To uderstand page file it is important to understand virtual memory first.As per definition virtual memory is temporary storage used by a computer to run program that need more memory than computer has.The major advantage of virtual memory is that it allows more processes to execute concurrently than might otherwise fit in physical memory.
What is page file?
The page file is used by Windows to hold temporary data which is swapped in and out of physical memory in order to provide a larger virtual memory set. This is hidden file in windows. Page file is also sometimes known as swap file.
Why your computer needs page file?
When system runs low on RAM because some application is taking more memory. At that time Windows moves the least used "pages" of memory out to a hidden file named pagefile.sys in the root.Moving least used pages to page file clears space in RAM for the applications which are actually active on system. Simply put, it means if an application is minimized for a while and you are heavily using other applications, Windows will move some of the memory from the minimized application to the pagefile since it's not being accessed recently.
How to see page file size settings on your system?
1. Go to Control panel -> system and security -> system.
2. In the left pane, click ‘Advanced system settings’.
3. On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
4. Click the Advanced tab, and then, under Virtual memory, click Change.
5. Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.
6. Under Drive [Volume Label], 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 (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, click Set, and then click OK.
Location of page file in registry: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PagingFiles.When the system boots up, the Session Manager process determines the list of page files to open by reading the value in the system registry.
Is disabling pagefile a good idea?
In my opinion it's not a good idea to disable page file. The big problem with disabling page file is that at any point of time if your system runs out of physical RAM your apps will start crashing since there's no virtual memory for windows to allocate.
What is page file?
The page file is used by Windows to hold temporary data which is swapped in and out of physical memory in order to provide a larger virtual memory set. This is hidden file in windows. Page file is also sometimes known as swap file.
Why your computer needs page file?
When system runs low on RAM because some application is taking more memory. At that time Windows moves the least used "pages" of memory out to a hidden file named pagefile.sys in the root.Moving least used pages to page file clears space in RAM for the applications which are actually active on system. Simply put, it means if an application is minimized for a while and you are heavily using other applications, Windows will move some of the memory from the minimized application to the pagefile since it's not being accessed recently.
How to see page file size settings on your system?
1. Go to Control panel -> system and security -> system.
2. In the left pane, click ‘Advanced system settings’.
3. On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
4. Click the Advanced tab, and then, under Virtual memory, click Change.
5. Clear the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives check box.
6. Under Drive [Volume Label], 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 (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, click Set, and then click OK.
Location of page file in registry: HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management\PagingFiles.When the system boots up, the Session Manager process determines the list of page files to open by reading the value in the system registry.
Is disabling pagefile a good idea?
In my opinion it's not a good idea to disable page file. The big problem with disabling page file is that at any point of time if your system runs out of physical RAM your apps will start crashing since there's no virtual memory for windows to allocate.
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