Swapfile and why should I care??

[Yin Yang Chiken]

Windows has a swapfile and I am not sure exactly what it does...I have a 74gb Raptor as my primary drive and heard that you can speed up the OS by changing the path of the swapfile to a second larger drive. ( I have a 400gb SE16 for storage) So, what is this swapfile and what does it contain? And how big of a swatch of HD does it need?

[NemesisChiken]

The swap file is used by the operating system as sort of temporary memory, it is even referred to a vitrual memory. Not every task you have loaded is actually running at any given time and there are lots of system things like that as well, so the swap file get used to put those out on disk and save your real memory for applications you are actually running at the time.

It is VERY true that you can get some performance improvements by moving the swap file to a different drive, if that drive is not used that much. In systems where I actually have more than one physical disk, I normally don't move the swap file, but instead load EVERYTHING but the operating system on the second drive. Also, pre-allocating contiguous space for the swap file can be a big help also. That way the drive doesn't have to go searching all over the drive for a fragmented swap file.

I normally try to preallocate 1.5 to 2.5 times the amount of real memory for the swap file. So if you have 1G of real memory, then make a 2G swap file, but that is just a general rule of thumb and your usage will vary depending on driving habits.

Hope this helps...

[Yin Yang Chiken]

I started doing just that, I setup my Raptor with the OS in a primary, then my major apps and games on the second partition. All my minor apps, music, photos etc are on the second bigger slower drive in 3 partitions. Basically;

Raptor....36gb primary OS
36bg apps and games

400gb SE16....133gb apps and misc.
133gb music
133bg photos

my only problem has been to move some of the apps and utilities off of the OS' partition, they stopped working. Ran reg fix programs and everything, and just gave up. Don't want to reinstall all of them......btw I ghosted the OS to the new Raptor from an old 80gb Maxtor.

oh and thanks Nemi!!!

[NemesisChiken]

With todays Windows registry it is virtually impossible to "move" an application any more. Your best (only) option is to uninstall from "C:" and re-install on "D:" (or whatever). Sorry m8

But it does beat the days of autoexec.bat and config.sys !!

( ne1 remember trying to cram 4k more for a driver into EMS and 640k boundries ?!?!?! - ARGH !!! )

Glad to be of some assistance

[CRUSCHIKEN]

Are these guys speaking English......can you say.."over my head"...LOL

[PhattyChiken]

The best way to set up your "Swap File" is to have it running from a "Ram Disk", but you need to have a fair bit of Ram to do that. 2 GB of Ram is enough. There are a few utilities floating around that allow you to do this. Tweak-XP PRO is the one I use.

The next best thing is to have your "swap file" in a seperate partition on a seperate HDD, that is on a seperate cable. This way you do not have your "swap file" competing with the application that your running.

I am currently running 2 x 160Gb SATA 2 HDD's configured in RAID 0, with a Ram Disk Swap File, and have WINXP PRO running from the RAM Disk as well. This has realy got my system running flat out.

PS. Never try to move or resize your "Swap File" Patition, this will cause you as major headache.

Oh by the way, you might be able to rescue the Applications that you moved, by moving them back to where they were. Maybe.

I hope this has helped.

[Yin Yang Chiken]

XP Pro seems to be the keyword there Phatty!

I have XP Home, I know, what am I doing with amateur shite...but waiting for Vista to come out before I purchase any more MS software...

I was able to move quite a bit with MS's computer management tool, WD;s Hard Disk Tools and a registry editor program...there was only a few that could'nt be moved so i just reinstalled...so far so good.

Thanks for the input!

[SlackahChiken]

The thing to keep in mind here is that Bill Gates *IS* the anti-Christ! and no amount of tweaking or configuring will accomodate what you want to do regardless of your hardware or applications. Simply put, any PC platform running an MS OS is condemned to wallow in purgatory for eternity.

You can go out and buy the leading/bleeding edge componentry, get the latest apps and update all your drivers, go over it all with a fine tooth comb, and you will still be relegated to surfing the support forums for work arounds and patches. This is the Dark Ones plan.

The best you can hope for is to reformat and reinstall once every 3 months thereby limiting your exposure in Hell.

But once you accept this, your plight lessens somehow :)

[Yin Yang Chiken]

But once you accept this, your plight lessens somehow :)


Thank the Chiken Gods then, there is some redemption!!!!

[LoneStarChiken]

( ne1 remember trying to cram 4k more for a driver into EMS and 640k boundries ?!?!?! - ARGH !!! ) Unfortunately, YES!





PS. BAWK! @ Phatty. Good to see you online! :D

[MoocherChiken]

Unfortunately, YES!

Hey, I had fun doing that crap.

I had 3 different types of boot choices, Winblows and, X-Wing/Tie Fighter settings, and weirdass games settings that needed the system to be sans EMS emulation.

Another BAWK to Phatty. :)