Virtual memory and LDS indexing

[Rach]

The other day I received a 'virtual memory' sign while I was working on family search indexing. I find that quite often I have speed problems with my pc while I am working on this. Looking at the other recent post I now presume that it is perhaps using up a huge amount of memory. I do try to remember to do a 'disc clean up' on a regular basis. If anyone else is indexing do they find this?
Rae

[Anne H]

Hi Rae,
No, I didn't have any problems with virtual memory when I was indexing for family search. I've also tried the disc cleanup and also removing several files and images from my computer, but it doesn't help much. Now that I think of it, I believe that most of the time I have this problem is when I'm working with photographs...very possibly it's the overload of images and photos on my computer.

Regards,
Anne H

[Bob C]

The other day I received a 'virtual memory' sign while I was working on family search indexing. Rae

"Virtual Memory" is a technique used to expand the capabilities your computer by using your hard drive as an expansion of Random Access Memory or RAM. When you have a process or an application that is trying to load large files that are larger than your RAM then the part of the file that is not active is written to the hard drive and kept track of by the operating system. When the part on the hard drive is needed, the contents of RAM are written to the hard drive and the part needed is loaded into RAM. Because reading and writing to the hard drive is slower than reading and writing to RAM you can notice what seems to be a slow system. Microsoft recommends that "Virtual Memory" be 1.5 times the size of your RAM so if you have 512MB of RAM then your "Virtual Memory" is 768MB or 1.25GB available in physical and virtual memory.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555223 (Note this link is very technical)

When you get the message "Low on Virtual Memory" it is just telling you that it doesn't have enough for what you are doing and is automatically adjusting itself to give you enough.

The problem is sometimes caused by not having enough RAM. You can run XP on as little as 256MB physical memory but it is really slow because of all the reading and writing to the hard drive. 512MB is really not much better. I have read that 1GB should be considered the minimum and more is better.

Other things causing the problem can be having too many applications open at the same time. Only have open those that you need to accomplish the task. Sometimes applications are poorly written and do not properly release their reserved memory when closed which reduces the amount of RAM available for new applications being run.

When working with large images and transcribing them you should consider starting from a cleanly booted machine and only opening the applications you need to do the transcriptions.

Hope this helps you understand what is going on.

Bob C

[Rach]

Now that I think of it, I believe that most of the time I have this problem is when I'm working with photographs...very possibly it's the overload of images and photos on my computer.
Anne H

Yes, Anne, the pc has run slowly with too many photos on but I hadn't had the virtual memory message before.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/555223 (Note this link is very technical)
Bob C

Thank you very much Bob C for that very clear information. I would have been no further forward reading microsoft's explanation! They should have a site especially for people like me who freak out when things go wrong! Will remember to clear things before beginning the indexing programme.
Rae

[Montrose Budie]

Hi Rach

See the parallel thread at http://talkingscot.com/forum/viewtopic. ... ht=virtual

Including the reference to the definition of 'virtual memory', - see the http://www.techterms.com/definition/virtualmemory site which has much clearer definitions than the MSoft site...............

mb

[Rach]

Thanks, MB,
Have put that site into my favourites to use when anything else crops up that I don't understand. That was a very simple explanation.
Rae