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Refresh Your Memory

Your PC's performance drops dramatically when you load and run more apps and data files than your PC has the memory to hold. That's because when your PC has insufficient RAM (the memory on the motherboard) to accommodate a request to load more code or data, it stores the contents of some of your RAM in a swap file on your much-slower-to-access hard disk, thereby freeing up memory for the new task. When previous tasks need code or data that is now in the swap file, your computer saves other RAM contents to the swap file (called the paging file in XP/2000) and loads the previously saved data into the newly freed memory. The more times your PC has to save and load swap file data, the slower its performance becomes. That's why increasing the amount of RAM in your system can improve its performance. Memory does, of course, cost money. Here are a few free memory-enhancement alternatives.

Swipe your swap file: Defragmenting your swap file will boost your PC's performance, but Windows' Disk Defragmenter doesn't work on your swap file because that file is always "in use." The workaround, however, is simple: Temporarily remove the swap file before defragmenting the drive. In Windows 98 and Me, right-click My Computer, choose Properties, and click the Virtual Memory button under the Performance tab in System Properties. Then select Disable virtual memory. (Not recommended), as shown in FIGURE 1 .

If your computer runs out of RAM with virtual memory disabled, it can crash. So don't run any other software while defragmenting. And be sure to reactivate the file once the defragmenting is completed.

Another trick that can speed up virtual memory is to freeze the size of the swap file. By default, Windows shrinks and expands the swap file to suit its needs. By fixing the file's size, you save Windows from this computational hassle. Return to your Virtual Memory settings and enter the same value in the Minimum and Maximum boxes (Answer Line columnist Lincoln Spector recommends 384MB for both). If you have a second hard drive, put your swap file on that drive for an additional boost.

To find your virtual memory settings, right-click My Computer, select Properties, and choose the Advanced tab. In Windows 2000, click the Performance Options button under 'Performance'. In XP, click the Settings button under 'Performance', and then select the Performance Options' Advanced tab. Go to "Keep a Stable Swap File" for more on setting your swap file (paging file).

Stop unwanted starts: In Windows XP, Me, and 9x, users can free up memory by removing unwanted applications that automatically launch when Windows starts. To find out just how many of these programs reside on your system, click Start, Run, type msconfig, and press Enter; this will bring up the System Configuration Utility. Click the Startup tab to see a list of all the programs that automatically launch when Windows starts (see FIGURE 2).

To prevent a program from launching at start-up, uncheck the box next to its name. If you're unsure what a particular program does, look at the name of the folder that the file is stored in; this information, which you'll find to the right of the box, usually provides a clue.

Windows 2000 users have some control over start-up apps, too: Select Start, Settings, Taskbar & Start Menu; click the Advanced tab; click the Advanced button; double-click Programs in the Explorer window that subsequently opens; and then open the Startup folder to view, add, or delete shortcuts that run when you start Windows.

Look for leaks: Poorly written software can monopolize your PC's memory even when it's not running. Track down such leaks by checking your memory's behavior via Windows' System Monitor and with FreeMem, a handy memory management utility that's available at PC World's Downloads.

Spend your cache wisely: Windows allocates small amounts of memory, called caches, as storage buffers for your hard disk, CD-ROM drive, and other storage devices. Reducing the cache allocated to a seldom-used device such as a CD-ROM drive frees memory that may be used more effectively as system RAM. Conversely, increasing the cache size of a frequently used device can speed that device's performance.

Finding the balance that works best for you is matter of trial and error. To simplify the task, go to PC World's Downloads to get a copy of Cacheman 5, an excellent utility that consolidates the cache and memory settings Microsoft scatters throughout Windows.

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