Tech Tip: Move the swap file to another drive

Disk space can easily become a nightmare,
especially on system drives of older servers. Since most Windows NT
system drives are limited to 4 GB, running services from other
volumes and preserving that space is very attractive.

One way that this is accomplished is by putting the system swap file on another drive. The swap file is the area of the disk that Windows uses to supplement RAM in the server, which allows more applications to run simultaneously.

Here’s how to move the swap file to another
drive:

1. Go to Start | Settings | Control Panel.
2. Double-click the System icon and choose Performance.
3. Take note of the current minimum and maximum values of the swap
   file.
4. Set the initial size and maximum size to 0.
5. Click Set.
6. Select the drive where you wish to place the swap file.
7. In the Initial Size text box, enter the minimum value from the
   original swap file.
8. In the Maximum Size text box, enter at least the maximum value from
   the original swap file. Entering a value that is too small will
   result in poor system performance.
9. Select the volume to which you would like to move the swap file and
   click Set.
10. Click OK and reboot the system.