Pagefile.sys MISSING!

[Guest]

I have a Dell computer. Recently, for no apparent reason, I've begun getting
a "virtual Memory"error when I boot up. I have done all the things one is
supposed to do: reset Virtual Memory (Pagefile.sys) -- no good. If I set it
to 0 then it boots regularly. If I set it to anything in Custom setting or in
System managed I get the error.

I have read most of the posts here and nothing recommended in them has
helped. I have only one hard drive 60 GB Maxtor. Dell Optiplex with 512 MB
memory. Drive is new.

Does anyone have anything new to suggest?

 

[River_Rat]

Virtual Memory in Windows XP
by Alex Nichol

http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm

--
Good Day
River Rat




I have a Dell computer. Recently, for no apparent reason, I've begun getting
a "virtual Memory"error when I boot up. I have done all the things one is
supposed to do: reset Virtual Memory (Pagefile.sys) -- no good. If I set it
to 0 then it boots regularly. If I set it to anything in Custom setting or
in
System managed I get the error.

I have read most of the posts here and nothing recommended in them has
helped. I have only one hard drive 60 GB Maxtor. Dell Optiplex with 512 MB
memory. Drive is new.

Does anyone have anything new to suggest?

 

[T. Waters]

It would be helpful to have the exact text of the error message.
Take a look in Help and Support. Type in: paging file.
Look over the 15 results from Microsoft Knowledge Base and see if one of
those article applies to your error message.

 

[Guest]

been there...done that...no good...helpful information, but didn't work on my
problem!

 

[Guest]

The text is a Virtual Memory Error...pagefile.sys is either missing or too
small. In my case I guess it is missing! But I can't seem to get it to
create. The only thing that makes no error is when I choose not to have a
pagefile.sys and turn it to no paging file. I have been through the Microsoft
Knowledge Base and am even working with a Microsoft technician, but have been
unable to find a solution.

 

[R. McCarty]

Turn Paging Off. Run a Chkdsk C:, if indicated re-run with /F Qualifier.
Then defrag the destination drive. Set it to System configured and reboot.
I've seen this exact condition before and the issue turned out to be an
inconsistency on the drive itself & the Registry Key in Memory Mgmt
wasn't updated properly, Sort of an "Orphaned" Pagefile.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I have a Dell computer. Recently, for no apparent reason, I've begun getting
a "virtual Memory"error when I boot up. I have done all the things one is
supposed to do: reset Virtual Memory (Pagefile.sys) -- no good. If I set it
to 0 then it boots regularly. If I set it to anything in Custom setting or in
System managed I get the error.

I have read most of the posts here and nothing recommended in them has
helped. I have only one hard drive 60 GB Maxtor. Dell Optiplex with 512 MB
memory. Drive is new.

Does anyone have anything new to suggest?

This could happen if your drive letters are confused. Here are
a few things I would look at:
- What drive do the env. variables %System% and %SystemDrive% point at?
- Is it the drive you expect? (Usually drive C
- Is it the drive you have chosen for your paging file?
- Is there sufficient free space on this drive? How much?
- What are the NTFS permissions for the root directory of your system drive?
- What is the location of the temporary paging file? Is it the same as the
permanent paging file?
- Did you run chkdsk to verify the integrity of your file system?
- I don't suppose you have a folder called "c:\pagefile.sys"? . . .
- And I don't suppose that your paging file has a read-only attribute? . . .

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the response:
1) I don't have a C:\pagefile.sys at all on my computer. I have it set to
see every file Hidden, system..and it just isnt' there. And it won't create
one, apparently.

2) How do I find out what drive the env. variable %system% point to?

3) there is 27 GB of space on my drive, so plenty of space.

4) Temporary page file is in Windows\System32 folder. I can delete that but
it makes no difference.

5) I have fun chkdsk. I really believe that running Chkdsk is what started
the problem.

ChapBell

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the reply.

A couple of questions, since I really only know enough to get myself into
trouble.

Do you mean set the Pagefile to System Configured?

I have run Chkdsk, in fact that is what I believed started the problem in
the first place. I did defrag yesterday. But I'll run the chkdsk again. Will
it tell me to run with /F qualifier?

ChapBell

 

[R. McCarty]

Use Regedit and check the following key:

[Hkey_Local_Machine\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory
Management]
-PagingFiles

It should show the destination drive, Min & Max values

 

[Steve N.]

Thanks for the reply.

A couple of questions, since I really only know enough to get myself into
trouble.

Do you mean set the Pagefile to System Configured?

No, he means set it to No Paging File.

I have run Chkdsk, in fact that is what I believed started the problem in
the first place. I did defrag yesterday. But I'll run the chkdsk again. Will
it tell me to run with /F qualifier?

I'd just run it with the /F the first time. I don't see a need to run it
first without the /F to see if there are errors, if there are errors the
the /F will find and fix them, but them maybe R. McCarty has a spefici
creason for doing it that way which I'm unaware of.

Steve

 

[R. McCarty]

Steve,

I just got in the habit to do a quick check and note whether it
recommends a fix/repair and avoid Phases 4 & 5. Many times
when I'm doing phone service calls, it's good to know if the
volume is marked "Dirty". Users are generally in a hurry to get
the PC back up and running and don't want to wait on a full
Chkdsk. Also, I've seen Chkdsk - /F fix errors that result in
user data disappearing. If the volume is "Dirty", I'll backup or
Image before doing the repair.

 

[Steve N.]

Steve,

I just got in the habit to do a quick check and note whether it
recommends a fix/repair and avoid Phases 4 & 5. Many times
when I'm doing phone service calls, it's good to know if the
volume is marked "Dirty". Users are generally in a hurry to get
the PC back up and running and don't want to wait on a full
Chkdsk. Also, I've seen Chkdsk - /F fix errors that result in
user data disappearing. If the volume is "Dirty", I'll backup or
Image before doing the repair.

Those are certainly good reasons, R. Thanks for expounding on them.

Steve

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

You can check the value of %system% the same way as of
any other environmental variable, by typing

echo %system%
echo %SystemRoot%

or simply

set

at he Command Prompt.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I note that you did not look at several of the points I raised.
Perhaps the most important one - NTFS permissions -
remains unanswered.

 

[Guest]

what are the NTFS permissions? How do I find them? I know that under users I
have created the System and Administrators and Everyone groups with all boxes
checked.

Is there something more?

I have done everything suggested under this question and still no
pagefile.sys will form.

ChapBell

 

[Guest]

I did the chkdsk and the defrag thing again. Still, if I set the pagefile.sys
to no pagefile.sys I get no error. If I set a custom size or let system
manage, I get the virtual memory error. For some reason it won't create the
file in my c:\ directory where it should. I does, or did, create the
hibernation files (hibfile.sys...I believe was the name).

I even ran a cfs /scannow which a Windows XP person told me to verify the
windows files, ... it requested my install disk for some DLL cache file, but
then seemed to install what it needed, I got no errors and it said it
completed. But still same old problem.

This is very frustrating! HELP! I need somebody! HELP!

Sorry for the venting. Any other suggestions?

ChapBell

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

To see the full instructions on setting NTFS permissions,
do this:
- Click Start / Help
- Type NTFS Permissions
- Read the guides

 

[Guest]

The permissions were at FULL CONTROL for Administrators, Everyone, System and
my own logon. Computer Owner will not set to Full Control, and users is not
at Full Control.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Time to run some experiments.

1. Manually create a paging file
=====================
- Start a Command Prompt (Start / Run / cmd {OK})
- Type these lines exactly like so:
copy con c:\PageFile.bat
@echo off
if exist c:\pagefile.sys del c:\pagefile.sys
copy /y c:\PageFile.bat c:\PageFile.sys > "%temp%\PageFile.txt"
F6 (meaning: Press function key F6)
c:\PageFile.bat
dir c:\PageFile.sys
What do you see?

2. Let Windows use your paging file
========================
- Set the paging file parameters in the Control Panel / System
to the Windows default values.
- Reboot.
What happens?

2. Let the system create the paging file
==========================
- Start a Command Prompt (Start / Run / cmd {OK})
del c:\PageFile.sys
at hh:mm c:\PageFile.bat

hh:mm should be your current time plus 2 minutes.
Now wait until current time plus 3 minutes, then
type this command:

dir c:\PageFile.sys
What do you see on the screen?

Explanation
========
When you manually create a paging file, you confirm that
the file can be created in the root directory of drive C:.

After you have set the paging file parameters, Windows is
supposed to use the manually created paging file. It will
be much larger, of course.

By using at.exe to create the paging file, you use the
system account (which is the same account as the one
used by Windows to manage the paging file). This is
about as close as we can get to monitoring the process
of creating a paging file.

If you get any error messages at any stage, type this:
notepad "%temp%\PageFile.txt" and report what you see.