Question

A memory management technique that uses hard drive space as additional RAM:

• A. Virtual private network
• B. Virtual memory
• C. Virtual Machine
• D. None of them

Answer 1

Answer:

B. Virtual memory

• Virtual memory is a memory management technique that uses a portion of the computer's hard drive space as an extension of RAM (Random Access Memory). This allows the system to handle more data and run more programs than the physical RAM alone could support.

• How Virtual Memory Works:

• When RAM becomes full, the operating system temporarily transfers data that is not immediately needed from RAM to a designated area on the hard disk called the page file or swap file. When this data is needed again, it is swapped back into RAM, and other less-used data may be moved to the hard disk.

• Benefits:

  • Enables running of multiple applications simultaneously even with limited physical RAM

  • Allows execution of programs larger than available physical RAM

  • Improves multitasking capabilities

• Why Other Options are Incorrect:

  • Virtual Private Network (VPN): A network security tool that creates encrypted connections over the internet, not related to memory management

  • Virtual Machine: Software that emulates a complete computer system, allowing multiple operating systems to run on one physical machine

  • None of them: Incorrect as Virtual Memory is indeed the correct answer

• Virtual memory is an essential feature in modern operating systems like Windows, Linux, and macOS, making computers more efficient and capable of handling complex tasks.