Swap file in windows & How to change the size of the virtual memory paging file

A swap file, also called a page file, is an area on the hard drive used for temporary storage of information. Windows uses the swap file to improve performance. A computer normally uses primary memory, or RAM, to store information used for current operations, but the swap file serves as additional memory available to hold additional data.

Note:

Microsoft recommends that you allow Windows to manage the Virtual Memory settings for you (i.e., leave the default setting as is). Only experienced users should change this setting, as it can adversely affect system performance.

Also note that you can manually move the location of the swap file to a different drive. In some situations, this can be advantageous. If you have a drive with more free space or a faster access time, you may improve performance by moving the swap file to this drive.

Windows 7, Vista, and XP allow you to set up swap files for each drive on your system. In these versions of the Windows operating system, the swap file is dynamic and hidden.

Windows 7 and Vista

To view your current swap file information in Windows 7 and Vista:

• From the Start menu, right-click My Computer or Computer, and then select Properties.
• From the Tasks menu, select Advanced system settings.
• In the dialog box that opens, click the Advanced tab. Under the "Performance" section, select Settings....
• In the Performance Options dialog box, select the Advanced tab.

Click Change.... The swap file information is listed at the bottom.

Windows XP

The name of the Windows XP swap file is pagefile.sys, located in the root directory. The swap file is dynamic, changing size depending on system conditions. If you run several applications at once, the swap file will grow to accommodate the additional information required to run each application smoothly. This is a hidden file, so you will have to change your folder view setting to be able to see the file.
To view your current swap file information in Windows XP:

• Right-click My Computer, and then select Properties. 
• Select the Advanced tab. 
• Under "Performance", click Settings. 
• Select the Advanced tab. Information about your swap file is listed under "Virtual memory".

To change the size of the virtual memory paging file in windows OS.

You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure. 

• Open System in Control Panel. 
• On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
• On the Advanced tab, under Virtual memory, click Change. 
• Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.
• Under Paging file size for selected drive, click Custom size, and type a new paging file size in megabytes in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.

If you decrease the size of either the initial or maximum page file settings, you must restart your computer to see the effects of those changes. Increases typically do not require a restart.

Note

•  To open System, click Start, click Control Panel, click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System. 
• To have Windows choose the best paging file size, click System managed size. 
• For best performance, do not set the initial size to less than the minimum recommended size under Total paging file size for all drives. The recommended size is equivalent to 1.5 times the amount of RAM on your system. Usually, you should leave the paging file at its recommended size, although you might increase its size if you routinely use programs that require a lot of memory. 
• To delete a paging file, set both initial size and maximum size to zero, or click No paging file. Microsoft strongly recommends that you do not disable or delete the paging file.