Microsoft's XP RAM Disk Driver | Tech Off

Grumpy

I'm trying to use Microsoft's XP RAM disk driver, but Microsoft doesn't appear to have documented it in XP's help, Knowledge base, or TechNet. So you didn't know Microsoft supplied a RAM disk driver with XP? Go to Control Panel, Add Hardware:

1) click next
2) select "Yes", click next
3) scroll to the bottom, select "Add a new hardware device", click next
4) select "Install the hardware from list", click next
5) select "Show all devices", click next
6) scroll down the "Manufacturer" list and select "Microsoft"
7) scroll down the "Model" list and select "Microsoft Ram Disk Controller"
8) click next and it should install

I'm assuming that you also need to install the "Microsoft Ram Disk Device (volume)" after you install the controller. This probably lets you have multiple RAM disks, but this is just a theory. I'm surprised that Microsoft doesn't bother to document their own driver that ship with their OS. After I installed both of these devices, nothing shows up in the Control Panel or on the property pages for the devices in Device Manager. So I'm not sure how to configure what drive letter I wish to use or the size of the RAM disk.

Does anyone out there know about these devices, how they are configured and any limitations? Please don't tell me to use this or that third party RAM disk application. I'm specifically interested in find out information about Microsoft's device driver.

Hey Microsoft, if you are listening, how about a KB or HowTo article on this one. You could also put this on one of your Administrator certification tests and probably stump everyone taking it...

Grumpy.

Manip2

Do some searches for RAM Disks for Windows 2000. Because it has been around a while a lot of the best tutorials/information was writen for Windows 2K and that is what everyone uses.

fooby
I am a Legend

I googled a sec and found this http://www.arsoft-online.de/products/product.php?id=1 AR RAM Disk "The AR RAM Disk is a freeware driver for Windows NT, Windows 2000 and Windows XP. You can use this driver to create an additional drive in the physical memory of your machine. This drive can be used for storing temporary files, which can increase your system performance." Looks like it should do the trick

Manip2

Can you imagine storing the entire OS on such a drive Big Smile

I mean you could have Linux boot up, create the partition and then load XP .. XP would run super-speed, maybe 200% normal.

Tom Servo
W-hat?

I want a solid-state disk as boot drive! Smiley

Manip2

If you did, you could move your prefetch onto it and then your system would load super-fast.

lwmaus

Several weeks ago I 'stumbled' across the 'Windows Ram Disk Contoller' and 'Windows Ram Disk Device (volume)'. I had just installed XP SP2 (on XP Pro) and was curious if somehow the Ram Disk was part of the SP2 transmittal as I had never 'noticed' them before.

I then Googled the quoted items and found your post here on Channel9.

I add my voice to question why a description of this capability doesnt appear (easily or otherwise) in the massive Microsoft literature. Can anybody out there shed any light on these two drivers and how to configure them for use by applications ?

I have used some of the freeware/shareware ramdisks 'floating' around the internet but am loathe to 'trust' them much.

Larry Martin

Kedavix

I found these two sources that provide useful information on how to configure the sample Windows RAMDisk driver. Try the first link first because it seems the most simple instructions:

http://www.picobay.com/projects/2006/06/how-to-make-windows-xp-ram-disk-drive.html

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/257405

AndyC

The RAM disk is intended for special case scenarios (embedded devices, WinPE) when writeable disk is needed but difficult / expensive to provide.

It's not going to improve your system performance. If anything it will degrade it as it is nowhere near as efficient as the Windows cache manager.

Sven Groot
My name has 9 letters. Coincidence? I think not...

Wow, a three year old thread revived. I think that may be a record for C9. Tongue Out

pcgeek86

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=necrobump

megsuma

In reply to Sven Groot

#Aug 23rd, 2007 @ 12:24 AM

Actually, let us necrobump this again! Thats another year of dead thread coming back - I recently read an article on Hack A Day about installing a ramdisk to speed up a co-worker's browsing (in OSX) and decided to look into it for XP and this is where I ended up. Thanks for the info, be it a little old, hopefully it will provide me with a fun little foray into ram disks in the XPs.