pagefile.sys = 1.5GB and hiberfil.sys = 1GB - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Halx · 01-17-2005, 02:50 PM

OS: XP sp2

Call me crazy, but I don't think these files are supposed to be that large. Is there a way I can remedy this problem?

fckm · 01-17-2005, 03:29 PM

pagefile: control panel/system properties/advanced/Performance-settings/Advanced/Virtual Memories - change

remember that you need your pagefile. I keep mine at 1 Gig, and I believe that there's some minimum default that XP needs to run well. Probably around 512 MB.

your hybernation file will be a bit larger than the amount of ram you have in your machine. This cannot be changed (I don't think), since XP dumps all your physical RAM onto disk when it goes to hybernation mode.

sailor · 01-17-2005, 03:52 PM

Yeah, sounds about right. Like fckm said, the pagefile is like virtual ram, and is usually a good bit larger than your total RAM size. If you have a gig or more, you can decrease its size (I do, down to 512MB), but I wouldnt do it for anything less than 1 gig of RAM. I dont know of any way to change the hibernation filesize.

To change the pagefile size, go into System Properties >> Advanced >> Performance Options >> Advanced >> Virtual Memory >> Change. There is a place in there to set the min and max values.

WillyPete · 01-17-2005, 04:04 PM

Pagefile as recommended my MS, should be either on a different partition or a totally different drive.
It should be about 2x your RAM size.

Remember to hit SET to make the change and DON'T do like a guy I worked with and clear the C: pagefile and reboot without first SETtin a new one on D:.
XP don't work too well without a pagefile. P.I.T.A to go through the recovery console panel etc.

cyrnel · 01-17-2005, 04:07 PM

Hibernation size is what's required for an image of RAM. The only way to be certain it's available is to pre-allocate the full amount.

Sailor's right about pagefile size. Happy default size is 1.5xRAM but that gets silly if you're at 1GB or more. Unless you know you need that much, shrink it, and disable OS paging. Keeping drivers and OS in RAM really help make desktop operations snappier.

(Set HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/Memory Management/DisablePagingExecutive = 1)

Keep an eye on it though. If you remove RAM or install something hungry that causes your system to need paging, it will start throwing faults. This can be a problem if it happens while booting. The only fix is to boot in safe mode and set DisablePagingExecutive back to 0 (zero).

cyrnel · 01-17-2005, 04:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillyPete

Pagefile as recommended my MS, should be either on a different partition or a totally different drive.
It should be about 2x your RAM size.

Remember to hit SET to make the change and DON'T do like a guy I worked with and clear the C: pagefile and reboot without first SETtin a new one on D:.
XP don't work too well without a pagefile. P.I.T.A to go through the recovery console panel etc.

XP will survive without a pagefile, assuming you don't try to do something that exceeds available RAM. Many programs rely on it and allocate "virtually", beyond what they really need, but the OS itself won't do that. Worst case, if a driver or startup program tanks without a pagefile, boot in safe mode to set one up again.

Good point about the separate drive. A different partition on the same drive with Windows isn't good. It guarantees bad access times. But a partition on a separate drive/array guarantees access 2nd only to RAM.

Dilbert1234567 · 01-17-2005, 07:17 PM

i have a 4 gig page file, and 1.5 gigs of memory. it is usualy set to 1.5 times your physical memory, turn off hybernation, i've never got hypbernation to function well, i would not trust it.

JohnnyRoyale · 01-17-2005, 07:40 PM

Just an FYI - I was talking to a guy who worked for Microsoft about the swap file and gaming, and he told me something interesting: If you have at least 1 Gig of RAM, you can turn off the swap file entirely on XP. His said that the OS had a propensity to push as much memory info as possible into the swap file, leaving as much RAM as possible free at all times. So, by turning off the page file entirely, you can have a system that runs much faster, since there's no paging done at all. Now, by turning off, you have to go through the advanced properties thing, and set the "no paging file" option, DON"T just delete the file...
I've been trying it with a laptop with a Gb of RAM, and it runs fine with no swap file at all. Now, I use this laptop for high performance gaming (BF:V, HL2), so squeezing out the maximum amount of performance is important. Just rememeber to keep an eye on the total/available levels in the task manager when you do this.

sailor · 01-17-2005, 08:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnnyRoyale

Just an FYI - I was talking to a guy who worked for Microsoft about the swap file and gaming, and he told me something interesting: If you have at least 1 Gig of RAM, you can turn off the swap file entirely on XP. His said that the OS had a propensity to push as much memory info as possible into the swap file, leaving as much RAM as possible free at all times. So, by turning off the page file entirely, you can have a system that runs much faster, since there's no paging done at all. Now, by turning off, you have to go through the advanced properties thing, and set the "no paging file" option, DON"T just delete the file...
I've been trying it with a laptop with a Gb of RAM, and it runs fine with no swap file at all. Now, I use this laptop for high performance gaming (BF:V, HL2), so squeezing out the maximum amount of performance is important. Just rememeber to keep an eye on the total/available levels in the task manager when you do this.

Thats interesting... Im gonna give that a shot. Of course, it doesnt take effect until you reboot, and I dont usually reboot, so it might be a while before I know

Dilbert1234567 · 01-17-2005, 10:27 PM

can it be fully disables with win2k?

cyrnel · 01-18-2005, 12:14 AM

Guys, don't disable it. Sparse allocations will waste active memory. Just set a minimal (100-500MB) file & set DisablePagingExecutive so the system doen't page things out unnecessarily.

Halx · 01-18-2005, 12:30 AM

Sent through the settings to remove the files.

Heh.. I appear to be running fairly well without a page file. I have a gig of ram.

JohnnyRoyale · 01-18-2005, 01:15 PM

Don't know about win2k, never tried it. The one thing I have found out is that if you do this, adobe photoshop stops working. It apparently REQUIRES a swap file to operate. Also, Macromedia fireworks will work, but it's a hog and a half.

WillyPete · 01-18-2005, 03:25 PM

Sorry. My bad. The guy I spoke of did it with Win2k and definitely not 1gig of ram.

It wouldn't boot.

cyrnel · 01-18-2005, 03:54 PM

Disabling VM is generally bad.

Photoshop and many other memory intensive programs use sparse allocation. They reserve large maps of work memory before they actually need it, and often never use much of it. If you disable VM you force these large virtual ranges to be mapped to real memory and everything grinds to a halt. The system will be great and then brain-freeze, especially if a system dependency can't be fulfilled because everything is reserved.

If you have 512MB or more, reserve at least a couple hundred MB or whatever disk space you're comfortable with & set DisablePagingExecutive = 1. Applications will continue to use VM but the system & drivers won't get paged out. It makes a big difference at the desktop and when switching beteen apps.

Works for 2k & XP

tokaok · 01-18-2005, 06:28 PM

yes please dont follow the the 2x ram size rule, this was told to new comp owners back in the day when the average ram was 256 or less

spindles · 01-19-2005, 05:06 PM

Guys - did a bit of a test last night. I have 2Gb of memory, so set mine to be 256Mb (min and max size).

I played Neverwinter Nights for a couple of hours last night and had a "low virtual memory" warning message when I exited. No crash though.

I have this morning set the DisablePagingExecutive to 1 - and will let you know when I run the game later how it goes.

cyrnel · 01-19-2005, 05:23 PM

There is no perfect configuration that satisfies every system and purpose. If I'm just running one game and its performance is paramount (say Lanparty for the night) I'd disable VM entirely. However, if it's a multi-purpose system then VM is needed for apps that require it.

DisablePagingExecutive just tells the system not to page out its structures when hungry or numerous apps make requests we might consider less important. Ideally you could set an "Apps,BeNiceDamnit" flag, but all we have is a "System,Don'tLetAppsBullyYou" flag. Not perfect, but it's generally better when switching around between tasks.

01-17-2005, 02:50 PM	#1 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	pagefile.sys = 1.5GB and hiberfil.sys = 1GB OS: XP sp2 Call me crazy, but I don't think these files are supposed to be that large. Is there a way I can remedy this problem? __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

01-17-2005, 03:29 PM	#2 (permalink)
fckm Insane Location: Ithaca, New York	pagefile: control panel/system properties/advanced/Performance-settings/Advanced/Virtual Memories - change remember that you need your pagefile. I keep mine at 1 Gig, and I believe that there's some minimum default that XP needs to run well. Probably around 512 MB. your hybernation file will be a bit larger than the amount of ram you have in your machine. This cannot be changed (I don't think), since XP dumps all your physical RAM onto disk when it goes to hybernation mode. __________________ And if you say to me tomorrow, oh what fun it all would be. Then what's to stop us, pretty baby. But What Is And What Should Never Be.

01-17-2005, 03:52 PM	#3 (permalink)
sailor beauty in the breakdown Location: Chapel Hill, NC	Yeah, sounds about right. Like fckm said, the pagefile is like virtual ram, and is usually a good bit larger than your total RAM size. If you have a gig or more, you can decrease its size (I do, down to 512MB), but I wouldnt do it for anything less than 1 gig of RAM. I dont know of any way to change the hibernation filesize. To change the pagefile size, go into System Properties >> Advanced >> Performance Options >> Advanced >> Virtual Memory >> Change. There is a place in there to set the min and max values. __________________ "Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws." --Plato

01-17-2005, 07:17 PM	#7 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	i have a 4 gig page file, and 1.5 gigs of memory. it is usualy set to 1.5 times your physical memory, turn off hybernation, i've never got hypbernation to function well, i would not trust it. __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen

01-17-2005, 07:40 PM	#8 (permalink)
JohnnyRoyale Psycho Location: Boston, MAss., USA	Just an FYI - I was talking to a guy who worked for Microsoft about the swap file and gaming, and he told me something interesting: If you have at least 1 Gig of RAM, you can turn off the swap file entirely on XP. His said that the OS had a propensity to push as much memory info as possible into the swap file, leaving as much RAM as possible free at all times. So, by turning off the page file entirely, you can have a system that runs much faster, since there's no paging done at all. Now, by turning off, you have to go through the advanced properties thing, and set the "no paging file" option, DON"T just delete the file... I've been trying it with a laptop with a Gb of RAM, and it runs fine with no swap file at all. Now, I use this laptop for high performance gaming (BF:V, HL2), so squeezing out the maximum amount of performance is important. Just rememeber to keep an eye on the total/available levels in the task manager when you do this. __________________ I'm gonna be rich and famous, as soon I invent a device that lets you stab people in the face over the internet.

01-17-2005, 04:04 PM	#4 (permalink)
WillyPete Addict	Pagefile as recommended my MS, should be either on a different partition or a totally different drive. It should be about 2x your RAM size. Remember to hit SET to make the change and DON'T do like a guy I worked with and clear the C: pagefile and reboot without first SETtin a new one on D:. XP don't work too well without a pagefile. P.I.T.A to go through the recovery console panel etc.

01-17-2005, 04:07 PM	#5 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	Hibernation size is what's required for an image of RAM. The only way to be certain it's available is to pre-allocate the full amount. Sailor's right about pagefile size. Happy default size is 1.5xRAM but that gets silly if you're at 1GB or more. Unless you know you need that much, shrink it, and disable OS paging. Keeping drivers and OS in RAM really help make desktop operations snappier. (Set HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SYSTEM/CurrentControlSet/Control/Session Manager/Memory Management/DisablePagingExecutive = 1) Keep an eye on it though. If you remove RAM or install something hungry that causes your system to need paging, it will start throwing faults. This can be a problem if it happens while booting. The only fix is to boot in safe mode and set DisablePagingExecutive back to 0 (zero).

01-17-2005, 10:27 PM	#10 (permalink)
Dilbert1234567 Devils Cabana Boy Location: Central Coast CA	can it be fully disables with win2k? __________________ Donate Blood! "Love is not finding the perfect person, but learning to see an imperfect person perfectly." -Sam Keen

01-18-2005, 12:14 AM	#11 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	Guys, don't disable it. Sparse allocations will waste active memory. Just set a minimal (100-500MB) file & set DisablePagingExecutive so the system doen't page things out unnecessarily.

01-18-2005, 12:30 AM	#12 (permalink)
Halx Please touch this. Owner/Admin Location: Manhattan	Sent through the settings to remove the files. Heh.. I appear to be running fairly well without a page file. I have a gig of ram. __________________ You have found this post informative. -The Administrator [Don't Feed The Animals]

01-18-2005, 01:15 PM	#13 (permalink)
JohnnyRoyale Psycho Location: Boston, MAss., USA	Don't know about win2k, never tried it. The one thing I have found out is that if you do this, adobe photoshop stops working. It apparently REQUIRES a swap file to operate. Also, Macromedia fireworks will work, but it's a hog and a half. __________________ I'm gonna be rich and famous, as soon I invent a device that lets you stab people in the face over the internet.

01-18-2005, 03:25 PM	#14 (permalink)
WillyPete Addict	Sorry. My bad. The guy I spoke of did it with Win2k and definitely not 1gig of ram. It wouldn't boot.

01-18-2005, 03:54 PM	#15 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	Disabling VM is generally bad. Photoshop and many other memory intensive programs use sparse allocation. They reserve large maps of work memory before they actually need it, and often never use much of it. If you disable VM you force these large virtual ranges to be mapped to real memory and everything grinds to a halt. The system will be great and then brain-freeze, especially if a system dependency can't be fulfilled because everything is reserved. If you have 512MB or more, reserve at least a couple hundred MB or whatever disk space you're comfortable with & set DisablePagingExecutive = 1. Applications will continue to use VM but the system & drivers won't get paged out. It makes a big difference at the desktop and when switching beteen apps. Works for 2k & XP Last edited by cyrnel; 01-18-2005 at 03:56 PM..

01-18-2005, 06:28 PM	#16 (permalink)
tokaok Crazy Location: Canada	yes please dont follow the the 2x ram size rule, this was told to new comp owners back in the day when the average ram was 256 or less

01-19-2005, 05:06 PM	#17 (permalink)
spindles Mine is an evil laugh Location: Sydney, Australia	Guys - did a bit of a test last night. I have 2Gb of memory, so set mine to be 256Mb (min and max size). I played Neverwinter Nights for a couple of hours last night and had a "low virtual memory" warning message when I exited. No crash though. I have this morning set the DisablePagingExecutive to 1 - and will let you know when I run the game later how it goes. __________________ who hid my keyboard's PANIC button?

01-19-2005, 05:23 PM	#18 (permalink)
cyrnel Adequate Location: In my angry-dome.	There is no perfect configuration that satisfies every system and purpose. If I'm just running one game and its performance is paramount (say Lanparty for the night) I'd disable VM entirely. However, if it's a multi-purpose system then VM is needed for apps that require it. DisablePagingExecutive just tells the system not to page out its structures when hungry or numerous apps make requests we might consider less important. Ideally you could set an "Apps,BeNiceDamnit" flag, but all we have is a "System,Don'tLetAppsBullyYou" flag. Not perfect, but it's generally better when switching around between tasks.