Different hardware, software, and work habits require different settings;
those with ample hard disks, for instance, can afford to devote more
disk space to virtual memory, while others may simply wish to use this procedure
to place a cap on the disk space Windows is allowed to consume.
250 | Chapter 5: Performance
Part 1: Virtual memory settings
One of the reasons the default settings yield such poor performance is that
the swap file grows and shrinks with use, quickly becoming very fragmented
(as illustrated by Figure 5-8, earlier in this chapter). The first step is
to eliminate this problem by setting a constant swap-file size.
Note that making the swap file constant will also result in a more constant
amount of free disk space. If your hard disk is getting full, consider this solution
to restrict Windows from using up every last bit of free space. (Or better
yet, upgrade your hard disk.)
1. In Control Panel, open the System page and click the Advanced system
settings link (or run SystemPropertiesAdvanced.exe).
2. Under the Advanced tab, click the Settings button in the Performance
section.
3. On the Performance Options page, choose the Advanced tab, and then
click Change to open the Virtual Memory window shown in Figure 5-12.
Figure 5-12. Change the way Windows handles virtual memory to improve overall
system performance
Hard Disk | 251
Performance
4. The virtual memory settings are set for each drive in your system independently.
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