The following is a compilation created to provide an overview of how windows functions for a technical support staff, which I was a

Level/Tier 2 member. Each tile represents the original concept utilized before the events of the Anti-Trust suit against Microsoft. Please note
that every public seminar Microsoft has held regarding its OS’s have altered the verbiage to describe these concepts, but not changed the
functions presented herein..

File Interaction for Win9x

The files, explorer.exe, gdi.exe, and user.exe perform the core logic of the OS as shown above. Within win95, this model permits a smoother
usage of dos-based commands & ml routines. Win98 has new coding which monitors and/or limits dos usage on the programming level. On
issues where an app was installed prior to the problem, rename config.sys & autoexec.bat. Boot into safe mode, and uninstall app.
Then, refer the customer to the software vendor.

Win9x Protection Layers

The protection structure is where most protection errors and page faults occur. The transition and sharing of information travel from ring
0 to ring 3 via system services. It is typically shared information being degraded or altered which leads to the above errors. Minimizing
background apps help to determine if a faulty driver or virtual machine corruption has occurred. Run SFC, or re-install application as
necessary.
Linear Memory Model for Win9x

The memory model above was used in the creating of Virtual Memory Settings shown below. The model’s execution has been the most
arguable part of Windows as a whole. Each process is allocated a unique virtual address space of 2 gigabytes (GB). The upper 2
GB is shared, while the lower 2 GB is private to the application. This virtual address space is divided into equal blocks, or
pages.
Demand paging is a method by which code and data are moved in pages from physical memory to a temporary paging file on
disk. When the information must be moved by process, it is paged back into physical memory on demand.
The Memory Pager maps virtual addresses from the process address space to physical pages in computer memory. In doing
so, the Memory Pager hides the physical organization of memory from the process threads. This ensures that the thread can
access the memory of its process as needed, but not the memory of other processes. Therefore, as shown above, the virtual
memory of a thread process is much simpler than the real arrangement of pages in physical memory. With this addressing
model, Windows allows full use of the 4 GB of addressable memory space for all 32-bit operating system components and
applications. Each 32-bit application can access up to 2 GB of addressable memory space, enough to support the largest
desktop application.
Virtual memory, the term, is the 4GB address space above. In physicality, it is the system ram and all free space on the hard
drive by default. As a result, Windows will alter system speed & performance in direct relation to vcache & virtual memory.
The disruption of linear organization by the memory pager is the unseen villain in most speed & performance issues with any
system. Rebooting does restore the physical addressing to a more organized state. Impress unto the customer regular
shutdown and restarts will maintain a good working order for the system as a whole. For OEM’s, only servers were intended
for 24/7 usage with process intensive applications. Desktops, workstations, and portables can run with periodic reduced
usage for 24/7, but at the risk of serious crashes of the OS. Restarting once a day is imperative in such situations.

Virtual Memory Settings-

These configurations for the VCACHE and Virtual Memory have been tested with all of Microsoft’s OS’s with the same benefits
resulting. Editing the SYSTEM.INI file and changing the Virtual Memory or pagefile settings will increase system speed and
performance by defining a work area for the OS in both RAM and hard disk space. The analogy of the memory manager in windows is
like the maitre ‘d of a restaurant reserving tables. IF he reserves all of the tables without those people being present to use them, walk-in
customers cannot dine causing a loss of potential productivity & income. By limiting the number of tables he can reserve, you open up
the opportunity for additional customers.
With Windows 95/98/98SE/ME, you can access the virtual memory setting through system properties, performance, and click the Virtual
Memory button. With NT/2K/XP, you would enter system properties, and check advanced for a pagefile setting. The VCACHE setting is
located in the system.ini file. The charts below will work with any Microsoft OS until the day MS breaks their 4GB memory model
limitation.

VCACHE has three values, which need to be defined. They are MINFILECACHE, MAXFILECACHE, and CHUNKSIZE. Since system
RAM is where VCACHE resides, this is what the file cache values would be based on defining the minimum and maximum amount of
RAM to use. The CHUNKSIZE is somewhat oblique in its use here, but it is correlated to the cluster size of the hard drive upon which
the OS is loaded. Fat16/NTFS partitions will have a CHUNKSIZE of 16384, which are 2GB and smaller hard disks. FAT32 drives use a
size of 4096 as that is its default cluster size. Thus, this facilitates a smother transition from RAM to swap file on the hard disk drive.
The chart will use FAT32 as the default setting.

System RAM MIN/MAXFILECACHE CHUNKSIZE

0-64 MB 8192 4096
65-128 MB 20480 4096
129-256 MB 40960 4096
257+ MB 81920/102400 4096

Virtual Memory of the OS is a physical file being the swap file on the hard drive. So, for optimum performance, two hard drives are
preferred with one being on each controller allowing them to be accessed simultaneously by the OS without hindrance. However, this
procedure will work with both drives on the same controller, or a single large drive.

Hard Drive Size Minimum Maximum

1GB 2xSystem RAM 256MB
2GB 2xSystem RAM 512MB
4GB 2xSystem RAM 1024MB
8GB 2xSystem RAM 2048MB
16GB+ 2xSystem RAM 4096MB

These settings will change the ambiguous %Resources Free in most cases from 2-15%. The functional change is more advantageous.
Instead of having the system screen freeze forcing you to reset the computer, you will receive an error message, which will reveal
(depending on OS) what programs crashed, & where. This information will allow technical support members to confirm a hardware or
software conflict of which they can make reparations.