The topic of Virtual Memory can be confusing for some folks, but
I'll try to explain it as best I can (starting with the basics).
RAM,
or, "Random Access Memory", exists in every computer. RAM are actually
pieces of hardware (chips) and are used to store temporary data. The
temporary data is then used for computation by the CPU (Central
Processing Unit) at a later time.
So, for example: when you
double click to view a movie file on your computer, it is first loaded
into RAM (a chunk at a time), then moved to the CPU (Central Processing
Unit) where it is processed and decoded, and eventually output to the
screen and sound card. And voila, you have your movie.
RAM is
also known as "Primary Memory". Comparatively, Virtual Memory (also
known as Secondary Memory or Page Memory) is used in place of Primary
Memory, but only if there is no Primary Memory available at the time.
Since
Virtual Memory is stored on the hard drive, it is significantly slower
than RAM; therefore, virtual memory usage should be avoided whenever
possible. To compare: hard drive speeds are measured in Milliseconds
(MS) where as RAM speeds are measured in Nanoseconds (NS). Generally
speaking, the more RAM a computer has, the faster, or "more optimized"
it is -- especially when switching between tasks.
If you are
constantly getting the message that your system needs to increase
Virtual Memory settings and you're not overworking the PC, I would
suspect a memory leak. This is, of course, assuming that you haven't
played with your virtual memory settings in Windows (it's best to leave
it alone or restore to default).
FIX
look in Control Panel:
System, Advanced, Performance, Settings, Advanced, Virtual
Memory. I believe it's in a similar location in other versions of Windows.
I can no longer play CD'S whats up with that?
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