It’s happened to all of us. You’re sitting at your computer happily surfing the web, checking email, or downloading the latest single on iTunes when suddenly an alert pops up on the screen: “Your system is low on virtual memory. Windows is increasing the size of your virtual memory paging file.” The first thoughts that run through your mind might be akin to confusion or concern that something is horribly wrong with your PC. Don’t worry though, this is somewhat normal. However, don’t stop reading, because it could indicate that a setting in Windows is configured incorrectly, and while this won’t bring your computer to a screeching halt, it could drastically affect the machine’s performance. Read on–I’m going to tell you exactly what virtual memory is and then how to check to make sure that Windows isn’t hiding untapped performance!

What in the world is Virtual Memory?

So, what exactly is this stuff? I’ll start off by telling you this: it really isn’t ‘memory’ at all. Nearly everyone has heard of RAM and how you can’t really ever have too much in your computer, and to a certain extent this is absolutely true. RAM is the real ‘memory’ of the computer. In fact, without RAM the computer couldn’t run a single application! An operating system such as Windows must load and keep a part of itself in RAM while the computer is running, but on top of that each program you launch must be stored and run in RAM while it’s being used. The icons in your system tray next to the clock are also partially running in RAM. Unfortunately, this memory is quite limited when it comes to storage capacity. Most machines include 1GB standard, although many machines are shipping with 2GB or more of RAM.

Here’s our dilemma: as multiple applications and windows are opened, the computer’s main RAM begins to fill and not every part of every running application can fit in the limited space. So, the computer has to have another location to send the ‘overflow’ of data that doesn’t make it into RAM; therefore, it reserves a certain amount of space on the hard-drive (usually 1-2GB) to hold data until other information is cleared out of memory to make space for new stuff. It’s a bit like a wedding wherein more individuals have been invited than will fit into the church. Once the venue has reached capacity, the ushers will then escort others to a room where they may watch on closed-circuit TV. They’re still able to participate in the event, but they aren’t directly involved in the main service. Of course, this example breaks down, but you get the idea. In a nutshell, Virtual Memory looks and acts just like real memory to most applications…except for the fact that it’s a whole lot slower. Other names for this reserved disk space include ’swap file’ and ‘paging file.’

Do I have enough?

Even though we don’t necessarily like using virtual memory, it’s a fact of life. Ensuring that your computer has set aside enough space for virtual memory is crucial to keep things running smoothly. If you’re using Apple’s OS X Leopard or Windows Vista, you probably don’t need to adjust anything. These modern operating systems come preconfigured to manage their own swap space and generally do a pretty good job of it. If you’re using Windows XP on the other hand, things may be a different story. Follow these steps to check the virtual memory settings on your XP Home or Pro equipped computer.

Step 1:

Open your Start Menu, right-click on My Computer, and select Properties.

Step 2:

Select the Advanced tab, then click Settings in the Performance section of that window.

Step 3:

Click this window’s Advanced tab, then the Change button under the virtual memory section. Now set your virtual memory to “System managed size” and click Set. If you know what you’re doing, you may want to choose a Custom size, but this is probably not necessary.

Complete the process by clicking ‘OK’ until all the windows are closed, then restart your computer.

If anything was set differently or possibly amiss, you may notice a performance increase at the expense of a little disk space. Either way, your virtual memory should now be optimized for maximum effectiveness.

Happy computing!