Optimizing the paging file size and location

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Optimizing the paging file size and location

The location and size of the paging file can greatly affect performance. Putting the paging file on a separate, fast, low-use drive can boost performance. The size setting of the paging file is also critical to performance. A paging file that must constantly expand and shrink requires additional processor and I/O overhead. Usually, you should set the size of your paging file at two or two-and-a-half times the amount of installed physical memory if applications such as Microsoft SQL Server or Microsoft Exchange Server are present. If you set the same value for the minimum and maximum size of your paging file, the amount of disk defragmentation is reduced.