since you like to learn, here's the reason the myth got started about the pf in the first place, and why it went forward...causing plenty of harm in it's wake
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the pagefile is a container file...this is different then most files on your computer...it's a file that stands with nothing else allowed to enter the area of the file but pagefile info
when your os needs more pagefile, it will enlarge the pagefile so you don't freeze or crash...this you do not want to prevent, do you.
now, the pagefile has expanded, and the expanded portion is probably in a different area then the the original pf.
this is a fragment, and this is where the myth began.
but short sighted, because this fragment is discarded when you reboot.
obviously, the original pf has not changed locations, and it is in the exact same state on reboot as it was before it expanded.
if it was contiguous before expansion, it must be contiguous after expansion when you reboot.(obviously)
so the myth started because people misunderstood what was happening, they didn't understand that the os only expands when it needs to expand, and that any fragmentations disappeared on their next boot
the idea for best performance is to have an initial minimum so big, the pf never has to expand...in this sense, the pf will remain static, even though you have a dynamic setting
then, you still need to allow expansion just incase you were wrong about what the os might need
so in your case, you can set 512 as your initial minimum, leave expansion to 4 gigs. (the max)
your os will absolutely never expand the pf unless you put pressure on your ram resources...if this happens, you must have expansion enabled for smooth performance of the os
now, download
this free pagefile defrag program...use it, once...your pagefile will remain contiguous forever after that, or until you change the initial minimum, or until you increase your ram if you are letting the os manage the pf entirely
of course if you develop bad sectors on your harddrive, the xp will remap the pf...theis happens with static or dynamic pf.
also some after market defrags try to move the pf on boot, and this can actually fragment the pf also...
I'm not sure if I was clear in my explanation, so let me know if not