Best practices for configuring XP workstation virtual memory

[Michael Rosenblum]

I am currently configuring some XP workstations that will
be running Solidworks. They are 2.8 GHz with 1G of RAM.
What is the recommended settings for maximum
performance? Additionally, what kind of fragmentation
issues should I be concerned with should I use a really
large paging file.

Thank you,
Michael Rosenblum
(e-mail address removed)

 

[JeffO]

For best performance, use no desktop background, use
minimal number of colors that you can tolerate, turn off
all the fancy screen and menu affects like fade,

Turn these services off, or set to manual:
Automatic Update, Computer Browser, Fast User Switching,
Messenger, Clipbook, Universal Plug&Play, Wireless Zero

If you have CPU's with 512k of cache, then edit the
registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Sessio
n Manager\Memory Management
SecondLevelDataCache 200 (hex) 512 (decimal)
Programs will launch twice as fast. Time it before and
after. The default allows you to use up to 256k but not
more.

Uninstall TrueType fonts you won't use.

 

[Michael Rosenblum]

What about paging file sizes?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

Configuring Paging Files for Optimization and Recovery in WinXP
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/article.asp?ID=kb;en-us;Q314482

Microsoft's guidelines have served me well, but may not be the
best method for your own computer use. For further guidance, try Alex
Nichol's article:

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



Bruce Chambers

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