RAM instead of hard drive. Speeding up Windows using a RAM disk

How to optimize Windows operation by using RAM -disk – created third party software virtual disk, which operates due to excess RAM? Below we will talk about carrying out basic operations for the purpose of such optimization. Let's take a closer look at how to create RAM-disk and transfer the contents to it system folders "Temp" .

1. Creating a RAM disk

To create RAM-disk in our case the program will be used. It was chosen because of its ease of use, support for the Russian language, but most importantly - due to the ability to save data RAM-disk on hard drive. Let us remind you that RAM can work with data within one session of working with a computer. After the system is rebooted, stored on RAM-disk data disappears. To solve this problem, the developers of some programs to implement RAM-disk equip their products with mechanisms for storing data in special file on your hard drive. When the system is restarted, the saved data is accordingly retrieved and takes its place on RAM-disk. The ability to save data is an optional condition for a program that implements Windows system RAM-disk, if the latter will be used only for storing temporary files (contents of “Temp” folders, browser cache and temporary data of other programs) . But if on RAM- the disk will be stored portable programs, profiles and working directories of browsers, other programs and games, the presence of a function for saving data on the hard drive will be of fundamental importance.

– paid product, at the time of writing, the cost is $29 . But the developers of this program offer to test the fully functional trial version for free for a whole month. This period is more than enough to understand the effectiveness of such optimization and, accordingly, make a choice - RAM-disc or SSD .

So, let's download and launch the program. Add a new one RAM -disk.

Fill out the creation form RAM-disk. First of all, we indicate the disk size. Important: this size should not exceed the unused remainder of RAM at the time of maximum computer load . It is advisable not to leave the system with less than 6 GB . Next, select any of the free letters for the disk and set the format file system NTFS. Click "OK".

Returning to the main window , click menu "Image" and choose "Create an image". Creating and connecting a format image IMG - this is the very mechanism for ensuring data safety RAM -disk mentioned above. It is in this image will periodically record data so that it is available after reboot Windows, and not just during the current session. What, as mentioned, will happen when implementing RAM-disk programs without support for a data saving mechanism.

In the column you need to write the path to image file – specify the disk partition, folder and come up with a name for the file. If it is planned that RAM- the disk will be used to store some important data, respectively, image file must be created on a non-system disk partition. In the column "Size" indicate the same size that was set for the RAM -disk. For graph "Format", again, select the value "NTFS". Click "OK".

We will receive a notification that the image has been created.

If in the future RAM - the disk will be destroyed for some reason and will take away valuable information; it can be retrieved by mounting the newly created one IMG -image – either with the help of the , or through any other program that works with this format.

So, RAM -disk is created, IMG -the image has been created, now they need to be tied to each other and configured. We return to the main program window. Here in context menu on RAM-disk select .

A setup window will open. In the column we write, accordingly, the path to the newly created image IMG . Next important point– you must check the box "Save content" . Click the button below "Additional".

Below in the column we set the time period through which the data RAM-disc must be written to IMG-image. In our case, we selected best option – every half hour. If on RAM- the disk is not supposed to store particularly important data; you can set a longer interval. In any case, before turning off or restarting the computer, all data will be saved in IMG-image. Click "OK".

Next, let's go back to the window. previous settings. Click here below "OK", then in the window that appears, confirm the application of the parameters and launch the associated remount operation RAM-disk.

That's all. will automatically boot with Windows and into background provide work RAM-disk. At any time, the program can be found in the system tray to change settings RAM-disk or not at all delete it. It can be removed very easily– using the option, respectively, in the context menu.

Intentional deletion RAM-disk does not result in the destruction of the associated IMG-image. It will still be in its place until it is removed manually. From periodic automatic saving of data to IMG-we can refuse the image and save data manually only if necessary. For these purposes in the window there is a special button.

Created RAM -the disk will now appear in Windows Explorer How regular disk. The possibilities for its use, in principle, can be anything, as long as everything happens within the framework of the allocated volume. On RAM-disks with small volumes usually redirect storage cache (or entire profiles) browsers, save paths and other game data, working directories of bulky programs. But first of all RAM-disk send temporary storage folders Windows files — "Temp". On the performance of the disk on which system folders are stored "Temp", the performance of both third-party programs and Windows as a whole partly depends.

2. Transferring the “Temp” system folders to the RAM disk

Folders "Temp" located on system disk along the way:

- C:\Windows\Temp,

- C:\Users\User\AppData\Local\Temp.

Their transfer to RAM-disk is carried out by editing the values variable environments Windows. For some system processes company Microsoft provided a standard mechanism for changing values - in particular, changing the storage location of folder contents "Temp".

First, create a folder "Temp" on the destination disk - on RAM -disk. Next, press the keys Win + Pause. In the system settings window on the left, select additional options. In the window that opens, go down and press the button "Environment Variables...".

The upper half of the window is responsible for the user profile environment variables. Editing values "TEMP" And "TMP" we will change the folder path "Temp" as part of the catalog "AppData". Select a value "TEMP" and press the button "Change".

We carry out the same operation with the value "TMP", specify the same folder path "Temp" on RAM -disk.

Next, we move to the lower half of the variable environment window - to system variables. Here we also select "TEMP" And "TMP", these are the values corresponding to the folder "Temp" in the catalog "Windows". Select the values one by one "TEMP" And "TMP" and for each of them press the button "Change". Instead of the current path, write a folder "Temp" on RAM -disk. In the end it should work 4 changed values.

After editing the environment variable values reboot Windows.

Moving folder contents "Temp" on RAM The disk also makes access to them convenient. Which will come in handy for cases of allocation under RAM-small volume disk RAM. Folders "Temp" It is necessary to periodically clean them, because they often grow to incredible volumes. You can also clear folders "Temp" according to their previous path on disk WITH to free up extra space on it.

RAM disk- This virtual disk, created in a free area of RAM, which is perceived by the operating system as separate physical disk. Due to the fact that the RAM disk is stored in fast RAM, all read/write operations from such a disk are performed almost instantly, even faster than when using SSD drive(the most productive SSDs now have a data transfer speed of about 560MB/s, while DDR4 memory is 12000-25000MB/s).

Usage RAM disk Suitable for systems with excess RAM. On such a RAM disk you can place cache and temporary application/system files, temporary SQL databases, thereby achieving a significant increase in application performance.

The Windows operating system does not have built-in tools for creating RAM disks, so for these purposes you have to use third-party programs (AMD RAMDisk, ImDisk, PassMark OSFMount, StarWind RAM Disk etc.).

However, in Windows Server you can create a RAM disk without using third-party programs. To do this, you can use the iSCSI driver.

First of all, you need to install a component on the server (part of the File and Storage Services role).

If you have the Windows firewall enabled, you must allow traffic to the iSCSI Service.

To allow traffic to the loopback interface for iSCSI, you need to change the DWORD parameter value in the HKLM\Software\Microsoft\iSCSI Target registry key to 1 . You can use one command:

Set-ItemProperty -Path "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\iSCSI Target" -Name AllowLoopBack -Value 1

Now open the PowerShell console and create virtual RAM 5 GB disk with the command:

New-IscsiVirtualDisk -Path "ramdisk:testRAM.vhdx" -Size 5GB

Now you need to create an iSCSI target:

New-IscsiServerTarget -TargetName targetRAMDisk -InitiatorIds @("IPAddress:10.1.1.200")

Let's connect the RAM disk to the created iSCSI target

Add-IscsiVirtualDiskTargetMapping -TargetName targetRAMDisk -DevicePath "ramdisk:testRAM.vhdx"

Now you need to launch the iSCSI Initiator console through Server Manager

On the Targets tab, specify the IP address of your server, click Quick Connect and connect your iSCSI target.

Now open the Disk Management console and check what you have new disk 5 GB in size. This is the same RAM disk. Initialize, markup and format this disk. Assign it a drive letter.

Now you can transfer the necessary files to the RAM disk and reconfigure the software to use this disk.

After rebooting the server, the RAM disk is deleted (along with all its contents) and must be recreated again.

In some third party programs to create RAM disks it is possible to save RAM data disk to a file on your hard drive. After the system reboots, the data is extracted and placed on the RAM disk.

We learned how to create it using free SoftPerfect programs RAM Disk. And today we’ll talk about how to use a RAM disk to speed up your computer, in particular, working with .

How to use RAM disk?

In fact, there are many ways to use this virtual disk. I will highlight just a few of the most popular:

Transfer of operating system TEMP folders;
Transferring program or game caches;
Installation portable versions programs entirely on a RAM disk.

I do not pretend that all actions taken are correct. It's not the only thing right decision in this matter. This is just my experience based on research. this issue from different sides.

Well, let's get started!

Transferring the Google Chrome browser cache to a RAM disk

Before proceeding with the steps described above, let's understand a little theory.

Browser cache– this is a folder with files. It stores data that the browser saves from the Internet in order to speed up the subsequent loading of a previously opened site. In other words - much faster than the speed of the Internet. Then, when you visit our site again, it is no longer loaded from the Internet, but from the browser cache.

The explanation is completely simplified, but it reflects the essence. The browser has its own algorithms for working with the cache, which we will not delve into. All we need to understand is that to speed up the work with the browser cache, we can place it on a RAM disk.

In order to transfer Google cache Chrome we will use the most effective method– using symbolic links.

Symbolic link (symbolic link)– a file containing a pointer to go to specific file or folder. A kind of shortcut that itself does not contain any data, but is a pointer. You can find out more about symbolic links in .

Browser cache and browser user profile files Google Chrome are on the way:

c:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\

This means that to speed up work, we need to transfer this folder to a RAM disk. We will do this step by step. The Google Chrome browser must be closed. Taking this into account, I have prepared these instructions in , which you can open in parallel on your computer or phone. But before work, read the entire article carefully, install the desired program and create a RAM disk.

We createRAM disk, to which we will transfer the browser cache. It would be good to make it at least 1 GB and be sure to NTFS format. Considering that browser user profiles will be stored there, you need to link it to an image file to save this data after turning off the computer. You can read how to do this in this series of articles.
on the RAM disk a folder named Chrome.
Open the folder c:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\ in Explorer or Total Commander. Don't forget to turn on the display first hidden files on Windows.
Cut and paste the contents of this folder anywhere, for example on drive D. This is temporary.
We check that the folder c:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\ was empty.
Go to the previously created RAM disk and create a folder Chrome .
Next, we will use the program to create and edit symbolic links - Junction Link Magic. Download it from the official website and install it. In the main window, click on the button Create to create a new symbolic link. You will have to wait a bit for the creation window to open, this is normal.

The creation window consists of two panels. The left side displays the source of the file or folder, the right side displays the location to which we want to make a symbolic link.

Window for creating links

Pay attention! To create a symbolic link you need to fulfill 2 requirements:
1. The disk must be in NTFS format. This can also be set when creating RAM disk.
2. The source folder and the folder to which the link will lead must be empty.

Open the folder in the left window c:\Users\(username)\AppData\Local\Google\Chrome\

In the right window (yourRAM disk):\Chrome\
After this, press the button Create. We agree with the warning.
Copying the contents of the folder Chrome, which we saved in a temporary folder on drive D in the folder Chrome on a RAM disk.
Moving the folder back
Let's launch Google browser Chrome and enjoy its work.

Results

I've been using this method for about a month now and I can say that it really gives a good increase in work speed. Another bonus is that it saves SSD life. After all, a bunch of small files that make up the browser cache no longer terrorize the SSD every 2 seconds, thereby reducing its resource.

The cache size in my case does not exceed 700 MB, despite the fact that I have 4 users created in the browser. I clean it regularly using the program.

If you are interested, I will write material about what other methods there are RAM usage disk in home practice.

If you liked this article, don't forget to like, share with your friends and exercise in the morning!

Gorgeous free computer program from a reliable and trusted manufacturer... of processors and video cards (AMD), called Radeon RAMDisk, will allow you to do more in any computer fast disk in RAM, which will work many, many times faster than your hard drive (HDD) and even SSD drive.

RAMDisk - fast disk in RAM

The scope of application of such a high-speed virtual disk is so wide that it makes your hair stand on end when you start to think about it. For example, I installed a portable browser on it and, as a result, my jaw hit the table painfully from the results of the experiment - it really began to fly like crazy.

But you can also “throw” system temporary files, programs or their profiles into it...

In fact, there are quite a few programs that can mount such disks in RAM, but I especially liked the one described in this article for its simplicity and clarity.

Operation speed

You will now understand everything without unnecessary words- just by looking at the screenshots. So, here is the sad speed of my decrepit HDD drive...

...and this system SSD drive(more fun indicators)…

...but the speed of a drive created in RAM (hold on to your pants)...

I described the program for measuring the speed of disks and the methodology in the article at this link.

How?

Everything is very simple and understandable. Any RAM works on its own much faster than any disks, but add a multi-threaded high-speed data transfer bus with a pair of channels - and we get the results shown above.

Nuances and warnings

I strongly advise owners of at least 4GB of RAM to start thinking about speeding up their computer using RAMDisk. Otherwise, you will receive reverse effect. The program will cut off a noticeable piece of RAM needed for stable operation systems.
Before transferring anything important and system-related to this virtual disk, make sure that you correctly and completely understand the transfer technology. Before experimenting, be sure to make system restore points and backups.
When you turn off the computer, our virtual disk also turns off, or rather, completely evaporates. Don't worry - when correct setting program, all data from the disk is written to a real physical disk. When the system starts, they are again written to the automatically remounted RAMDisk.
At sudden shutdown electricity, the data will not have time to be written to the physical disk and will be completely lost somewhere among your loud curses at electricians. That is why this method can be used completely painlessly only in laptops or computers with a UPS (uninterruptible power supply).
When using this computer acceleration technology, you will literally lose a couple of seconds when turning off the computer and the same amount when starting it up.
Simply “throwing” system or profile folders into this magic disk will not be correct. You also need to indicate to the system the correct new way to them.
Store in RAMDisk simple files(photos, videos, music...) extremely stupid, sorry. There are others for this dimensionless spaces.

As you can see, there are not only advantages, but also some disadvantages of using a RAM drive.

Why operating system manufacturers don’t use this feature and don’t give us convenient built-in tools for this remains a mystery. They may give birth in a few years, as with the adjustment color temperature monitor.

I dragged on a bit with the preface - You’re already afraid of impatience, and I’m here blah blah blah...

Radeon RAMDisk

You can download this free miracle program from the link at the end of the article, but for now...

Installing the program

I spent a couple of days testing out 2GB of RAM as additional disk— I delete it and take screenshots in the size of 3GB. I don’t play games, I practically don’t use programs that require computer resources, billion tabs I don’t keep them open at the same time - I think that the free (remaining) 5GB is quite enough for me for comfortable daily work behind the laptop.

Let's go...

If you leave a checkmark here, the disk creation program in RAM will start immediately. Perhaps when you first start, such an extortion window will appear - shoot it like a mad dog...

...and go to settings...

This is the first settings tab - here we set the size of the future disk (in free version this size is limited to 4GB for third party memory and 6GB - for branded AMD Radeon™Memory.

“Create TEMP Directory” - check the box if you plan to store system temporary files here (I don’t recommend doing this yet, because additional steps are required, which I will describe in another article).

“Set Disk Label” is a required checkbox (we name our disk and assign an unallocated letter to it).

In the column “Image File to use For new Disk or to Load exiting image” we indicate the storage location of the drive image that is created when the computer is turned off (left as default).

If you check “Create a new disk” in the “Load Options” section, a new disk will always start when the computer starts. “Load the specified saved image” - will resurrect the image saved when the machine was turned off. And for it to be saved, you need to check the box “Save Disk Image at Shutdown” in the “Save Options” section.

Confused yet? It’s better to re-read it a couple of times, but do everything correctly - any mistake or inattention can cost you dearly. For those who don’t want to delve into it, just do everything as in my screenshots - I’ve tested this setting on a couple of computers several times already and everything works great.

Remained last tab settings...

“Manualy set RAMDisk timeout value” - delayed start when the system starts.

“Do not create backup file when saving disk image” - disables creation backup copy disk, if saving the disk to a file is enabled.

“Do not compress image file on NTFS filesystem”—do not compress the disk file if it is saved to a disk with the NTFS file system.

“Clear RAMDisk memory on exit” - clears the contents of the disk when shutting down.

“Do not start RAMDisk when Windows starts” - do not start when the system starts ( manual start by clicking on the label).

“Allow Image file to be saved in non System Drivers” - saving the image using third-party drivers.

Drum roll - click on the “Start RAMDisk” button and... agree to install the drivers...

...format the newly created virtual disk...

Not all users personal computers know that in RAM you can create virtual partition and store temporary files in it. This unusual storage medium is called RAM Disk and allows you not only to increase overall system performance, but also to speed up work individual applications. Moreover, a virtual disk has other advantages that allow it to stand out even from SSDs.

From this article you will learn what results can be achieved by allocating just a small part of RAM for RAM Disk. In addition, programs that allow you to create virtual partitions in just a few clicks will be discussed here. But first small excursion to the past.

A little history

Surprisingly, RAM Disk is far from new technology. They were used back in the days of MS-DOS and allowed you to use your computer without hard drive. It was enough to create a small virtual partition in RAM, throw files with external media and work calmly with them. Then, when it was time to turn off the computer, the information was copied to a floppy disk and stored there.

Thanks to such a simple manipulation, it was possible to increase the speed of operations several times. In addition, floppy disks, when using a virtual partition, were needed only as temporary storage of information, which made it possible to significantly extend their service life. In principle, all these advantages are still relevant today, but with some changes.

Performance boost

Of course, now no one will use RAM Disk as a replacement for a regular hard drive or SSD. And the point here is solely that modern programs, and even more so, games stored on your hard drive simply will not fit entirely into RAM. However, no one is stopping you from transferring to virtual media separate files, selecting those that a particular application accesses most often.

In this case, several nuances should be taken into account, otherwise, by making a RAM disk on your computer, you will not increase performance, but, on the contrary, will worsen it. That's what it's about we're talking about:

Allocate part of your RAM to the RAM Disk only if you have at least 6 GB of RAM left (for gaming PCs, it is recommended to leave at least 8 GB of RAM).
Transfer to the virtual partition only those files that the application accesses very often.
Do not try to put important system files or drivers. This can disrupt the operation of the operating system.

Also, do not forget that when you turn off or restart your computer, all information stored in the virtual partition will be moved to hard drive. If your power goes out unexpectedly, you may lose important data.

SSD durability

Another reason why people are increasingly starting to use RAM disks is the desire to extend the life of SSD services. The fact is that the less often files are read from solid state drive, the less likely it is to fail. But RAM has a much larger margin of safety, so it is logical to transfer the most active programs, constantly processing any data.

As an example, consider Internet browsers. These applications are constantly being transferred various files into the cache and then retrieve them from there as needed. Because of this, the disk, be it an SSD or HDD, is constantly under load and its service life is reduced. If you transfer the browser cache to a RAM disk, the entire load will fall on the RAM, which is not so dangerous.

Softperfect RAM Disk

Virtual media has also become widespread because of its ease of use. Almost any user, even without any special skills, can download special application and create a RAM Disk using it. Therefore, further we will consider the most popular programs, which allow you to do just that. And the first of them is Softperfect RAM Disk.

The application allows you to create several simultaneously virtual disks, and also displays actual value free RAM. In addition, the program has a function for automatically saving files from RAM Disk to the hard drive after turning off the computer. Unfortunately, you can only use the application for free for 30 days. After this, you will have to buy a key for Softperfect RAM disk from the developers. Using it, you activate the utility and can use it without restrictions.

Dataram RAM Disk

Perhaps one of best programs for modern operating systems. It allows you to create a RAM Disk for Win 10, but is nevertheless suitable for older versions of Windows. The application is simple and clear interface, as well as the ability to set automatic saving of information stored on virtual media. For example, you can set the program to flush data to your hard drive every 30 minutes, so you don't have to worry about losing it.

Unfortunately, the free version of the utility only allows you to create virtual media up to 4 GB. To remove this limitation, you will have to purchase Dataram RAM from the developers Disk key. Another disadvantage of the free version of the program is advertising banner, periodically appearing on the screen. However, no one is stopping you from downloading a “cracked” RAM Disk from Dataram and getting rid of the above problems.

ImDisk

The main difference between ImDisk and its closest competitors is that this program allows you to create not only disks in RAM, but also virtual CD drives for reading images. This allows you to use one utility instead of several.

There are, however, negative point, which appeared due to the versatility of the program. ImDisk's interface is quite confusing, so it will take you some time to figure it out. However, once you get the hang of it, you will find that the application allows you to create an unlimited number of virtual media.

It's also worth mentioning that ImDisk is free program. Simply put, you don’t have to shell out a large sum of money to use it or rummage through specialized forums looking for a “crack”.

Creating a RAM disk

And now it’s time to move from theory to practice and figure out how to create virtual partitions using the example of the “cracked” Softperfect RAM Disk. This operation looks like this:

Launch the program and click on the big green plus in its main menu.
Indicate in the appropriate field the size that you are going to allocate for RAM Disk.
Check the box next to "How to removable disk". In this Windows case will not create unnecessary system files such as the Recycle Bin on the virtual disk.
Select the file system format of your RAM Disk. It is recommended to specify NTFS.
Click "OK".

After this, the virtual disk will be created and you can safely use it. By the way, in other programs this operation it is performed almost the same way, so, as you can see, there is nothing complicated about it.

What should be transferred to the RAM disk

And finally, let’s look at which files and folders should be transferred to a virtual partition to speed up the operation of the operating system and individual applications:

Browser cache. This is especially true for the Google Chrome Internet browser and other utilities based on the Chromium engine.
Folders "TEMP" and "TMP". Windows stores various temporary files in them, so the faster they are loaded from disk, the faster your operating system.
All kinds of files textures, models and other objects in games where this is supported. Thanks to this, you will significantly reduce the time required, for example, to load levels or transition between locations.

You can also place it on virtual media individual programs that you use very often. Try this and you'll be surprised how much faster they start working.