Is it a good idea to change my Microsoft Windows page file size?
No. We highly
recommend that all users let Microsoft Windows choose the best initial,
maximum, and minimum settings for their virtual memory (page file). Disabling
or setting the page file size too small can reduce system performance and cause
instability and crashes within Windows.
What if I just doubled or tripled the page file size?
This may help with
preventing instabilities and crashing with Windows. However, a hard drive
read/write times are much slower than what they would be if the data were in
your computer memory. Having a larger page file is just going to add extra work
for your hard drive, causing everything else to run slower.
This should only be
done when encountering out of memory errors as a temporary fix. For a more
reliable fix, we recommend adding more memory to the computer instead of
increasing the page file size.
I have plenty of RAM, should I disable the page file?
No, the page file
is what helps keep your computer stable. Although you may think there is enough
memory in your computer to handle all the programs it runs, you can still
exceed that limit, which may cause program errors and even system crashes. Some
programs also rely on there being a page file. If the page file is missing or
not available, the computer will get random errors or the programs will not
work.
Should I disable the page file so it can be defragged?
Many people
recommend disabling the page file so that it can be defragged. While it is true
that Windows Defrag will not defrag any file in use, there are Defrag utilities
capable of defragging this section of the hard drive without needing to disable
the page file. For earlier versions of Windows (Windows XP, NT 4.0, 2000, and
Server 2003) we recommend PageDefrag, which defrags
locked files including the page file as the computer boots into Windows. Later
versions of Windows no longer support this utility.
I read the page file size should be 1.5x or 2x the amount of memory installed.
There are hundreds
of online sites and optimization pages that claim the page file size should be
1.5x, 2x, or something similar to the amount of memory installed on your
computer. However, this does not take into consideration other important
factors and system settings that may be unique to your computer. Again, let
Windows choose what to use instead of relying on some arbitrary formula that
worked on a different computer.
Ok, but should I put the page file on another partition or drive?
On a different
partition
No. Storing the
page file on a different partition of the same drive as Windows increases the
hard drive seek times and will reduce system performance.
On a different
drive
This may deliver a
slight increase in performance; however, we still recommend this for computer
enthusiasts looking to tweak their computer for a minimum performance gain. If
you plan on putting the page file on a separate drive, create a partition large
enough for the page file on that drive and only keep the page file in that
partition. For almost every Windows user, we still recommend letting Windows
manage the page file on the primary drive.
I have an SSD,
should I use a non-SSD for a page file?
There are people
that suggest using an HDD as a second drive for a page file, reducing the
overall read/writes done to the SSD, and extending the life of the drive.
However, today's SSD are rated to transfer 20GB+ of data daily for 5-years and
often have a MTBF of 1,000,000 hours, which is well beyond what the average
user does on their computer. Moving the page file to a slower hard drive can
cause the computer to have to wait for the slower HDD to catch up to the SSD.
How about putting
the page file on a USB flash drive or hard drive?
No, again this will
reduce the system performance. While it is true the access times on flash
memory can be faster than a hard drive, the transfer speeds over USB are much
slower.
How do I see how much my page file is using?
See the viewing Windows virtual memory or page file settings page
for further information about accessing this information.
I still want to change the page file settings.
How you use your
computer is up to you. However, after changing the page file settings remember
that you did this in case problems arise you can restore the default settings.
Ha! I've changed my page file and have seen improved performance.
There are hundreds
of reported users who have reported to noticed a system performance increase
after changing the page file size or disabling the page file. However, as
mentioned above doing this decreases the overall stability of the computer, so
there may have a slight improvement in your performance, but at what cost?
How do I change, recreate, recover the page file back to default settings?
Open the virtual memory settings and under the
Change option check the "Automatically manage paging file size for all
drives" or "System managed size" depending on your version of
Windows. Reboot the computer after changing the settings. If you are having
troubles getting into Windows boot it into Safe Mode.
