Easy Windows Tune Up

The Swapfile.

Please note:If you use more than 512 meg of RAM then see the Vcache section and use Cacheman off my Free Programs Page to set a fixed Vcache.This will fix the bug with these larger amounts of memory up to around 1 gig(and help stop CD Burning,"Underruns).Also if you have around 128 meg or more of RAM then enable the "Conservative Swap File"option in Cacheman to force windows to use all your RAM before swapping out.

Taking control of your Virtual Memory win386.swp file and Vcache can be two of the best things you can do in any version of windows e.g win95 or win98 depending on your usage.Under normal circumstances letting windows manage these settings will do for most people.The Win386.swp file can become damaged by upgrading or even on a clean re-install of windows or by a virus attack!and then should be deleted from dos and windows allowed to make a new repaired one.

Always make sure you keep enough space on the drive where your swapfile is(win386.swp)otherwise your system can slow down and even crash!

Defrag your hard drive before setting the correct minimum setting for your usage.

Start icon/Shutdown/Restart in Ms-dos mode

You should be in the windows folder so type this exactly deltree win386.swp and then press enter and type exit or win to get back to windows.Windows will make you a new swapfile and this will make sure the old one is gone and the new one is also not damaged.If you or some one else has set a fixed swapfile then the win386.swp should be in the C root directory where the Msdos.sys file is.If you need help with dos commands then click here. Dos(commands help) and use the command deltree win386.swp on all of them and then type win or exit to get out of dos or if you are in real dos F8 bootup/Command prompt only just restart the system if you like and windows will make a new repaired win386.swp file.

Setting a Correct,"Minimum" Swapfile
(A maximum is not needed)

Control panel/System/Performance/Virtual memory and choose the Let me specify my own virtual memory settings.Ignore the warnings box.For a starting figure just choose 100 (meg)in the minimum box and leave the Maximum box alone and it will use what it needs if it ever needs it from the free space left on the drive.Re-boot the system.Don't worry if you go back to the settings and it looks like they haven't done anything and are grayed out,if you have a number in the minimum box then all is OK.

Open all the programs you would normally use in a windows session ad then right click on the win386.swp file and have a look at it's properties and see if it has grown bigger then the 100 meg figure from time to time.If it does and you get an idea of how big it's ever going to be then go back to the Virtual memory settings and up the figure to that number plus say around another 10 or 20 meg and you will be OK.If it never exceeds the 100 meg then don't worry as in these days of large hard drives that's not a lot to allocate for it.You can also use the free Cacheman and set it's Info Section to use a graph to monitor the swapfile/paging file usage after doing the above as a,"Fine tuning".

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The Vcache

This is too easy.Just go to my Freepage and download Cacheman and use it's beginner's settings or any of the other settings you fancy.Only you can choose what is best but this program makes it a cinch and it's doesn't even install itself to the system and you can undo anything it does in a jiffy.

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