How to delete the Win386.swp file

Hello
Please help me how to delete the Win386.swp file
I tried, access denied.
Thanks.
Philip

It is needed and used by Windows. It's supposed to be there - so leave it
there.

Philip Lim wrote:
Hello
Please help me how to delete the Win386.swp file
I tried, access denied.
Thanks.
Philip

Why do you want to delete that file? It's your Virtual Memory, and your
system is very likely to crash and refuse to start if you get rid of it.

You can't get rid of the Swap File while Windows is running. And it will
get recreated when you restart unless you set the system to have no swap
file. Then see above.

--
Gary S. Terhune
MS MVP Shell/User
"Clean Boot--What it is and why you need it."
http://www.grystmill.com/articles/cleanboot.htm
"Security!"
http://www.grystmill.com/articles/security.htm

"Philip Lim" wrote in message
...
Hello
Please help me how to delete the Win386.swp file
I tried, access denied.
Thanks.
Philip

Philip Lim wrote:

Please help me how to delete the Win386.swp file
I tried, access denied.

This is your Windows swap file = Virtual
Memory, documented via
/ start / help / index
and type in VIRTUAL
If you follow the buttons to the / System / Performance / Virtual Memory
page, you should select
"Let Windows manage my Virtual Memory."

Better repost saying what it is you want
to do. If you need to free up 100 MB or
more of disk space locked in the swap file
write down the exact location of WIN386.SWP, then
just boot DOS and
DELTREE C:\WINDOWS\WIN386.SWP
(or whatever filepath holds this file)
and boot Windows. A new zero-length swap
file will be created.

But if you have some other problem a new
zero-length swap file will not solve it.

Don P

Hi Don,

I don't think the swap file ends up as a zero-length file as I believe W98
makes the swap file large enough to handle the programs/processes starting
at boot during start up.

Like you and the rest of the posters, I think we need to know what OP is
trying to accomplish.

--
Regards

Ron Badour, MS MVP Windows 98
Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
Knowledge Base Info:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo

"Don Phillipson" wrote in message
...
Philip Lim wrote:

Please help me how to delete the Win386.swp file
I tried, access denied.

This is your Windows swap file = Virtual
Memory, documented via
/ start / help / index
and type in VIRTUAL
If you follow the buttons to the / System / Performance / Virtual Memory
page, you should select
"Let Windows manage my Virtual Memory."

Better repost saying what it is you want
to do. If you need to free up 100 MB or
more of disk space locked in the swap file
write down the exact location of WIN386.SWP, then
just boot DOS and
DELTREE C:\WINDOWS\WIN386.SWP
(or whatever filepath holds this file)
and boot Windows. A new zero-length swap
file will be created.

But if you have some other problem a new
zero-length swap file will not solve it.

Don P

Now the question is Ron will Phillip Lim ever post back?

"Ron Badour" wrote in message
...
: Hi Don,
:
: I don't think the swap file ends up as a zero-length file as I believe W98
: makes the swap file large enough to handle the programs/processes starting
: at boot during start up.
:
: Like you and the rest of the posters, I think we need to know what OP is
: trying to accomplish.
:
: --
: Regards
:
: Ron Badour, MS MVP Windows 98
: Tips: http://home.satx.rr.com/badour
: Knowledge Base Info:
: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?pr=kbinfo
:
: "Don Phillipson" wrote in message
: ...
: Philip Lim wrote:
:
: Please help me how to delete the Win386.swp file
: I tried, access denied.
:
: This is your Windows swap file = Virtual
: Memory, documented via
: / start / help / index
: and type in VIRTUAL
: If you follow the buttons to the / System / Performance / Virtual Memory
: page, you should select
: "Let Windows manage my Virtual Memory."
:
: Better repost saying what it is you want
: to do. If you need to free up 100 MB or
: more of disk space locked in the swap file
: write down the exact location of WIN386.SWP, then
: just boot DOS and
: DELTREE C:\WINDOWS\WIN386.SWP
: (or whatever filepath holds this file)
: and boot Windows. A new zero-length swap
: file will be created.
:
: But if you have some other problem a new
: zero-length swap file will not solve it.
:
: Don P
:
:

A very respectable name-- it was Harper, MVP (& not Martell, MVP)--
has said: Under certain circumstances, perhaps rare, there can be a
serious crash, if a maximum is set for the Swap File, and there is no
telling how big it may wish to grow. HE HAS SEEN IT, with his own eyes.
(Now, he is blind.) So, forget about the 2.5x usable RAM rule. (He now
sits at his keyboard, day & night, waiting to pounce, should anyone
suggest using it.) I didn't do it long! I couldn't bear the sight of
nearly a GB worth of Win386.swp, (although it seemed to function well).

Unless turned off, Windows is always managing VM. It manages it based on
what is shown shadowed in min & max at "R-Clk My Computer, Properties,
Performance tab, Virtual Memory button". That is OK at defaults of zero
& "No maximum". The only MVP approved alteration is to set the min
larger, based on careful observation over days. You would set it at 20%
larger than the greatest value you saw for Swap File "SIZE" (not "use"),
using System Monitor. If your observation discovers a constant &
frequent Swap File "USE" figure, THAT is when to consider additional
RAM.

WARNING: Once, I turned off VM for a zero swap file. All seemed to run
well, UNTIL I opened a Windows DOS (in a box) session. It produced an
orderly crash of the DOS box. Later, online, I did it again, just to
report the experience accurately. The crash this time was horrendous- IT
HAD A HEARTBEAT.

There is one other setting I've tried & rejected:
"ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1", in System.ini, [386.Enh] Section. This,
gave me a Win386.swp file generally 10-20 MB in size, sometimes zero.
That's with Windows in control of the size, and min=0, max=No max. It
was beautiful to watch. When the Swap file was in "use" (say, 20 MB),
the "size" went to around 100 MB. However, there was resizing going on,
even when "swap file in use" was zero (Windows tries to anticipate how
big to make it, depending on what you're doing), and, again, my
sluggishness persisted.The Microsoft literature says it's less
efficient, as well. Although I generally loved seeing the small
Win386.swp sizes, I discontinued "ConservativeSwapfileUsage=1". (That
"sluggishness" is gone; it was something entirely unrelated to VM. In
fact, I was never able to pin anything on VM at all, except, I believe,
Win386.swp gets in the way of a proper Scandisk/Defrag.) This setting
might be appropriate for one who has so much RAM, as to never have a
"use" figure.

Do you have "System Monitor" in START... System Tools? If not, get it
from "START, Settings, Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs, Windows Setup
tab, D-Clk System Tools, check System Monitor, OK, Apply, OK". May as
well take "Resource Meter", too. Now, go through the menus and at least
have it display

(a) Swap file in use.
(b) Swap file size.
(c) Swappable memory.
(d) Unused physical memory.
(e) Allocated memory.
(f) Disk cache size.
(g) Locked memory
(h) Other memory
(i) Kernel Processor Usage
(j) Kernel Threads

Hopefully, by the time you have it set up and commence to asking
questions, someone will be around who can answer them.


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
should things get worse after this,
PCR

"Philip Lim" wrote in message
...
| Hello
| Please help me how to delete the Win386.swp file
| I tried, access denied.
| Thanks.
| Philip
|
|

Anyway, here is how to delete it. It will be created anew upon your next
boot to Windows.

(a) Boot to DOS
(Hold CTRL during boot for the Startup Menu,
& select "Command Prompt Only".)
(b) SMARTDRV
Speeds up file processing in DOS.
(c) DIR /s /a C:\Win386.swp

Here is what mine produces...
C:\DIR /s /a C:\Win386.swp
Directory of C:\
WIN386 SWP 314,572,800 07-06-04 5:39p WIN386.SWP
1 file(s) 314,572,800 bytes
Directory of C:\WINDOWS
WIN386 SWP 0 11-22-03 7:05p WIN386.SWP
1 file(s) 0 bytes

(d) DEL C:\Windows\Win386.swp

Chances are, that is where yours is, in "C:\Windows". Otherwise, delete
any of them that is not already zero bytes in size.


--
Thanks or Good Luck,
There may be humor in this post, and,
Naturally, you will not sue,
should things get worse after this,
PCR

"Philip Lim" wrote in message
...
| Hello
| Please help me how to delete the Win386.swp file
| I tried, access denied.
| Thanks.
| Philip
|
|