Windows XP SP2 Virtual Memory

[Urizen]

Hi!

I am running Windows XP SP2 in a Centrino 1600 MHz processor with 512 MBytes
of RAM memory. The recommended virtual memory to be used is 768 MB although I
configured it to used a minimum of 1536 MB and a maximum of 3072 MB. Are such
values too much high? Would if be more proficient to use instead a minimum of
1024 MB and a maximum of 2048 MB as I only have got 4.3 GB of hard disk space
free? What would you recommend? Wouldn't Windows XP SP2 run better with 5 GB
of hard disk space? Or even 5 GB is also a very few amount?

Thank you very much for all the attention given.

Kind regards,
Rui Nunes

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I am running Windows XP SP2 in a Centrino 1600 MHz processor with 512 MBytes
of RAM memory. The recommended virtual memory to be used is 768 MB although I
configured it to used a minimum of 1536 MB and a maximum of 3072 MB. Are such
values too much high? Would if be more proficient to use instead a minimum of
1024 MB and a maximum of 2048 MB as I only have got 4.3 GB of hard disk space
free? What would you recommend? Wouldn't Windows XP SP2 run better with 5 GB
of hard disk space? Or even 5 GB is also a very few amount?

Yes, much too high for the minimum. If you want to control the values
yourself, the minimum should be small and the maximum high.

Alternatively, just let Windows control this automatically. You won't
improve performance by managing it yourself; at best you'll save a
small amount of disk space (not worth very much in these days of very
inexpensive hard drives).

For more information on this, read this excellent article by the late
MVP, Alex Nichol: "Virtual Memory in Windows XP" at
http://aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm