What is virtual memory and how do I enlarge it

Question

i was recently trying to send a movie folder to my mother and upon sending it i got a message stating that i did not have enough memory and then a window popped up saying that i didnt have enough virtual memory and that microsoft would try to enlarge my virtual memory now, but nothing has happened could you please tell me what virtual memory is and how i go about enlarging it please thankyou leah x

Answer

This question was answered on September 6, 2005. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

The best way to describe virtual memory is a second RAM chip on your hard drive. When a program or file is currently in use it sits in RAM for instant access to the CPU. However if a file is too large for your RAM to handle, the operating system (in your case Windows) uses a section of your hard drive as RAM. It's not an actual RAM chip but it acts like one which is why it's virtual or imaginary.

As for enlarging virtual memory, I would advise against it as changing your memory addresses can seriously damage your system.

Instead I would try zipping your movie file. There is a program called WinZip that you can download just about anywhere for free on the Net. WinZip can compress files to smaller sizes for easier storage and transfer. With WinZip you can compress your movie file, and then e-mail it, and then your mother can unzip the file using Windows or WinZip.

If you have any questions about WinZip or zipping a file, please ask.

Author

Posted by Nathan of Chandler-Gilbert Community College on September 6, 2005