At 12:14 PM 1/26/2007 -0500, you wrote:
>A mssage keeps coming up on my computer saying that the virtual memory is 
>low>>


That's nearly always a sign that you have a more fundamental problem.  If 
you have XP, its memory management is pretty good, and messing around with 
virtual settings rarely makes any substantial difference, except in very 
specific cases such as heavy gaming.

The problem is nearly always caused by one or a combination of 2 factors---
1. Insufficient RAM.  512 Mb RAM is needed for XP to run decently---256 is 
the bare minimum.
2. Too many programs running in the background.  These days, software and 
hardware writers seem to think that their stuff should be running all the 
time, even when you're not using it.  This all gets loaded into memory each 
time you reboot and will eventually cause the sort of problems you are now 
seeing, or worse.
3. Very heavy graphics or video editing---some of these programs might 
benefit by increasing virtual memory, though to be honest I've never really 
found it's made much difference in XP.

The answer to (2) is to run your startups manager, or run Msconfig if you 
have nothing better, click the startups tab, and disable everything 
non-essential, such as printer drivers. If your computer is a brand name, 
it will come loaded with the makers proprietary stuff, all of which is 
usually non-essential and adds to the memory load. Printers, scanners, etc 
will still load their drivers when required, but if you're not using them 
24/7, there's no need to have them running all the time.

Msconfig or any good startup manager won't allow you to disable anything 
vital to W98 or XP, so it's quite safe to start by disabling everything in 
doubt--just leave your a-v and firewall running.  See what happens. If 
there's anything you think you need, the box will still be there next time 
you run Msconfig so you can always re-tick any item to restore it to the 
startups lineup.

Don Penlington


 From the Beach at Surfers Paradise in sunny Queensland.
Computer tutorials, local scenery,  and other things at my website:
http://users.tpg.com.au/deepend/index1.html

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