PC Pages

Special Discount for PC-Pages Visitors
33% discount on ALL web design packages from VisualWorx
Just quote the following discount code PCG04

PC-Pages Home Link to PC-Pages UK Directory Computer Clubs Drivers Contact
Remote Control your PC via the Web with GoToMyPC Free Trial - Uleads Web, Image and Video Tools
Anti-Spam Tools
Spamarrest
Mail Washer
 
Firewall &
Security Software
Zone Alarm
McAfee Firewall
 
Privacy Software
Anonymizer
Lavasoft Adaware
Spyware Remover
Evidence Eliminator
Pest Patrol
 
Protect your website code with Kloakit
 
PC Help Pages

Processor
Motherboard
Modem
Network
Bios
Monitor
Hard Drive
Memory
CD/CDRW/DVD
Graphics Cards
Soundcard
MP3
DIVX
Internet Explorer
Win 95/98/ME
Win 2000/NT
Win XP
Office XP
Outlook Express
Win XP Tips & Tricks
Price Compare
More Windows help
Underground, Security & Warez
Firewall
Anti-Virus
RAID
Overclocking
Spyware & Malware
Adaware from Lavasoft
Evidence Eliminator
DVD MovieFactory 3
 
 
Driver Downloads
Video Card Drivers
Modem Drivers
Motherboard Drivers
Soundcard Drivers
Network Card Drivers
 
Ink Supplies
Epson Ink
HP Ink
 
 
 
 



Windows 95/98/ME

2. Why does windows keep wildy accessing my hard drive for no apparent reason?

Lots of users have complained, that while using their PC, Windows goes off on to a planet of its own seizing up for up to a minute because of random, pointless disk activity which is due to the way that windows is set to handle disk caching and virtual memory. Although windows instructs you to "let Windows handle disk cache settings" for best results, this obviously does not give the best results.

You can stop windows randomly accessing the hard drive and improve the performance of your system. There are a number of ways to combat this:

Windows Virtual Memory

Right click on My Computer, and select Properties.
Click the Performance tab, and then click Virtual Memory
Choose Let me specify my own virtual memory settings.
If you want to choose a different drive for your swapfile, run Disk Defragmenter first.
Specify the same value for the Minimum size and the Maximum size, so windows won't spend so much time resizing the file. A good size is roughly 2 1/2 times the amount of installed RAM (i.e. create a 40MB swapfile if you have 16MB of RAM).
Press OK, and then OK again, and confirm that you want to restart your computer.

Defragmenting the Swapfile

Once you've set the swapfile size to be constant you won't have to worry about a fragmented (broken up) swapfile again.
However, you'll need to defragment it at least once for it to remain that way in the future.

If you have more than one partition or hard disk in your system, defragment all drives first. Then, move the swapfile to another drive, defragment the first one, and then move it back.
Although it's also possible to disable the swapfile entirely while you defragment the drive (and then re-enable it so it will be recreated whole), it isn't advisable because windows may not start without a Swapfile.

Virtual Cache (Only for those that have more than 16Mb of Memory)

Open SYSTEM.INI for editing.
Add the following two lines to the [vcache] section (If it's not there then add the section)
MinFileCache=4096
MaxFileCache=4096
These values, in kilobytes, regulate the size of the VCache, so you can stop it from filling up all available RAM and paging all loaded apps to disk. If you have more than 16 MB of RAM, then set the above values (both of them) to about 25% of the amount of installed RAM.

RAM

If you can afford it, add more memory. The more memory you have, the less frequently windows will use your hard disk, and the better your system performance will be.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Search PC-Pages
Please enter your search below.
PC Pages
Computer Directories


UK Directory

Trade Suppliers & Distributors

Computer Components
Laptops & Notebooks Computer Systems
Consumables
Peripherals
Software
Computer Fairs
ISP's
Computer Clubs
Website Hosting

USA Directory
Computer Games
Computer Memory
Computer Parts
Computers
Ink Cartridges
Laptop Computers

Webmaster
Tools & Resources
Marketing Tips
WordTracker
Traffic Equalizer
 
Hosting Solutions
Free Web Hosting for 12 months when you purchase a web design package from VisualWorx
 
500MB of storage and 20GB of transfer for only $7.95!
 
Easy CGI - Reliable and Affordable Web Hosting - $7.96/month!
 
6 Websites for $14.95/month.
 
Build your own PC
FTP Solutions
Flash FXP
 
 
Links & Resources

Links for PC Hardware and Software Support
Other Software Links
Online Games
Free Ecards
Divx.com

Zone Alarm Firewall Software - Stay Safe!
 

Download PC Protection- Download Now

 
© 1999-2004 PC-Pages. All rights reserved. VisualWorx Web Design