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Guest allcott

Paging File being used but plenty of free ram... Why?

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Guest n1g

AllI guess I dont understand the page file. Loaded up a KSEA saved flight starting in the air around downtown Seattle. Using Cacheman, it reports 870mb of free ram but 110mb of paging file useage. Can someone enlighten me on this. I thought that the paging file would only be used once you had exhausted the ram.ThanksBob

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Guest thedoggg

It's a quirk of Windows XP. It always throws some stuff on the page file regardless of how much ram you have. I don't know if there is a tweak for this.Carlos

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Guest allcott

No tweak required. XP moves to the page file thing which it anticipates might be called, whether they are or not. However, it always gives RAM priority to app calls that are actually BEING made, so the RAM is used efficiently.It's like having guests for a barbecue, but you're not sure how many. You have a pack of sausages so you may as well pre-cook them all, and just slap on the barbie the ones you need as the guests ask for them. At the end of the BBQ you may still have a few snorkers in the fridge, but that's better than having ravenous visitors chewing your leg.Allcott

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That's all fine and as it should be, but riddle me this...When I had only 1GB DDR, it was reported that 1.20 GB was in use when FSX was running, and Page File usage was around 356 MB...Now that I have 2.75GB DDR, only 400MB of RAM is being used, and Page File usage has increased to 1.3GB... :-bang


Fr. Bill    

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Have you changed Virtual Memory size?The best configuration with your amount of ram is no more than 700-800MB with same values for both maximun and minimun.As you know, the sad way of try and error.Jose

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>Have you changed Virtual Memory size?>>The best configuration with your amount of ram is no more than>700-800MB with same values for both maximun and minimun.>>As you know, the sad way of try and error.Yes, I reset the Pagefile to be 3700-3700MB...I'll try a lower size then.


Fr. Bill    

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Guest allcott

Bill, With that much RAM, I don't know why you dont just leave XP to set its own page file limits. There won't be any defragmentation because the amount of use for it will be minimal.Allcott

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>Yes, I reset the Pagefile to be 3700-3700MB...>>I'll try a lower size then.Hi Bill,Even you would like to set 0 -> defrag -> set 700, you'll end with a clean one block of virtual memory file.RegardsJose

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Guest robains

Welcome to Microsoft crap, guess what still exists in Vista.Suggest you let Microsoft know it's time to actually produce quality and not just to improve their bottom line rather than sell crap to improve their bottom line.

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Guest allcott

>Welcome to Microsoft crap, guess what still exists in Vista.>>Suggest you let Microsoft know it's time to actually produce>quality and not just to improve their bottom line rather than>sell crap to improve their bottom line.>>Not true at all. XP Paging File solution is actually a very elegant and simple solution to the question of buffer underrun and is usually only stuffed-up when people mess with it, having read something on the back of a cornflakes packet written by someone who was actually near a computer, once.A lot of the `advice` still being touted about XP and Paging Files is directly repeated from older OS's including advice about fixed page file sizes and set sizes `150% the size of the RAM`. When RAM is available, XP will try to use ALL of it. That's what is there for, afetr all! Part of that process is the Page File. Advice in some forums suggests if you have `enough` RAM , to turn off thepage file. What foolishness! Doing this wastes a lot of the RAM. The reason is that when programs ask for an allocation of Virtual Memory space, they may ask for a great deal more than they ever actually bring into use

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Alcott,We should thank Tom for providing a rubber room for those embittered by Microsoft or life. AVSIM may be eligible for a Social Services Award.Excellent point about the "urban legends" of past OSs'. Folklore is interesting but for PCs it can be a killer. It is tough though to just let XP "do its thing" without you having some control. Faith is needed. Tweaking can be harmful.Regards,Dick BoleyPS: In my less than humble opinion, or LTHO, you are on my list as a reliable and knowledgeable source for PC info.


regards,

Dick near Pittsburgh, USA

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>Bill, >>With that much RAM, I don't know why you dont just leave XP to>set its own page file limits. There won't be any>defragmentation because the amount of use for it will be>minimal.>>AllcottThat's sound enough advice. As another recommended, I shall set the PF to zero, do a complete O&O Defrag, then set PF to "system managed."


Fr. Bill    

AOPA Member: 07141481 AARP Member: 3209010556


     Avsim Board of Directors | Avsim Forums Moderator

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This thread is interesting in view of a thread you contributed to on another site Bill.In that thread some knowledgeable person said that for 2GB RAM the page file should be set to 3GB, at the time I thought that a bit odd.He also said that FSAutostart was uesless and that the Task Manager service should not be switched off or disabled, but there was no explanation.I am not a Windows XP guru but looking at the description of Task Manager I would have thought it could be switched off, or disabled without it having an adverse effect on the OS.

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Guest allcott

>>Bill, >>>>With that much RAM, I don't know why you dont just leave XP>to>>set its own page file limits. There won't be any>>defragmentation because the amount of use for it will be>>minimal.>>>>Allcott>>That's sound enough advice. As another recommended, I shall>set the PF to zero, do a complete O&O Defrag, then set PF to>"system managed.">You could also do the `halfway house` of setting the MINIMUM to a level that is above your normal max usage, but leave the upper limit to No Limit. Defends against any OOM errors but still satisfies the `need` to control the page file, if one must!Allcott

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