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Virtual Memory: Optimizing Your Workspace
Running a number of programs at once can tax your computer's RAM. For example, the combination of an operating system, email and a word processing program might require more memory than you have and slows overall performance. That's where virtual memory comes in.
When RAM starts to get full, virtual memory moves data to temporary storage space on the hard disk (where read/write capability is much slower). The more RAM that's available, the faster your computer will run.
Optimizing the space allocated to virtual memory helps improve operating speed. A rule of thumb is to maintain a 2:1 ratio between RAM and virtual memory. Too much allocated to virtual memory and it may result in slower performance because your computer is frequently accessing the slower hard disk. Too little and you'll get "Out of Memory" errors.
For detailed information and instructions on how to evaluate and optimize your virtual memory, see this article from How Stuff Works.
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Prettier Isn't Always Better
With each new operating system, the interface tends to get nicer, but that also means it takes up more space. Windows Vista users may find this especially noticeable. If you don't mind toning down the interface a little, you will see improvements in speed.
A helpful guide to making this change for Windows users can be found here.
There's also the old standby of uninstalling programs you aren't using. Just like the clothes in your closet, if you haven't used something in awhile, it might be time to toss it out. Fortunately this is one of the easier tasks to perform. These steps for Windows Vista are applicable to other versions of Windows.
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Options for Mac Users
Not to be left out, there are similar options to consider for Mac users. Tuning virtual memory and reducing the number of applications are equally applicable to Macs. There are also all those widgets that may be cluttering up your dashboard. For suggestions on some things to try, see this article from Mac Rumors or this one from The X Lab. Computerworld makes these recommendations for more advanced users.
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