Use Windows Vista's ReadyBoost to Temporarily Increase Your PC's RAM Memory
One of Windows Vista's handiest new features is the ability to use a
USB flash drive or a flash memory card like the one you would use in your
digital camera to temporarily boost your computer's available system memory.
Windows Vista requires a great deal of memory (we recommend more than
1 GB). If you have installed Vista on a computer with limited memory,
or are about to do some particularly memory intensive activities such
as editing a digital image or making a movie, Vista's ReadyBoost is just
what the doctor ordered!
Ready Boost will allow you to use that spare flash drive or memory card
to augment your computer's RAM memory on a temporary basis. Vista manages
the items it stores on the memory card to ensure that if the card is suddenly
removed, your computer does not come crashing down around you.
*note* The faster the speed of your USB drive
or memory card, the better the performance enhancement. ReadyBoost will
only work with newer USB Flash drives labeled "enhanced for ReadyBoost".
We tested Ready Boost with a 512 MB 4x compact flash card through a USB
card reader for example, and it was not ReadyBoost capable. We also tested
a Fujifilm xD Picture Card and it was not compatible. Click the link for
a list of the cards that claim to be Enhanced for ReadyBoost.
How to Enable ReadyBoost
Once you have a compliant flash device installed on your PC, you can
enable ReadyBoost for that device. To enable Ready Boost on your flash
device, do the following:
- Left click on the Start Menu
- Left click on Computer (in the black menu on the right)
- Right click on the icon for your flash drive
- Left click on properties
- Left click on the Ready Boost Tab
- Enable ReadyBoost
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