A RAM is physical memory that holds the applications, documents, and procedures on a computer. Virtual memory is logical memory and is a storage area that stores the files on your hard drive for retrieval when a computer runs out of RAM. Learn what virtual memory is and how it supplements physical RAM by using a page file on your hard drive. Follow the steps to manually adjust the virtual memory size for optimal system performance. Learn about virtual memory , a memory management technique that creates the illusion of a very large main memory . Find out its properties, usage, history, and how it works with hardware and software.