Virtual Memory Errors
I'm getting a 'low on virtual memory' error when I try to install the latest gizmo.
You try to install and run the latest 3D shooter game or maybe the recent version of an office suite, and Windows throws and error, saying you have run out of virtual memory.
In most cases, this means you did something bad which set this off. Did you mess with the virtual memory settings of Windows? Because that's when this sort of error will most often occur. Left to its own devices, Windows normally allocates virtual memory intelligently enough that you shall never have to face this.
However, there do exist rare situations where you didn't touch anything to cause this; rather you may now need to override the default settings and increase the amount of virtual memory available to your operating system.
I want to understand why these errors happen.
In addition to the actual RAM (sometimes just called 'memory') on your machine, your operating system allocates some space on your hard disk that acts like RAM. Windows calls this a 'page file' or a 'swap file'. This is normally an invisible file unless you turned on the option to show all hidden system files. When your applications need more RAM than available on your machine, Windows uses the page file to supplement it temporarily. Thus Windows is using 'virtual' memory as opposed to RAM, which is 'real' or 'physical' memory.
So what happens when both RAM and virtual memory run out? That's right, you get a 'low virtual memory' error. As explained earlier, this is not a common thing unless you did some ill-advised tweaking yourself, because modern versions of Windows (say Vista) automatically sets the minimum size of the page file to the amount of RAM you have + 300 Megabytes, and its maximum size to three times your RAM, which should be way more than enough. But still, you can never be sure with computers, can you?
So what should I do to fix it?
Depends on what caused it in the first place. If it was truly a resource shortage, the best solution is obviously to add more RAM to your system. Modern operating systems and applications will usually be happy with about 4 Gigabytes. If you're a gaming enthusiast you probably already have this, but let me still repeat - get a real graphics card with real on-chip memory as opposed to the variety integrated with the motherboard, which consists of only the logic circuits, and must take a chunk out of your system RAM to operate.
If you already have enough RAM, maybe you messed with the virtual memory settings and manually set an inadequate size. If you did this, go back and set it to automatic again.
But I didn't touch it, I swear!
Well if you didn't touch it before, then maybe you ought to touch it now.
In Vista, open the Control Panel and go to System and Maintenance, then click System. Choose Advanced system settings in the left pane. You may be prompted for the administrator password or asked for a confirmation at this point. Proceed to the Advanced tab. Under the section marked Performance, click Settings. Again, click on the tab marked Advanced, click Change under Virtual memory. Clear the check box that asks if management of page file size should be automatic. Vista keeps separate page files on each partition of your hard drive. So click each partition and increase the page file size by, say, about 50% by typing in a new size in the box. Click Set and OK to confirm to activate the changes. When increasing the page file size, Vista does not usually ask for a restart.
