Why does Windows increase virtual memory?

Q I sometimes get a balloon on the taskbar telling me that my virtual memory is low and that Windows is increasing it. What does all this mean? I am using Windows XP Professional.

Sally

A Virtual memory is a way of tricking the computer into thinking it has more memory by using part of the hard disk.

It helps the computer to handle large programs efficiently and avoids the serious problems of running out of memory altogether.

You have Windows set to automatically decide on the amount of disk space used for virtual memory - this is the default setting and it can be left this way.

If Windows detects some fairly intensive activity it will adjust the size to cope. This may happen if you are playing games or doing activities like picture or video editing.

There's a more technical explanation on Wikipedia.

Heidi