Page file oddity: Why does Windows want more space?

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Marc_G · #1 Post by **Marc_G** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 1:45 pm

Hi Folks-

I'm running a T42p with 1.5 GB RAM. The RAM is recognized by the system, no problem.

It's a long story, but for about a week I ran just fine with the page file disabled completely. So I don't "need" a page file at all, except in specific cases where I use VMWare to emulate other computer configurations.

Normally looking at Task Manager, I've got 400-600 MB committed when I've got a few applications running. I've never seen it over 800 MB unless VMWare is running.

Anyway, last week I re-enabled the page file and set it to a custom size of 128 MB Initial size, 2.5 GB maximum size. I prefer a small page file to reduce the size of system disk images. The page file stayed small (~128 MB) for several days, then this morning I got a balloon tip telling me windows was increasing the size of the file. Early this afternoon, I got another such message. The file is now 160 MB.

WTF? I haven't been using any memory-hungry apps today. I can guarantee nothing I've knowingly done has taken me past the midway point in filling up my RAM, much less requiring a page file.

Any ideas what might cause this, and how to better monitor it?

Marc

#2 Post by **jdhurst** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:01 pm

I think Windows always uses the paging file. I set my minimum for 256Mb, and it has never budged off that number, nor requested more. Try that minimum size and see if your problem goes away. ... JD Hurst

Marc_G · #3 Post by **Marc_G** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:17 pm

JD-

Thanks, I'll try it. Interestingly, my page file is now a whopping 1.2GB. I'm quite certain that nothing I've personally done can account for 1.5 GB + 1.2 BG = 2.7 GB total commit charge. How freaky.

In the back of my mind I'm thinking that maybe VirusScan (McAfee) did a background scan and it a big file. I've got a few files around that are very large and could cause this. Supposedly they are excluded from my scans, though...

Marc

Leon · #4 Post by **Leon** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 4:44 pm

see this thread.........

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=5382

Marc_G · #5 Post by **Marc_G** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 6:08 pm

Leon- which thread? Maybe I'm going blind.

Leon · #6 Post by **Leon** » Mon Mar 21, 2005 8:18 pm

if you keep smiling like that, you'll go blind!

Page file oddity: Why does Windows want more space?

Page file oddity: Why does Windows want more space?

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