(MAYBE COREll) Virtual RAM 3.2

What does Windows do when RAM fills up?

It moves inactive data from RAM to the paging file on disk.

What’s the paging file?

A file on disk that stores memory data when RAM is full.

How does Windows decide what to move to disk?

It finds inactive apps or data not currently in use.

What happens when an app is swapped out?

It stays running, but its data is moved to disk temporarily.

Why can't apps just run from the paging file?

Disk access is much slower than RAM, so performance drops.

What happens when a swapped-out app becomes active again?

Windows swaps something else out to make room and brings the app back into RAM.

What does the CPU map memory to?

Both physical RAM and the paging file.

Why does the system seem to have more memory than installed?

Because the CPU maps memory addresses to disk as well as RAM.

What causes disk thrashing?

Too many apps swapping between RAM and disk due to low RAM.

How do you know disk thrashing is happening?

The hard drive light stays on constantly, and apps slow down.

How does disk thrashing affect the system?

Performance drops heavily, and the system may become unusable.

How can you stop disk thrashing?

Close apps or add more RAM.

Where do you change virtual memory settings?

Settings > About > Advanced system settings > Performance > Virtual memory.

What’s the default virtual memory setting in Windows?

Windows manages the paging file automatically.

When should you manually manage virtual memory?

If you run memory-heavy apps or need more control.

What sizes can you set for a paging file?

An initial and maximum size.

Recommended paging file size for most systems?

1.5x RAM for initial, 3x RAM for max.

What if your system has very little RAM?

You might need a paging file 2x RAM or more.

Can you move the paging file to another drive?

Yes, and it can improve performance slightly.

Benefit of multiple paging files on different drives?

Spreads the load and improves performance.

What does virtual memory allow?

More apps to run than physical RAM supports.

What is virtual memory?

Simulated RAM using a page file on a hard drive.

What is the Virtual Memory Manager (VMM)?

Windows service that manages memory swapping.

What is logical segmentation?

Assigning virtual addresses to an app by the VMM.

Does an app know where it is in RAM?

It only knows its virtual address space.

What does the VMM do when RAM is full?

It pages out the least used app to the hard drive.

What is paging in?

Bringing data back from disk into RAM.

What is a page fault?

When a paged-out app is accessed and must be brought back into RAM.

How does VMM handle a page fault?

It pages out a different inactive app to make space, then pages in the active one.

Why is disk access slower than RAM?

Because hard drives are much slower than physical memory.

Symptoms of disk thrashing?

Slow system, high disk activity, lag switching apps.

Why does Windows keep active apps in RAM?

RAM is faster, so active data runs better there.

Where do you configure virtual memory in Windows?

Settings > System > About > Advanced system settings > Performance.

Can you manually set paging file size?

Yes, including initial, max size, and disk location.

Do large RAM systems need big page files?

No, they usually require smaller ones.

Best way to boost virtual memory performance?

Move or split the page file to another physical disk.

What happens if the paging file is on the system drive?

Windows can create a memory dump if the system crashes.

Why keep a paging file on the system partition?

To enable crash dump generation for troubleshooting.

Where do you access virtual memory settings in Windows?

System > Advanced system settings > Performance > Advanced tab.

Where can you see current paging file values?

In the Virtual Memory dialog: Minimum allowed, Recommended, and Currently allocated.

What must be done to set a custom paging file size?

Turn off automatic management by deselecting the checkbox.

How can you improve performance using the paging file?

Move it to a less-used and faster storage drive.

What must happen before changes take effect?

The system must be restarted.

Why might paging file settings appear larger before reboot?

Because old and new allocations are shown together.

Is automatic management usually sufficient?

Yes, it works fine for most systems.

When might custom settings help?

On heavily utilized systems with high RAM demand.