What is a computer's virtual memory?

Virtual memory is a file that your PC uses like memory when the amount of physical memory on your PC isn't enough. It is called a swapfile or pagefile. It is typically set at 1.5 times the amount of RAM you have installed in your system.

You can adjust this file by:

- right-clicking on My Computer | select Properties

- click on the Advanced tab

- click on the Settings button in the Performance section

- click on the Advanced tab

- click on the Change button in the Virtual Memory section

- note the "recommended size" and change the custom size accordingly or allow the system to automatically adjust it

It is only limited by the amount of free space you have on your drive. It typically puts it on the c:\ drive, but if you're out of space you can move it to another drive it you have one.

Even if you are getting this warning, the system will adjust itself anyway. But you can make things easier on yourself and your PC by adding more RAM. Especially, since it's become so cheap. Also, real RAM is faster than virtual memory. By a long-shot. Go to crucial.com to find out your PC's configuration and how you need to upgrade it

Virtual memory is a computer system technique which gives an application program the impression that it has contiguous working memory (an address space), while in fact it may be physically fragmented and may even overflow on to disk storage. Systems that use this technique make programming of large applications easier and use real physical memory (e.g. RAM) more efficiently than those without virtual memory.

Note that "virtual memory" is more than just "using disk space to extend physical memory size" - that is merely the extension of the memory hierarchy to include hard disk drives. Extending memory to disk is a normal consequence of using virtual memory techniques, but could be done by other means such as overlays or swapping programs and their data completely out to disk while they are inactive. The definition of "virtual memory" is based on redefining the address space with a contiguous virtual memory addresses to "trick" programs into thinking they are using large blocks of contiguous addresses.

All modern general-purpose computer operating systems use virtual memory techniques for ordinary applications, such as word processors, spreadsheets, multimedia players, accounting, etc. Older operating systems, such as DOS and Microsoft Windows[1] of the 1980s, or those for the mainframes of the 1960s, generally had no virtual memory functionality - notable exceptions being the Atlas, B5000 and Apple Computer's Lisa.

Embedded systems and other special-purpose computer systems which require very fast and/or very consistent response times may choose not to use virtual memory due to decreased determinism.

nnucklehedd knows his stuff and he should put a link to his homepage as a source. I was so tempted to give the thumbs down on those other answers but at least they made an effort.

Computer technicians sometimes reduce the Virtual Memory to only 10% of the HDD capacity. Best to "Let Windows Determine My Virtual Memory". You can try the other options but some settings in explorer may not like the changes (it does no harm.)

Right-Click "My Computer" icon link > Properties. A dialog shows. Click Advanced tab > Performance > Settings > Visual Settings - Choose option "Let Windows Choose What's Best For My Computer." you can try the other options if want. Click Apply button.

Click the Advanced tab > Virtual Memory = Change button.

Select "System Managed" option thern Apply OK etc..to exit.

Windows may not let you change Drive Specs for virtual memory. You can try but it usually goes bacK to theC Drive after a while.

Windows uses files to store info. Software Programs use Temp files to store temp files. This allows undo actions. The temp files are deleted when you close the program.

For best performance, Windows XP needs at about 15% Free Space and Vista needs 20% Free Space. Your HDD might be getting full or you might need to defrag.

Using PerformanceYou might need to have a computer administrator account to perform some tasks.

The Windows Performance tool is composed of two parts: System Monitor and Performance Logs and Alerts. With System Monitor, you can collect and view real-time data about memory, disk, processor, network, and other activity in graph, histogram, or report form. Through Performance Logs and Alerts you can configure logs to record performance data and set system alerts to notify you when a specified counter's value is above or below a defined threshold.

Open Performance.

Notes

To open Performance, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Performance.

For information about using Performance Logs and Alerts, in Performance, on the Action menu, click Help. For information about using System Monitor, in the console tree, click System Monitor, and then, on the System Monitor toolbar, click the Help button.

For more information, click Related Topics.

Related Topics

Your virtual memory is a portion of your hard drive that your operating system (windows) uses to store information it is fixing to use.

My guess is that your hard drive is getting full.

Your best bet is to go to start menu, programs, accessories, system tools and run disk clean up.

Also free up some space by uninstalling any programs that you dont use through the control panel's "Add Remove Programs" applet.

It skill which you will desire to set your digital memory with a some distance better fee. digital memory is a function in cutting-edge working gadget to apply area of your no longer undemanding disk as RAM which you're able to have extra unfastened RAM area to apply. living house windows working gadget will pass lots of the unuse purposes loaded on your RAM to the digital memory which you're able to have extra RAM. To set a some distance better digital memory. one million) pass to regulate Panel 2) click gadget 3) click enhance 4) click Perfromance putting 5) click progressed 6) click digital memory exchange 7) Set the preliminary length and optimal length to 2048. 8) Restart your pc.

Your graphics card, or lack there of doesn't have sufficent recouses to funciton properly. in other words oyu need more ram.

Virtual memory is also know as shared ram. basically oyur onboard video chip steels ram form the main cpu in order to display things on the screen. the more complicated the graphics the more resources are required to run the program.

So the fix? either buy more ram or a stand alone graphics card that has it's own ram on board. one or the other, it's oyur choice.

Hope this helps