How to Optimize Your Swap File to Increase Performance

Written by Gilberto J Perera in How-to, Windows XP | one response

View Tutorial This optimization tweak forces your computer to use as much RAM as it can before it switches to the slower swap file which resides on your hard drive. I only recommend this tweak for computers that have 256MB of RAM or more.

"Swap file: On a hard disk, a file used to store parts of running programs that have been swapped out of memory temporarily to make room for other running programs. It may be permanent, always occupying the same amount of hard disk space even though the application that created it may not be running, or is temporary, and only created as and when needed.*"


1. Go to ‘Start >Run‘

2. Type "msconfig" then click OK

3. When msconfig loads click on the SYSTEM.INI tab

4. Expand the 386enh menu by clicking the ‘+’ sign

5. Click on ‘New’, when the blank box appears type without quotes ‘ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1′

6. Click ‘OK’ and restart your computer.

*Swap file Definition provided by Angelfire.

Article posted on 04 14th, 2006

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One Response to “How to Optimize Your Swap File to Increase Performance”

  1. Larry Miller says:
    September 14, 2009 at 8:33 pm

    This is for Windows 98 and Windows ME ONLY. It will have no effect on any other system.

    On NT systems the system.ini file is virtually obsolete, being maintained only for compatibility with old 16 bit software. Settings for any other purpose will be ignored.

    The pagefile enhances performance by freeing RAM from the burden of storing rarely used data. Such data is copied to the pagefile during periods of low CPU and disk activity. This is an ongoing process. Delaying this until RAM is exhausted would impair performance, not improve it. Fortunately, since this setting is ignored, this will not occur.

    Larry Miller
    Microsoft MCSA

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