Till this date, Microsoft's windows had two options for the memory requirement of the computer, so that the computing can be done at cheaper rates and that too without installing the physical memory.
1. Physical Memory (RAM)
2. Page File (A virtual memory file, stored on hard disk).
The page file is used by the Windows OS to cater the needs of various applications when the physical memory is fully used up. The reason for that is, that Virtual memory is slower as compared to the physical memory and thus Physical memory takes the first priority.
However, with the release of Windows Vista, Microsoft has introduced a new technology called ReadyBoost. With the help of this technology one can use any Flash drive, SD Cards, CF Cards as the third memory option for the computer.
Now, the benefits of Flash Drive or Cards as a source of Memory :
1. It is faster than the virtual memory which is accessed through the hard disk drive.
2. It is cheaper as compared to the actually Physical Memory.
How can it be activated ?
In order to activate the ReadyBoost technology on your FlashDrive or Memory Cards, you have to follow these steps…
1. Open My Computer.
2. Right Click on the Removable Disk Drive and select Properties.
3. Click on ReadyBoost Tab.
4. Enable the feature by selecting the option and allocate the amount of space you want to use as memory.
Things to be noted….
1. Regardless of the fact that you use Readyboost or not, you need at least 512 Mb of memory to run Windows Vista decently.
2. If your device is not giving the option of ReadyBoost then it means that it doesn't clear up the minimum data trasfer rate required by ReadBoost technology.