r1
I beg to disagree virtual memory is linked directly to the amount of ram fitted ... and the type of software used on that machine
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/314482
this lappy - xpsp3, 1Gb ram
virtual memory = 1524
max = 3048
recommended = 1520
Microsoft say the formula for virtual mem is 1 - 3 times RAM
default 1.5x - if you had 100000Gb of ram - windows would still create a 3Gb swapfile(the max allowed)
my personal method is to ceate a swapfile in it's own partition - so I have a x:\ which is 5Gb
(MS say that if possible the swapfile should be on a seperate physical disc - on a single disc system my method just does away with fragmentation)
so I'd say zoe should increase the swapfile to either the maximum figure shown in the setup tab ... or three Gb whichever works best
the tradeoff is that on a slow disk - it's self defeating
To configure the Virtual Memory settings:
From the Start Menu, right-click on My Computer and select Properties
Click the Advanced tab, and press the Settings button in the Performance section.
Click on the Advanced tab again, then press the Change button.
The swap file can shrink or grow automatically turn off by setting the 'Initial size' and 'Maximum size' to equal values in the VM dialog. This will prevent the system from wasting time by trying to manage the size of the swap file.