I have yet another question about swap file size..

[Kookstick]

I finally finished setting up my boss's system with a new HD a 13gig , it's only a P200 with 64mb sdram and I was wondering if setting a fixed swap file might speed things up a bit. He multitasks alot, usually using quickbooks,quicken,winfile,and others running all at the same time. What would you suggest for this config? He does not play any games.Would I want to let windows manage this or set a fixed one .Thanks

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Asus P2b(1010),P3 450,128 mb pc100,Matrox G400 DH,Asus 50x,Iomega zip,Mitsumi CDR,Ibm 10 gb hd,Sb Live,Win 98

[Brian R.]

For these systems, I usually use a 200-MB swap file.

[Jorden]

Rule (??) is to set the swap-file to double the size of the available memory. So in your case, you could set it to between 1 and 128 MB. I learned never to use the option between 0 and 128... always set the minimum to 1 !!!

Try the configuration with 128Mb max swapfile, and if it isn't to your boss' content, increase the size.

Jorden.

[TnT]

Why is it that the general rule is to set it at twice the RAM? Wouldn't people that have less RAM need a larger Swap file?

What would happen if the RAM and Swap File filled up?

[Jorden]

TnT,

If your RAM and swapfile would fill up, your Windows would run in a snailpace like way, very slowly with alot of disk-accessing. Remember those days of having a small Harddrive filled to the brims with software, and the swapfile had to be on there as well??

If you'd be running with 32Mb RAM and a small swapfile then, and you'd start up Word, it would take ages for the app to start, if you wouldn't run into a BSOD at the same instant.

I have 256 Mb RAM. That and a 10.8Gb hdd. I've tried disabling the virtual memory once, and hey, it runs, without filling the total amount of RAM!!!

Check the size of your swapfile btw, when you run Windows. You'll notice that it'll be between 1 and 36Mb most of the times, no matter what max size you set the swapfile to.
Just the added extra of having this space, gives Win98 room to work with several windows open at the same time. So the rest of your 9.1Gb harddrive allocated to the Win-swapfile is total stupidness. Not needed and very time-consuming to defrag !!!

Jorden.

[wars]

That's not true. If you fill up both physical and virutal memory memory (your swap file), it will not slow the prog down, rather it will not be able to run the program at all. You'll be greeted instead, by "out of memory errors" and you'll be forced to set the swap file to a larger size (or let windows manage it). As with anything there is no set rule, and I can't see why anyone would go with a 2x whatever system ram you have in your sys. The MORE ram you have, the SMALLER the swap file. Also when tinkering with your virutal memory settings, set both the maximum and minimum to the same amount. It saves time when your system already has a swap file to go to than creating it on the fly. Lastly, defrag the drive which the swap file will be placed b4 setting a permant swap file. I've heard many people say it improves performance, but evidience of that is hard to find. Hope this helps

wars

[Kookstick]

Thanks everyone, It seems to be working fine now. I appreciate the help.

[LAMFDTK]

You know what is really funny? That "Let Window decide S/File" setting. By "tweaking" you must feel that MS are complete idiots and windows could never optimize a swap file. I love this tweak and the V Cache one. on this last install of W98se I left it all default and you will never believe me but it is the fstest and most stable my system has been. Believe me I have tweak with the best of them as far as systems are concerned.
Most of these rules of thumb's are from the days of DOS when people had 4-8 meg of RAM.
Hey try a default install somtime and see.

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PIII-450@504, 128 HDSRAM, Asus P3BF, G400/32, SBLive!, Nokia 447Xi 17", oh yea, a nice floppy drive

[Zypher]

Lock your swap file DOWN. (not "less" ...SIZE!)

Winbloze will resize it whenever it wants otherwise. The last thing you want during online fragplay is a swapfile resizing ....BLAH! Cruuuunch.

Make your Min=Max.

As for WHAT size to lock it at, I dunno. You don't always need double though, I have 256, and swapfile is the same. I always run a couple apps at once, such as ie5+oe5, ps5, fp98, gamespy, leechftp, winamp and pgp+mbm+rc5 in backround right now. No trouble, but of course YMMV...but bigger than you need will never hurt you, it will just eat more HD space. Not really a problem today, when most have at least a spare gig if not 5 they haven't filled on any given partition.

BTW, if you trust ms to do your settings...LOL. They always go for the lowest common idiot factor, and the most fluff. I want my menus INSTANTLY not with a stupid time wasting, cpu-stealing-from-rc5 animation. I don't need the friggin Winlogo with at least a 1 second pause (yep, regardless of machine, they want you to get your bootly ms brainwash nor autoplaying a crappy gui engine on every cd I have, even if I just need one file on it. Blah blah blah, the list of winbloze 'default annoyances' is large, theres actually a pretty good website devoted to it The default for memory is no better for us power users.