Short form: I want to use a 16GB USB flash drive memory stick as RAM, but seem to be unable to use more than 4GB, due to the system requirements, limiting what I can enter for values (size). WHY?? More detail: The computer is a desktop machine, having a 3.0GHz dual-core processor, and 4GB RAM installed. I believe the hard drive is a 1T. I have a 16GB USB flash drive memory stick, which I want to use to boost the RAM, for games, and such. There are 3 spare USB ports on the back of the tower. The flash drive is new, with NO files saved on it. When I go into the Settings; Computer; Virtual Memory, the computer is not allowing me to enter a value greater than 4096 in the field for "Initial Size" or "Maximum Size", for the Page File of the USB drive. The Value for C: that I see is: "2096-4092". Main Question: Is there some reason why I cannot allocate more of the memory stick for RAM? (Does the flash drive need to be formatted?) Does the values for C: need to be changed? I presently have "4090" entered for values "Initial Size" and "Maximum Size" in the custom size, for the Page File of the USB Drive. Screenshot provided of Virtual Memory Settings screen: (you can see the L: drive settings (selected), and the C: settings, also) http://prntscr.com/336ocy Question 2: Also, is the "4G" of RAM which I have added to the machine, being added to the 4GB which is already installed in the tower? Question 3: Does the OS wait until the system RAM is full before using the External RAM? Thanks! edit to add: What I learned from Microsoft article "How To Set Performance Options in Windows XP": http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417/en-us To manually change the size of virtual memory, follow these steps: ... Note After you change the size of the paging file, you may be prompted to restart Windows. If you are prompted to restart, the changes will not take effect until Windows is restarted. ... To have Windows select the best paging file size, click System managed size. The recommended minimum size is the same as 1.5 times the RAM on your computer, and 3 times that figure for the maximum size. For example, if you have 256 MB of RAM, the minimum size is 384 MB, and the maximum size is 1152 MB. For best performance, do not set the initial size to less than the minimum recommended size under Total paging file size for all drives. The recommended size is the same as 1.5 times the RAM on your computer. It is good practice to leave the paging file at its recommended size as performance can decrease if a paging file is too large. However, you may increase its size if you frequently use programs that use lots of memory , such as graphics programs or games. What I am unclear of here, is that, as you can see in the screenshot, the Recommended Size under Total paging file size for all drives is 3019M. And, the values set for the Paging File in C are 2046-4092 . The tower has been rebuilt, and has 4GB RAM . I do not know if these numbers reflect an original build of 2GB, whereas 3GB (3019M) would be 1.5 times the installed RAM, perhaps. Under Virtual Memory, I see the following (shown in screenshot): Drive C Space available: 725194MB *Custom Size Initial Size: 2046 Maximum Size: 4092 Total paging file size for all Drives Minimum allowed: 2MB Recommended: 3019MB Currently Allocated: 2046MB Given that the system has 4GB RAM installed, shouldn't the minimum be 1.5 times that value, or ~6000MB ? (not 3019MB), and the maximum be 3 times ? (not 4092) "The recommended minimum size is the same as 1.5 times the RAM on your computer, and 3 times that figure for the maximum size." Can I change the values on the Virtual memory for C drive to 2046-12000MB ? That is what I am reading from the article. But, it also says to not have a paging file on the same drive as the programs. "Try to avoid having a paging file on the same drive as the system files, usually drive C." Also, why am I unable to enter values greater than 4096 for the USB drive in Initial or Maximum? I also have a question as to whether I should select "Programs" or "System Cache" in memory usage, due to the cache requirements of games, running very few programs. edit 2: I learned that the usb drive needs to be formatted in NTFS, so I did that, which isn't easy, as that isn't a selection in the choices in the Format menu, without going into Device Mgr. A friend was telling me about formatting a usb drive ex-fat for a newer application, and got me thinking. I had selected FAT32 for this one, and had noticed no change in the page file graph usage after adding the drive, like it wasn't getting any data placed on it. So, as custom settings for this USB drive, I have the Initial value at 4091 and the Maximum at 4096, with "System Cache" selected as opposed to "Programs" in Memory usage, in Performance settings. Any answers or tips would be appreciated. Am I on the right track?

I do clear the browser cache occasionally, but probably not often enough. I think that the online or web-based game that I play is good at filling it up. What about clearing the prefetch? Someone mentioned that, and I never have, except on the laptop I am having difficulty with. I tried removing the browser and reinstalling it, (after clearing the cache, and history), running antivirus and anti-malware, restart, defrag, disk cleanup, short of doing a system restore. It is just doing some weird glitchy things, almost mouse related, but it isn't the mouse. Sometimes it won't let me click on the Start menu. If I open a new tab, I can't click back on the other tab, but I can close it. Task manager is open in the taskbar, but sometimes I can't click on it. If I open Start menu, and try to right click on Computer, I can't. The left click won't work on the task bar sometimes, but it will work everywhere on a webpage. I have no solution other than to do a system restore on that one. It is Windows 7. I tried CCleaner, because everyone talks about that. I noticed that it had a setting to clear or empty the prefetch in there. I used the link you provided for the tasklist, and even looked at the folder to verify that the file was there... I will look again.. edited to add: I clicked 'copy' on the file, in Downloads, and pasted it here: C: Windows System 32

Perhaps I entered the Command incorrectly, the last time... edit to add: This is what I am entering in the Command Prompt line: tasklist /svc >C:\startlist.txt It is not opening the text doc. I do not understand.

tasklist /svc >C:\startlist.txt Sends the output of the command to the Startlist.txt file. You then have to open the file, to open it from the command console enter: c:\startlist.txt If you want to see the results of the command at the console and not send the output to a file run the command without the redirect operator: tasklist /svc John

What about clearing the prefetch? Someone mentioned that, and I never have... ....I tried CCleaner, because everyone talks about that. I noticed that it had a setting to clear or empty the prefetch in there. Don't do anything to the prefect folder, just leave it alone, the advice about emptying it is misguided and offered by people who don't understand what the prefetcher is and how it works. Let Windows manage the prefetch folder, it will store a maximum of 128 .pf files for the most recently used applications and the .pf files for applications that you don't use get pushed out of the folder without user intervention. Ccleaner is an excellent tool to help you get rid of temporary files but the files in the prefetch folder should not be considered as temporary and deleting them will just slow your boot time and the start/launch time of the applications you use. Also, NEVER, EVER run the registry cleaning function. Never use any registry cleaners for automatic deletion of registry entries. Registry cleaners are next to utterly useless, they are a "fix" for non-existing problems and for most part they cause more harm than good. John

I never used C Cleaner before, because I can clear my browser cache, browsing history, and such right from the browser. And, most of the times that heard people discussing it, it seemed like all they needed to do was close the browser and reopen it, or clear the cache. Any slight problem, and the first thing that pops into the discussion is 'run ccleaner'. I am not sure if registry cleaner and clear prefetch are checked by default. i have used it only once. I am a little confused, because I ran tasklist once, and posted the results. You asked me to run it again and post the text doc of the running processes on the machine. Is this different than what I had already posted? So, when I ran it, it automatically overwrote the text doc, but didn't open it? I need to read back through the last 5 or 6 posts on this. edit to add: "Do run the tasklist /svc >C:\startlist.txt command and post the results here so we can see the running processes on machine." I thought that this is what I had already done and posted.

Having trouble: Adding RAM with a USB memory stick to a Windows XP desktop that has 4GB installed

Anonymous

Short form:

I want to use a 16GB USB flash drive memory stick as RAM, but seem to be unable to use more than 4GB, due to the system requirements, limiting what I can enter for values (size). WHY??

More detail:

The computer is a desktop machine, having a 3.0GHz dual-core processor, and 4GB RAM installed. I believe the hard drive is a 1T.

I have a 16GB USB flash drive memory stick, which I want to use to boost the RAM, for games, and such. There are 3 spare USB ports on the back of the tower. The flash drive is new, with NO files saved on it.

When I go into the Settings; Computer; Virtual Memory, the computer is not allowing me to enter a value greater than 4096 in the field for "Initial Size" or "Maximum Size", for the Page File of the USB drive.

The Value for C: that I see is: "2096-4092".

Main Question:

Is there some reason why I cannot allocate more of the memory stick for RAM?

(Does the flash drive need to be formatted?)

Does the values for C: need to be changed?

I presently have "4090" entered for values "Initial Size" and "Maximum Size" in the custom size, for the Page File of the USB Drive.

Screenshot provided of Virtual Memory Settings screen: (you can see the L: drive settings (selected), and the C: settings, also)

http://prntscr.com/336ocy

Question 2:

Also, is the "4G" of RAM which I have added to the machine, being added to the 4GB which is already installed in the tower?

Question 3:

Does the OS wait until the system RAM is full before using the External RAM?

Thanks!

edit to add:

What I learned from Microsoft article "How To Set Performance Options in Windows XP":

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308417/en-us

To manually change the size of virtual memory, follow these steps:

...Note After you change the size of the paging file, you may be prompted to restart Windows. If you are prompted to restart, the changes will not take effect until Windows is restarted.

...

To have Windows select the best paging file size, click System managed size. The recommended minimum size is the same as 1.5 times the RAM on your computer, and 3 times that figure for the maximum size. For example, if you have 256 MB of RAM, the minimum size is 384 MB, and the maximum size is 1152 MB.
For best performance, do not set the initial size to less than the minimum recommended size under Total paging file size for all drives. The recommended size is the same as 1.5 times the RAM on your computer. It is good practice to leave the paging file at its recommended size as performance can decrease if a paging file is too large. However, you may increase its size if you frequently use programs that use lots of memory, such as graphics programs or games.

What I am unclear of here, is that, as you can see in the screenshot, the Recommended Size under Total paging file size for all drives is 3019M.

And, the values set for the Paging File in C are 2046-4092.

The tower has been rebuilt, and has 4GB RAM.

I do not know if these numbers reflect an original build of 2GB, whereas 3GB (3019M) would be 1.5 times the installed RAM, perhaps.

Under Virtual Memory, I see the following (shown in screenshot):

Drive C

Space available: 725194MB

*Custom Size

Initial Size: 2046

Maximum Size: 4092

Total paging file size for all Drives

Minimum allowed: 2MB

Recommended: 3019MB

Currently Allocated: 2046MB

Given that the system has 4GB RAM installed, shouldn't the minimum be 1.5 times that value, or ~6000MB ? (not 3019MB), and the maximum be 3 times ? (not 4092)

"The recommended minimum size is the same as 1.5 times the RAM on your computer, and 3 times that figure for the maximum size."

Can I change the values on the Virtual memory for C drive to 2046-12000MB ?

That is what I am reading from the article. But, it also says to not have a paging file on the same drive as the programs.

"Try to avoid having a paging file on the same drive as the system files, usually drive C."

Also, why am I unable to enter values greater than 4096 for the USB drive in Initial or Maximum?

I also have a question as to whether I should select "Programs" or "System Cache" in memory usage, due to the cache requirements of games, running very few programs.

edit 2:

I learned that the usb drive needs to be formatted in NTFS, so I did that, which isn't easy, as that isn't a selection in the choices in the Format menu, without going into Device Mgr.

A friend was telling me about formatting a usb drive ex-fat for a newer application, and got me thinking. I had selected FAT32 for this one, and had noticed no change in the page file graph usage after adding the drive, like it wasn't getting any data placed on it.

So, as custom settings for this USB drive, I have the Initial value at 4091 and the Maximum at 4096, with "System Cache" selected as opposed to "Programs" in Memory usage, in Performance settings.

Any answers or tips would be appreciated.

Am I on the right track?

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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149 answers

Anonymous

2014-03-27T03:41:30+00:00

I do clear the browser cache occasionally, but probably not often enough. I think that the online or web-based game that I play is good at filling it up.

What about clearing the prefetch? Someone mentioned that, and I never have, except on the laptop I am having difficulty with. I tried removing the browser and reinstalling it, (after clearing the cache, and history), running antivirus and anti-malware, restart, defrag, disk cleanup, short of doing a system restore. It is just doing some weird glitchy things, almost mouse related, but it isn't the mouse. Sometimes it won't let me click on the Start menu. If I open a new tab, I can't click back on the other tab, but I can close it. Task manager is open in the taskbar, but sometimes I can't click on it. If I open Start menu, and try to right click on Computer, I can't. The left click won't work on the task bar sometimes, but it will work everywhere on a webpage.

I have no solution other than to do a system restore on that one. It is Windows 7.

I tried CCleaner, because everyone talks about that. I noticed that it had a setting to clear or empty the prefetch in there.

I used the link you provided for the tasklist, and even looked at the folder to verify that the file was there...

I will look again..

edited to add:

I clicked 'copy' on the file, in Downloads, and pasted it here:

C:

Windows

System 32
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Anonymous

2014-03-27T03:50:30+00:00

Perhaps I entered the Command incorrectly, the last time...

edit to add:

This is what I am entering in the Command Prompt line:

tasklist /svc >C:\startlist.txt

It is not opening the text doc.

I do not understand.
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Anonymous

2014-03-27T10:03:07+00:00

tasklist /svc >C:\startlist.txt

Sends the output of the command to the Startlist.txt file. You then have to open the file, to open it from the command console enter:

c:\startlist.txt

If you want to see the results of the command at the console and not send the output to a file run the command without the redirect operator:

tasklist /svc

John
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Anonymous

2014-03-27T10:25:19+00:00

What about clearing the prefetch? Someone mentioned that, and I never have...

....I tried CCleaner, because everyone talks about that. I noticed that it had a setting to clear or empty the prefetch in there.

Don't do anything to the prefect folder, just leave it alone, the advice about emptying it is misguided and offered by people who don't understand what the prefetcher is and how it works. Let Windows manage the prefetch folder, it will store a maximum of 128 .pf files for the most recently used applications and the .pf files for applications that you don't use get pushed out of the folder without user intervention.

Ccleaner is an excellent tool to help you get rid of temporary files but the files in the prefetch folder should not be considered as temporary and deleting them will just slow your boot time and the start/launch time of the applications you use. Also, NEVER, EVER run the registry cleaning function. Never use any registry cleaners for automatic deletion of registry entries. Registry cleaners are next to utterly useless, they are a "fix" for non-existing problems and for most part they cause more harm than good.

John
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Anonymous

2014-03-27T15:35:50+00:00

I never used C Cleaner before, because I can clear my browser cache, browsing history, and such right from the browser. And, most of the times that heard people discussing it, it seemed like all they needed to do was close the browser and reopen it, or clear the cache.

Any slight problem, and the first thing that pops into the discussion is 'run ccleaner'. I am not sure if registry cleaner and clear prefetch are checked by default. i have used it only once.

I am a little confused, because I ran tasklist once, and posted the results. You asked me to run it again and post the text doc of the running processes on the machine.

Is this different than what I had already posted? So, when I ran it, it automatically overwrote the text doc, but didn't open it?

I need to read back through the last 5 or 6 posts on this.

edit to add:

"Do run the tasklist /svc >C:\startlist.txt command and post the results here so we can see the running processes on machine."

I thought that this is what I had already done and posted.
Was this answer helpful?

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