http://www.techradar.com/news/software/operating-systems/how-to-optimise-your-windows-swap-file-634911We were asked about it, therefore we thought we'd get some answers and when we say 'some', in fact we mean all the answers.It's one of those questions that raises it's ugly head a couple of times a year, everyone makes some type of grunting noise, no real conclusion is reached and it's forgotten about until the next bemused victim asks all over again.That question was about the Windows swap file, aka the page file, aka virtual memory. Over the years we've heard all the so-called best methods; no swap file, fixed swap file, system managed file, on the main partition, on its own partition, twice the system memory, three times the system memory, fragmented, defragmented...A huge reason for all of this is the historical way Microsoft has tackled the subject and implemented virtual memory within Windows. The fact so many people call it the wrong thing is testament in itself to how badly understood the subject is, particularly when you consider virtual memory has been implemented in Windows since version 3.0 and has been around far longer than that generally in the computing world.So we decided it was about time we took a comprehensive look at all the different scenarios and see which, if any, is actually optimal. Along the way we'll learn a lot and as we'll see come up with some pretty novel solutions that are immensely helpful beyond just the single goal of getting an optimised page file.So no matter if you think you know it all or if you've never even heard of a page file before, we think you're going to learn something new along the way. From how best to set-up your page file, how to avoid the usual pitfalls, to some intriguing tricks that are just damn handy to know about.
