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Swapfile...HELP!
Name: Randy Date: July 17, 2001 at 10:46:54 Pacific
Comment:
Hello, I'm stumped here...I just did a clean install of windows ME and now I'm having tons of memory problems that I never had before. I have done a clean install before..actually several times without any problems whatsoever until now...I just reinstalled again but the problem is still there. The problem is...my swapfile size keeps increasing to the point that it takes up my whole partition and then I get out of memory errors. I'm running a celeron 466 with 128megs of RAM on WindowsME. I'm letting windows take care of the virtual memory and the swapfile is on the C: drive with about 1gig of free space. Okay here is what I don't understand...I'm keeping system monitor open and watching SWAPFILE IN USE, SWAPFILE SIZE, AND SWAPPABLE MEMORY. When the problem occours SWAPFILE SIZE AND SWAPPABLE MEMORY start increasing in size together quickly...but system monitor shows that my SWAPFILE IN USE is ZERO!!...and once the SWAPFILE SIZE increases it does not decrease!! This seems to happen on certain web sites...I don't know what to thing...any help would be appreciated. I've tried deleting the win386.swp file but it just happens again...please help.
Name: guru Date: July 17, 2001 at 13:25:29 Pacific
Reply:
dunno if this will help, but set you're swapfile to 320max and min and see how you go.
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Response Number 2
Name: Dale Date: July 17, 2001 at 15:09:07 Pacific
Reply:
Swapfile size and swapable memory should be roughly the same thing. Windows allows a swap file to grow, but not shrink until the system is rebooted. Sounds like Windows is anticipating needing the memory, and increasing the file size, yet hasn't had to touch it. And I agree with guru...go with a fixed size swap file.
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Response Number 3
Name: Herman Date: July 17, 2001 at 16:49:14 Pacific
Reply:
Please post how the suggestions for fixed swaps of same size works for you I have had a few friends and have read a few places that say this is not a good thing to do. I am not sure which is better so I am getting feed back where I can. Thanks
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Response Number 4
Name: Richard S. Date: July 17, 2001 at 20:29:59 Pacific
Reply:
I have used fixed swap files in all of the 9x systems and have had no problems with it at all. You just need to insure that you give it enough space. The reccommendation that I have seen on this list is 2.5 times your memory size.
i am using fixed swap file size on all my computers 98 and ME... the biggest benefit i see is that it will not get fragmented because it is not changing the size.... with the combination of conservative swap file usage 1, the swapfile is rarely used and the computer does not need to wait for the slower virtual memory... it is very easy to experiment with the right size and it is very easily reversible if it would cause any problems for you Regards Miro
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Response Number 6
Name: Dabeast Date: July 18, 2001 at 06:44:51 Pacific
Reply:
Miro's suggestion of altering the Conservative Swap File usage is good as long as you have plenty of RAM.
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Response Number 7
Name: Randy Date: July 18, 2001 at 07:38:01 Pacific
Reply:
Thank you all for your suggestions. I set the swap file to 320min 320max and I not getting any out of memory errors while on the internet...after rebooting and defragging the drive I opened system monitor back up and went to a page that had given me problems before...sure enough as soon as I hit the page my SWAPFILE SIZE stayed at 320megs but by SWAPPABLE MEMORY shot up from about 20megs to 320megs in a blink of an eye and then just topped out there. It stayed that way until I closed IExplorer. So like I said I'm still kind of stumped but your suggestions have helped. I'm also showing a pretty big chuck of allocated memory being used...right now it is showing about 140megs of RAM being allocated!! All I'm doing is running IExplorer...could there be a memory leak? I don't know people...please keep coming up with ideas. Thanks again for your help.
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Response Number 8
Name: Daryl Cheshire Date: August 29, 2001 at 04:26:46 Pacific
Reply:
In SYSTEM.INI there is a conservative swapfile = 1 setting, I forget what the exact variable name is but you put it in 386Enh. I've done it and it works well, but you have to have lots of RAM, about 256MB and set the VM to be managed by Windows.
Summary: Thank you all for your suggestions. I set the swap file to 320min 320max and I not getting any out of memory errors while on the internet...after rebooting and defragging the drive I opened system mon...
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