Improve Vista Performance With Readyboost
In Vista there is a cool little feature that will allow you to run programs faster using nothing more than a data stick.
Computers run on RAM (Random access memory), it is a type of computer data storage that allows any stored data to be accessed in any order. In layman's terms RAM can influence the speed of your computer, the more RAM you have the faster your computer will run.
Most PC's or Laptops come standard with about 1 GB of Ram, and you can easily add more RAM (I currently have a laptop with 1GB standard of RAM which I boosted up with a extra 1GB RAM). But even after adding 2GB of RAM to any machine using Vista as the operating system you will still find that it can be slow.
What you need to use is the new function called Windows ReadyBoost. Windows ReadyBoost is a new concept in adding memory to a system, all you have to do is add a non-volatile flash memory, such as that on a universal serial bus (USB) flash drive and you can improve performance. The flash drive essentially becomes RAM, so on top of the RAM installed on your computer you can also have portable RAM.
Using Windows ReadyBoost is a simple process, simply follow these points;
- Insert a flash drive
- In the Removable Disk Properties pop up select ReadyBoost
- Here you can select to use the device for system speed (note: You may receive a warning saying this device does not have the required performance characteristics for use in speeding up your system)
- It will now recommend how much space you should reserve for optimal performance (my 512 MB data stick shows I should reserve 430MB)
- Click apply
- Click OK
You should now see an improvement in your computers speed thanks to the ReadyBoost. Here is a screen shot of the Removable Disk Properties;
