retired_zakrli

I'm no computer geek (computer idiot more like) but I've come across a Microsoft Help & Support article which states that...

"The optimal solution is to create one paging file that is stored on the boot partition, and then create one paging file on another partition that is less frequently accessed on a different physical hard disk if a different physical hard disk is available. Additionally, it is optimal to create the second paging file so that it exists on its own partition, with no data or operating-system-specific files. By design, Windows uses the paging file on the less frequently accessed partition over the paging file on the more heavily accessed boot partition. An internal algorithm is used to determine which paging file to use for virtual memory management."

Full article here.

I don't have an external hard drive, but has anyone had experience of putting a 2nd paging file on a different partition on the same hard drive? or am I misunderstanding what is being said? (quite likely...). If so, did you notice any improvement in performance?

StewDogg

Yes, it's all true.

Windows will ALWAYS use the page file to save recently accessed data, but if the hard disk is accessing data and other O/S files obviously there will be some contention between the 2 and performance will be affected.

If you have a 2nd physical drive then while data is being accessed by drive 1, the page file can be accessed simultaneously from drive 2. Having a separate partition strictly for the page file will ensure that it doesn't become fragmented. Fragmentation will also negatively affect data access times.

retired_aeva1974

If you set the page file to a fixed size, fragmentation won't be a problem, and putting it on a different partition on the same disk will not increase performance.