Paging File

[Guest]

Our computer after sign on has started giving the Error Message: "Your system
has no paging file, or the paging file is too small". I have tried increasing
the size of the Paging File, letting Windows manage it, tried following
Windows Article # 315270, and have read numerous posts from users with the
same problem, all to no avail.
We are running Windows XP, SP2, 85GB free hard drive space, 256MB Ram.

Our Virtual Memory information is as follows:

Initial: 384MB
Maximum: 768MB
Recommended: 381MB
Currently Allocated: 254MB

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Gary

 

[Jerry]

Did you consider increasing the RAM? 256Mb is barely enough for XP - 1Mb is
better.

Remember, the paging file (also called swap file) is hard drive space used
as a replacement or addition to memory when there is not enough RAM.

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Gary

With only 256 mb Ram a maximum of 768 mb may not be enough. It
may be alright for normal usage but if you run certain types of
programmes e.g graphics or camera related you can need more.

A small utility to monitor pagefile usage:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/utils/xp_pagefilemon.htm

Has the computer always had Windows XP installed or were any
earlier versions previously used?

--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Did you consider increasing the RAM? 256Mb is barely enough for XP -
1Mb is better.

I assume you mean 1GB, not 1MB.

1GB might be better for some people, but not everyone. It is more than most
people can make effective use of. How much RAM you need for good peformance
is *not* a one-size-fits-all situation. You get good performance if the
amount of RAM you have keeps you from using the page file, and that depends
on what apps you run. Most people running a typical range of business
applications find that somewhere around 256-384MB works well, others need
512MB. Almost anyone will see poor performance with less than 256MB. Some
people, particularly those doing things like editing large photographic
images, can see a performance boost by adding even more than
512MB--sometimes much more.

If you are currently using the page file significantly, more memory will
decrease or eliminate that usage, and improve your performance. If you are
not using the page file significantly, more memory will do nothing for you.
Go to http://billsway.com/notes_public/winxp_tweaks/ and download
WinXP-2K_Pagefile.zip and monitor your pagefile usage. That should give you
a good idea of whether more memory can help, and if so, how much more.

 

[Guest]

Gerry and Jerry:

We have a Dell Dimension 4600 that was bought 3 years ago with Windows XP
installed on it. I did upgrade to SP2. I'm beginning to think maybe 256mb
might not be enough. Will have to check with Dell about increasing the size
of our RAM.
Thanks to both of you for your responses.

Gary

 

[Guest]

Ken:

Are you familiar with the Windows Task Manager? I opened the Task Manager up
and under the "PF Usage" it read 273mb. Does "PF Usage" mean my Page File
Usage?? I then shut down all windows, disabled my Norton, and disconnected
from the internet, and my "PF Usage" read 221mb.
If this is my Page File usage, should my 256mb of RAM be used up already???

Thanks much,

Gary

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Are you familiar with the Windows Task Manager? I opened the Task
Manager up and under the "PF Usage" it read 273mb. Does "PF Usage"
mean my Page File Usage?? I then shut down all windows, disabled my
Norton, and disconnected from the internet, and my "PF Usage" read
221mb.
If this is my Page File usage, should my 256mb of RAM be used up
already???

That's a very confusing and misleading figure. It's actually reporting
what's been allocated in the page file, noy what's actually in use. They are
two very different things, because WIndows pre-allocates space in advance,
so that it will be available if it's needed. that improves performance if it
turns out to be needed. For an accurate measure of what's really in use, try
the utility I cited below.

For more info on this, particularly with regard to the Task Manager report,
read this article by the late MVP, Alex Nichol: "Virtual Memory in Windows
XP" at http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm

 

[Jonny]

Just wish you guys would make up your minds.
MB - Megabyte
Mb - Megabit
mb - millibit?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Just wish you guys would make up your minds.
MB - Megabyte
Mb - Megabit
mb - millibit?

http://www.computerhope.com/jargon/m/mb.htm

 

[Guest]

Ken:

I downloaded the "WinXP Page File Usage Monitor" that you suggested and
after signing off the internet and dis-abling my Norton Anti-Virus, I ran the
monitor and received the following results:

Current PF Usage: 90mb
Session Peak Usage: 93mb
Current PageFile Size: 254mb

I then signed onto the internet and enabled my Norton Anti-Virus, and
received the following results:

Current PF Usage: 116mb
Session Peak Usage: 136mb
Current PageFile Size: 254mb

Note: I still received the Error Message "Your system has no paging file,
or the paging file is too small" after boot up.

Any ideas??? Thanks much for your time.

Gary

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Ken:

I downloaded the "WinXP Page File Usage Monitor" that you suggested
and after signing off the internet and dis-abling my Norton
Anti-Virus, I ran the monitor and received the following results:

Current PF Usage: 90mb
Session Peak Usage: 93mb
Current PageFile Size: 254mb

I then signed onto the internet and enabled my Norton Anti-Virus, and
received the following results:

Current PF Usage: 116mb
Session Peak Usage: 136mb
Current PageFile Size: 254mb

Note: I still received the Error Message "Your system has no paging
file, or the paging file is too small" after boot up.

Any ideas??? Thanks much for your time.

What are your page file settings?

 

[Gerry Cornell]

Gary

Might this Knowledge Base Article apply?
"Your System Has No Paging File, or the Paging File Is Too Small" Error
Message After Windows XP Upgrade
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/316528

Is your hard drive partitioned?


--

Hope this helps.

Gerry
~~~~
FCA
Stourport, England

Enquire, plan and execute
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ken:

I downloaded the "WinXP Page File Usage Monitor" that you suggested and
after signing off the internet and dis-abling my Norton Anti-Virus, I ran
the
monitor and received the following results:

Current PF Usage: 90mb
Session Peak Usage: 93mb
Current PageFile Size: 254mb

I then signed onto the internet and enabled my Norton Anti-Virus, and
received the following results:

Current PF Usage: 116mb
Session Peak Usage: 136mb
Current PageFile Size: 254mb

Note: I still received the Error Message "Your system has no paging file,
or the paging file is too small" after boot up.

Any ideas??? Thanks much for your time.

Gary