The page file on that computer was MB at the time. In fact, the computer where this screen shot was taken, serves to illustrate how poor a rule of thumb can be. It was running Windows XP and had been used for three straight days without rebooting. It had 1. The initial page size was megabytes and the maximum was MB. The page file never grows from the initial MB allocation. The rule of thumb would have allocated a page file of almost 2 gigabytes. But, of course, your mileage will vary.
So, how do you chose a size for the page file? As Chico Marx once said to Groucho - wrong every time. That said, I would start by making the initial size the same as the amount of ram in the computer and the maximum size a bit larger. At the end of your computing day, check how big the file is in Windows XP, the file name is pagefile. If it hasn't grown, you're fine. If it consistently grows, then make the initial size larger.
If, after a few days of checking, the page file has not once grown in size, then, for extra credit, you can lower the initial size, assuming you are willing to check it for growth all over again. Changing the initial size requires a reboot. These RAM-based pagefile size recommendations are just estimates.
None of them will accurately reflect the best pagefile size for your computer. The best way to determine the appropriate pagefile size is to use the Performance Monitor, which has two counters that you can use to determine your pagefile's optimal size:. The latter value is most useful in determining the best pagefile size. Start by creating a pagefile that is 1.
Then, perform the following steps:. These are optional configurations, but you might want to implement them in special circumstances. I recommend that you enable this option only if you have multiple operating systems on the same machine. It's possible to read the contents of the pagefile if you boot into another operating system. However, if you have only a single operating system, the pagefile will be locked and not readable.
With a single operating system, you shouldn't wipe the contents of the pagefile; those contents may be helpful to you if you ever need to run a forensic analysis of the machine. The Windows XP operating system automatically installs and configures a pagefile during system setup.
While the default configuration of the pagefile does a reasonably good job, you can make several improvements on the default configuration. By following the recommendations I've given here, you'll be able to take command of your pagefile and improve your system's performance.
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