How to enable Readyboost that is disabled in error

Anonymous

My laptop came pre-installed with Windows 8.1 on a 500GB 5400RPM HDD. It has 4GB memory.

Over the holidays someone gave me a 64GB m-SATA SSD, which I put into the laptop's m-SATA slot.

On the BIOS, the info shows that the SSD occupies the SATA 0 slot. I had to re-adjust the boot order to boot normally into my system disk, which is on the SATA 1 slot.

I wanted to use the m-SATA SSD as a Readyboost cache. When I carried out the steps to enable Readyboost on the SSD, it wouldn't let me. The error message is:

This device cannot be used for ReadyBoost.

ReadyBoost is not enabled because this computer is fast enough that ReadyBoost is unlikely to provide additional benefit.

There must be some mistake because the SSD is not the system disk. It only occupies SATA slot 0 (which I cannot change). The system disk is a typical HDD.

How do I go about enabling Readyboost on the SSD? Any tweaks or commands? I have tweaked the registry many times before so if need be I could do that.

[Note: Those who want to suggest other things like sell the SSD, leave it alone, or whatever, please just heckle some other thread.]

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Anonymous

Insert the flash drive or card, then right-click on it in This PC and select properties. Open the ReadyBoost tab.

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42 additional answers

Anonymous

2015-11-01T07:15:49+00:00
I was tweaking a bit more and this may be of interest to potential readyboost users with a system SSD installed.

Hatsoffsec has figured out the key to turning readyboost back on at his webpage:

http://hatsoffsecurity.com/2015/05/31/force-enabling-readyboost-windows-78/

I had success turning ReadyBoost on...even with an SSD as the main system disk.

I actually went a step further in my T500 with an EVO 850 SSD running the Samsung Rapidmode with 8GB of RAM. Rapidmode with the EVO SSD is much faster than a HDD but with readyboost enabled on a RAMDISK drive my windows 7 system is that much more responsive. I think it works so well because the T500 is still running SATA 2 on the mainboard.

This is what I did:
1. Install Dataram Ramdisk ( I was using V4_4_0_RC34). I also use Softperfects Ramdisk but it does not work with the Readyboost feature.
2. Set up a ramdisk size based on your installed ram. I only used a small 260MB ramdisk size and stayed with the default FAT format. Even a small readyboost cache of 260MB gives noticeably snappier performance and does not take up much system RAM. I also recommended ticking the option the label the device as it will be easier to find in the next step.
3. Open Regedit and go to: HKLM (Local Machine)->SOFTWARE->Microsoft->Windows NT->CurrentVersion->EMDgmt. Find your device and left click on it( it should be labelled RAMDISK). In the right hand pane of regedit, double click "device status" and set it to 2.
1. Also in Regedit, go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\rdyboost\AttachState. In the right hand panel, I set all the variable values to "0".
2. Open services.msc and set Superfetch to automatic and start it.
3. Open "my Computer" and right click the Ramdisk drive you created and select Properties.
4. Select the Readyboost drive tab and set it to "Use this disk" or "dedicate this device". I dedicated the entire 260MB to Readyboost with good results.
I also enabled readyboost on a T61 with 6GB of ram with windows 7 and got the exact same performance boost as the T500 machine. The t61 is running an 840 EVO SSD as the system disk and it has been modified with the Middleton BIOS so it is also running at SATA II speed. However, rapidmode chews up too many cpu cycles and RAM so I keep it off for this laptop.

I may even turn off rapidmode on my T500 thinkpad as the T61 with readyboost and the 500GB 840EVO is every bit as fast as the T500 with a 256GB 850 EVO with rapidmode and readyboost enabled. It would appear that any SSD throttled by SATA 2 could benefit from this readyboost trick.

Thanks to Hatsoffsec!
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Anonymous

2015-10-02T19:15:50+00:00

No Gordon, You misunderstand the use of Readyboost - Readyboost is not designed to compensate for the lack of RAM, but to enhance slow HDD performance.

"Use ReadyBoost to have more RAM" is a marketing ad.
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Anonymous

2015-10-02T06:36:32+00:00

You misunderstand the use of Readyboost - Readyboost is not designed to enhance slow HDD performance, but to compensate for lack of RAM.
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Anonymous

2015-10-02T00:54:01+00:00

I am still upset that Microsoft will not allow ReadyBoost for any system. Some people have slower disk drives and could put a small SSD to help offload the immediate reads and writes.

I did however try something else.

My OS was on a PCIe raid controller (non-Intel).

My on board chipset is Intel that was only hosting a DVD drive.

I degraded the Raid 1 Mirror on the "PCIe" controller

Moved one drive to the Intel on board controller.

Wiped the "Intel" drive and cloned the "PCIe" to it.

Booted to Windows on "Intel" drive and enabled "Safe Boot" from msconfig then shut down.

Entered BIOS and changed AHCI to RAID on the Intel Controller

Booted Safe Mode Windows to desktop and restored "Original Boot Config" and shut down.

Normal boot to windows with 1 drive and Intel RAID enabled.

Installed Intel Rapid Storage Technology.

Moved 2nd "PCIe" drive to "Intel" and created a Mirror.

Enabled Performance Disk Cache for my new Intel RAID.

This is having to use an alternative to Microsoft's idea since they remain dormant.

This seems to be skewed probably because the file is smaller than the SSD cache drive.

I tried a real-world scenario. This is a 10gb file moved from my production SSD raid.

The first 5gb moved at almost 600 MB/s then slowed to the normal HDD speeds from my previous post.

TL;DR - Microsoft has retired ReadyBoost but has not removed it from the OS. Intel Rapid Storage with SSD Cache was my solution.
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