Assign VM paging file (.vmem) to a specific folder and file name.

[johnhc]

My AV (Comodo) is scanning the VM paging file (.vmem) to death (making host unusable).  I would like to assign the file to the SSD and give it a permanent name.  I have read that I can assign the VM working files directory and this will help.  The problem is Comodo.  I can exclude a file or folder from scanning, but the changing .vmem filename is preventing the exclusion for working each time I power off/on the VM.  Thanks for any help offered.  Enjoy, John.

EDIT:  I just rebooted both my VM and host and then brought the VM up.  It continued to have the same file name (.vmem).  Will it continue to be this way?

[RDPetruska · Accepted solution]

One option is to add the following parameter to your guest's vmx file (with the guest powered off, and Player closed).

mainMem.useNamedFile = "false"

This will change the behavior to NOT use the named file for VRAM swapping.

If that doesn't change the behavior, you might need to edit the host's config.ini file and add the line there instead.

Personally, for any AV I always exclude my top-level Virtual Machines folder from being scanned, since the files are constantly open and changing, and the files themselves are not going to contain any viruses. This is NOT to say that the guests themselves cannot GET a virus inside their own OS... but that the files to your host will not contain some embedded virus which your AV needs to scan.

[johnhc]

Grerat!  RDPetruska, thanks much for your reply.  I ran across the 'mainMem.useNamedFile = "false"', and was told what it did not do but not what it did do.  This morning I found that Player will use my host memory (just changed 8GB -> 16 GB) which is exactly what I want.  I will do more testing and post my experiences.  I tried adding the VM top folder to the Comodo exclusion list but that did not work.  Even when I add only the .vmem file (works if the VM is already up) it does not work after powering off/on the VM.  Even though the .vmem file name remains the same, Comodo scans me into the pit.  Perhaps Comodo sees the file go away and removes it from the exclusion list.  Thanks much for your quick reply.  Enjoy, John.

[johnhc]

I used the mainMem.useNamedFile = "false" parameter in the .vmx file and no .vmem file was created (I had moved working directory to C Disk-SSD).  Both the VM and the host performed much better and no more freezing of the host while more of my host memory was used.  I then moved my guest C-Disk to the SSD and things were slower on the VM.  I am hoping this will correct over time.  Thanks, much to RDPetruska.  Enjoy, John.