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?

Thanks! I will be careful, for sure. I'll check out those resources, even if dated. Obviously, Win XP is dated. I nearly bought RAM today, and almost created a minor disaster. I checked with my former rebuild guy, and he is no longer doing it, and has no memory cards left. I checked with two local PC repair stores for RAM. One wanted $46 for a 2GB card like mine. I called the other shop, and was told that they had a pair of 2GB DDR2 RAM cards with identical specs to what I currently have. Good brand, heat sinks. $50 for the set, out of the package. I was driving away from the shop when I noticed that the guy gave me 1GB cards, so I had to go back. The 2GB cards he thought he had like mine were different specs, 533MHz, as opposed to 800MHz, and mine is 6400. I think his were 5200... something else was different, too, like the voltage maybe. He said they would be fine, but I just didn't think they were the same. (Obviously the two that he had were matched to each other, no doubt). They just seemed a step down from what I have. So, he said, well, you can have those for 50, or I will do one for 30. (He originally said that he was asking $32 for each of the 2GB cards when we first agreed on 50 for the pair). I said okay, I'll take one, knowing that it was different than what I currently have. He said if it doesn't work for me, he'll gladly refund. I was driving away, and the further away I got, the worse I felt about it. "I just paid $30 (cash, no tax, no shipping, no wait) for a 2GB RAM card that doesn't match mine, with specs that do not match, that I believe to be a step down in performance even, when for only $5-8 more, and maybe 5 days wait, I can have an identical Patriot card or a near-identical Crucial card." So, I went back, and got my $30 bucks back. (All $50, total actually). Good news is that I returned two of the 16GB USB flash drives to Office Max, which I erroneously thought could be used as RAM (or ready boost) in my desktops! Lesson learned, there. I have a 16GB stick that is opened, which I can use for storage (my 256MB one is full), and a 32GB stick which I can use for Ready Boost on one of my 2 laptops with Windows 7 (they were all on sale, at the time. 32G was $20, reg $50 and the 16GB were $10 reg $20) So, the two 16GB mem sticks which I returned, will pay for the RAM. The guy at the second shop said that he has some used machines, and that I could probably get a quad-core machine with 8GB RAM and Windows 7 for about what it would cost to change this machine over to 7. (Without him knowing exactly what processor I currently have, and what motherboard I have.) I'll order a 2GB RAM from Crucial, or a Patriot from TigerDirect.

Autoruns is the most comprehensive of these utilities but you have to be careful and be sure of what you disable or else you may cripple the Windows installation. When doing your research you may also find these to be useful: http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm http://www.runscanner.net/ Some may be a bit dated but they still have good & relevant information. John

I was able to remove some services/processes with the guidance of a couple online articles. I actually read no less than 10 articles on removing unnecessary programs/services. These two are the two that I used as guides when removing via Start > Run > services.msc http://www.blackviper.com/service-configurations/black-vipers-windows-xp-x86-32-bit-service-pack-3-service-configurations/ http://billmullins.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/speedup-your-pc-%E2%80%93-turn-off-unnecessary-services-in-xp/ There is a nice utility where I was able to remove some browser helper objects, toolbars, and services that were not listed in services.msc ...That utility is called Autoruns from Windows Sysinternationals. I found it here: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx?ocid=fwlink I am sure that there are more thing which I can remove, still. I did create a restore point prior to Stopping ans Disabling anything.

And, yes, a crash course in removing unnecessary processes would be great! Just leave out the 'crash' part! Hahaha. I don't need that! Actually, money is a factor, at the moment, so an upgrade to 7 and 8GB RAM is not going to happen soon, but it is something to look forward to. I found this in a search on "How to identify remove unnecessary programs" Identify and eliminate Unwanted Startup programs To identify what loads when you boot use Autoruns (freeware from Microsoft). http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx?ocid=fwlink

That is a great suggestion. I do like Windows 7 (almost had this one upgraded to 7 when it was rebuilt). I would like to make this machine way better... I have two laptops with Windows 7 on them. (I have been playing my game/working on a Toshiba laptop with 4GB RAM and a 2.0 GHz dual core processor, until the monitor started acting up, and now the system is doing some weird things... with mouse clicks. The second laptop is similar, except a 1.6GHz processor. That one had a virus in it, causing the WmiPrvSE.exe program to run at 65-100% cpu usage constantly. I just fixed that one the other day, so I may be able to take some of the load off this desktop. We have 4 of us in the house; 4 computers. I still consider this desktop to be the best machine that I have. My wife had declared it JUNK, and took it apart some months ago, taking the RAM card out, thinking she could put it in the junker desktop which she bought without checking any of its specs. (Windows XP, 2.6GHz processor, single core, 4GB RAM) Anyway... I do not believe that i have a separate graphics card. Would it be plugged directly into the motherboard? The only other card that I saw is a modem card.

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.

0 comments

149 answers

Anonymous

2014-03-25T23:37:53+00:00

Thanks! I will be careful, for sure.

I'll check out those resources, even if dated. Obviously, Win XP is dated.

I nearly bought RAM today, and almost created a minor disaster.

I checked with my former rebuild guy, and he is no longer doing it, and has no memory cards left.

I checked with two local PC repair stores for RAM.

One wanted $46 for a 2GB card like mine.

I called the other shop, and was told that they had a pair of 2GB DDR2 RAM cards with identical specs to what I currently have. Good brand, heat sinks. $50 for the set, out of the package.

I was driving away from the shop when I noticed that the guy gave me 1GB cards, so I had to go back.

The 2GB cards he thought he had like mine were different specs, 533MHz, as opposed to 800MHz, and mine is 6400. I think his were 5200... something else was different, too, like the voltage maybe.

He said they would be fine, but I just didn't think they were the same. (Obviously the two that he had were matched to each other, no doubt). They just seemed a step down from what I have.

So, he said, well, you can have those for 50, or I will do one for 30. (He originally said that he was asking $32 for each of the 2GB cards when we first agreed on 50 for the pair).

I said okay, I'll take one, knowing that it was different than what I currently have. He said if it doesn't work for me, he'll gladly refund.

I was driving away, and the further away I got, the worse I felt about it.

"I just paid $30 (cash, no tax, no shipping, no wait) for a 2GB RAM card that doesn't match mine, with specs that do not match, that I believe to be a step down in performance even, when for only $5-8 more, and maybe 5 days wait, I can have an identical Patriot card or a near-identical Crucial card."

So, I went back, and got my $30 bucks back. (All $50, total actually).

Good news is that I returned two of the 16GB USB flash drives to Office Max, which I erroneously thought could be used as RAM (or ready boost) in my desktops! Lesson learned, there.

I have a 16GB stick that is opened, which I can use for storage (my 256MB one is full), and a 32GB stick which I can use for Ready Boost on one of my 2 laptops with Windows 7 (they were all on sale, at the time. 32G was $20, reg $50 and the 16GB were $10 reg $20)

So, the two 16GB mem sticks which I returned, will pay for the RAM.

The guy at the second shop said that he has some used machines, and that I could probably get a quad-core machine with 8GB RAM and Windows 7 for about what it would cost to change this machine over to 7. (Without him knowing exactly what processor I currently have, and what motherboard I have.)

I'll order a 2GB RAM from Crucial, or a Patriot from TigerDirect.
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Anonymous

2014-03-25T20:50:16+00:00

Autoruns is the most comprehensive of these utilities but you have to be careful and be sure of what you disable or else you may cripple the Windows installation.

When doing your research you may also find these to be useful:

http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm

http://www.answersthatwork.com/Tasklist_pages/tasklist.htm

http://www.pacs-portal.co.uk/startup_index.htm

http://www.runscanner.net/

Some may be a bit dated but they still have good & relevant information.

John
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Anonymous

2014-03-25T19:46:33+00:00

I was able to remove some services/processes with the guidance of a couple online articles.

I actually read no less than 10 articles on removing unnecessary programs/services.

These two are the two that I used as guides when removing via Start > Run > services.msc

http://www.blackviper.com/service-configurations/black-vipers-windows-xp-x86-32-bit-service-pack-3-service-configurations/

http://billmullins.wordpress.com/2008/01/21/speedup-your-pc-%E2%80%93-turn-off-unnecessary-services-in-xp/

There is a nice utility where I was able to remove some browser helper objects, toolbars, and services that were not listed in services.msc ...That utility is called Autoruns from Windows Sysinternationals. I found it here:

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx?ocid=fwlink

I am sure that there are more thing which I can remove, still.

I did create a restore point prior to Stopping ans Disabling anything.
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2014-03-25T03:19:04+00:00

And, yes, a crash course in removing unnecessary processes would be great!

Just leave out the 'crash' part! Hahaha. I don't need that!

Actually, money is a factor, at the moment, so an upgrade to 7 and 8GB RAM is not going to happen soon, but it is something to look forward to.

I found this in a search on "How to identify remove unnecessary programs"

Identify and eliminate Unwanted Startup programs

To identify what loads when you boot use Autoruns (freeware from

Microsoft).

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb963902.aspx?ocid=fwlink
Was this answer helpful?

0 comments No comments
Anonymous

2014-03-25T03:09:48+00:00

That is a great suggestion. I do like Windows 7 (almost had this one upgraded to 7 when it was rebuilt).

I would like to make this machine way better...

I have two laptops with Windows 7 on them. (I have been playing my game/working on a Toshiba laptop with 4GB RAM and a 2.0 GHz dual core processor, until the monitor started acting up, and now the system is doing some weird things... with mouse clicks. The second laptop is similar, except a 1.6GHz processor. That one had a virus in it, causing the WmiPrvSE.exe program to run at 65-100% cpu usage constantly. I just fixed that one the other day, so I may be able to take some of the load off this desktop.

We have 4 of us in the house; 4 computers.

I still consider this desktop to be the best machine that I have. My wife had declared it JUNK, and took it apart some months ago, taking the RAM card out, thinking she could put it in the junker desktop which she bought without checking any of its specs. (Windows XP, 2.6GHz processor, single core, 4GB RAM)

Anyway...

I do not believe that i have a separate graphics card. Would it be plugged directly into the motherboard?

The only other card that I saw is a modem card.
Was this answer helpful?

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