Increasing Virtual Memory

This article describes how to increase initial virtual memory on Windows XP or Windows Vista computers.

Increase Virtual Memory on XP

To increase the initial virtual memory on your computer, with Windows XP:

1.  Open Windows Start

2.  Right-click on My Computer and select Properties.

3.  Select the Advanced tab.

4.  Under Performance, click Settings.

5.  In Performance Options, select the Advanced tab.

6.  Under Virtual Memory, click Change.

7.  In Virtual Memory, check Custom size, and type in the sizes you want.

  Although there is no single right answer, we often recommend these sizes:

  Initial minimum: 1536 or 3072 or 4096

  Maximum: 4096

8.  Click Set, then OK, and restart your computer.

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Increase Virtual Memory on Vista

To increase the initial virtual memory on your computer, with Windows Vista:

1.  Open Windows Start

2.  Click Control Panel. On the left, select Classic View.

3.  Click the System icon.

3.  On the left, select the Advanced System Settings.

4.  Under Performance, click Settings.

5.  In Performance Options, select the Advanced tab.

6.  Under Virtual Memory, click Change.

7.  In Virtual Memory, uncheck Automatically manage paging file size for all drives.

8. Check Custom size, and type in the sizes you want.

  Although there is no single right answer, we often recommend these sizes:

  Initial minimum: 1536 or 3072 or 4096

  Maximum: 4096

8.  Click Set, then OK, and restart your computer.

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