posted on March 22, 2001 10:31:36 PM new
Hi reddeer. I know this all sounds overwhelming but it really isn't that difficult. The swap file settings are very easy to change and if you don't notice an improvement you can just set them back to the Windows default settings. I've found that the default settings aren't always good if you have more than 64 MB's of RAM. I have 128 MB's and I set my minimum to 200 and maximum is set to NO MAXIMUM. Just go to MY COMPUTER - CONTROL PANEL - SYSTEM and then click on the PERFORMANCE tab and VIRTUAL MEMORY. Then uncheck the box that says "let windows manage my virtual memory settings" and click on the box that lets you manage them and enter 200 in the minimum and NO MAXIMUM in the maximum. Then reboot. If that doesn't help you can just switch back to letting Windows manage the settings.
You can also use the utility called System Monitor's Swapfile Size to see how large your swap file gets when you're doing memory intensive tasks like photo editing but I think the 200 figure will work out to be a fairly accurate number.
Here are two more sites that discuss virtual memory and the swap file. The first one probably tells you more about it than you would ever want to know. http://www.pcforrest.freeserve.co.uk/swapfile.htm
Of course, none of this may be related to your problem but if you do nothing else I strongly suggest following Fred Langa's advice in the "Scrub your hard disk clean" part1 and part2 articles that I mentioned on the 2nd page of this thread. That alone will make an amazing difference in your computer's performance.
OK, I'm off to bed. Let me know how it goes.
molly001,I haven't forgotten you but I'll have to post those help sites tomorrow because I'm too tired tonight.
posted on March 23, 2001 09:49:00 AM new
Hello reddeer. The more I think about it the more I believe your problem has to do with Norton. That program is always running in the background and if it is experiencing any problems it can have an ill effect on any other programs you're running.
Windows98 comes with a number of great utilities one of which is called System Information. Go to your START button, then to PROGRAMS, then ACCESSORIES and SYSTEM TOOLS and click on SYSTEM INFORMATION. This will show you how many free resources you have. Also, if you click on SOFTWARE on the left side and go to RUNNING PROGRAMS it will show you what is currently running in the background. Under COMPONENTS - PROBLEM DEVICES you can check to see if there are any problems and under HARDWARE RESOURCES you can look for CONFLICTS with any system devices.
While you're still in SYSTEM INFORMATION click on the TOOLS tab at the top of the page and choose SYSTEM CONFIGURATION UTILITY. This is the same thing as the "msconfig" command. Look at the START tab and see if there's anything in there that you don't need and uncheck it's box.
Another good tool is called dxdiag.exe. Go to START and then FIND and FIND FILES AND FOLDERS and type in dxdiag.exe. Open up this utility and go through each tab to see if you have any problems with your directX components and drivers.
I also recommend giving your entire system a good cleaning out like I mentioned in my post above and run scandisk and defrag. Defrag is extremely important for keeping your hard disk in good shape and, by itself, will correct many problems. You should always run it after you've installed or uninstalled any programs or done any major file cleaning because fragmentation occurs when portions of a file are strewn helter-skelter all around a disk and it increases as data files are constantly written or updated. Running it once a month IS NOT ENOUGH. You should do a thorough scandisk followed by defrag at least twice a month.
You may also have a memory leak in one of your running programs. I copied and pasted the following from an article that explains the details for determining if you have such a leak:
QUOTE
"Determine if you are running programs that create memory leaks. Your computer may be leaking memory if your computer becomes slow after you run and quit one or more programs. If your computer runs well before you run a program, but then slows noticeably after you quit the program, the program may have a memory leak. To verify this:
Restart your computer and do not manually start any programs.
Right-click My Computer, click Properties, and then click the Performance tab. Note the percentage number that is next to System Resources. This is the amount of free system resources before you run any programs.
Start one of your programs, use it as you would normally for 15 or more minutes, and then quit the program.
Right-click My Computer, click Properties, and then click the Performance tab. Note the percentage number that is next to System Resources, and then compare that number to the number that you noted in step B. If the system resources are substantially less than they were before you started the program, the program may be creating a memory leak. To resolve this issue, contact the manufacturer of the program to inquire about the availability of a fix for this issue. To work around this issue, restart your computer after you quit the program."
END QUOTE
Another thing to check are your drivers. Go to their respective sites to see if you have the current driver updates.
Finally, I would do a full uninstall of Norton and then reinstall using the most recent version if possible.
A good conservative registry cleaner is very important and a must-have in your list of computer programs. Microsoft's own FREE regclean program is a good one to start with (I use three different cleaners) and is very conservative. It also keeps a backup of the removed entries so you can restore them if necessary. However, I've never had to restore any of the entries so I doubt that you'll even need that function. You can download it here: http://www.voodoofiles.com/3419
You probably aren't going to listen to a word I've said but I'm saying it anyway.
posted on March 23, 2001 10:05:35 AM new
Good Morning Blanche
I'm listening, honest!
I'm just feeling a bit overwhelmed with all this new found knowledge. Everything seems to be running fine since I got rid of GoBack? BUT, I must admit I've been a very bad boy when it comes to defragging, and it will now be part of my weekly maitenance from here on in.
I'm going to go check on a few of these areas you've just discussed.
BTW - I went to my Virtual Memory last night and I can't put a "none" value on the max. There has to be a figure in the box in order to proceed. I used the default which was 8,974, and when I hit the enter box I received a Windows warning telling me basically that Windows may not restrt if these default settings were changed.
Soooooo, of course I'm back to the default settings.
As long as this beast runs, I'm a happy camper, and I hate the thought of screwing something up after the $$$ I just spent.
I really do appreciate all the info you've posted, and if nothing else I'm at least a bit more educated about the things I have the potential of screwing up.
posted on March 23, 2001 10:13:10 AM new
Hi Blanche...
I tried your Virtual Memory fix this morning and wimped out. Good grief...the warnings Windows gave me!
The odd thing was, it wouldn't accept No Maximum. I typed it in, but the OK button wouldn't activate. Would it be alright to have the 200 minimum and a maximum equal to the amount of disk space left on my drive? That figure popped in automatically...and the OK button was activated at that point.
Is it safe to ignore Windows, when it warns I may not be able to start my computer again if I dare to mess with Virtual Memory???
Sometimes I think Gates just hates us all and this is his revenge for our continued existence....
posted on March 23, 2001 11:05:10 AM new
The amount of hard disk space you should dedicate to a swapfile should depend on the amount of RAM you need to use, NOT the amount of RAM you have. The 2.5 X system RAM rule was flawed from the beginning and it's certainly not applicable today. You have to gauge how much swapfile is needed by the system when the most memory intensive work is underway.
posted on March 23, 2001 11:21:56 AM new
Oh hell, I'm just going to leave mine at the default settings. I doubt the programs I'm running are very ram intensive.
posted on March 23, 2001 11:35:09 AM new
ARGHHHH! Three articles...three conflicting opinions!
When I think about it...Blanch's opinion seems the most logical. If your minimum is large enough to suffice almost all the time, then the CPU shouldn't have to go roaming outside...fragmenting and such. However, if on rare occasion you SHOULD need more, then you won't get the dread "out of memory" notice.
posted on March 23, 2001 11:42:23 AM new
Hello reddeer, toke and mrpotatoheadd. Please don't set a MAXIMUM for your virtual memory. All of the Guru's that I trust tell you NOT to set a max, only set a minimum figure because you want Windows to use all of the RAM or physical memory available before it has to switch over to virtual memory. RAM is much faster than virtual memory so you don't want to limit it by setting a MAXIMUM number.
Windows 98 has a much improved swap file over Win 95 and you should let Windows manage your virtual memory unless you notice your swap file kicking in too often. If you need to manage it yourself or you just want to try it the best way to arrive at the correct figure for your MINIMUM setting is to use the SYSTEM MONITOR utility. Everyone has different amounts of RAM and different demands on their computer so there is no universal number. You should run the SYSTEM MONITOR to find the number that will be correct for your individual computer. These two articles explain that process:
http://www.pcforrest.freeserve.co.uk/swapfile.htm
I hear you there! I can think of no good reason for doing so with my computer- I have a 20 gig hd (barely 1/8 full), 128MB ram and everything seems to be running fine, but I do so like to play around with these things. I fooled around with this stuff when I had Win95, but since I upgraded to 98, I've done a pretty good job of resisting the urges.
What I need to do is get another computer- one to work with and one to tinker with.
posted on March 23, 2001 12:06:14 PM newtoke, you can always change the settings back to let Windows manage them and then reboot. The swap file settings on Win98 really don't need to be changed from the default if you have over 64MB RAM unless you're having problems. If you have 64MB's or less you may be able to improve your computer's performance by managing the virtual memory yourself. Win 95's swap file management really SUCKED and it needed to be changed but Win98 is much better. I just was offering this as a possibility for reddeer because he was having CPU problems even though he has 128MB's of RAM.
By putting in a number for the MAX setting you may be limiting Windows from using all of your available RAM and you don't want to do this because RAM or physical memory is better than virtual memory.
BTW, you can ignore the warning message - it's just Window's way of saying it wants to be in total control. I like to tinker too.
posted on March 23, 2001 12:20:51 PM new
I hate to say this, but I prolly should just leave it alone. Since I upgraded my memory (TA DA!) I now have 192MG of RAM. Only have a 4G hard drive, though...half full.
My disk isn't thrashing...my mouse isn't skipping around...Windows load quickly (and all in one piece) and my keyboard works. No real excuse to tinker, I guess...
