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I keep getting the message \"need more virtual memory\". I have tried a few different ways to increase it, with no success. Can I get a better graphic card and will that help? I have 4.00 GB RAM (3.25 usable) No problem with computer slow down. My operating system is 32 bits whatever that means. Is it possible to upgrade to 64?
Note: The solutions presented in this article require an installed copy of Windows 7 and full administrator rights. Windows XP users, see the notes throughout the article for similar steps.
To answer your questions first let's see what virtual memory is.
Every program or application that runs on your computer needs memory to run. This includes the operating system itself and any background programs that get loaded at system startup.
Most of the memory in your computer is physical memory, or RAM (Random Access Memory). Generally, physical memory isn't large enough to hold all the programs running on a computer. As such, Windows uses virtual memory to compensate for any lack of physical memory.
Windows frequently swaps portions of programs between physical and virtual memory prioritizing active programs, which are always loaded into physical memory. This allows computers that have less physical memory (RAM) than the minimum requirements of a program to be able to run that program. Although this can cause slowdowns attributed to frequent hard drive swapping.
Virtual memory is present in your computer in the form of a file on your hard drive. This file is called a Page File or a Swap File and it's usually found in the root of the C: drive. By default Windows sets the Page File size between 1.5 to 3 times the size of the physical memory installed in a computer. The entire process is automatic, expanding and contracting the size of the Page File within these limits.
Now that you have a general understanding of virtual memory, let's look at how we can solve the "low virtual memory" error message.
"Low virtual memory" messages indicate that programs running on your computer need more space but Windows can't find enough space within the imposed limitations. This can be caused by faulty programs not releasing memory space after termination, or it can be caused by setting the Page File size too low and even by not having enough free hard drive space.
From your question, I see you have more than enough RAM to run most current programs. In addition, since you do not experience slowdowns, I suspect the problem might be either a faulty application or not enough hard drive space.
To solve this problem first you need to check if Windows is managing the size of your Page File automatically.
Begin by going to the Start Menu and clicking on Control Panel. Next, click on the System and Security group. Then, click on System and finally click on Advanced system settings.
This will bring up the System Properties window. Click on the Advanced tab and under Performance, click the Settings… button.
In the Performance Options window, click the Advanced tab. Then, under Virtual memory, click the Change… button.
This will bring up the Virtual Memory window. Here, make sure the Automatically manage paging file size for all drives box is checked and click OK to exit. If any other option is checked, change it back to automatic and restart your computer.
Note: In Windows XP, go to the Start Menu, click on Control Panel and then on System. Then follow the same steps above until you reach the Virtual Memory window. There, make sure the System managed size box is checked and click OK to exit.
Now that you know that Windows is managing the Page File, you should check if you have enough free hard drive space.
Go to the Start Menu again and this time, click on Computer. Take a look at the C: drive. If you have less than 10% of free hard drive space, your drive is too full. Use Disk Cleanup, uninstall unneeded applications and archive some files on DVD's to make more room for the Page File on your drive.
If you still receive the "low virtual memory" message after checking these two issues, it's most likely that a program is causing the error.
Here's how you can check if a program is causing a memory leak.
Press Ctrl + Alt + Delete from your keyboard and click on Start Task Manager from the list to bring up the Task Manager. In the Task Manager window select the
Processes tab and click on View from the menu bar. Next, click on Select Columns.
Then, check the box next to Memory -Paged Pool and click OK.
Note: In Windows XP follow the same steps above. However, after you select Columns, check the box next to Virtual memory and click OK.
In the Processes tab, look for a process that has a large value in the Paged Pool column. You'll probably have to look up the name of the offending process online to determine its parent application. If you find a suspicious application, the only solution is to uninstall it from your computer (or apply the latest patch) and see if you still receive the error message.
As for your other questions, unless you're using an on-board graphic card that shares video memory with RAM you don't need to change your graphic card to solve this problem. Switching to a 64bit operating system only requires a 64bit copy of Windows (and a compatible CPU). Also, 64bit operating systems can address all of your 4GB of RAM but not all applications are compatible.
No More Mouse Wake Up
When I'm going to be away from my computer for a little while, I usually just put it to sleep rather than shut it down. This comes in pretty handy, but because my mouse is so sensitive, if I even so much as tap my desk the computer wakes right up again. This is because my mouse is set up to wake my computer if I move it.
So today we're going to learn how to disable that in Windows 7.
Click Start, and in the Search Box type Mouse. Select the mouse icon that appears in the results above or just hit Enter.
After the Mouse Properties window appears, select the Hardware tab and click on Properties at the bottom.
Click the Power Management tab. If you don't see it, then click the Change Settings button at the bottom of the Window.
Now simply deselect the option to Allow this device to wake the computer, click OK and you're all set! Instead of using the mouse to wake your PC from sleep, just tap a key on your keyboard instead!
Don't like it this way? Just follow the steps again and re-select Allow this device to wake the computer.
Although the iPod touch would potentially make an excellent PDA, the capability to view documents on it is possible, but not the ability to alter said docs. There are some special apps that can be used to make it possible to make and alter PDF, Word Docs, Excel, and other text files, as long as you are willing to pay the extra cost. If you need to alter these files while you are away from your personal computer, then it will be well worth the additional price for the app or apps.
QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite
This download enables you to email, view and access formats such as PDF, HTML, PPT, and many other popular file formats. You can even make, open, and alter a number of Microsoft Office files, like XLS, XLSX, DOC, and DOCX. These files can be emailed directly or transferred via WiFi. Google Docs can also be used to remotely access files on the iPod Touch.
QuickOffice Mobile Suite
If you aren't concerned with having the ability to remotely access files, then this download might be a good option. It has everything that the QuickOffice Connect Mobile Suite has, except for the remote access, plus it costs a few dollars less.
QuickOffice Connect
You can still view, share, and email Microsoft word and Excel documents with this download, as well as Adobe Acrobat PDFs, Microsoft PowerPoint, and web pages. Files from external applications can be opened and remote access to files is available. The biggest difference with this download is that you aren't able to create and edit files that you view and/or share.
Transferring files with QuickOffice happens two different ways. One ways is by mounting your iPod Touch on the computer as an external drive or using the web browser to make the computer and iPod Touch communicate with one another. Files are moved and copied to the iPod Touch with the File Explorer in Windows when the Touch is mounted as a drive. When the browser is used, a Web interface allows you to search the contents and exchange the files you want.
Documents to Go
This app supports Microsoft Excel, Word, PDF, PowerPoint and many other files or attachments. It is also capable of two-way synchronization of files for both Windows and Mac. Microsoft Word can not only be viewed, but also created and edited in both landscape and portrait. Find and Replace, Word Count, Undo/Redo, and auto bulleting are also included. As for detailed features for Microsoft Excel; spreadsheets can be made, viewed, and altered in the same ways as on a regular computer. Version 2 is the one that works with the iPod Touch.
Both of these apps are around the same price and offer very similar features. Either one of these would work great for transferring your Word or Excel documents to your iPod Touch 64GB. Documents to Go can be upgraded to the premium version if you decide you need the ability to edit PowerPoint files. The regular and the premium version of Documents to Go both allow files to be sent and received as attachments in Gmail, which can prove very useful to people who travel a lot. QuickOffice does support Google Docs, which is a widely used service today. Being able to share files through email with this app basically makes it tied with the Documents to Go app.
There's no installation required for the QuickOffice, which some people find to be a huge advantage. Others aren't bothered by the need to install software to be able to use the Documents to Go app. However, to install Documents to Go you have to not only have an iPod Touch with iOS 3.2 or greater and 20.3 MB of free memory available on it, but also Windows 7, Vista, or XP on your computer.
Upgrading to the premium version of Documents to Go will give you the most benefit, but only if you are interested in the extras it provides. Simply needing something that allows you to load Excel and Word docs for future referral might make this upgrade a waste of money.
It's hard to say whether one of these apps is better than the other. They both have a lot to offer to people who need to have access to Word and Excel documents. You might choose one over the other because of price, or even due to the way it is set up on the iPod Touch but that would be a personal preference.
Zoom with the Scroll Wheel
Are you tired of trying to read that fine print on your computer screen? I know I am. At least I used to be.
In the past, if you wanted to adjust the view (zoom in or out) in a document or a web browser, you would have to navigate through several menus and submenus. Today, Microsoft and OpenOffice have simplified this process with sliders found in the lower right corner of documents, but if you're looking for an even simpler way, I can help you out.
We previously published an article about using the scroll wheel on your mouse to zoom in Power Point, but this trick can also be used in other Microsoft Office applications and OpenOffice documents. Furthermore, it works on most browsers, including Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome. It probably also works in lots of other places I haven't tried.
In Vista and Windows 7, you can zoom by holding the Ctrl key and rolling the scroll wheel on your mouse.
When the Ctrl key is held and the scroll wheel is rolled forward (away from you), the view, including text and images is increased. With the Ctrl key pressed, roll the wheel backward (towards you) and the view size is decreased.
In the first image below, using the web browser, Chrome, the scroll wheel was rolled backward (zoom out), in the second image, the wheel was rolled forward (zoom in).
Whether you're reading this in your email (it also works in many email clients), in a document, or on the web, give it a try.
Launch Windows 7 Programs With Initials
One of the things I love the most about Windows 7 is the ability to just type in a program's name in the search box rather than click through all that other stuff to launch it. So, if I want to launch Firefox, I just type "firefox" in the search box and click the icon that appears in the list above.
Well, did you know that in most cases you don't even have to go that far?
Next time you go to launch a program from the search box, try just typing in the initials or the first couple of letters in the program's name. So, Firefox could just as easily be opened by typing in "fi", Internet Explorer could be found with "in" and so-on.
Like this:
That's all there is to it! Try it out today!
Lost Recycle Bin
Has your Recycle Bin icon ever disappeared from your desktop? Perhaps the icon was in place one night before you went to bed, but in the morning when you started up your computer again, it was long gone. Where did it go? What happened to it? But more importantly, how can you get it back? Well, there are a few things you can try to get your Recycle Bin icon back where it's supposed to be.
Separate Volume Control for Programs in Windows 7
Here's something I stumbled across the other day while playing one of my favorite games. It seems as though the sound coming from my game was overpowering the music I was playing, but since the game had no volume control itself, I clicked on the Windows sound mixer to see if there was anything I could do.
As it turns out, Windows 7 is nice enough to have individual volume controls for each application that's open, so not only can you change how loud your system sounds are, but you can also separately adjust the volume of your games, too!
Just click the little speaker icon located on the far right side of your taskbar and select Mixer. You should get a listing of all the sound-making programs currently open. Now simply adjust to your liking and hit the "X" in the upper right-hand corner.
And don't worry, these settings are saved for each game/application, even after you restart!
Cool!
Run As Administrator Keyboard Shortcut It's a fact that sometimes a program in Windows needs "Administrator Rights" to open up. Thankfully Windows 7 and Vista added a feature that when you right-click on certain programs, you'll automatically have the option to "Run as Administrator".
Well, did you know that you can also just hold Ctrl+Shift while left clicking on a program to achieve the same effect?
Well, you can! So, save yourself a little bit of extra time and just hold Ctrl+Shift when you click on something that needs Administrator Rights to open!
YouTube 101
YouTube videos have become a regular source of entertainment and information for millions. They also provide an additional platform for our own informational services here at Worldstart. However, there are some tools provided by YouTube, that may not be familiar to all viewers.
The ones that will be discussed here are found in the video control toolbox. I was unable to find a proper name for this, so today it's called a toolbox. In the lower right corner of the YouTube video screen, you'll find several tools. Not all videos come equipped with the same tools, and their locations in the toolbox may vary.
Google Instant Search
Google, ever steadfast in trying to improve everyone's Internet experience, announced something called "Instant Search" yesterday. It's a snazzy new feature that automatically brings up search results as you type. So, instead of pressing Enter after inputting your search string, you now just type and the results appear at the bottom. It has to be seen to be believed!
So, go over to Google.com and type something into the search box. As you type, you'll see your results pop up in the space below. Want to make a change? Just type your new search string into the box and view your results!
Should you not want Instant Search, click the little arrow to the right of the search box and set it to off.
How cool is that?
Windows Game Ratings
Ever since the bloody first-person shooter, Doom, parents have been super concerned with the content of the video games their children play. Thankfully Windows Vista and 7 have the ability to pull ratings from the Entertainment Software ratings Board (ESRB) and assign them to games you install.
Now, to check the rating of a game installed in Windows you need to open the Windows Games Explorer.
Click Start, and in the Search Box type Games. Now either click the icon that appears at the top of the list, or hit Enter. The Games Explorer window should open up. It looks like this:
Now, simply click on a game and take note of the rating assigned to it.
There are a few different ratings descriptors.
E – Everyone (ages 6 and older)
E 10+ - (ages 10 and older)
T – Teen (13 and older)
M - Mature (17 and older)
AO – Adults Only ( 18 and older)
Note: Not every game has an ESRB rating, so if you're unsure of a games content be sure to check the game's official website for more information.
Firefox Quick Bookmarks
Here's a nifty way to keep all your frequently visited sites easily within reach in Mozilla Firefox.
All you have to do is drag and drop a bookmark into the little space in between the navigation buttons and where you first tab starts.
Like this:
Now keep dragging and dropping bookmarks as desired.
You can also drag and drop open tabs into these spots, as well as site headers of some websites, too!
Give it a try today!
Change Windows 7 User Account Picture
Here's a quick tip on how to change your user account picture in Windows 7.
Simply go to Start>Control Panel and click "User Accounts and Family Safety". From here, you'll want to click "Change Your Account Picture". It looks like this:
You'll be presented with a grid of different pictures to choose from. If you like one, all you have to do is highlight it and click the "Change Picture" button. However, most people will want to import a picture from their hard drive, so if this is the case, click "Browse for more pictures..." at the bottom. Now all you have to do is browse to a folder with a picture you like and double-click it.
You are now personalized!
How do I delete stuff off my Flash Drive?
Thanks for the great question Sandy!
It is very common to have a flash drive sitting around, whether it be in your house or even on a key chain. They are great to hold your pictures, files, or music, but it doesn't take long to fill them up. Thankfully, it is easy to get files on a flash drive and just as easy to get them off. Read on to learn how you can give your flash drive some space.
The first thing you need to do is connect your flash drive to your computer by inserting it into a USB port. In a few seconds, your computer should recognize the flash drive. If the flash drive does not automatically open, click on Start and Computer and look for the flash drive under Devices with Removable Storage.
Click on the drive and a window will open showing the folders and files that are on the flash drive. To delete an individual file simply right-click on it and select Delete. Once you have done this, a window will pop up asking Are you sure you wish to delete this item(s)? Click Yes.
If you want to delete all the files on the flash drive, hold down the Ctrl key and press A on the keyboard to highlight every file and folder. Right click on any one of them and select Delete.
If you want to delete certain folders and files, hold down the Ctrl key and click on each file/folder you want to delete to select them. When you are finished right click on any one of them and select Delete.
If you want to save the files onto your computer you can open a second Computer window and drag and drop files from your flash drive into a folder on the second Computer. To do this, click Start and Computer. Click the C: drive. Keep this window open and click on the second window that shows your flash drive files. Now you can drag the files from your flash drive into any place on your hard drive in the second window.
You can also format your flash drive and completely erase everything on it. To do this right click on the drive and select Format.
When you are finished deleting the files off your flash drive find the Safely Remove Hardware icon in your system tray in the bottom right hand corner (by the clock). This icon will have a left facing green arrow on it. Double click on the icon and a window will open showing your flash drive. Click on it once to highlight it, click the Stop button, and wait for the message Safe to Remove Hardware. You can now safely remove your flash drive from the USB port. If you do not do this before you disconnect your flash drive, you can corrupt your files.
Disable AutoScroll in Mozilla Firefox
So, you're clicking around, trying to find the end of the Internet, when you accidentally click your middle mouse button and this pops up:
This means AutoScroll has been enabled and all you have to do now is move your mouse around to browse the page. I've never been a big fan of it, though, so I went hunting around for how to turn it off.
Here's how:
In Firefox, go to Tools>Options. Make sure the Advanced icon is selected and that you're on the General Tab.
Under the Browsing header, un-check Use autoscrolling. That's all there is to it!
If you ever want to turn it back on again, just follow the steps above and re-check Use autoscrolling.
Windows 7 has quite a few neat tricks up its sleeve! Today's tip is not only useful, but fun to mess around with, too!
So, open up a program (just about any one will do), and hold your Windows key ( the Windows key is the one located between your Ctrl and Alt keys on your keyboard and has the Windows logo emblazoned on it).
As I said, hold your Windows key and press one of the direction arrows on your keyboard.
Windows Key + Left Arrow – Snaps the current window towards the left side of the screen.
Windows Key + Right Arrow – Snaps the current window towards the right side of the screen.
Windows Key + Up – Maximizes the current Window.
Windows Key + Down – Send the current Window to a compact state. Press again to minimize. Note: Once the window is minimized, you need to click on it again if you want to access it.
Remember: This trick is only for Windows 7 users. Everyone else is just going to have to use their mouse, I guess!
