Fix Your Low Memory Problem With Windows Readyboost

ReadyBoost works by using flash memory as another place to cache data (a cache is a temporary storage area where frequently accessed data can be stored for rapid access). Normally windows uses RAM for caching data and when RAM is running low, it uses the hard drive as 'virtual memory', a slower replacement for RAM.

The problem with hard drives is that they have mechanical moving parts which cause slower data access times as the read/write head of the hard drive has to move to the right part of the hard drive to access the required data. When there are lots of small random data reads, where small bits of data are scattered around the hard drive, the hard drive will be slow to access these bits of data.

Flash memory doesn't have this problem, there are no moving parts and data can be located and accessed very quickly much like with RAM. The only drawback with flash memory is the data transfer rates. Flash memory has much slower data transfer rates than modern hard drives. A ReadyBoost compatible Sd Card has data transfer rates of around 20MB/second, a modern hard drive has data transfer rates of around 300MB/second. As you can see the huge difference means that the time taken to transfer a large file from the flash memory to the computer is much slower than if it was transferred from the hard drive.

ReadyBoost gets around the problem by using the flash memory to cache only the smaller bits of data which can be both accessed and transferred very quickly. Larger files are left on the hard drive as moving theses on to the flash memory would slow the computer down rather than speed it up.

Difference between the three types of Storage Medium:

• RAM - Quick Data Access Times, High Data Transfer Rates
• Flash Memory - Quick Data Access Times, Low Data Transfer Rates
• Hard Drive - Slower Data Access Times, High Data Transfer Rates

Windows Vista runs an initial check on any flash device that you want to use with the ReadyBoost feature. It does this by measuring the time taken to do some quick random reads and writes to the device, if the results fall below the specifications shown below, the device cannot be used for vista ReadyBoost. There are various ways of getting round the ReadyBoost compatibility checks, one of which includes changing registry values to trick vista in to thinking the flash memory is Ready Boost compatible. This is a foolish strategy; you are effectively slowing your system down by doing this rather than speeding it up.

Key Specifications of ReadyBoost Compatible USB Drives:

• For ReadyBoost USB flash drives, these must be at least USB 2.0 compliant - USB 1.0 data transfer speeds are far too slow to be of any use to cache data

• The ReadyBoost SD Card or USB memory must have at least 256MB of free space - In reality you need at least 1 GB of free space to see good results.

• ReadyBoost Drives must have a minimum 2.5MB/sec throughput for 4K random reads

• ReadyBoost Drives must have a minimum 1.75MB/sec throughput for 512K random writes

FAQ - My Flash Device Meets the Above Specs but still doesn't Work

If you have a flash memory device which shows higher specifications than the above on the packaging and still doesn't work with Ready Boost, then it is most likely due to one of the following reasons:

• The figures on the packaging relate to sequential data reads/writes rather than random reads/writes. ReadyBoost relies heavily
• Only the first 128Mb of the memory is the stated specification, the rest of the memory is much slower - this is particularly true of cheaper flash memory. Readyboost needs the

Readyboost is an amazing feature of Microsoft Windows Vista. You can buy a Ready boost USB Drive to take advantage of this awesome feature and increase your PCs performance today! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Saad_Kamal

By Saad Kamal