Help A Computer Nitwit: What is Virtual Memory?

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Windows keeps telling me that I'm running low on virtual memory and is increasing it, whatever it is - is there something i can do to stop this happening, all help v. much appreciated - pl. keep in mind that i am a real computer illiterate, ty

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 19:37 (twenty years ago)

http://img163.imageshack.us/img163/8910/image0gq.jpg

― Spider-man, Wednesday, 16 November 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

http://www.moviehole.net/img/johnnymnemonic.jpg
I can carry nearly eighty gigs of data in my head.

― Spink, Wednesday, 16 November 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

Virtual memory: a file on your disk that is used to store data that won't fit into your main memory. If you've got plenty of disk space, you don't need to worry about it.

― Forest Pines (ForestPines), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 20:19 (twenty years ago)

ram is the "real" memory. when there's too much stuff to fit in the ram, the operating system puts some on the hard drive instead. this stuff is called virtual memory.

the error is likely caused by programs running in the background when you turn on the computer. run antivirus and antispyware scans. if they don't work try running msconfig from the run box and disabling startup items.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_memory
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/837869

― älänbänänä (alanbanana), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 20:28 (twenty years ago)

ty, after a shitty day my faith in internet mentalism is restored

― Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 16 November 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

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