If you have noticed that your PC is running a bit slow there are a number of options you can consider to fix this common problem. One reason could be that the amount of RAM you have on your PC is not keeping up to the demands of your applications, and in this case changing how your computer uses virtual memory is one option for fixing this issue that doesn’t require paying for a costly RAM upgrade. This is definitely one of the more complicated do-it-yourself fixes for a slow processor, but can really make a big difference in increasing your PC’s efficiency and speed.

What is Virtual Memory?

Virtual Memory is a systems technique used to increase the memory or RAM of a computer through fragmenting the memory storage space while still allowing it to function as a single or real system. It essentially expands the available memory of your computer by tricking the computer into believing that the memory caches or pagefiles are not fragmented. All modern computers use this type of memory allocation and it is always functioning, even when the amount of RAM needed to run all applications is not exceeded.

Will I benefit from increasing my Computer’s pagefile size?

Increasing your computer’s page file size is one way you can speed up your PC. When the RAM needed on your computer is exceeded the operating system will take “pages” and move them into the hard drive to free up RAM for more immediate tasks. Your pagefile by default will be equal to the size of RAM you have on your PC, and in Vista and 7 you can increase this up to three times this size. In general, making your pagefiles about 1.5 times the size of your RAM is a starting point. In most cases the available space on your hard drive will allow for this.

Create a System Restore Point First

The actual steps involved in creating a virtual memory paging system in Windows can be a bit complicated and it is a good idea to first create a System Restore Point before proceeding. To do this in the latest versions of Windows

1. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties   
2. Click System Properties on the left, then click the System Protection tab, and Create
3. A dialog box will appear. Name your System Restore point and click Create. A date will automatically be added

Accessing Paging Systems in Windows

Now that you have your operating system protected, you are ready to access the Windows Paging System. To access the Paging System in Windows Vista or 7
1. Click Start, right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Click Advanced System Settings on the left.
3. Under Performance, select the Advanced tab, and click Settings.

4. Click the Advanced tab and under Virtual Memory, click Change.
5. Uncheck the automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.

6. Under Drive click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.
7. Click Custom Size, type a new size in megabytes in the Initial Size or Maximum Size box, click Set, and then OK.

This will increase your PC’s ability of quickly and efficiently process more applications without a lot of effort, cost or expertise.