Small USB Drive For Swap File

[Guest]

I'm curious if anyone has used one of those small USB drives as a drive for
the system swap file and how it's performance is compared to an internal
hard drive. Seeing that these USB storage devices are now up to the 2 GB
range I'm wondering if anyone has tried this.

Thanks,

Nospam

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

USB storage devices are to be used as the name implies...storage.
They should not be used as storage for system files. You'll see
a significant loss of performance due to increased seek time.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| I'm curious if anyone has used one of those small USB drives as a drive for
| the system swap file and how it's performance is compared to an internal
| hard drive. Seeing that these USB storage devices are now up to the 2 GB
| range I'm wondering if anyone has tried this.
|
| Thanks,
|
| Nospam

 

[Charlie]

If one has adequate ram installed it is possible to not use any swap file at
all. This is the ultimate "swap file tweak" IMHO.

 

[Guest]

Charlie,

So if I have 512 MB RAM and about, oh let's say 270-280 MB is regularly used
and the current swap file is from 768-1.5 MB, that if I have 2 GB RAM then
no swap file would be necessary at all and I can set the swap file in system
properties to 0?

Thanks,

Nospam

 

[Don]

You could, but this is not recommended. A swap should be set up, but you can
reduce the size by, for example setting one up on a second hard drive if you
have one (not a second partition), and fixing the size to something to suit
your needs. You could set a minimum of perhaps 200 mgs and a maximum of 500
megs or higher as you need. I have not met one yet but I understand there
are some programs that require a swap file to run.

Charlie,

So if I have 512 MB RAM and about, oh let's say 270-280 MB is regularly used
and the current swap file is from 768-1.5 MB, that if I have 2 GB RAM then
no swap file would be necessary at all and I can set the swap file in system
properties to 0?

Thanks,

Nospam

If one has adequate ram installed it is possible to not use any swap

file

at
all. This is the ultimate "swap file tweak" IMHO.

--

- Charlie

USB storage devices are to be used as the name implies...storage.
They should not be used as storage for system files. You'll see
a significant loss of performance due to increased seek time.

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- drive

for
| the system swap file and how it's performance is compared to an internal
| hard drive. Seeing that these USB storage devices are now up to the

2
GB

| range I'm wondering if anyone has tried this.
|
| Thanks,
|
| Nospam