by SR45 on 02-13-2005 05:54 PM

Virtual memory helps when you run out of main memory, but virtual memory is much, much slower, and your game play will suffer.  That game you have, needs a better system with more memory, you just don't have it yet.  Even with more memory, you will need to lower the game graphic's a bit in order to play better.  Yes...You can change the page file amount that you want in the same area that you see the page file.  There is a check off area for Custom page file above the windows set page file.  Look for Custom size, enter a higher amount in both boxes that you will see for initial size and maximum size, than click Set, than click Apply and OK.  Reboot to have it take effect.  If you wish, you can select around 640 mb for each box, min and max, and then click set.  See if this helps a little to eliminate the error message... But , you will need more ram...Very important, and this will help you a lot, and eliminate that error message.  That game wants more main memory, a better video card.  I hope I am right on this next point....You probably have one slot for memory taken up with 256 mb of memory, and not two slots with 128 mb each.  If this is true, than you can purchase a 256 mb stick of memory, giving you a total of 512 mb.  If both slots are taken up with 128 mb each, than you will have to remove one of the sticks of memory and install the larger one you purchase.  Look inside the system to see if both slots are taken up.  Easy to do.   

http://www.crucial.com  Click on this link and look above the site.  It will hand hold you in selecting the right ram for that system.  Its a very good vendor, which I, and many others have used and trust. 

When I shut down a program, I just use the red box with an x in the middle located in the upper right side of the program or screen.  Is this the way you turn off your programs ?  Why are you using task manager for this ?

http://www.wown.com/j_helmig/wxpvmem.htm  This page file site might be easier to you to understand

Message Edited by SR45 on 02-14-2005 04:53 PM