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justmetoo · Jan 24, 2010, 07:58 AM

Hello,

Has anyone successfully implemented Dataram's RAMDisk v3.5 RAMDisk - Software - Products & Services - Dataram on bootcamp partition with Win7 x64???

I have a Mac Pro 1,1 with 11GB RAM, installed RAMDisk on my BC partition by following the rather simple instructs, made a 4 GB RAM disc, formatted with NTFS, renamed, was successful (could view in win explorer), and then tried to use it for the pagefile.

But on reboot the RAM disc was not recognized and Win7 flipped out saying that my pagefile was not set and on its own created a balloon-of-a-pagefile almost 12 GB in size on my bootdisk! I had a h_ll of a time resetting it, it just wouldn't let loose of the territory once it had its teeth set in my HD space...

Anyways, I will continue to trouble shoot, but am wondering whether it cannot be used on reboot via bootcamp (?).

Anyone?

mduell · Jan 24, 2010, 12:06 PM

The ramdisk probably isn't initiated until after Windows expects to be able to access the pagefile.

But why the [censored] are you trying to put your pagefile on a ramdisk? Just disable the pagefile.

justmetoo · 01:15 PM

Yes, "just disable the pagefile..." well, Win7 wasn't letting me, I had to make a change to the max allowed, save it, then go back in and then disable it for it to take. It was like a wrestling match for a while.

Pagefile on RAMdisk supposedly boosts program performance significantly with the I/O of big temp files (I'll let you know if I get it running) and apparently sys files as well. Much more efficient than having the pagefile just on a different HDD...

In modern operating systems, including Windows, application programs and many system processes always reference memory using virtual memory addresses which are automatically translated to real (RAM) addresses by the hardware. Only core parts of the operating system kernel bypass this address translation and use real memory addresses directly.

Virtual Memory is always in use, even when the memory required by all running processes does not exceed the amount of RAM installed on the system.

An expanded version of this article is available at General Windows Information.

mduell · Jan 25, 2010, 01:32 PM

By carving out memory for the page file you're reducing the amount of memory available for disk caching. Temp files are written to disk, not in the page file.

I also think you don't understand the different between virtual memory and page file/swap.

Disabling the page file or putting it in memory isn't going to make your computer faster. You're just going to run out of memory sooner, forcing the OS to use the page file, which is in memory. Then if you really need more memory than you have, there's no room to grow the page file (since it's not on disk).

chabig · Jan 25, 2010, 06:48 PM

I agree with mduell. I think it's counter-productive to take RAM away from the OS.

AltecXP · 05:56 PM

Ramdisk? LOL hello 1998. Those don't do anything, just leave the freaking page file alone.

I can't believe people still think they do anything. They haven't helped with anything since at least 2000 except help people separate with their money.

Wouldn't you think that after 30-years of making an OS that Microsoft MIGHT know how the page system works better then some 3rd-party?

msuper69 · Feb 21, 2010, 10:00 PM

Now I remember why I hate Windows.

AltecXP · Feb 21, 2010, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by msuper69

Now I remember why I hate Windows.

Because unlearned people think RAMdisk is useful? Your post makes no sense.

msuper69 · Feb 21, 2010, 11:01 PM

Originally Posted by AltecXP

Because unlearned people think RAMdisk is useful? Your post makes no sense.

The OPs problem is the type that comes to mind when dealing with Windows (back in the 3.1/95/98/ME) days. Too much of a hassle to get things working properly.

QEMM anybody?

AltecXP · Feb 23, 2010, 08:50 PM

So you hate Windows because how a dead branch operated over 10 years ago?

Does that mean I should hate Apple because OS 8/9 was bad? and assume OS X is terrible and just like it?

ghporter · Feb 23, 2010, 08:56 PM

There is one very good use for a ramdisk: when you don't have access to the computer's hardware storage devices and you need to do something that will fit in physical RAM. A number of very useful PC diagnostic and utility apps do this-and have done so for a very long time.

But stealing RAM from the OS for any other reason isn't the brightest way to go about things-particularly when the OS pages out to a hard drive when RAM is too full, and this happens on just about any PC with just about any amount of RAM.