RAM drive

[Guest]

How do you create a RAM drive in XP?

 

[S.Sengupta]

Hello!
please go through this Article:-
http://cyberwizardpit.net/article3.htm
regards/
ssg/pronetworks.org

 

[Ken Blake]

In

How do you create a RAM drive in XP?

With an occasional rare exception for a special circumstance,
using a RAM drive in Windows is counterproductive. You're almost
always better off letting Windows manage all your RAM.

What do you want to use a RAM drive for?

 

[R. McCarty]

A RamDrive does have some value under Windows XP.

I use RamDisk-XP from Cenatek. All of my Temp/Tmp
variables, IE cache and Printer cache are directed to the
Ram Drive. At each reboot, a image of the clean Ram disk
is loaded. This way, my machine never retains temporary
data. RamDisks are also very helpful when using any Video
or Audio editing programs. I'm aware of the argument about
some programs leaving cleanup tasks in the temp folder to
be run at the next reboot. However, I've not encountered
one in recent memory using XP.

Using Cenatek's RamDisk you can exclude memory so the
disk can be a significant size. You can then install apps into
the RamDisk to get even greater performance gains. For my
own use, I have a 90 Megabyte RamDrive, formatted NTFS.

The Cenatek product creates a physical disk, which can be
formatted and partitioned. I believe their current version is
1.7. The product description is available at
http://cenatek.com/product_ramdisk.cfm

 

[Guest]

I wanted to point all my temp files to that drive...so they all clear when
Windows is shut down.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

I wanted to point all my temp files to that drive...so they all
clear when Windows is shut down.

A bad idea, for three reasons:

1. It will decrease the amount of RAM available to Windows, and
you will take a performance hit as a result.

2. If you need more temp file space than is available, apps that
need it will fail.

3. There are program installations that work in two parts. The
first part ends by saving files to the temp folder, and then
rebooting. the second part needs to find those files when it
reboots. Such an installation will fail if you do as you
describe.

Temp files don't need to deleted on every boot. They need to be
deleted once in a while. Doing it once a week or so is more than
enough. It's easy to do it manually, or to write a batch file to
do it; either is much better than doing what you suggest and
paying the penalties I've described.

 

[Ken Blake]

In

A RamDrive does have some value under Windows XP.

I use RamDisk-XP from Cenatek. All of my Temp/Tmp
variables, IE cache and Printer cache are directed to the
Ram Drive. At each reboot, a image of the clean Ram disk
is loaded.

This way, my machine never retains temporary
data. RamDisks are also very helpful when using any Video
or Audio editing programs. I'm aware of the argument about
some programs leaving cleanup tasks in the temp folder to
be run at the next reboot. However, I've not encountered
one in recent memory using XP.

I used to say that too. Then I got burnt, and don't say it any
more.

 

[Alex Nichol]

A RamDrive does have some value under Windows XP.

I use RamDisk-XP from Cenatek. All of my Temp/Tmp
variables, IE cache and Printer cache are directed to the
Ram Drive. At each reboot, a image of the clean Ram disk
is loaded.

That is dangerous when you install software that puts files in Temp,
and then wants them still around so as to complete the install after a
reboot. Remember that a RAM disk has to be smaller in size than your
physical RAM, and locks that amount of RAM out from any other use.
Which means it is either going to be exceedingly wasteful of RAM or
likely not big enough for Temp files.

. RamDisks are also very helpful when using any Video
or Audio editing programs.

Not if they are written in a half way modern style. Programs should be
using allocations of virtual memory rather than work files small enough
to fit in a RAM disk.

 

[R. McCarty]

Alex - Have you actually tried or used a Ram Disk recently ?

Cool Edit Pro 2 or Adobe Audition requires the use of two
different temp working folders, in addition to Virtual memory.
I can readily prove that using the RamDisk for those variables
is significantly faster than using a disk for working space.
I believe Audition would be considered a "Modern" application
since it was released within the last year.

In my case I have 1.0 Gig of Physical memory and the allocation
of the 90 megs to the RamDisk doesn't impact Windows in
any way.

I'll take my chances with the Install/Temp on Reboot. The
benefits of IE caching and others mentioned in my original post
far outweigh the "chance" of a botched install. Besides in many
cases installs that require data on reboot place that information
in C:\Windows\Temp, not the system/user variables.

I would ask you to consider other poster's opinions and personal
experiences with Windows XP to carry as much weight as your
own. While you may be "highly" regarded in this newsgroup, your
advice is not infallible.

A RamDrive does have some value under Windows XP.

I use RamDisk-XP from Cenatek. All of my Temp/Tmp
variables, IE cache and Printer cache are directed to the
Ram Drive. At each reboot, a image of the clean Ram disk
is loaded.

That is dangerous when you install software that puts files in Temp,
and then wants them still around so as to complete the install after a
reboot. Remember that a RAM disk has to be smaller in size than your
physical RAM, and locks that amount of RAM out from any other use.
Which means it is either going to be exceedingly wasteful of RAM or
likely not big enough for Temp files.

. RamDisks are also very helpful when using any Video
or Audio editing programs.

Not if they are written in a half way modern style. Programs should be
using allocations of virtual memory rather than work files small enough
to fit in a RAM disk.