Need to Manually DELETE pagefile.sys - HOW??

orlando1974 · 23 Oct 2017

Since a week or so, I have noticed that when I use Free File Sync to backup my data, it throws a flag that it cannot copy the file pagefile.sys (located on my 2nd drive) because it is being used. The program never used to say this. So what I tried to do is reassign the virtual memory to my 3rd internal drive, and to indicate no caching on the 2nd drive. Restarted the computer. Now the backup program is throwing 2 flags about this file - one for each of the drives, which leads me to think these files were never removed. I'd like them removed and possibly recreate a fresh one.

Any ideas?

PS> I think this error started happening when my C drive became almost maxed out, however the virtual memory pagefile.sys was never assigned to the C drive so this may just be a coincidence?

zbook · 23 Oct 2017

This link may be useful:

Manage Virtual Memory Pagefile in Windows 10 Virtualization Tutorials

orlando1974 · 23 Oct 2017

thanks but in my case the files shown at the link provided do not appear even when View "Hidden Items" is checked... So therefore I cannot even see the pagefile.sys!

Josey Wales · 23 Oct 2017

orlando1974 said:

thanks but in my case the files shown at the link provided do not appear even when View "Hidden Items" is checked... So therefore I cannot even see the pagefile.sys!

You cannot see the image below:

Need to Manually DELETE pagefile.sys - HOW??-capture.png

If you can just set where it say 2048 to Zero and reboot, that will delete it. Or set it to No Paging File-(NR)

f14tomcat · 23 Oct 2017

orlando1974 said:

thanks but in my case the files shown at the link provided do not appear even when View "Hidden Items" is checked... So therefore I cannot even see the pagefile.sys!

You really don't want to or need to backup the pagefile.sys. It's a protected system file, and is very volatile, meaning it changes constantly as memory usage changes. It is also not recommended to run without a pagefile.sys, although you can. You can delete it it, as Josey just posted, but it will come right back unless set to zero. Free File Sync is just giving you a false feeling it is some kind of serious error, which it is absolutely not. IMO, ignore the message, Free File Sync simply does not know any better. Pagefile.sys is not intended to be backed up. No backup system I know of, including MS Imaging, backs it up. Ignore it, don't mess with, ain't worth it.

Josey Wales · 23 Oct 2017

f14tomcat said:

You really don't want to or need to backup the pagefile.sys. It's a protected system file, and is very volatile, meaning it changes constantly as memory usage changes. It is also not recommended to run without a pagefile.sys, although you can. You can delete it it, as Josey just posted, but it will come right back unless set to zero. Free File Sync is just giving you a false feeling it is some kind of serious error, which it is absolutely not. IMO, ignore the message, Free File Sync simply does not know any better. Pagefile.sys is not intended to be backed up. No backup system I know of, including MS Imaging, backs it up. Ignore it, don't mess with, ain't worth it.

What you posted is true TC but if he cannot even see that, he does have some kind of problem.

paulsalter · 23 Oct 2017

I think its in File Explorer it cant be seen

To see it you also need to go in to Options in Explorer and remove the tick from Hide Protected operating system files, in the view menu (not recommended)

f14tomcat · 23 Oct 2017

paulsalter said:

I think its in File Explorer it cant be seen

To see it you also need to go in to Options in Explorer and remove the tick from Hide Protected operating system files, in the view menu (not recommended)

What the OP isn't seeing is that you cannot backup a protected system file that is in use. Even if you could, you would never be able to restore it. That would be pure chaos. Big bright blue/green screens.

cereberus · 23 Oct 2017

f14tomcat said:

What the OP isn't seeing is that you cannot backup a protected system file that is in use. Even if you could, you would never be able to restore it. That would be pure chaos. Big bright blue/green screens.

Agreed - totally pointless backing up pagefile.sys. No backup programs backup those these days unless you do an old fashioned and slow bit by bit backup.

If one is not there, it is just created.

orlando1974 · 23 Oct 2017

Awesome community here! Thanks alot everyone for your help. I was able to manually delete the pagefile.sys following paulsalter's tip, which was an option I had overlooked. I then recreated the file using the advanced virtual memory settings back to where I want this file to reside. Running Free File Sync again flagged it once more so after reading here that it is not necessary to back this up, I simply added a filter in Free File Sync. Things are now running smooth. The pagefile.sys exists on 2nd drive but getting excluded from backups. Thanks again everyone!