In addition to the physical memory chips in your computer, Windows uses "virtual" memory, in the form of a "swap file", to process all of the info that you are constantly throwing at it.

The swap file is an area of the hard drive, similar to a "chalkboard" in a class room, where data is temporarily stored, when the main memory area is full.

The default setting allows Windows to automatically handle the size and maintenence of this swap file. Unfortunately, the way that Windows attempts to do this is seldom best for any given computer system, and often contributes to poor performance, including lock-ups, "blue-screens" and disk inactivity.

In most cases, we can do better by manually controlling the size and location of the swap file.

Before making any changes to the swap file settings, first make sure that you have an adequate amount of system memory for the system that you are using. For Windows 9X systems, I recommend having at least 32 megabytes of ram, or more.

As a general rule-of-thumb, use the following formula: For values less than, or equal to, 32Mb of ram, double the number to arrive at the swap file size.

For values greater than, or equal to 64Mb of ram, add 12 to the ram value to arrive at the swap file size.

So, for 16Mb of ram, use a swap file setting of 32.
For 32Mb of ram, use a swap file setting of 64.

For 64Mb of ram, add 12, for a swap file setting of 76.
For 128Mb of ram, add 12, for a swap file setting of 140, etc.

To make the change from Windows dynamic to a static swap file size, do the following:

First, defragment your hard drive, on the drive where the swap file is to be located.

Next, right-click on 'My Computer', and select 'Properties', then the 'Performance' tab, and finally 'Virtual Memory'.

Select the drive where you will set up your swap file.

Use the same size for both 'Minimum' and 'Maximum', from your calculations, above.

Click O.K., and O.K. again when Windows asks "Are you sure that you want to do this?..."

Setting the "Virtual Cache"

Virtual Cache is an additional setting that Windows can use to improve system performance. Setting the following values will help prevent VCache from prematurely filling up your RAM and causing your applications to frequently be "paged out" to disk.

From the Start menu, select the Run command and type Sysedit in the command box, and click O.K. to display the various system files. Now close the files, one at a time until 'System.ini' is displayed for editing.

Find the [vcache] section (or add it if it is missing), and add these two lines, exactly as shown:

MinFileCache=2048
MaxFileCache=2048

[Use 1024 on systems with less than 32Mb of ram.]
[Use 4096 on systems with more than 64Mb of ram.]

Now close the file, saving the changes.

Reboot your computer, and enjoy a more stable and productive computer system.

Ralph Moore is the editor of the FREE Eagle Flyer Newsletter, which offers "How To Technology and Tips That Can Multiply Your Business Online". To subscribe to the Eagle Flyer and receive a FREE report, visit: Eagle Flyer