What is?

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ebray

Can someone explain to me what virtual memory is? Windows came up an
said it was increasing the file. Does it have anything to do wit
music, videos, photo editing programs, etc? I am relatively new , s
if anybody can help, it would be great. Thank
 
Can someone explain to me what virtual memory is?
Click to expand...


Read below.
Windows came up and
said it was increasing the file. Does it have anything to do with
music, videos, photo editing programs, etc?
Click to expand...


No, not in particular.

I am relatively new , so
if anybody can help, it would be great. Thanks
Click to expand...



In older computers and operating systems, how much memory you had
(that's RAM, not hard disk space) was how much you had. When you have
it all used up, you're out of it, and you can't run any more programs.

But in modern operating systems like Windows XP, if you run out of
RAM, you can use hard disk space to simulate memory. Since access to
the hard disk is slower than to RAM, using it slows you down, but in
the other hand, the ability to use the hard drive in place of real
memory (RAM) lets you do more than you could without it. So it's a
tradeoff, but it's almost always to the user's benefit.

The place on the hard disk that's used to simulate RAM is called
either the swap file or the page file, depending on the version of
Windows. The two terms aren't exact synonyms, but for the purposes of
this discussion they are close enough to synonymous.

RAM is real memory. Some people call the swap file or page file
"virtual memory," but that's not the way Microsoft uses the term. To
Microsoft, "virtual memory" is the sum of all the memory available to
you--RAM plus the swap or page file.

For more information, read this article by the late
MVP Alex Nichol: "Virtual Memory in Windows XP" at
http://www.aumha.org/win5/a/xpvm.htm
 
Sorry to jump in Ken but your description leaves too many wrong impressions.

Ken Blake said:
Read below.



No, not in particular.





In older computers and operating systems, how much memory you had
(that's RAM, not hard disk space) was how much you had. When you have
it all used up, you're out of it, and you can't run any more programs.
Click to expand...

You most certainly can. You simply unload one program and load the next.
Memory is not 'used up'. A more accurate description would be:
If you had 256 MB of memory but have a program that requires 400MB of memory
how is this accomplished? This is done by loading half the program,
executing its
instructions and then, when the other half of the program is needed, the
half in memory
is swapped with the half residing on the HD. The program instructions being
executed
must be resident in storage. This can go back and forth until the
program has finished its task.
But in modern operating systems like Windows XP, if you run out of
RAM, you can use hard disk space to simulate memory. Since access to
the hard disk is slower than to RAM, using it slows you down,
Click to expand...
That is true but only to a very minor extent. I.E. Disk seek and read/write
data transfer time
..
but in the other hand, the ability to use the hard drive in place of real
memory (RAM) lets you do more than you could without it.
Click to expand...
The hard drive is not used in place of real memory. It is used as a place to
store a part or
some of the program as opposed to being stored in RAM.
So it's a tradeoff, but it's almost always to the user's benefit.

The place on the hard disk that's used to simulate RAM is called
either the swap file or the page file, depending on the version of
Windows. The two terms aren't exact synonyms, but for the purposes of
this discussion they are close enough to synonymous.

RAM is real memory.
Click to expand...

So is the Disc. HDs are random access memory devices. But, it is used for
storage only..
I.E. Instructions are executed from RAM only.
Some people call the swap file or page file
"virtual memory," but that's not the way Microsoft uses the term. To
Microsoft, "virtual memory" is the sum of all the memory available to
you--RAM plus the swap or page file.
Click to expand...

Virtual memory is a programming technique to simulate a computer has
much more memory than it really has.
 
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