🚀 go-pugleaf

evrwrite@powergrid.electriciti.com (Ed Redondo) wrote:


;>Another way to improve performance (less HD access for virtual memory 
;>purposes), make your Virtual Memory Max & Min sizes the same value.  This

;>value should be 1.5 * RAM if you have the disk space.  Making max=min
stops 
;>the unnecessary resizing of the swap file.


It also sets your up to get a very unfrendly "out of memory" error at just
the worst time.  I think you would be happier following the advice below.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
I found that there is a substantial advantage in having the two changes 
outlined below.

At work we received a new Pentium 133, 16 meg RAM, 1 gig HD.  I set it 
up to work with our LAN and one of our people wanted to compare its 
performance with the performance of the 486-50 that she has.   She had 
an Access database that in one section was preparing a report for printing.

That preparation took 77 seconds on her computer.  We started Access and 
did the test a few times, 33 seconds was the result.  Then I remembered 
that I hadn't yet done the optimizations.  After the optimizations were 
in place the test was consistently 14 seconds. 

I would call that a substantial performance gain, wouldn't you?<g>

------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are two more things you can do that will increase the speed of
starting, stopping and changing between tasks. These should stop the 
automatic reorganizing of the swap file (virtual memory) and disk cache 
that Win95 wants to do.

In the system.ini file after the [vcache] heading enter the two lines:

for 8 meg system

MinFileCache=1024
MaxFileCache=1024

or for 16 meg system

MinFileCache=2048
MaxFileCache=2048


This will make the file cache stay at a fixed size and not take up all free
memory all the time.  This file cache activity is done automatically, you
might have noticed your computer rattling the disk even when you haven't
done anything for a while.

The other thing is to take control of the size of the virtual memory, and
set it to a specific size.  Go into Control Panel | System | Performance |
Virtual Memory.  I have found with 8 meg computers that the best size seems
to be 20 meg.  Someone has suggested the virtual memory should be 2 1/2
times the size of your RAM.  I think that is an excessive size for the
larger
memory machines.  Your best bet is to run the System Monitor and set it to 
look at "swap file used".  Now load all the programs you would normally run
and see what the value comes to.  Now multiply by 1.5 and use that as your 
swap file size.  The reason for this is that Win95 will increase the size
of the swap file when it gets to about 75% used.  Have your maximum as
large
as you can, it probably will not use it anyway but just in case.<g>

Another thing, make sure you defrag your drive often, once a week if you
use your computer every day.


































;>==============================================================
;>   The truth of a proposition has nothing to do with its
;>   credibility.  And vice versa.
;>====================================== Ed Redondo ============


Gordon McAndrew
Vegreville,
Alberta, Canada
gmcandrew@aec.env.gov.ab.ca    -   Home  (403)632-6198