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How To: Set the /3GB Switch

Even if you don't have 3 GB or more of memory, the /3GB switch can still help XSI get more memory to use and allow XSI to allocate larger contiguous blocks of memory. This can help, for example, if you are trying to render large images.

To add the /3GB switch as a separate boot option:

1. Click Start, right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Advanced tab.
3. Under Startup and Recovery, click the Settings button.
4. Under System Startup, click Edit to edit the BOOT.INI file.

5. Find the current boot entry, which typically looks like this:

   multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional" /fastdetect 
   

6. Copy this line and paste it at the end of the BOOT.INI file, and change it along these lines:

   multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINDOWS="Microsoft Windows XP Professional 3GB Switch" /fastdetect /3GB
   

   This lets you choose between a conventional boot entry and the /3GB boot entry. If something goes wrong when you use /3GB, you can always boot back into the original configuration.

7. Save and close BOOT.INI.
8. Click OK to close the Startup and Recovery dialog box.
9. Click Settings again, and in the Default operating systems list, click the new boot entry that has the /3GB switch. Then click OK.
10. Restart your computer to use the new profile.