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?"
| Check out this week's most popular articles. |
Check out theseFREE trial downloads 
RoboForm memorizes and securely stores all your passwords. Enjoy one-click logins, complete checkout forms with one click. This is one program I use all day, every day! 
Slow computer? Diskeeper 2010 means a clean disk, unprecedented speed and reliable efficiency! Download the free trial and see what a difference it makes for you. |
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.
|
|
Need more tech support?
|
Check out other articles in this category:
Posted by Bob Rankin on December 28, 2005 02:05 PM
| Need More Help? Try the AskBobRankin Updates Newsletter. It's Free! |
 |
Prev Article: The Best Free Software |
|
Next Article: Computer Humor |
 |
|
Link to this article from your site or blog. Just copy and paste from this box: Related Keywords: Software virtual memory RAM new computer |
There's more reader feedback... See all 48 comments for this article.
Post your Comments, Questions or Suggestions
|
Ask Bob Rankin Home Page
Subscribe to AskBobRankin Updates: Free Newsletter |
|
| Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved | ||
Article information: AskBobRankin -- Low Virtual Memory (Posted: December 28, 2005 02:05 PM)
Printed from: http://askbobrankin.com/low_virtual_memory.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "Low Virtual Memory"
(See all 48 comments for this article.)Posted by:
margaretbiinsc
05 Mar 2009
How about instructions for a computer running Windows 2000 professional? I mean instructions about finding out how much RAM there is, how to do the cleaning, etc....
Would this be possible, please!!!
...and thank you.
Posted by:
Dadalax
09 Apr 2009
Thanx...it worked...thanx again
Posted by:
tuffy
13 Apr 2009
hi,bob
My computer is very slow what can i do to speed it up? thank you
EDITOR'S NOTE: See http://askbobrankin.com/make_windows_xp_run_faster.html
Posted by:
Cathy
13 Jun 2009
Had no clue what the message "low on virtual memory" meant until I read your article. Bought
more RAM and all's working well.
Thank you.
Posted by:
jason
28 Jul 2009
HOW TO FIX LOW VIRTUAL MEMORY PROBLEMMMMMMMMMMM
EDITOR'S NOTE: Is that a question or an answer?
Posted by:
Lotte
04 Aug 2009
Thank you for this most excellent resource! Kudos.
Posted by:
Pat Mejias
21 Sep 2009
My computer has low virtual memory. I was told to get more ram. I see some external hard drives on E-Bay. Can it be external or does it need to be internal?
EDITOR'S NOTE: You've confused RAM with hard drive storage. What you need is a RAM memory stick, not a hard drive.
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