Common Error "Low Virtual Memory"

If you still see the dreaded "Your system is low on virtual memory" message then the first thing to do is make sure your computer is configured to allow Windows to automatically manage the virtual memory. In Windows XP, follow these steps:

• Click Start, then open the Control Panel.
• Click Performance and Maintenance, and then click System.
• Click the Advanced tab.
• Under Performance, click Settings.
• Click the Advanced tab.
• Under Virtual memory, click Change.
  Under Drive [Volume Label], click the drive that contains the paging file (virtual memory) settings that you want to change. In almost every case, this will be your C: drive.
• Click to select the "System managed size" option, then click Set.
• Click OK three times and restart your computer.

When you allow Windows to manage your virtual memory, it should make the optimum amount of virtual memory available, by automatically shrinking or enlarging the paging file as needed. If that doesn't solve the low virtual memory problem, there are a few more things you can try.