Low Virtual Memory
"Recently I installed a game on a friend's computer and when we tried playing it, we would get a message saying 'Your system is low on virtual memory.' Can you please help us fix this problem?"
Feelin' Mighty Low (on Memory)
When all of your computer's real physical memory (RAM) is in use, Windows will try to create virtual memory by grabbing a chunk of hard drive space and treating it like real memory.
Your software can't tell the difference between real and virtual memory, but you might because virtual memory access is much slower, due to the hard drive activity it requires.
If you encounter the low virtual memory error message, then you have used the maximum amount of real plus virtual memory that is supported on your system. Sometimes programs that crash or ones that are poorly designed will not return their working memory space to the operating system when they're done using it.
Other programs that need a large amount of memory to run may fail because Windows cannot "see" the available memory. In most cases, a shutdown and restart will resolve this problem.
Windows Knows Best
If you still see the dreaded "Your system is low on virtual memory" message then the first thing to do is make sure your computer is configured to allow Windows to automatically manage the virtual memory. In Windows XP, follow these steps:- Click Start, then open the Control Panel.
- Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Under Performance, click Settings.
- Click the Advanced tab.
- Under Virtual memory, click Change.
- Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file (virtual memory) settings that you want to change. In almost every case, this will be your C: drive.
- Click to select the "System managed size" option, then click Set.
- Click OK three times and restart your computer.
When you allow Windows to manage your virtual memory, it should make the optimum amount of virtual memory available, by automatically shrinking or enlarging the paging file as needed. If that doesn't solve the low virtual memory problem, there are a few more things you can try.
Eliminate Non-Essential Programs
Over time, we tend to accumulate a bit of clutter on a computer. My article "Making Windows XP Run Faster!" will show you how to keep your system updated, eliminate viruses & spyware, scrub the hard disk of unneeded files, slim down your startup selections, and eliminate unnecessary system services. All of these things will free up resources in your computer, making it run faster and more reliably.
Add RAM to Your System
It might just be the case that your computer needs more real, physical memory. By this I mean RAM sticks that can be purchased in most computer, electronics, or office supply stores. If your PC is more than three years old, chances are it's close to being obsolete -- at least in terms of the ability to run today's resource-hogging software packages. And adding RAM to an older computer is the most effective thing you can do to upgrade it.
To see how much memory you have installed, follow these steps under Windows XP:
On the System Properties window, you'll see the type and speed of your processor (CPU) and the amount of RAM. Note that Windows always seems to report that you have slightly less memory than you actually have. For example, if Windows reports 496 MB of RAM, you actually have 512 MB. (Memory will always be installed in 64 MB increments.)
The more RAM you have, the better your computer will perform. I recommend you have a minimum 256 megabytes (MB) of RAM, but with 512 MB or even a gigabyte of RAM, you'll notice much better performance.
Plan B: Recycle Your Computer
If popping the hood on your old PC sounds like too much trauma, consider buying a new one. Computer prices have dropped a lot over the past few years, and the computing power you get for your money is going up. My How to Buy a Computer article will guide you through the Windows vs. Mac issue, what kind of processor you need, and will give you recommendations on monitors and software.
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Posted by Bob Rankin on December 28, 2005 02:05 PM
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Low Virtual Memory (Posted: December 28, 2005 02:05 PM)
Source: http://askbobrankin.com/low_virtual_memory.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "Low Virtual Memory"
(See all 55 comments for this article.)Posted by:
Nathan
23 Sep 2009
Thanks bob that helped tremendously I will be using your advise from now on.
Posted by:
ccinjrsy
08 Nov 2009
Hi Bob I have a program in my add/remove program that I cannot get rid of it's getplus(r) is this spyware or malware? How do remove it?
Posted by:
SOS Granny!
12 Nov 2009
Mr. Rankin,
I can't thank you enough for providing this free service! I am a grandmother of 5, and not computer literate at all, but I can read and follow directions, so THANK YOU for those directions! Providing this free service may not seem like much to you, but it is a godsend to me!
My problem is that it is VERY slow. I have Windows 2000. I read your articles several times, and followed everything I could. I now have Spybot, Avg, deleted Adobe reader, got Foxit, all updates for Windows. I have also been getting the low virtual memory msg for months now, and tried to follow your RX for "Windows Knows Best". Nothing changed when I hit set in the C drive, so I think Windows was already in control. I have screen shots if you need them.
I was unable to figure out how to clean up my startup folder. I even went to the two sites you recommend, and they were just too complicated for me! I’m confused by this part of the process! I have thousands of pictures and I keep thinking that I need to get them off of it, but the harddrive says that I have 40% free space!
That brings me to the disc defrag. I followed your directions exactly, disabled screensaver and everything running. There were LOTS of fragmented files, and very little free space showing, though it said I had 40%. Now there are very few fragmented files, plus it’s slower than it was before! I’m beginning to think I may need an exorcist!
Again, thank you so much for any help you can give, and have already given!
Gammy
Posted by:
sanjay
26 Nov 2009
My computer is Lenovo Core2Due Processor. When i tried to send emails from my website then i faced trouble about low virtual memory. Please suggest me that how i increase my system virtual memory to i work easily without any difficulty.
Posted by:
Eugene-John
28 Dec 2009
Hi Bob!
Thank you so much for your advice on Virtual Memory!
Posted by:
Louis
10 Jan 2010
i wonder anyone would still reading this but,is it possible to make my perfomance,i mean the amount of memories i could run faster by increasing the available amount of virtual memory? i've got 1512 for my initial size(MB),while 3042 on maximum size(MB).. what if i increased it until 2500(MB) for the initial size,would i be able to reduce the slowdown/lag of my pc?(i usually did multitasking) 1 more thing,would the commit charge(K) affect my pc performance or it's just the same indicators of virtual memory? looking forward for any reply.. thanks ^^
Posted by:
Marie
11 Jan 2010
When I try to open a program the box with a list of programs available comes up. I pick the program and click the "always use this program" box. It doesn't work. Any ideas?
Posted by:
R Venkateswarao
22 Jan 2010
Dear sir
this is xp sp3 ram is 512mb every time is virtual memory is low comming .
Posted by:
PSK
05 Feb 2010
first of all, gr8 job bob.
now,
R Venkateswarao
22 Jan 2010- just follow the instructions/get a new RAM stick
Louis
10 Jan 2010- though increasing RAM is the best solution, but when this message comes you can try setting virtual memory which is equal to 3/2 of your RAM ( if RAM is 512 then set virtual memory at 512 * 3/2 =768 MB and so on)...but for more size..no, its a bad idea to use excessive virtual memory as its very slow.
SOS Granny!
12 Nov 2009 - well you can try some free softwares which make the processes somewhat automatic. try CCLEANER and DEFRAGGLER and 1 antivirus like AVIRA and one malware remover like AD AWARE.(all can be downloaded from the internet..just type their name in google search engine).
CCLEANER- after installing, open it, look at the left and click cleaner-
now, click run cleaner(bottom right).(you can first tick mark more cleckboxes in the column to the left but read the warnings given.)
after that, look to the left and click registry-
now click scan for issues and after complete scan, click fix issues.(i do not make backup to the registry but you can if you want to.)
then click startup at the left-
you can uninstall unwanted software and prevent some programs from automatically starting up when you start your computer...dont touch this if you dont understand it.
now DEFRAGGLER- afterinstalling just select the drive and ckick defrag.
AVIRA- if you have antivirus , dont download this. if you dont, install it and click full scan.
AD-AWARE(by lavasoft)- install it and click scan.
i hope i helped.
Posted by:
ply
11 Mar 2010
Hi my husband has 736 ram of memory and I have 2gb of memory can you tell me what our virtual memory numbers should be, I tryed looking it up my self and what I got was his should be 368/2208 and mine should be 3067/9201 is that right?