definition of thrashing computers
thrashing-Computer Definition. In a virtual memory system, it is the excessive swapping of pages of data between memory and the hard disk, causing the application to respond more slowly. The virtual memory function tracks page usage and keeps often-used pages in memory as much as possible. However, the more applications that are kept open in computers with limited memory, the more thrashing occurs. For an explanation of the paging operation, see virtual memory. Poor program design may also contribute to thrashing.