Introduce the topic and its importance

Virtual memory, also known as the page file, plays a crucial role in the performance and stability of a Windows system. It acts as an extension of the physical memory (RAM) and allows the operating system to allocate additional memory when needed. Understanding how to configure and optimize the page file settings can significantly improve system performance and prevent crashes caused by low memory situations.

Examples:

1. How to create and configure a page file via GUI:

   • Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
   • Type "sysdm.cpl" and press Enter to open the System Properties window.
   • In the System Properties window, go to the "Advanced" tab and click on the "Settings" button under the "Performance" section.
   • In the Performance Options window, go to the "Advanced" tab and click on the "Change" button under the "Virtual memory" section.
   • Uncheck the "Automatically manage paging file size for all drives" option.
   • Select the drive for which you want to configure the page file and choose the "Custom size" option.
   • Specify the initial size and maximum size for the page file (in MB) and click on the "Set" button.
   • Click on the "OK" button to save the changes.

2. How to create and configure a page file via CMD:

   • Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
   • To create a page file on a specific drive, use the following command:

     wmic pagefileset create name="C:\pagefile.sys"

   • To specify the initial and maximum size for the page file, add the following parameters to the command:

     InitialSize=2048 MaximumSize=4096

   • Execute the command to create and configure the page file.

3. How to get page file configuration information via CMD:

   • Open Command Prompt as an administrator.
   • To retrieve the page file configuration details, use the following command:

     wmic pagefileset get /format:list

   • This command will display information such as the name, current usage, initial size, maximum size, and other properties of the page file(s) on the system.