Tag: Windows 7

The Pagefile.sys and the early years

Paul

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What is the Pagefile.sys

When Microsoft created Windows XP, it became quite apparent that Windows UI couldn’t handle all the desktop users needs. Since this was in the early 2000 when we were still working with a very limited system resources. The systems we had at the time were 16 bit or 32 bit systems. This is where it gets interesting because the maximum you can have on a 16 bit system was 64kb of ram which wasn’t much. However we started with the 32 bit systems that would allow up to 4 gigabytes of memory total. It was quite nice but it still required the system to use the file system to hold or run programs. It would become self evident that the system was so bogged down by processor speed and amount of ram that was available. All the while they were working on the Windows operating system they had to create a way to throw the unimportant programs or sometimes important programs into the background to be able to load other programs. It was really a pain and I should say this isn’t something we have to worry about now.

What does it do?

Well it basically put the program to a mini sleep and throws it onto the hard drive and keeps a record of where and what it had to know in order to start the program back up. It was a way to keep memory space used to a minimum and still be able to have a really nice experience with Windows XP. Microsoft in all it’s wisdom, decided to incorporate this little feature into the Windows vista and other operating systems. I still think it has a use in Windows 10 but I doubt it is being used like was in the early days since most people usually have enough ram to not need to put to sleep any programs in the background to run programs.

Can I delete it?

Like many other experts, I say you shouldn’t even think about it. In the early days, when it was deleted or corrupted you couldn’t even boot your system. There were even cases of BSOD(Blue Screen of Death) and thus it is never recommended to delete or modify your pagefile.sys without fully backing up your system and then maybe. There are several ways you can do it but I won’t talk about that. I however will link to them and let you decide for yourself if you should do it or not.

Does it slow my system down?

In the early days, it would most likely slow it down but since we have so much more system resources than before we shouldn’t need to worry about. I honestly have 32 gigabytes of ram in my system and see no noticeable speed difference than when I had 16 gigabytes. Pagefile.sys shouldn’t be doing anything now but it might if you are using a really big program or game that requires massive amount of memory and if you didn’t have the memory requirements for it but still was able to run it. Then you might be using pagefile.sys to do swapping of programs and free up space for that game or big program that you are trying to run.

Other than when you put your Windows system to sleep, it is what is used to throw everything you have loaded up in your laptop or desktop on to the HDD to save for quick retrieval of the programs to start the laptop or desktop where you left off.   This is the only place that I know of that it is currently still be used but I am sure it is still be used on old systems.

In the long run, the pagefile.sys is still used today and probably for a while. It’s uses can be small at times but it was designed to help you with your computer memory and thus should not be tampered with unless you know what you are doing.

Windows 7 End of life – What you need to know!

Paul
Photo by Max DeRoin from Pexels

Goodbye Window’s 7!

As of January 14, 2020, Microsoft has issued the End of Life (EOL) for the popular Windows Operating System.  This has been coming for years and most tech enthusiasts knew about this and prepared their system for this date.   If you haven’t know this until you turned saw that dreaded screen that talked about it being end for Windows 7.   You’ll probably asking what does that mean and why is Windows telling me this.   I will explain it to you and what you need to know!

No Windows 7 Support

When Microsoft issues this than it means that you will no longer get any Windows 7 updates and any programs you download and install will not be supported by Microsoft to run on Windows 7.   You are still mostly protected by having all the updates installed on your system but you will no longer be getting any security updates or have to worry about needing to reboot due to updates, since you are no longer getting them.  In the short term, there isn’t much to worry about and you can run windows just like every else with no worries.

In the long run, you will need to consider just how long you plan to use Window’s 7 and if you plan to keep the system for a really long time if your hardware can support Window’s 10. If you plan to install Windows 10 than I wouldn’t wait no more than a year!

What if you Don’t want to install Window’s 10?

You can always keep Windows 7 for as long as you own your system but the longer you use the more likely some hackers will find flaws in the system and exploit the system.  Just like Windows XP it was a strong system but as it got older and not updated we started seeing exploits in the system that brought viruses and Trojans to the system.  So I will give you some other operating system that you can use instead Window’s 10!

Linux Operating Systems

I personally use Linux on old systems that can still be used for everything.   Most of the Linux systems I recommend are all new user friendly and you can really quickly know where to go as soon as you start using it.   Most of the Linux systems that I will recommend have Windows Similarity.   You will probably have to learn how to use it a little more than you would with Windows operating system but they can be learned quickly enough.

Linux Mint

An Ubuntu version that is highly modified to look even more like Windows than the original.  I’ve found this system to be the best of both worlds.   You can run everything you want on it with very little configuration and it works really well.   It will run like Windows and update like windows without much prompting if you so desire it to,

Ubuntu

Ubuntu is a good system for those who aren’t completely novices when it comes to Linux.   Most of the time I find Ubuntu to be a little more rigid than I like but I does what I like when I want it to.   I still prefer Linux Mint because of how well it does with looking like a Windows Operating system.   You can do everything in Ubuntu as you can with Linux Mint but you don’t have to do it manually and move stuff after installation. 

These are the main two that I suggest to new users to Linux but if you want to see if there is one that you like more than another.   You can go to Distrowatch and check out each Linux and download and try them as you wish.   Each one has their own unique qualities and does essentially the same thing.   Most of them a Free to download and free to use but a few require payment just like Microsoft and Apple to use for long term.   They however do let you try them out for free most of the time.  I do recommend you install them on a USB and use them on USB and play around with them until you figure out which one you like to install.   If you are using a Windows system, you can use a program like YUMI to install multiple Linux Distros on a USB and try them out at your leisure.  Have Fun!

Got a favorite Linux operating system why not leave a comment and talk about why you like it.   Don’t Forget to subscribe to receive updates on my website.