WINDOWS XP MEMORY TWEAK GUIDE - WINXP TWEAK

WINDOWS XP MEMORY TWEAK GUIDE - WINXP TWEAK
Posted:2006-04-05 By The Game Number of View:13797
WINDOWS XP MEMORY TWEAK GUIDE - WINXP TWEAK By :The Game Posted:2006-04-05 xtreview is your : Video card - cpu - memory - Hard drive - power supply unit source Windows   XP   Memory   Tweak   guide Windows   XP ,  much   like   its   predecessor   Windows  2000  offers   superior   Memory   management   to   Windows   Millennium   Edition  &  earlier .  That   said ,  both   also   require   more   memory   to   run   efficiently .  This   guide   will   take   you   through   configuring   your   system   for   optimal   use   of   your   memory   subsystem   –  both   R A M  &  the   Pagefile .  NOTE   –  This   guide   is   based   on   Windows   XP   Professional ,  although   should   Home   Edition   raise   any   differences   they   will   be   included   in   the   future .  Update / Troubleshooting  -   Windows   XP   Memory   Tweak   guide- Initially   you   should   ensure   you   have   logged   in   as   a   User   with   Administrative  privileges ,  many   of   the   tips   in   this   guide   will   require   such   rights   be   available   in   order   to   successfully   apply   them .  Check   Windowsupdate    for   any   relevant   XP   updates ,  along   with   CNET Catchup   for   other   updates .  In   many   instances   these   may   fix   memory   leaks   which   may   occur   in   Windows   XP .  If   available   a   BIOS   update   for   your   Motherboard   may   also   help   resolve   some   memory   issues .  You   should   also   check   Your  Driver   Go   to   the   Drivers   page   of   many   Hardware   manufacturers  &  ensure   you   have   the   latest   XP   Driver   installed   for   similar   reasons .  BIOS   Settings  -   Windows   XP   Memory   Tweak   guide- One   commonly   overlooked   factor   when   optimizing   your   memory   subsystem   is   the   BIOS .  The   BIOS   for   your   Motherboard   will   normally   contain   several   important   settings   which   can   affect   how   well   your   R A M   performs . Hard   Drive   Setup  -   Windows   XP   Memory   Tweak   guide- In   order   to   ensure   your   memory   subsystem   is   performing   as   best   it   can   you   need   to   have   your   Hard   Drive   configured   to   perform   similarly ,  this   is   because   the   Pagefile   resides   on   the   Hard   Drive   also . A s   a   result   improving   your   Hard   Drives   performance   will   also   improve   memory   performance .  Right   click  on   My   Computer   &  select   Properties ,   then   the   Hardware  tab ,  followed   by   the   Device   Manager   button .  Expand  the   Disk   drives  tree  &  highlight  ( select )  your   Hard   Drive  ( If   you   have   multiple   Hard   Drives   installed   apply   the   following   steps   to   each   of   them ).  Right   click  on   the   selected   drive  &  select   Properties   then   the   Policies  button .    Enable   write   caching   on   the   disk .   Ticking  this   setting   can   improve   hard   drive   I / O   performance   by   enabling   the   use   of   the   hard   drive   write - back   cache .  This   could   cause   data   corruption   in   the   event   of   the   PC   shutting   down   unexpectedly ,  e . g .  through   power   failure .  If   your   PC   is   prone   to   this   sort   of   failure   then   Untick  this   setting   to   ensure   data   integrity ,  although   it   would   be   wisest   to   find   the   source   of   this   problem  &  get   it   fixed   of   course .  Those   without   such   problems   should   leave   this   Ticked  for   best   Hard   Drive   performance .  NOTE   –  If   you   have   a   SCSI   Hard   Drive   the   following   options   will   be   available   in   the   SCSI   Properties  tab .  Disable   Tagged   Queuing .   Tagged   queuing   is   performed   by   the   SCSI   controller  &  Driver   to   increase  the   speed   of   completing   I / O   tasks .  This   is   accomplished   by   sorting   the   commands   so   the   order   of   the   commands   issued   to   the   Disk   Drive   to   read / write   results   is   in   the   most   efficient   movement   of   the   physical   read  &  write   heads .  You   should   only   Tick  this   setting   if   you   are   experiencing   problems   with   the   Hard   Drive   as   performance   is   lowered   when   Tagged   queuing   is   disabled .   Leave   this   setting   Unticked  at   all   other   times   for   best   performance .  Disable   Synchronous   Transfers .   There   are  2  methods   of   transferring   data   over   SCSI   cables ,  Synchronous   &   Asynchronous  mode . A synchronous   mode   transfers   use   an   interlocked   handshake   method   where   a   device   cannot   perform   the   next   data   transfer   operation   until   it   receives   positive   acknowledgment   that   the   other   device   received   the   last   data   transfer   properly .  Synchronous   transfer   mode   permits   the   sending   device   to   send   multiple   data   packets   without   receiving   acknowledgment   that   the   receiver   actually   received   every   data   packet   sent . A s   a   result ,  more   data   can   be   sent / received   before   acknowledgement   is   required .  Similar   to   the   previous   setting   you   should   only   Tick  this   setting   if   you   are   experiencing   problems   with   the   Hard   Drive .  Ultra   DMA  - Windows   XP   Memory   Tweak   guide- Next   you   should   ensure   DM A  is   enabled  for   all   IDE   devices   on   your   PC . A s   described   earlier ,  load   Device   Manager ,   expand   the   IDE  A T A/A T A PI   controllers  tree  &  highlight  ( select )  Primary / Secondary   IDE   Channel   ( NOTE   –  If   you ’ ve   updated   your   IDE   Bus   Mastering   Drivers   this   may   be   re - named ,  or   the   options   shown   beneath   unavailable ).  Right   click  on   the   highlighted   item  &  select   Properties ,   then   the   Advanced   Settings  button .  The   following   should   be   completed   for   both   Primary   &  Secondary   IDE   Channel .   Device   Type .   Set   this   to   Auto   Detection   ( default )   to   enable  Windows   XP   to   detect   any   IDE   devices   attached   to   the   IDE   Channel  ( Master   or   Slave ).  Setting   this   to   None  will   disable  checking   for   IDE   devices   on   the   Master  &/ or   Slave   IDE   Channel ,  which   will   improve   system   startup   time   a   few   seconds .  Do   not  set   this   to   None  if   there   is   an   IDE   device   attached   to   that   particular   Channel   or   it   will   be   disabled .     Transfer   mode .   For   optimal   IDE   device   performance   set   this   to   DM A  if   available .   Only   if   you   are   using   a   rather   old   or   slow   IDE   device   should   you   need   to   set   this   to   PIO   Only   ( Be   sure   to   attempt   using   DM A  if   available  first   of   course   though ).  Click   Ok   &  Restart  your   system   for   the   changes   to   take   effect .  Configuring   Recovery   options  -   Windows   XP   Memory   Tweak   guide- Modifying   what   Windows   XP   does   in   the   event   of   a   critical  ( STOP )  error   is   important   as   this   also   limits   to   some   extent   the   Pagefile   you   can   set .  Right   click  on   My   Computer   &  select   Properties ,   then   the   Advanced  tab ,  followed   by   the   Startup  &  Recovery   Settings  button .  Write   debugging   information .   Options   available   for   this   setting   are ;  (none ) .   Should   a   STOP   error   occur   no   debugging   information   will   be   recorded ,  as   such   you   aren ’ t   required   to   set   a   minimum  Pagefile   value  ( If   any   at   all ).  Small   memory   dump  (64 KB ) .   This   options   records   a   minimal   amount   of   information   to   the   memory   dump   file .  This   requires   a   minimum  Pagefile   of   2MB  to   be   set   on   the   boot   partition  ( Whichever   partition   Windows   XP   is   installed   onto ).  Kernel   memory   dump .   This   option   records   only   kernel   memory   in   the   event   of   a   STOP   error .  This   requires   a   minimum  Pagefile   of   5 0  MB   of   the   boot   partition ,  although   to   be   safe   set   this   to   about  1/3  to  1/2  R A M   installed .  Complete   memory   dump .   This   option   records   the   full   contents   of   memory   in   the   event   of   a   STOP   error .  For   this   option   to   work   successfully   the   Pagefile   on   the   boot   partition   should   be   set   to   a   minimum  of   R A M   installed  +  several   MBs ,  e . g .  if   you   have  128 MB   R A M   in   your   system   you   should   set   a   minimum  size   of  133 MB   or   thereabouts .  Click   Ok   &  restart   your   PC   for   the   changes   to   take   effect .  NOTE   –  Those   of   you   with   multiple   Hard   drives   (Not   partitions )  are   not   quite   as   limited   by   the   choice   made   above ,  although   I ’ ll   go   into   more   detail   on   this   later .   Advanced   performance   options  -   Windows   XP   Memory   Tweak   guide- Right   click  on   My   Computer   &  select   Properties ,   then   the   Advanced  tab  &  the   Performance   Settings   button ,  followed   by   the   Advanced  tab .    Processor   scheduling .   This   setting   specifies   how   CPU   time   is   divided   between   running   processes .  When   set   to   Programs  more   CPU   time   will   be   allocated   to   the   foreground  A pplication ,  e . g .  this   could   be   a   Game ,  Internet   Explorer   or   Word ,  etc .  Background   services  divides   CPU   time   equally   between   all  running   processes .  I ’ d   recommend   setting   this   to   Programs  unless   the   system   is   used   as   a   Server  ( Not   a   Game   server   though ),  or   similar   such   tasks .  Memory   usage .   When   set   to   System   cache  Windows   XP   uses   R A M   less  4 MB   for   disk   caching   purposes   ( Disabled  by   default ) .  On   PCs   with   a   good   deal   of   R A M  (256 MB   or   more   preferably )  installed   this   should   result   in   best   system   performance ,  although   for   those   with   less   R A M   available   setting   this   to   Programs  will   result   in   best   overall   system   performance .  NOTE   –  This   is   the   same   option   as   the   LargeSystemCache   entry   in   the   registry  ( covered   next ).  Click   Ok   &  restart   your   PC   for   the   changes   to   take   effect .  Registry   settings  -   Windows   XP   Memory   Tweak   guide- The   registry   contains   several   settings   which   allow   you   to   further   configure   memory   management   features   in   Windows   XP .  Used   properly   this   can   further   improve   your   PCs   memory   performance .  Click   on   Start ,   Run .   Type   in   regedit   &  hit   Enter .   Go   to   [HKEY_LOC A L_M A CHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\Memory   Management] .   You   can   edit   the   following   entries   as   you   see   fit   for   your   PC .  ClearPageFile A tShutdown .   For   the   more   paranoid   Users   out   there   this   option   will   be   of   some   use .  Right   click  on   this   entry  &  select   Modify .  A  value   of   1  specifies   that   the   Pagefile ( s )  are   to   be   wiped   of   content   during   the   shut   down   process .  This   will   result   in   system   shut   down   times   taking   longer ,  although   you   can   be   confident   that   no   data   stored   in   it   will   be   able   to   be   accessed   as   a   result  (A s   it   will   be   empty   upon   shutting   down ).  Setting   this   to   0  will   disable  clearing   the   Pagefile ( s ) &  result   in   fastest   system   shut   down .  DisablePagingExecutive .   Right   click  on   this   entry  &  select   Modify .   When   set   to   1  this   disables  pageable   code  ( Drivers ,  executables ,  etc .)  from   being   sent   to   the   Pagefile ,  rather   being   kept   in   R A M   instead .  This   can   greatly   improve   performance   given   that   R A M   is   a   great   deal   faster   than   any   Hard   Drive .  That   said   this     requires   a   great   deal   of   R A M   installed   to   be   of   any   benefit ,  as   such   I ’ d   recommend   leaving   this   set   to   0   unless   you   have  256 MB   R A M   or   more .  LargeSystemCache .   This   setting   specifies   whether   or   not   the   XP   uses   R A M   less  4 MB   for   disk   caching   purposes .  This   will   be   disabled  by   default .   On   PCs   with   a   good   deal   of   R A M  (256 MB   or   more   preferably )  installed   setting   this   to   1   ( enabled )   should   result   in   best   system   performance ,  although   for   those   with   less   R A M   available   setting   this   to   0  will   result   in   best   overall   performance .  This   is   the   same   as   the   Memory   usage  option   in   System   Properties .  IoPageLockLimit .   This   DWORD   value  limits   the   maximum  amount   of   kilobytes   that   can   be   locked   for   I / O   operations .  Right   click  on   this   setting  &  select   Modify ,   then   select   the   Decimal  button .  The   default  value   for   this   is   5 12   &  on   some  systems   you   may   find   increasing  this   value   to   improve   system   performance .  The   maximum  value   for   this   setting   is   R A M   less   pad .   Pad  being   based   on   the   amount   of   R A M   installed   in   the   system ,  e . g .  Pad   is   around  64 MB   with  512 MB   R A M   installed .  This   is   a   more   useful   setting   if   your   system   is   used   for   file   sharing ,  or   server   tasks .  PagingFiles .   This   option   contains   the   location   of   the   Pagefile  &  the   Initial   &  Maximum   size  values .  This   is   useful   should   you   wish   to   rename   the   Pagefile ,  e . g .  pagefile . sys   to   win 386. swp ,  to   do   so   select   this   entry ,  Right   click  on   it  &  select   Modify .   SecondLevelDataCache .   For   those   of   you   with   older   CPUs  ( Pre - Pentium  2  basically ),  this   DWORD   Value   specifies   the   amount   of   L 2 ( Secondary )  Cache   on   your   CPU .  Normally   this   amount   will   be   determined   via   the   H A L ,  although   with   older   CPUs   with   off - die   L 2  Cache   this   may   not   be   the   case .  Those   with   semi - modern   CPUs  ( Pentium  2  or   newer )  should   leave   this   set   to   0   (A s   should   those   with   Multiple   CPUs ).  If   you   have   greater  than ,  or   less  than  256 KB   of   L 2  Cache   on   your  ( old )  CPU   then   Right   click  on   this   entry  &  select   Modify .   Select   the   Decimal  button  &  enter   in   the   amount   of   L 2  Cache   available ,  e . g .  If   you   have  512 KB   L 2  Cache   then   enter   in   5 12 . .   Where   Windows   XP   in   unable   to   determine   the   L 2  Cache   available   &   this   is   set   to   0  it   will   default  to   assuming  256 KB   L 2  Cache   is   available .   POSIX   disabling   - Windows   XP   Memory   Tweak   guide- Using   the   registry   it   is   possible   to   disable  POSIX  ( P ortable   O perating   S ystem   I nterface )  support   in   Windows   XP .  While   perhaps   this   may   not   yield   much ,  if   any ,  savings   to   memory   usage ,  disabling  this   subsystem   will   of   course   lead   to   an   overall   more   efficient   Operating   System .  First   of   all   be   sure   to   check   whether   or   not   any   Applications   you   use   actually   require   support   for   this   subsystem   –  in   most   instances   you   probably   will   be   well   aware   of   whether   or   not   this   is   the   case .  Those   of   you   who   have   applied   the   Windows   NT 4  method   of   deleting / renaming   files   to   disable  POSIX   will   need   to   follow   these   steps   as   Windows   File   Protection   will   simply   re - create   the   files   deleted .  Click   on   Start ,   Run ,   type   in   regedit   &  hit   the   Enter  key  ( NOTE   –  Be   sure   to   backup   the   following   registry   key   if   you   are   uncomfortable   about   making   the   following   changes ).  Open   the   following   registry   key   [HKEY_LOC A L_M A CHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\SubSystems]   &  Delete  the   Optional   &  Posix  entries .  Reboot  your   system   for   the   change   to   take   effect .  Monitoring  &  calculating   Pagefile   size   Before   you   can   set   your   Page   File   you ’ ll   want   to   get   an   idea   of   what   to   actually   set   it   too .  Some   recommend   using   a   general   formula ,  e . g .  R A M   x  2.5 ( By   default  Windows   XP   sets   uses   R A M   x  1.5).  This   is   incorrect   however .  Using   that   formula ,  a   person   with  32 MB   R A M   should   set  64 MB ,  while   a   person   with  256 MB   R A M   would   set  512 MB .  Obviously   the   person   with   little   R A M   will   need   a   greater   amount   of   Virtual   memory   than   the   person   with   a   lot   of   R A M .  To   find   a   more   optimal   Pagefile   size   you   will   need   to   monitor   its   usage .  To   do   this   you   should   first   set   a   relatively   high   Pagefile   size   to   get   a   good   idea   of   what ’ s   required .  Right   click  on   My   Computer   &  select   Properties ,   then   the   Advanced  tab ,  followed   by   the   Performance   Settings  button .  Now   select   the     Advanced  tab   then   the   Change  button .  Use   a   Custom  Pagefile   setting  &  set   a   value   of   Initial   size   =  Maximum   size .  A  good   value   to   consider   using   for   the   monitoring   process   would   be   3 00 ,   for  2  reasons   –   1.  It ’ s   unlikely   you ’ ll   require   a   greater   Pagefile   than   this . 2.  It   will   be   easier   to   calculate   later   on .  Click   Ok   &  restart   your   PC   for   the   changes   to   take   effect .  In   my   case   I   used   2 00  as   I   felt   I   had   a   good   deal   of   R A M   installed  (256 MB   DDR ).  Click   on   Start ,   Control   Panel ,   Administrative   Tools ,   then   the   Performance  utility .  Expand   the   Performance   Logs  & A lerts  tree  &  select   the   Counter   Logs  option .  Right   click  in   the   right   hand   pane  &  select   New   log   settings .   Enter   in   a   Name  as   requested  &  select   Ok .   In   the   General  tab   select   the   Add   counters  button .  From   the   Performance   object  drop - down   menu   select   Paging   File   &  then   Select   counters   from   list   option ,  select   %   Usage   Peak   &  for   Select   instances   from   list  select   _Total .   Hit   the   Add  button  &  then   Close .   Make   a   note   of   the   Current   log   file   name ,   as   later   on   you   will   need   to   check   the   performance   log ( s )  saved   in   this   directory ,  e . g .  C : \Perflogs .   Now   select   the   Log   Files  tab .  For   the   Log   file   type  I ’ d   recommend   selecting   Text   File  ( Comma   delimited ) .   Click   Ok  to   finish .  To   ensure   the   log   is   running   highlight  &  Right   click  on   the   log  &  select   Start   ( If   available ,  if   not   it   will   already   have   started ).  Over   the   next   few   hours / days   you   can   use   your   PC   as   normal ,  perhaps   running   your   most   resource   intensive   Applications / Games   to   get   an   idea   of   the   greatest   amount   of   Pagefile   usage   that   was   required  (A lthough   don ’ t   get   too   excessive   in   this   regard ,  you   want   to   monitor   more   regular   usage ).  Once   you ’ re   satisfied   you   can   stop   the   monitoring  &  check   your   performance   logs .  Should   you   have   saved   it   in   the   format   recommended   earlier   use   Notepad .   In   my   case   this   is   some   of   what   was   recorded   for   my   Pagefile   usage .    The   first   thing   to   remember   is   that   the   values   are   recorded   in   percentage   (%)  format ,  not   in   MBs  ( The   values   on   the   furthest   right  will   be   the   ones   to   check ).  Checking   your   logs   you   should   write   down   the   highest  value   recorded   in   each   one ,  rounding   up / down  as   necessary .  Once   you   have   all   these   values   average   them   to   get   the   final   percentage   value   to   use  (A lthough   you   can   just   stick   with   the   highest  of   these   if   you   wish ),  e . g .  across   a   few   logs   the   highest   values   obtained   were   4 0 ,   2 8 ,   3 6   &  3 0 .  A veraging   these   resulted   in   a   value   of   3 4.5 % .  To   get   a   Pagefile   value   from   this   divide   the   Pagefile   size   by  100 &  multiply   it   by   the   value   you ’ ve   just   calculated . A s   I   mentioned   earlier   I   set   my   Pagefile   to  200  for   testing   purposes .  So   my   final   Pagefile   size   as   a   result   will   be   calculated   as   follows   –   2 00/100 * 34.5   =  2  * 34.5   =  6 9 MB .  Now   that   you   have   calculated   a   basic   Initial   size  for   the   Pagefile   its   time   to   consider   what   to   set   for   the   Maximum   size   &  how   to   set   it   in   the   first   place .  Setting   the   Pagefile  -   Windows XP Memory Tweak guide- Now   that   you   have   calculated   your   Pagefile   it ’ s   time   to   decide   how   to   set   it   up .  The   first   thing   to   consider   is   whether   to   use   a   permanent   Pagefile ,  permanent   being   defined   as   Initial   size   =  Maximum   size .   The   other   route   being   a   semi -permanent   one ,  defined   as   Maximum   size  is   larger   than   Initial   size .   The   one   thing   to   remember   is   that   for   both   options   problems  ( Of   varying   degrees )  only   arise   should   greater   than   the   Initial   size  be   required .  In   the   case   of   the   Permanent   Pagefile   your   system /A pplication   could  crash   in   the   event   that   your   Pagefile   is   of   inadequate   size   to   meet   Virtual   memory   requirements .  Conversely ,  the   permanent   Pagefile   may   help   to   reduce   disk   fragmentation   as   it   will   not   be   able   to   dynamically   increase / decrease .   For   the   Semi - permanent   Pagefile   should   the   virtual   memory   requirements   exceed   the   Initial   size  for   the   Pagefile   it   can   dynamically   increase  in   size  ( Up   to   the   Maximum   size )   until   the   virtual   memory   needs   are   met  (A fter   which   it   can   decrease ) . A s   regards   the   Maximum   size  you   should   probably   set   it   to   about   twice   the   Initial   size .   The   main   disadvantage   being   that   should   this   resizing   occur   it   can   cause   disk   fragmentation .  Personally   I ’ d   recommend   going   with   the   Semi - permanent   option .  If   choose   the   Permanent   option   I ’ d   also   recommend   increasing  the   Initial   &  Maximum   size  by   a   few   dozen   MBs ,  say  30  or   so ,  given   the   possibly   more   serious   effects   of   running   out   of   Virtual   memory .  Now   that   you ’ ve   determined   which   option   to   use   there   are   a   few   things   to   consider   before   finalising   your   settings .  1 .   If   you   have   multiple   Hard   Drives   installed  &  selected   the   Small ,   Kernel  or   Complete   memory   dump   option   for   the   Write   debugging   information  setting ,  you   can   set   the   Pagefile   needs   as   monitored   &  calculated   on   the   other  Hard   Drive  ( Windows   XP   is   automatically  more   aggressive   in   using   the   Pagefile   located   on   the   least   used   Hard   Drive   than   the   one   on   the   boot   partition ),  e . g .  Were   you   to   have   selected   Complete   memory   dump  you   may   require   a   Pagefile   size   of  260 MB   on   the   boot   partition ,  while   based   on   monitoring   you   may   only   need   one   of  80 MB .  You   can   therefore   set   the   Pagefile   on   the   boot   partition   to     2 60 MB  &  create   another   Pagefile   on   another   Hard   Drive   of  80 MB ,  as   the   one   on   the   other   Hard   Drive   will   be   used   more .  2 .   Similar   to   point  1  you   should   place   the   Pagefile   onto   another   Hard   Drive   than   Windows   XP   is   on   if   possible .  This   will   improve   performance ,  although   you   should   be   careful   that   the   other   Hard   Drive   is   not   greatly   slower   than   the   one   Windows   XP   is   on ,  e . g .  If   Windows   XP   is   installed   on   an  A T A100  capable   Hard   Drive   you   aren ’ t   going   to   gain   any   benefit   by   placing   the   Pagefile   onto   an  A T A33  capable   Hard   Drive ,  this   would   be   a   sub - optimal   approach .  3 .   Try   not   to   locate   the   Pagefile   on   mirrored   Hard   Drive ( s ),  e . g .  R A ID  1/5  array .  This   kind   of   fault   tolerance  &  backup   isn ’ t   required   for   the   Pagefile  &  in   most   instances   the   performance   is   lowered   over   a   non - mirrored   Hard   Drive .  4 .   While   the   Pagefile   can  ( beneficially )  be   split   amongst   different   Hard   Drives ,  the   same   is   not   true   of   splitting   it   amongst   multiple   partitions .  5 .   Should   you   only   have   a   single   Hard   Drive   then   locate   the   Pagefile   onto   the   partition   where   Windows   XP   is   installed   onto .  Bearing   those   points   in   mind ,  right   click  on   My   Computer   &  select   Properties ,   then   the   Advanced  tab ,  followed   by   the   Performance   Settings  button .  Now   select   the   Advanced  tab   then   the   Change  button .  If   you   are   going   to   setup   the   Pagefile   on   a   single   partition   then   set   it   as   follows ,  with   the   screenshot   beneath   to   be   taken   as   an   example .  Select   the   Drive  to   locate   the   Pagefile   on ,  then   select   the   Custom   size   &  enter   in   the   Initial   size   &  Maximum   size  values   you   have   calculated   previously .  Click   the   Set  button   to   confirm   your   changes .  If   you   have  ( mistakenly )  set   a   Pagefile   set   for   other   drives   too   they   can   be   removed   by   selecting   the   Drive   then   selecting   the   No   paging   file  option  &  the   Set  button .    In   the   case   you   intend   to   split   the   over   several   Hard   Drives ,  e . g .  due   to   having   selected   Small ,   Kernel  or   Complete   memory   dump  option   for   the   Write   debugging   information  setting   your   Virtual   Memory   settings   may   appears   as   follows .  For   the   purposes   of   this   example   I ’ ve   selected   Complete   memory   dump   ( 256 MB   R A M   installed ),  although   based   on   monitoring   Pagefile   usage   I   only   required  100 MB   on   average .  In   this   case   I ’ ve   set   the   Pagefile   to  258 MB   on   the   bootable   partition  ( C : \   in   this   case ),  while   on   my   other   Hard   Drive  ( D : \ )  I ’ ve   selected   Custom   size   &  configured   the   Inital   size   &  Maximum   size  as   appropriate .  Hit   the   Set  button   after   adjusting   the   Pagefile   setting   for   any   partition .  Once   you ’ ve   made   your   changes   click   Ok   &  restart   your   PC   for   the   changes   to   take   effect .  Now   that   you ’ ve   configured   your   Pagefile  &  other   memory   related   settings   appropriately   there   are   some   other   ways   you   can   ensure   you   keep   your   system   running   in   good   condition .  Disable   unneeded   performance   counters  -   Windows XP Memory Tweak guide- By   default  Windows   XP   can   have   several   Performance   counter   DLLs   active   at   any   given   time ,  monitoring   a   variety   of   Hardware   or   Services .  It   is   possible   however   to   disable  these   which   is   of   most   use   if   the   information   they   track   is   of   no   use   to   you .  This   can   also   improve   overall   system   performance   as   a   result   by   disabling  more   background   tasks .  Using   the   Extensible   Performance   Counter   List   Overview   utility   from   Microsoft   you   can   do   this   easily .  Download now from Microsoft .   Once   installed   load   the   utility .    This   utility   lists   all   performance   counter   DLLs   on   the   system  &  whether   they   are   enabled ,   or   disabled .   Simply   select   a   counter , &  Untick   Performance   Counters   Enabled  to   disable  them   being   used .  NOTE   – The   Performance  utility   in   Administrative   Tools  will   be   limited   in   what   can   be   monitored   should   you   disable   items   here  ( Which   is   why   it ’ s   best   to   only   disable  these   after   the   monitoring   has   been   done ).  Defragmenting   the   Pagefile  (&  Registry )  -   Windows XP Memory Tweak guide- Using   SysInternals   PageDefrag   you   can   optimize   the   system   Registry ,  Event   logs ,  Hibernation   files  &  the   Pagefile   by   defragmenting   them   the   next   your   system   boots   up .  This   can   improve   performance   on   systems   with   highly   fragmented   files   as   you   can   guess .  Download now at SysInternals .     Run   every   week   or   so   this   will   keep   down   the   fragmentation   level   to   a   minimum .  Be   sure   to   run   some   form   of   Disk   Defragmenter   on   your   Drives   regularly   as   well   of   course . For   optimal   Pagefile   defragmentation   your   Disk   Defragmenter   should   be   able   to   allow   you   to   place   the   Pagefile   on   the   outer   edge   of   the   Hard   Drive ,  which   can   be   accessed   the   fastest . A lthough   you   may   require   a   3 rd  party   Disk   Defragmenter   to   gain   such   a   feature . Conclusion  - Windows XP Memory Tweak guide- By   now   you   should   have   successfully   optimized   the   memory   subsystem   of   your   Windows   XP   system .  The   final   thing   to   remember   is   that   having   more   R A M   will   always   be   of   greater   benefit   than   having   a   highly   tuned   Pagefile .  Should   you   be   experiencing   any   problems   check   out   our   Software/OS Forum   Where u can come  with   any   suggestions   you   may   have .  Be   sure   to   check   back   in   the   future   for   further   XP   guides . xtreview is your : Video card - cpu - memory - Hard drive - power supply unit source we would be happy to answer for your question . if you have suggestion or comment regarding this review our support would be glad to help just join our forum and ask u will get the best answer to discuss check our forum section :-) RATE THIS REVIEW 1 2 3 4 5    / 5   View Stat

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