One nice feature Windows Vista added is ReadyBoost. Basically, this allows Vista to utilize a connected USB flash drive as additional “system memory”. Since flash drives, typically, have significantly faster access times compared to hard drives (which is what Windows uses by default for virtual memory), this can really give your system a significant boost in performance.
Here is how to use it:
- Plug in a flash drive to an available USB port. This drive should be at least 1 GB.
- Open My Computer.
- Right click on the USB drive and select Properties.
- On the ReadyBoost tab, select the option to use the device and then allocate the appropriate amount. Typically, you should use the recommended amount displayed.
- Apply your changes.
Of course, ReadyBoost is no replacement for hardware memory, but it can possibly give you a very economical (and readily available) performance increase.
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