Colin's Weekly Tip: Set your Swap file in Win9x

[Colin]

For Win9x/ME users, setting a dedicated physical swap file size can dramatically improve performance of your system. Right click on the "My Computer" icon and go to properties. From there go to "Advanced Tab". You should see a Virtual Memory button, click that and specify your own virtual memory settings. The general rule is twice your physical memory size so if you have 128MB RAM set the minimum to 256MB. After reboot the computer and defrag your HDD. <BR> <BR>What this does is it forces your computer to have a dedicated swap file which improve system efficiency since Windows no longer has to worry about the size of the virtual memory (constant shrinking and enlarging of the swapfile can severely slow a computer down) and defragging the HDD moves the swapfile to the front of the drive for quick access.<BR>

[801livemusic]

<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif" border="0"> Hi Colin...awhile back you mentioned this tip and really sped up my 'wimpy pc'. However after totally restoring my system 3 times, defragmenting, when I go to the performance tab to manually configure my Windows ME, no matter what I do the system jumps back to the default windows configuration. How can this be combatted? My manufacturer does not acknowledge my ID so they will not answer, and knowing them if they did they'd say "hands-off" and hang-up.

[ADRAMELK]

Only thing I can think of is you arent hitting the "set" button next to the maximum size box. Put in your new number and hit that button.

[Alien]

GOD! Some one Even don't know about that ?please pay more time on you Computer <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif" border="0">

[801livemusic]

Old me again. The setting of the swapfile was finally done after using an aftermarket defrag. download, as Windows ME wouldn't respond to changes in the maximum box setting.<BR>So I'm running on mine a 256k minimum. Where should the max be set optimally?

[801livemusic]

<img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif" border="0"> Hi can you say syntax??????

[zogmool]

801livemusic,<BR><BR>The Min and Max should be set to the same amount. 256k is way too small, but I'm guessing you actually have it set to 256MB since the number you type in is how many MB the system will use. If you have 256MB as the minimum, set the max to 256MB.