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Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)
Wed Apr 20, 2016, 06:44 AM Apr 2016

Speed up "swap user" on Win7 32 bit machine?

PC is a 2.4 Ghz quad core with 4 GB of RAM, and a 500 GB HDD, three different users who remain logged on but want to switch between users quickly. At the moment it takes about ten seconds to complete the swap and one of the users has a tendency to close out anything another user is running if they can't swap quickly. This annoys the user whose apps get closed out and they asked me if anything can be done..

I have a 20ish GB SSD drive laying around, I was wondering if putting that in as a secondary drive and dedicating 10 or 15 GB to the paging file would help.

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Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)
2. My understanding is that a 32 bit OS can't address more than 3 GB or so
Wed Apr 20, 2016, 07:49 AM
Apr 2016

I think the machine is 64 bit capable but it has a 32 bit OS I'm fairly sure because I maintain it from time to time and some drivers differ from one to the other.

PoliticAverse

(26,366 posts)
3. I think your SSD solution would definately help. Also consider a defrag of the main drive
Wed Apr 20, 2016, 08:01 AM
Apr 2016

if it hasn't been done in a while.

Fumesucker

(45,851 posts)
4. Good point about the defrag, I doubt it's been done, I don't see the computer very often
Wed Apr 20, 2016, 08:45 AM
Apr 2016

I had thought earlier but forgotten to ask if ReadyBoost using the entire SSD might be better than paging file on the SSD?..

Like most people they tend to use the same eight or ten programs/web pages and not much else..

 

earthshine

(1,642 posts)
5. Some versions of Windows perform defragging automatically.
Wed Apr 20, 2016, 09:37 AM
Apr 2016

I think Vista and higher might do defrag for you.

I have not heard of using Readyboost with anything but a USB drive. Does it actually work with a SATA-based SSD?

In addition to moving the page file to the SSD, if you set the "temp" environment variables to the SSD, it will speed up each user's experience with ordinary software. There are two system variables (tmp and temp) and two-per-user variables (also tmp and temp).

I also like to move the Temporary Internet Files setting to the fastest drive. Seems that a number of programs use this setting instead of tmp or temp.

Also, within each program, it may be possible to specify where temporary files are deployed.

Good luck.

 

Egnever

(21,506 posts)
6. Defrag is done automatically and has been since Vista
Wed Apr 20, 2016, 10:29 AM
Apr 2016

There has not been a need to Defrag for over ten years now.

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