Q:
Can you please tell me what virtual memory is? I'm having a hard time understanding it. Thank you! A:
Well, don't feel too bad. I don't think you're the only one who is a bit confused by the term "virtual memory." I have been getting e-mails left and right lately about this very thing, so I figured it was about time I did something about it. We're just going to go slow today with a brief definition of the term and a few examples. Okay, here we go!
Basically, virtual memory is non-physical memory (yeah, that helps, huh?!)
More so, Windows uses virtual memory when it doesn't have enough "regular" physical memory to perform a certain task. When it has to resort to that, Windows uses your hard drive to store information that would normally be put into your RAM memory. Here's a simplified example:
Let's say you have 32 MB of RAM available on your computer. Now, you load a program that takes up 20 MB and another that takes up 22 MB. For those two programs, you would need a total of 42 MB, but you only have 32 MB of actual RAM memory. However, both programs still run. What's happening?
Well, Windows is using 10 MB of your hard drive space to supplement your physical 32 MB of RAM (don't worry, that 10 MB will be erased once Windows is done with it).
Now, I know what you're probably thinking. Why bother adding extra RAM to your computer if it can use hard drive space instead? Well, the main reason is, RAM is much faster!
Whenever you're using a lot of virtual memory, you're slowing your computer down (way down). The best work around for that is to get more physical memory. I recommend 64 to 128 MB, depending on how many programs you usually run on your computer, simultaneously.
Oh, and one more thing: If you don't have a lot of hard drive space left (I recommend a minimum of 100 MB) and you're experiencing a lot of problems, the lack of virtual memory may be why. When Windows runs out of memory (virtual and non-virtual), it just doesn't run all that well. Alright, well, I hope this tip has helped all of you in understanding virtual memory a little bit better. Let me know if you have any other questions about it!
~ Steve