A window keeps popping up on my computer screen, saying that the "virtual memory is low". What can I do?

Answer 1

NO...plz plz dont do wht the guy* is saying coz its not a good idea coz its better to leave operating sys decide whts good for memory management(paging) dont interfare within tht coz it wld make ur comp. act crazy,so avoid tht.

well there's no need to get panic about it...
this is happening bcoz memory space left in your primary drive(say C: whr windows installed) has low memory space left.
every operating system use certain part of your primary drive as *virtual memory*

Virtual memory or virtual memory addressing is a memory management technique, used by multitasking computer operating systems wherein non-contiguous memory is presented to a software (aka process) as contiguous memory.

In technical terms, virtual memory allows software to run in a memory address space whose size and addressing are not necessarily tied to the computer's physical memory(RAM).

therefore its required to make early arrangments to get your primary drive (say C:) efficently organzied

you can do this in following step by step instructions given over here

1> make a diskcleanup(startmenu>program>... c: or whtever)
2> go to C: manualy where you have WIndows and there in it you wld find *temp* just empty it(delete everything tht is inside tht folder)

3> Yes if you have big contagious(taking big memory) software installed in your C: (primary drive) then remove it by ...controlpanel>>add/remove prog

4> Defragment your drive you can do it by
strtmenu>>prog>>acess>>systemt...
this wld help your primary drive to arrange those misplaced memory chunks!

5> now if you can remove few more files or programes from c: tht wld be nice....and dont worry ........you can shift them to any other drive like D:
i mean...>> uninstall tht from C: and try to reinstall them to and give it path like D:/programme file/ software name

in this way you wld have those chubby/chunky softwares in your computer and ...your C: drive wldn't be lacking required memory space

*{Bottom line is ...remove game or other very contagious programs and install them to some other drive}*

have a gr8 day! :)

Answer 2

I answered a question like yours for someone awhile back -she even has the same picture as yours. I copied and pasted the text, so enjoy:

Virtual memory is probably the most important feature of a multi-tasking operating system.
In Win9x, the page file was referred to as a swap file. Even Windows 3.1 had a swap file.

Virtual memory is a system where computer code and data can be swapped to and from a file on the hard drive. This allows the operating system to use more memory than what is available in physical memory. Unused 'pages' of computer memory can be swapped to the page file (or swap file), and then Windows can allocate the memory that was swapped to other programs. Windows makes efficient use of virtual memory. For example, if a program is sitting in the background in an idle state, Windows will automatically move the program's unused code and data memory pages to the page file. Then, when the program becomes active again, Windows loads the code and data back.

Now, I think I can help you avoid that virtual memory message that Windows gives you.
Right click My Computer on the desktop and select Properties. Click the Advanced tab and click the Settings button, under Performance.
Click the Advanced tab and then click the Change button. You essentially have two options here. You can either select the button which allows Windows to handle the size of the page file (click the System Managed Size button), or you can use the page file size that Windows recommends listed at the bottom of the page. Usually Windows recommends a size somewhere around 1150. I manually set mine to 1200. If you want a custom size, click the custom size button and set the Initial size to whatever Windows recommends. The Maximum Size can be the same number, or some number above the recommended size.
You'll have to reboot the computer after you okay the settings.

Oops, one warning: Before you make the change to the virtual memory size, check to make sure that you have enough hard drive space.

Answer 3

It would seem that you are simply running far to many programs at one time. When using low-end computers, try not to have mroe than 3 different programs with multiple windows open in conjunction with background programs, especially full screen softwares such as games.

Another way to ensure you have more RAM at the start is to remove some programs from automatically starting when the computer is turned on. This can be done through Start -> Run -> msconfig and toggle unwanted programs off. Or you may wish to modify register entires to permanently remove them. If not, then you can try to download 3rd party softwares such as AutoRuns.

Answer 4

You're getting low on hard disc space. Clear unwanted documents, videos, mp3's and programmes. You can increase your physical ram (the memory that slots in your pc) but you'll still be low on virtual memory though the computer may not require its use quite so often (virtual memory where the free space on your computer hard drive is used in order to boost you actual physical memory and is often used when applications that require large am mounts of memory are used).

Answer 5

To change the size of the virtual memory paging file
You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in order to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings might also prevent you from completing this procedure.

Open System in Control Panel.
On the Advanced tab, under Performance, click Settings.
On the Advanced tab, under Virtual memory, click Change.
Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file you want to change.
Under Paging file size for selected drive, click Custom size, and type a new paging file size in megabytes in the Initial size (MB) or Maximum size (MB) box, and then click Set.
If you decrease the size of either the initial or maximum page file settings, you must restart your computer to see the effects of those changes. Increases typically do not require a restart.

Notes

To open System, click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
To have Windows choose the best paging file size, click System managed size.
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 equivalent to 1.5 times the amount of RAM on your system. Usually, you should leave the paging file at its recommended size, although you might increase its size if you routinely use programs that require a lot of memory.
To delete a paging file, set both initial size and maximum size to zero, or click No paging file. Microsoft strongly recommends that you do not disable or delete the paging file.

Answer 6

3 possibilities:

1. if the title says Internet Explorer or Firefox or some program name not related to the internal working of Windows then you've been had by adware or popups, they are annoying commercials like spam mails but rather harmless in their own programming.

2. disk is full, if you already know that virtual mem is just pagefile in proper-speak then you know exactly which disk, the one with Windows on or you already know it.

3. too many programs active, that includes the little icons in system tray, close them.

Answer 7

Virtual memory - to explain it easily is how much your compouter can run at the same time - running loads of programmes atthe same time is a common casue - or listening to music while opening another programme.
To close down all unneccesary programes press:

ALT + CTRL + DELETE

and shut down all the programmes other than explorer and system tray etc....

To help your pc run faster you may need to upgrade your ram card or motherboard as well.

Answer 8

Right click on my computer > Advanced Tab > click "Settings" button under performance > advanced Tab > click "change" under virtual memory.
Increase this value. It is customary to have it between 1.5-3 times the amount of RAM you have.

Answer 9

Get rid of unused programs, especially games as they hog your virtual memory. The defrag your computer.

Answer 10

my advice is to go to the start bar, then run and type msconfig, click on run and go to the start up part,

untick boxes like aim or such like so they will not start from the computer boot.

go through the list and turn off things you know u dont use or can start by clicking on the prog icon (like in program menu)

this should require a restart.

ONLY UNTICK BOXES THAT YOU KNOW YOU DO NOT NEED