Using Windows 7 and Vista ReadyBoost

What is ReadyBoost?

ReadyBoost is a Windows Vista and Windows 7 ONLY feature that uses a compatible USB flash device to enhance performance. ReadyBoost caches disk reads on the fly and can often speed up data access. Reads from a USB drive or other ReadyBoost device are much faster than random reads from a the hard drive. Please Note that reads from the USB flash drive are NOT faster than reads from memory. If you were looking at a memory upgrade, this is not a good alternative to that doing that. Also, ReadyBoost data is encrypted, so if someone steals the flash drive, the person shouldn't be able to use the information on the drive.

Enabling ReadyBoost

To enable ReadyBoost, just plug in a flash device to your Windows 7 or Vista machine. It is recommended that you use one about the same size as your system's main memory. Vista will automatically detect the drive and offer to use it either as an external drive or as a ReadyBoost drive. Choose ReadyBoost and a popup window will appear. I recommend just clicking ok and accepting the "space reserved for system speed" that Vista recommends. The performance benefits you will get from this are worth the cost of the flash drive in my opinion. Also, if you have an unused flash drive sitting around, this is a free performance boost.

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-By Dominic
TAGS: Windows 7 Tips Windows Vista Tips

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