How to Overcome 4,095-MB Paging File Size Limit in Windows 2000

ID: Q237740

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional
  • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SUMMARY

When you are setting the paging file size in Windows 2000, the documentation states that the largest paging file you can select is 4,095 megabytes (MB). This is the limit set per volume; you can actually create paging files this large on one or more drives if you need a larger paging file. If extra drives or volumes are not available, you can create multiple paging files on a single drive by placing them in separate folders.


MORE INFORMATION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it. If you are running Windows NT, you should also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

Note that reading or writing a paging file of this size can be costly in terms of performance. If you find that you need a paging file of this size, it may be better to add more RAM to the computer. The current algorithm Windows 2000 uses to set the default paging file size is:

  • If total physical RAM is less than 2 gigabytes (GB), the paging file is set to 1.5 times the amount of RAM.


  • If total physical RAM is more than 2 GB, the default size is set to 2 GB.


To create multiple paging files on one volume to overcome the 4,095-MB limit:
  1. On the drive or volume you want to hold the paging files, create folders for the number of paging files you want to create on the volume. For example, C:\Pagefile1, C:\Pagefile2, and C:\Pagefile3.


  2. Using Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe), locate the following key:


    3. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\SessionManager\MemoryManagement
  3. Find the Pagingfiles value, and then double-click it to open it.


  4. Remove any existing values, and add the following values:


    5. c:\pagefile1\pagefile.sys 3000 4000
    c:\pagefile2\pagefile.sys 3000 4000
    c:\pagefile3\Pagefile.sys 3000 4000
  5. Click OK and quit Registry Editor. Restart the computer to cause the changes to take effect.


  6. Check the properties of the paging file by right-clicking My Computer, and then clicking Properties. On the Advanced tab, click Performance Options.


In this example, the initial size of the paging files is set to 3000. Because they are used in the order they appear, you could save disk space by setting the initial size of the extra paging files to 0 so that the space is used only if needed. The initial size of the paging file is initialized to the minimum size when the computer starts. If the initial size is 3000, that space is reserved on the disk regardless of whether or not it is being used.

Additional query words: 4095 swap page file pagefile

Keywords : diskmem
Version : WINDOWS:2000
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbhowto


Last Reviewed: December 29, 1999
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