Overview
Virtual memory allows a computer to run programs that are larger than its physical RAM. It does this by using a portion of the hard drive or SSD as an extension of the system memory.
Key Concepts
- Paging: Breaking memory into small blocks (pages) that can be moved between RAM and disk.
- Swap File / Page File: The area on the disk used to store data that doesn't fit in RAM.
- Address Translation: The process of mapping 'virtual' addresses used by software to 'physical' addresses in RAM.
Benefit
Prevents 'out of memory' errors and allows for more efficient use of physical RAM across multiple applications.