Windows XP Memory Issue

Resolving memory & hard disk issues

Microsoft® Windows XP™ is subject to a memory paging problem that can cause serious problems for PCs that run under heavy load, including the operation of iCatcher Digital CCTV systems.

Each iCatcher feed runs as a seperate process, and requires its own memory space for image processing. Windows makes use of a technique called "swapping" to use the hard disk free space as an extension to the available physical memory. When iCatcher requires additional memory for image processing that may not be available in physical RAM, Windows will "swap" part of the memory that is not currently being used with the hard disk. It may swap them back again later if required.

Windows XP's swapping process (sometimes referred to as "paging") has a minor bug that causes the swapping process to swap the incorrect memory areas. This can result in unexpected program behaviour, and serious hard disk problems, usually requiring a reinstall of the operating system (note that no physical damage to the hard disk occurs, only the data contained on it becomes corrupt). This bug occurs when the system is under heavy load.

Registry Workaround

To workaround this probem, you can change a registry setting to reduce the amount of swapping Windows will undertake. Please note that you can cause serious problems by changing registry settings incorrectly. iCode Systems can not be held responsible or provide support for any problems arising out of incorrect modification of the Windows system registry.

To make the change, start the registry editor by using the "Run..." option on the Start Menu, and entering "regedit". When the editor loads, expand the following tree of registry keys:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management

Right-click on the "SystemPages" value then click "Modify". In the value data box enter the value FFFFFFFF. Then click OK. Exit the registry editor and reboot your machine.