Windows 7 ReadyBoost: What is it, How to use it ?

What is ReadyBoost?

A feature first introduced in Windows Vista, ReadyBoost is a way to use most kinds of flash memory (USB drive, SD Card, Compact Flash) to help speed up your system by using it in addition to your physical memory as disk cache. Basically, it is almost like adding more RAM on-the-go without having to crack open your PC case and install it. The feature uses a technology called Superfetch which basically pre-loads information for applications enabling them to start-up more quickly than usual. This is capable because it frees up physical memory and because flash memory can read-write faster than a hard drive.

Can I use ReadyBoost & what are the minimum system requirments?

The requirements for ReadyBoost are fairly basic and should apply to almost any PC made within the last 10 years:

• The computer must have USB 2.0 compatibility
• The USB drive or flash must be USB 2.0 capable
• The removable media’s capacity must be at least 256 MB—250 MB after formatting.
• Vista only allowed less than 4GB of memory for ReadyBoost, but Windows 7 allows up to eight devices for a maximum of 256 GB of additional memory.

How do I use ReadyBoost?

• Plug in your USB flash drive or flash memory card into your computer.
   
• The computer should detect the device and AutoPlay should pop-up, click on Speed up my system.
   
• If AutoPlay is not enabled, click on Computer, then right-click on the USB flash drive or flash memory card, and click on Properties then the ReadyBoost tab. Click the Use this device option and choose how much space you would like to associate with this device by moving the slider. You can allocate all of the memory on the device by checking the Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost, then Click OK.
  
  Note: Any space that is allocated for use with ReadyBoost will not be usable space for saving files with this device.
   
• If at any time you would like to revert the device back for normal use, right-click on the Properties option, then the ReadyBoost tab and check Do not use this device.