The page file is larger than RAM. When is moving the swap file justified?

How to properly configure the paging file - instructions

The paging file (English Pagefile.sys) is a file that is located in boot partition operating room Windows systems in a hidden form. Windows uses the page file when random access memory The computer is not enough to run resource-intensive applications. In most cases, this happens when several applications are running and there is simply not enough RAM.

The “default” paging file is one and a half times larger than the amount of RAM, but this size is not always optimal. To optimize the operating system, it is possible to change it and move it to another partition of the hard drive. This will ensure more productive operation of the paging file, thereby speeding up the operating system.

Changing the size and location of the paging file.

To change the paging file settings, go to the “Properties” of the computer, go to the “Advanced” tab and click the “Options” button, the “Performance” subsection. These operations are possible only by the system administrator, as we are informed about in the settings window.

In the window that opens, on the “Advanced” tab, in the “Virtual Memory” section, we can change the size and location of the paging file.

To do this, in the “Virtual Memory” window we need to select the disk to which we want to transfer it and set right size, highlighting the “Special size” item.

By clicking the “Set” button and saving the settings, reboot your computer. The system will change the location and size of the paging file.

• RAM has a speed that is several times faster than the read/write speed with hard drive, therefore, to speed up the computer, it is preferable to increase the amount of RAM than the page file.
• Windows XP, unlike the Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows 8 operating systems, does not require a large paging file.
• When using a volume of RAM exceeding 2 Gb, you can disable it completely; this will not interfere with the system; if you notice that the computer has started to “glitch”, return everything back. B
• more new Windows versions require a large amount of RAM to run applications, using them, increase the page file to the maximum.

Swap file is a file that is used by the Windows operating system as an additional .

For example, you have 1 GB of RAM in your system and you launched an application (game) that consumes at least 1.5 GB; the additional 0.5 GB will be taken from the page file. The system takes the swap file itself from a hard drive or a flash drive, which are much slower than RAM.

Everyone has probably heard about the sop file, but few people have any idea what it is and what the effectiveness of its use is.

I have heard a lot of myths related to the paging file and I think it will be useful for you, dear readers, to know what is true and what is not.

Let's start from the beginning, where to configure and increase the swap file?

Let's go to Start - Control Panel - System - Advanced - In the first item “Performance” select parameters.

Here we come to the point Additionally - at the very bottom there will be a “virtual memory” section in which we click “change”

Phew... finally got there. To set the paging file, click on the disk partition and check the box "Special size", set the maximum and minimum size swap file, then press set and the OK button.

Let's start setting up

Remove the swap file from system disk(the one on which Windows is installed). This is one of the main recommendations for installing a swap file. Why is that?

The fact is that the system disk is more heavily loaded than other components; 20-30 GB are usually placed on the system partition. A swap file of 1-2 GB will take up a significant amount disk space on the system partition.

It is advisable to install the swap file on separate disk. If you only have one HDD with several sections, then changing from system partition for an additional one, you won’t help him much, but still choose a non-system partition.

The paging file is placed on only one partition, one hard drive. By installing a paging file on several partitions, you risk placing a heavy load on your hard drive, which may later require. Therefore, I do not recommend doing this.

The size of the paging file depends on the amount of RAM; the smaller it is, the larger the paging file. On older systems, it is recommended to install a swap file 2-3 times larger than what is actually installed on the system.

That is, for example, on a computer with 256 MB of RAM, it is advisable to increase the paging file by at least 512 MB, or even better 1 GB.

It is better to set the minimum and maximum sizes the same, since the system will be unable to take it piece by piece and calculate the sizes of these pieces. This also reduces fragmentation. But it doesn’t get rid of it!

Also, as you probably noticed, it is possible to disable the page file. Disabling the page file can significantly improve performance. To completely disable the page file, you need to have a sufficiently large supply of RAM:

For Windows XP – 3-4 GB RAM

For Windows Vista– 6 GB RAM

For Windows 7 – 6 GB RAM

In some cases, less RAM is enough, this is especially true for Windows XP. 2 GB of RAM is often sufficient. Therefore, you can experiment with disabling the page file. If there is not enough RAM, you will receive a message about the lack of virtual memory, and some applications will close.

If you receive such a message, then it is advisable to set the swap file. In the case of 2 GB of RAM on Windows XP, 512 MB will be enough. If you have Windows Vista/7, then set it to 1 GB but no more, so that the page file is accessed only in critical situations.

It is better to install the page file on empty partitions of your hard drive. The more free space there is, the better, the less fragmentation there will be. In addition, installing a swap file on an almost full partition can cause errors like - .
This happens because the system allocates a certain amount of memory to each application for temporary storage of its data, and in the case when the data is occupied by the swap file, you see an error. Later I will write how to get rid of this and others Windows errors. so as not to miss.

At all correct setting paging file, it’s like a competent one from specialists. It is important to consider everything: partition, volume, fragmentation, amount of free space on the partition, etc.

Also, do not forget to defragment the page file from time to time. You can do it using the program that I described.

Personally, I am skeptical about the paging file, since the system itself, at its own discretion, will use the amount of space on your hard drive it needs if it considers the RAM to be loaded or if it is insufficient.

At the same time, the hard drive begins to slow down terribly, because of the hard drive the entire system begins to slow down, and as a result, you may have noticed how the system freezes in resource-intensive applications. This happens because the hard drive is heavily loaded and begins to operate in increased load.

Also, due to increased load on the hard drive, its service life is significantly reduced, and fragmentation also affects it.

So the best option is to buy additional RAM than to use hard drive as such. It’s up to you to decide, but that’s all for today and have a good day :)

operating system initially configured to provide optimal performance on all laptop models or desktop computers. PC components and resources may be different, so users need to make changes themselves. Sometimes a setting that you will learn about below helps improve system performance.

What is virtual memory

Before increasing the paging file in Windows 7, you need to understand what it is. To fully understand how this parameter works, you need to understand the basic terminology:

1. Random Access Memory (also known as RAM) acts as a random access memory device. If you opened some program or application, then part of the data for this procedure is saved in the RAM. When reopening, the process is faster thanks to it. After turning off the computer it is completely cleared. The more RAM, the faster programs respond.
2. Paging-file (aka swap-file) is a document on the hard drive called pagefile.sys, it is hidden by default. The Windows system uses it to store data and parts of programs that do not fit in RAM. If space is freed up, then information from the swap part will be placed in RAM and back.
3. Virtual memory is the combined meaning of the previous two terms.

How to increase the page file in Windows 7

When appearing in Windows messages about a program error due to a lack of virtual space you need to either buy more RAM or increase the size of the swap file. As a rule, it is controlled automatically by the system, so you will have to change its volume yourself. This procedure will improve the performance of your computer and help avoid operation failures.

For optimal performance The swap-file should be equal to the size of the RAM at the minimum value, and twice as large as the maximum value. If you have 4 GB of RAM, then the lower value should be 4, and the upper 8 GB. It is believed among users that the swap-file should be static, the maximum and minimum value coincide, but this theory has not received practical confirmation.

Before moving on to the settings, you should keep in mind that you can create it on each disk (partition) of the hard drive, but this will not give a real performance increase, so you need to work with the document on the system drive. Instructions on how to increase the page file in Windows 7:

1. Click the PC mouse on the “My Computer” shortcut, go to the “Properties” section.
2. In the new window, in the left menu, find the item “ Extra options systems."
3. In the “Advanced” section, in the “Performance” group, click the “Options” button.
4. Next, switch to the “Advanced” tab.
5. From the “Virtual Memory” section you need to click “Change”.
6. Go to the "Virtual Memory" tab.
7. Here you can increase, disable or move the Windows swap-file to another disk. Just select drive C, check the box next to “No paging file,” and click “Set.” Agree with the warning. After that, select another section, check the “Specify size” checkbox, and set the maximum and minimum volume.
8. You can also simply increase the value on drive C without transferring.
9. Reboot your PC for the new settings to take effect.
10. To prevent an object from being fragmented, you need to set the same value for max and min sizes.

Proper optimization of a computer allows it to quickly cope with assigned tasks, even with not the most powerful hardware. One of the most important moments Optimization for a small amount of RAM is to configure the paging file. Most users leave it up to Windows to decide what size paging file to use to keep their computer running perfectly. This approach is fundamentally wrong, and self-configuration paging file will increase system performance.

Table of contents:

What is the Windows paging file and why is it needed?

Each computer has RAM installed, the purpose of which is to temporarily store data in quick access for the processor. A hard drive can also act as storage for quick access to data, but its speed is significantly lower than that of RAM. The paging file is an area of ​​the hard drive allocated for temporary storage of information. When free RAM runs out, the computer will write information to the paging file, and then can read it from there.

If we consider the operation of the paging file as an example, we can note the following scenario. When running several applications that actively consume RAM, some of them will be inactive (minimized). In such a situation, there is no point in storing them in RAM, thereby loading free place, and the Windows operating system will move inactive programs to the page file. Active programs will be in RAM in order to be processed faster. When the user accesses a previously inactive program, its data will be moved from the page file to RAM, and some information from RAM will be sent to the page file.

When your computer does not have enough RAM to store data and the page file is not enabled or configured incorrectly, applications may crash or " blue screens death" when trying to run a productive program.

How to choose the right page file size

As noted above, the paging file is free space on the hard drive that is used to store data for quick access. Large capacity hard drives are inexpensive, and it may seem that if you install big size swap file on fast HDD or SSD storage, then you can minimize the amount of RAM installed in your computer, but this is not the case.

As practice shows, the Windows operating system large file paging and low, constantly busy RAM will access the hard drive more often. This will lead to the following consequences:

Accordingly, on each computer assembly you must select right size swap file. By default, Windows is set to let the operating system independently choose how much memory to allocate to the paging file. Similar method optimization is not ideal, and better for the user configure the amount of allocated memory yourself.

On right choice The size of the paging file is influenced by many factors: the number of applications simultaneously used on the computer, the resource intensity of the tasks being performed, the number of programs running in the background, and much more. But first of all, you should focus on the amount of RAM installed in the computer, based on the following postulate: the less RAM in the computer, the larger the paging file should be.

If we take the average figures for the paging file size for computers, we can name the following values:

• 1 GB of RAM: paging file – 2048-2048 MB;
• 2 GB of RAM: paging file – 1512-1512 MB;
• 4 GB of RAM: paging file – 1024-1024 MB;
• 8 GB of RAM or more: no swap file needed.

Excluding when large quantities RAM swap file, you increase the speed of your computer. This is due to the fact that the operating system does not have to access the disk, and all temporary data will be stored in RAM.

As you can see above, the size of the paging file is indicated in two numbers, for example, 1024-1024 MB. This is due to the fact that in Windows settings can be installed original size swap file and maximum. On older computers, where hard drives did not exceed tens of gigabytes in size, it made sense to set the initial paging file size lower than the maximum. Now that disk space is not so expensive, it is better to choose identical values ​​for both columns. This is due to the following factors:

• This reduces fragmentation hard section disk allocated for the paging file;
• The Windows operating system does not have to constantly recalculate the size of the paging file. Due to this, the number of disk accesses from the system is reduced, which improves the overall performance of the computer.

Important: Some applications in the Windows operating system require installed file swaps. If the computer is running without a page file, programs may simply not start. In such situations, the system will notify you of this, and you will need to make appropriate changes to your computer settings.

How to increase or decrease the page file

The paging file settings can be made on any version of the Windows operating system. To do this, you need to go to the virtual memory settings menu:

Important: If you have several installed on your computer hard drives, it is recommended to create a paging file not on system media. Exception from of this rule can only be if system drive is a solid state (SSD) with high speed work, in comparison with others hard drives computer.

Any user is familiar with the concept of physical memory on a computer; it can be built-in or removable hard disk on which processed data is written. Modern hard disks reliable and durable, but they have one significant drawback– low read/write speed. Therefore, in addition to physical memory, all computers are equipped with a kind of intermediary between the physical disk and the processor - RAM or otherwise RAM, which has a much higher speed than any HDD or SSD drive.

What is a paging file and what is it for?

However, RAM also has its drawbacks, of which the most significant today is its relatively small volume. But in addition to the processes of the system itself, the processes of all custom applications, often very demanding on hardware resources. And when the user runs programs, the total amount of memory he requires may exceed the amount of RAM available on board. In this case, there is a sharp drop in performance up to freezing. individual programs or even the system crashing into BSOD.

To reduce the risk of developing such an unpleasant scenario, the developers created special file, in which the system resets data that does not fit in RAM, and then, when part of the RAM is free, returns it back. It is called the page file; in Windows 7/10 it is also often called virtual memory or page file. To explain in detail the principles of its operation, it would be necessary to read an entire lecture, but we will limit ourselves to this brief explanation: the main task paging file - provisioning best performance operation of the system and programs under conditions of increased load on RAM.

How to enable the paging file and what its size should be

So, what is a paging file and why is it needed, we hope you understand more or less, now it’s time to move on to more complex and interesting topic, namely its configuration. In truth, the page file in Windows does not need much configuration except in some special cases. The operating system itself creates it and determines its size based on the physical and software parameters of the computer. By default, this file is located in the root of drive C, system name pagefile.sys and, like many system objects, the modification of which is undesirable without special need, is hidden. So if you want to see it, uncheck “Hide protected system files” in the folder options.

If the paging file is in the root of the system disk, most likely you have it enabled. To make sure of this completely, open with the command systempropertiesperformance"Performance Options".

Next, switch to the “Advanced” tab and find the “Virtual Memory” block, where the current size of the paging file will be indicated. If suddenly it turns out to be disabled (size 0), we strongly advise you to enable it. Click the “Change” button in the performance settings window, check the “Automatically select paging file size” checkbox in the next window, turn on the “By system selection” radio button and save the settings.

It’s so easy to put a swap file on Windows 7/10, but this applies to the default settings. You can set your own page file size by turning off automatic selection volume and activating the “Specify size” radio button. Despite the more than sufficient experience of IT specialists, there is no clear opinion about optimal size The swap file does not exist. Traditionally, it is believed that its volume should be at least equal to the amount of RAM, but this is very approximate, if only for the reason that the swap is dynamic and can increase at the request of the operating system.

So, how much to set the paging file in Windows 7/10 if we're talking about about him manual setting? This depends primarily on the amount of RAM; the system capacity does not matter in this case fundamental role. Taking into account the individuality of a PC, we suggest using the following method to calculate the size of virtual memory. Running on PC as possible more programs, browser tabs, etc., open Task Manager, go to the Performance tab and note down the amount of RAM used.

Multiply the resulting number by 2 and subtract from the result real volume random access memory. The final value will be equal to the recommended page file size.

In general, the less RAM on a PC, the larger the swap should be. So if you are still in doubt about how to properly configure the paging file, use the data in this table, proposed by experienced system administrators:

It should be understood, however, that the figures given here are also averages. There are examples when a paging file is needed even if the PC has 16 or more GB of RAM (this is a requirement of some programs). Also, if you have a habit of leaving a lot of programs running in the background, it is recommended to increase the page file size by 20-30 percent of the above values. On the other hand, if your computer has enough memory, you don’t run “heavy” programs, don’t notice a decrease in performance, and there’s no need to increase it. Three gigabytes of the paging file for 4/8 GB of RAM should be enough to work without “brakes”; an excessive increase will not only not speed up the system, but rather, on the contrary, will slow it down, since Windows will have to access more often not RAM, but to the slower swap file.

In what cases is it necessary to increase the file size?

Let’s assume that we have sorted out the question of what size of the paging file to set; now we will briefly consider the cases when it needs to be increased. In short, because there are only two main reasons - a noticeable decrease in performance at startup large number programs and the error “The computer does not have enough memory” appears.

It also happens that a program or game requires a swap file when starting certain size. How to increase the paging file in Windows 7/10 was theoretically discussed above, in practice it looks like this.

Let's assume that the amount of virtual memory is set according to the system's choice and we need to increase it. Using the systempropertiesperformance command, go to the performance parameters, click change virtual memory, uncheck automatic detection paging file size by the system and indicate your own size. With original and maximum dimensions you don’t have to bother, put it in both fields same values, click “Set”, save the settings and restart the computer. This is how easy it is to change the size of the Windows swap file.

Using a swap file on an SSD

The use of FP on SSD drives should be mentioned separately. There is an opinion that a paging file is not needed on solid-state drives, since, firstly, they are already fast enough, and secondly, repeated data writing shortens the life of the disk. Both of these statements are incorrect. Whatever they are fast SSDs, they are still significantly inferior in terms of bandwidth RAM and, if the latter is insufficient at a certain moment, the user will immediately experience a decrease in system performance.

In addition, the volume of data written to the FP on the SSD is not so large as to exhaust the resources of the memory cells (this will take many years). Moreover, the performance characteristics of SSDs and the basic models of using the paging file fit together perfectly, so if your computer has two disks and one of them is an SSD, then it is recommended to place the paging file on it, as it is the fastest! In addition, do not forget that disabling the FP will make it impossible to diagnose critical errors in the system (creating an emergency memory dump).

So, is a page file necessary on an SSD? We can say with a greater degree of confidence that yes, even if the system did not enable it during installation. The exception is PCs with very large volume RAM (16 GB and above), but even here everything is not always so simple. As for extending the life of an SSD by disabling/transferring the FP, there is some truth here, since the practice of using solid state drives clearly showed that their service life directly depends on the load placed on them.

However, there is no need to worry about this. If the PC has sufficient RAM, the page file on the SSD will be used minimally, and there are many other and more significant factors that affect the life of the SDD, including defragmentation, hibernation, TRIM, indexing and other functions.

Well, we hope we have figured out the question of why a paging file is needed. Of course, there are still many subtleties in its use. For example, there are such issues as transferring FP from the system HDD to the user HDD, partitioning, automatic cleaning, usage special utilities for configuration, but this is a topic for a separate article.