Increase Swap File Size

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After more than a decade on Macs, I've moved over to Windows, particularly
for some of the fractal rendering programs. That's where I've run into a
problem that I can't figure a solution to.

In using Chaospro, under 3D in open GL mode, nine out of ten times, I get a
message telling me that I'm out of memory and offering three suggestions.
The first, and the one I'd like to follow up on, is to increase the swap file
size--the rest of the message say System Configuration/System. When I
finally tracked something like that down, the options I saw didn't seem to
solve my problem, but they certainly looked as if I'd run into more if I
touched anything, so I was outta there.

It was relatively easy dealing with that kind of problem on the Mac:
highlight the app, go to information, increase memory size. Is there
something similar in Windows XP?

I was also told I could close open programs, but I didn't seem to have any.

Finally, we got into partitions, something I never messed with. Two choices
there:move to a different partition or remove (or move, I guess) things that
are on the same partition as Chaospro.

As I said, none of that seems to help me. I'm an old dog, and this is a new
trick. Anyone able to help?

Thank you.
 
MSeidman said:
After more than a decade on Macs, I've moved over to Windows, particularly
for some of the fractal rendering programs. That's where I've run into a
problem that I can't figure a solution to.

In using Chaospro, under 3D in open GL mode, nine out of ten times, I get
a
message telling me that I'm out of memory and offering three suggestions.
The first, and the one I'd like to follow up on, is to increase the swap
file
size--the rest of the message say System Configuration/System. When I
finally tracked something like that down, the options I saw didn't seem to
solve my problem, but they certainly looked as if I'd run into more if I
touched anything, so I was outta there.

It was relatively easy dealing with that kind of problem on the Mac:
highlight the app, go to information, increase memory size. Is there
something similar in Windows XP?

I was also told I could close open programs, but I didn't seem to have
any.

Finally, we got into partitions, something I never messed with. Two
choices
there:move to a different partition or remove (or move, I guess) things
that
are on the same partition as Chaospro.

As I said, none of that seems to help me. I'm an old dog, and this is a
new
trick. Anyone able to help?

Thank you.
Click to expand...


How much ram have you? The instructions below are for getting the best out
of Photoshop, but should be similar for any "heavy weight" graphics
application.
Go to Start and right click on My Computer and select Properties.Then
Advanced>Performance>Settings>Advanced>Virtual memory>Change.

"The trouble with letting Windows manage it's own paging file is that it
doesn't do very well in this situation (letting the OS manage VM). For an
office machine running
only Office, the default paging stuff is probably OK.

When running something such as PS, you could easily get into
trouble with the default configuration - Windows starts itself out with
an min-sized paging file each boot. If PS fills up the same hard
drive with scratch files before Windows has a chance to grow the paging
file as needed, bad things happen. And, with Photoshop you already know
the paging file has to be at least big enough to fit Photoshop's RAM
size, which will be bigger than the normal Windows minimum paging file
size - so why have it start with that minimum when you know it won't be
enough?

In addition, there is the fragmentation consideration - setting min==max
and rebooting right after a defrag will minimize the fragmentation in
the paging file. Normally, paging file fragmentation isn't a problem.
But when a disk is getting full, or hasn't been defragmented in a while,
it can be an issue when you let Windows grow the paging file as needed.

I personally set things up so that min == max at about 1.5x RAM. I
think 2x RAM is probably excessive. And with over 4GB of RAM, things
change - with 8GB of RAM, for example, I'd only set things up with 10GB
of paging file. Note that I also _always_ have Performance Monitor up,
and one of the graphed items is paging file usage, so I know if I'm
getting into trouble (never have with the paging file sized to 1.5x RAM)."

HTH
MH
 
Thanks...that starts clearing things up; I've got a gig of RAM and my setting
seems to be 1536/3072; so just raise them by some amount? I'll play and
figure it all out.

Thanks again; that's the first helpful thing that's occured in ages...
 
MSeidman said:
Thanks...that starts clearing things up; I've got a gig of RAM and my
setting
seems to be 1536/3072; so just raise them by some amount? I'll play and
figure it all out.

Thanks again; that's the first helpful thing that's occured in ages...
Click to expand...
You're welcome, I experienced similar problems to yours when I went to CS2.
Previously, I had let the OS manage things, which, as you may find, is the
consensus of the majority in this NG. Ninety nine times out of a hundred
that would be the way to go, but on occasion, it is useful to be able to
gives things a little help, provided it is done from a position of knowledge
and not just for the hell of it. If it doesn't improve things for you, you
can always put things back to as they where. From your figures though, you
already seem to be at the optimum. Also, fractal software can thrash the old
"floating point", what processor are you using?

Regards

Mike H
 
i went to download.com and downloaded rambooster.i used it on win me not xp
yet.when u install it,it sits near the clock when ur very lopw on ram u right
click it
click open move slider to right then click more ram.it cleans what ever it
can from ram giving u more ram.
 
janfeb said:
i went to download.com and downloaded rambooster.i used it on win me
not xp yet.when u install it,it sits near the clock when ur very lopw
on ram u right click it
click open move slider to right then click more ram.it cleans what
ever it can from ram giving u more ram.
Click to expand...


All of these RAM freeing programs are smoke and mirrors, and hurt you rather
than help you. Wanting to minimize the amount of memory Windows uses is a
counterproductive desire. Windows is designed to use all, or nearly all, of
your memory, all the time, and that's good not bad. Free memory is wasted
memory. You paid for it all and shouldn't want to see any of it wasted.

Windows works hard to find a use for all the memory you have all the time.
For example if your apps don't need some of it, it will use that part for
caching, then give it back when your apps later need it. In this way Windows
keeps all your memory working for you all the time.
 
The best way to get more RAM is to go out and buy it.. RAMboosters take more
than they give back..

Go to http://www.crucial.com to ascertain memory type required..

Messages reporting 'low on memory' more often than not are reporting lack of
pagefile and/or hard disk space.. clean up your system.. run DiskCleanup,
most likely found in your 'accessories - system tools' folder.. if you have
set a pagefile size, go back and set it for 'Windows managed'.. if you have
altered the pagefile size because you are running out of space, you need to
buy a larger hard drive along with the memory..
 
Thanks to all for your suggestions, leads, ideas, etc. I have noticed, re my
problem, that if I open 3D GL first and then create the image, I don't have
any difficulty.

Frankly, if what I have in the way of hd and ram isn't enough, I need fewer
apps, not more space to put them. But that's a personal reaction and has
nothing to do with anything other than my own feelings.

Thanks again.
 
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