Random Page File Errors

seekermeister · 29 Jun 2011

I'm having a problem with the error shown below reoccurring on random boots. I had the same type of errors showing up just before I put together my new rig, and since I did a clean install, I can't think of any hardware or software that would be common between them, that should have any relationship to the problem.

I thought that it might be due to the fact that my page file partition was set too small for the size set for the page files, but I increased that so that there should be about 2GBs of extra space.

When this error occurs, I check the page file partition and find no page file there, but I do find it back on C: at a size smaller than I set it. I'm quite puzzled about this, would anyone have an idea that would make sense of this?

**cluberti** · 29 Jun 2011

Not readily, but I'm wondering if it's having any issues writing to the original paging file, and thus creating one on C: (where it knows it can access it, as it's probably the \Windows volume). Is there anything special about where you're putting your paging file on your PCs? Is it on a separate partition on the same drive as C, or is it on another disk? Is the disk on a different controller? Etc.

seekermeister · 29 Jun 2011

Different partition on the same drive as W7, thus the same controller.

**cluberti** · 29 Jun 2011

Interesting. Can you take a screenshot of your (working) pagefile settings from sysdm.cpl, and another screenshot of your disk configuration via diskmgmt.msc and post them here? I'd like to see what you're working with.

seekermeister · 29 Jun 2011

cluberti said:

Interesting. Can you take a screenshot of your (working) pagefile settings from sysdm.cpl, and another screenshot of your disk configuration via diskmgmt.msc and post them here? I'd like to see what you're working with.

Here they are, for what they are worth:

**cluberti** · 29 Jun 2011

You say it happens not every time? It might be useful to set your system to have no paging file at all and reboot. Then, delete pagefile.sys from the G: drive (you will have to do this from an elevated cmd prompt), then reboot again. Recreate the paging file on G: again, and reboot one more time. It should be contiguous at this point (you can look to see with most defrag applications).

The only thing I can think of off of the top of my head so far would be some problems with the system volume information on the G: drive regarding the paging file, and deleting/recreating it would fix that if that's what it is. Otherwise, let me know if the problem continues after deletion/recreation of the paging file.

seekermeister · 29 Jun 2011

I set it for no page file, but there is nothing in either C: or G: as far as the page file is concerned after doing so, so there is nothing to delete. After Windows made the page file in C:, there was no page file in G: either. I have no reset the page file for G:, but will have to wait a couple of boots to see what happens...I expect the same as before.

stormy13 · 29 Jun 2011

seekermeister said:

Different partition on the same drive as W7,

Might as well leave it at default if you're going to do that. There is zero benefit to have the page file on a partition on the same drive as Windows is installed too, and can actually hamper performance if the pagefile is required at the same time as something is being read from the Windows partition.

If you're going to move to move the page, set it on another drive completely. And if you do set the pagefile partition as the first partition on the drive so that it can take advantage of being on the fastest part of the drive.

seekermeister · 29 Jun 2011

Thanks, seems as though I vaguely recall hearing that before. I moved the page file to another drive, but I can't make it the first partition yet, because the drive is where my old W7 installation resides, and I want to make sure that I don't need anything from it, before deleting it. When I do, I'll move the page partition forward.

EDIT: No, it was a good guess, but even with the page partition on a different drive, the problem continues.

**cluberti** · 30 Jun 2011

Note that even after you set the paging file to nothing, pagefile.sys can still exist. It's system+hidden, so you'll only see it from an elevated command prompt via "dir /a".