A temporary swap file has been created in Windows 7. Error “A temporary swap file has been created”: causes and solution
The pagefile.sys file is Windows virtual memory (read: page file).
Contrary to popular belief, the paging file is needed not only to compensate for the lack of RAM. Virtual memory is required for Windows features such as SuperFetch, ReadyBoost, and crash dumps of BSOD (blue screen) errors. For these functions to work properly, the paging file must be located on the partition where Windows is installed (usually drive C) and the size of this file must be at least as large as the amount of physical random access memory (RAM).
Setting up the swap file
In Windows 7, 8, as in all previous versions of Windows, you can easily reduce or increase the size of the paging file. (further an example of setting will be given for Windows 8).
1. Log into Windows with administrator rights.
2. Open Control Panel -> System.
3. From the left menu, select Advanced System Settings.
4. On the tab Additionally In chapter Performance click the button Options.
5. Open a tab Additionally and in the section Virtual memory click the button Change.
6. Uncheck Automatically select paging file size.
7. Select the drive on which you want to change the paging file size.
8. Select a radio button Specify size, enter in the fields Original size (MB) And Maximum size (MB) new sizes in megabytes, click the button Set, and then - OK.
To delete, select the radio button in step 8 No swap file and press Set, then - OK. In this case, you will likely need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Problem creating a temporary swap file
From time to time, some users experience a known problem when, immediately after starting Windows, they open Performance Options and see the following message:
A temporary paging file was created because a problem was detected in the paging file configuration at startup. The total size of the paging file for all disks may be slightly larger than the size you specify.
Cause
Windows creates a temporary page file when user changes are made to Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance > Advanced > Virtual Memory are incorrectly entered into the Windows registry. Specifically, the value of the multistring parameter does not change ExistingPageFiles In chapter:
If you restore the correct values of all registry parameters responsible for the pagefile.sys configuration, then from the next reboot the temporary swap file will no longer be created and you will again be able to configure virtual memory in the usual way - in Performance Options. If the problem with the temporary paging file recurs after some time, restore the correct values for the corresponding registry settings again.
Registry settings that configure the paging file
The following parameters are found in the section:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
- Multiline parameter ExistingPageFiles(REG_MULTI_SZ) contains information about the location of all swap files on the computer. If the page file is disabled on all partitions, the ExistingPageFiles setting is automatically removed after reboot.
- Multiline parameter PagingFiles(REG_MULTI_SZ) contains information about the minimum and maximum sizes of each page file.
- DWORD parameter TempPageFile(REG_DWORD) with value 1 Instructs the system to create a temporary swap file. If there is no such need, the TempPageFile parameter has the value 0 or is completely absent from this section of the registry as unnecessary.
When Windows loads Personal Settings, the computer stops responding (freezes) or the following error message appears after you sign in to Windows.
Insufficient virtual memoryTo resolve this issue, double-click the System icon in Control Panel, go to the Advanced tab, and then click Settings under Performance. On the Advanced tab, click Edit. Select Custom Size and enter the initial or maximum page file size.
The page file is missing or too small.
When you try to view the paging file settings by following the instructions in this message, you may receive the following error message:
A temporary paging file was created because a problem was detected in the paging file configuration at startup.
The total size of the paging file for all disks may be slightly larger than the size you specify.
Cause
This error message may occur if Windows tries to create a page file on an NTFS volume and the System and Administrators accounts do not have the appropriate NTFS rights to access the volume.
Solution
To resolve the issue, grant the System and Administrators accounts Full Control rights to the NTFS volume where the page file should be located. To do this, follow these steps:
1
. If your computer is running Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional but is not a member of a domain, boot your computer in Safe Mode.
Note. If your computer stops responding while the operating system loads your personal settings, press Alt+Tab to open the Insufficient Virtual Memory window and click OK.
2
. Open the drive in Explorer that should contain the swap file.
To determine which drive should contain the page file, follow these steps:
a. From the Start menu, select Run, type control sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
b
c. Open the Advanced tab and click the Change button in the Virtual Memory section.
d. If you select a drive in the list, the Paging file size for the selected drive area will display the paging file settings for that drive. If a drive displays No paging file, it means that the selected drive does not have a paging file.
If the paging file is present on several disks, then performing these steps the first time, select the first disk in the list, performing the second time, select the second disk in the list, etc.
e. Click Cancel and then Cancel again to return to the System Properties window.
f. On the Computer name tab, find the substring that is in the Full computer name field up to the first dot character. This substring represents the computer name. You will need this name in subsequent steps.
3 . From the File menu, select Properties. Select the Security tab to view your current permissions.
4 . Click Add, enter computername\system, and click OK.
5
. Click Add, enter ComputerName\Administrators, click OK, and then click OK again.
Please note that you must enter Administrator s, not Administrator.
6 . Select System and select the Full Control checkbox. This action will automatically select the remaining checkboxes.
7 . Select Administrators and select the Full Control checkbox. This action will automatically select the remaining checkboxes.
8 . To change the paging file settings, follow these steps: From the Start menu, select Run, type control sysdm.cpl, and then click OK.
9 . On the Advanced tab, in the Performance group, click Options.
10 . Open the Advanced tab, click the Change button located in the Virtual Memory section, and specify the required values.
11 . Close the System Properties window, quit all running applications, and restart your computer.
Additional Information
The page file (Pagefile.sys) is a hidden operating system file. By changing NTFS permissions on a volume, you can inadvertently revoke access rights granted to the System account. In this case, the operating system will not be able to manage some resources (for example, the paging file).
By default, the Everyone group has Full Control permissions on an NTFS volume. In some cases, to enhance security, permissions for the Everyone group are removed and permissions are added for individual accounts (for example, the Administrator account). However, the Everyone group contains the System account. Removing permissions for the Everyone group without adding permissions for the System account makes it impossible to use the paging file.
Greetings to everyone who stopped by. Today we’ll talk about the system error “A temporary swap file has been created...”. Typically, the message appears when you turn on the computer after loading the OS. The original message is longer. It notifies the user that during startup a fault was detected in the configuration of that same swapfile and that its size differs from the parameter set by the user. I suggest you figure out what this swapfile is and what it is needed for. Judging by your requests, the above-mentioned problem with creating a temporary swap file appears in different versions of the OS - it was noticed in Windows 10, 7 and even in XP. Let's find out its causes and talk about elimination methods.
Definition
In order to find out why the error occurred and why the system created a temporary parameter instead of a permanent one, let’s figure out what the very culprit of the failure is – the mysterious one.
Based on the fact that the swapfile volume is configured in the OS performance section responsible for virtual memory, we can draw conclusions based on logic alone:
- A swap file is a space on one of the disks (memory) that has a certain capacity (volume).
- Windows needs this space in order to somehow increase its performance.
That's right! Swapfile – space on a given local disk reserved by the OS as a reserve. She uses it when there is not enough RAM for the correct operation of herself and the programs installed on the PC. This, by the way, does not happen often; usually the amount of RAM is sufficient; the need to enable this option is highly controversial.
Causes
Friends, there are several reasons that cause the above problem. Windows creates a temporary swap file not just out of boredom, but because there are problems in the configuration of the permanent parameter - the integrity of the swapfile is broken (damage can be caused by viruses), its location has been changed, user settings (increasing or decreasing the volume) are incorrectly registered in the registry. By and large, the causes of the trouble are not particularly important; what is important are the methods of eliminating it, of which I know of only two.
Solution
If, when you turn on your PC, you see the notification “A temporary swap file has been created...”, then you are probably interested in how to remove it.
First way
When you click OK in the error message window, Windows usually automatically opens Performance Options. If this does not happen, then you can get there as follows:
- In the “Control Panel” we find “System” (right-click on “Computer” and select “Properties”).
- Switch to the “Advanced” tab and expand the parameters of the “Performance” section by clicking the corresponding button.
- Move to the “Advanced” attachment and open the “Virtual Memory” settings wizard by clicking the “Change” button.
We will try to solve the problem under consideration by entrusting the management of the swapfile volume to Windows itself (this often helps; the user cannot always set the settings correctly). In the “Virtual Memory” window that opens, mark the “Size by system choice” item with a dot. After confirming the action, be sure to restart the computer for the changes to take effect.
Second way
If the first method did not help, the message will appear again after a reboot. All that remains is to disable this option. To do this, return to the virtual memory settings window along the path described above and mark the “Without paging file” item with a dot. Reboot the computer again.
Friends, let me finally remind you that all the above steps must be performed with administrator rights. Write in the comments which method helped you. See you soon.
The pagefile.sys file is Windows virtual memory (read: page file).
Contrary to popular belief, the paging file is needed not only to compensate for the lack of RAM. Virtual memory is required for Windows features such as SuperFetch, ReadyBoost, and crash dumps of BSOD (blue screen) errors. For these functions to work properly, the paging file must be located on the partition where Windows is installed (usually drive C) and the size of this file must be at least as large as the amount of physical random access memory (RAM).
Setting up the swap file
In Windows 7, 8, as in all previous versions of Windows, you can easily reduce or increase the size of the paging file. (further an example of setting will be given for Windows 8).
1. Log into Windows with administrator rights.
2. Open Control Panel -> System.
3. From the left menu, select Advanced System Settings.
4. On the tab Additionally In chapter Performance click the button Options.
5. Open a tab Additionally and in the section Virtual memory click the button Change.
6. Uncheck Automatically select paging file size.
7. Select the drive on which you want to change the paging file size.
8. Select a radio button Specify size, enter in the fields Original size (MB) And Maximum size (MB) new sizes in megabytes, click the button Set, and then - OK.
To delete, select the radio button in step 8 No swap file and press Set, then - OK. In this case, you will likely need to restart your computer for the changes to take effect.
Problem creating a temporary swap file
From time to time, some users experience a known problem when, immediately after starting Windows, they open Performance Options and see the following message:
A temporary paging file was created because a problem was detected in the paging file configuration at startup. The total size of the paging file for all disks may be slightly larger than the size you specify.
Cause
Windows creates a temporary page file when user changes are made to Control Panel > System > Advanced > Performance > Advanced > Virtual Memory are incorrectly entered into the Windows registry. Specifically, the value of the multistring parameter does not change ExistingPageFiles In chapter:
If you restore the correct values of all registry parameters responsible for the pagefile.sys configuration, then from the next reboot the temporary swap file will no longer be created and you will again be able to configure virtual memory in the usual way - in Performance Options. If the problem with the temporary paging file recurs after some time, restore the correct values for the corresponding registry settings again.
Registry settings that configure the paging file
The following parameters are found in the section:
HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management
- Multiline parameter ExistingPageFiles(REG_MULTI_SZ) contains information about the location of all swap files on the computer. If the page file is disabled on all partitions, the ExistingPageFiles setting is automatically removed after reboot.
- Multiline parameter PagingFiles(REG_MULTI_SZ) contains information about the minimum and maximum sizes of each page file.
- DWORD parameter TempPageFile(REG_DWORD) with value 1 Instructs the system to create a temporary swap file. If there is no such need, the TempPageFile parameter has the value 0 or is completely absent from this section of the registry as unnecessary.
