RAM Disk on Windows 11

Anonymous
2023-03-24T16:40:00+00:00

Hi, I wanted to create a RAM disk on Windows 11. I found an article for Windows 7 and 10 which has been updated recently:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/create-a-ram-disk-drive-in-windows-7-and-windows/cd42aac4-8b0e-4b61-a2ea-9560a3e17d5b

However, when I tried it on Windows 11, it didn't seem to work properly.

After making changes to the TEMP and TMP environment variables as well as some application specific temp / cache paths to point them towards the RAM disk, everything appeared fine initially. But when running more intensive workloads, I experienced intermittent crashes and eventually a blue screen: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL (probably related to the storage driver implementation used by ImDisk).

After reverting the changes I made to the temp / cache directories, removing the RAM disk, and uninstalling ImDisk, everything has been stable again.

My question is: Is there any way to set up a RAM Disk on Windows 11 without compromising system stability?

For my use case, I don't require persistent storage, but it should be auto-mounted on boot.

Thank you, Paul.

PS: Please ignore discussions regarding why someone might need such a setup; each person has their own unique use case which doesn't necessarily apply universally.

PPS: Revisiting this thread after nearly a year reveals that there is no official solution from Microsoft. While there may be paid options available, given the history of free solutions causing issues under load, I am hesitant to invest time and money checking each one individually.

In summary, there seems to be no official or unofficial (but endorsed) solution at present.

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Devices and drivers

Locked Question. This question was migrated from the Microsoft Support Community. You can vote on whether it's helpful, but you can't add comments or replies or follow the question.

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  1. Anonymous
    2024-01-02T23:11:36+00:00

    I used IMDisk on Windows 10, but on Windows 11 it causes BSOD for 1-3 days. I also tried OSFMount and it also causes BSOD :-(

    Primary usage is for storing *.obj files when compiling projects on 32Gb workstation and (I don't redirect TMP/TEMP dirs).

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  2. Anonymous
    2023-12-29T12:47:11+00:00

    Hello Igor Leyko,

    I clearly got your point that you aren't advocating for it -- and (once more) that is not the question here.

    I clearly understood that you refer to commercial (non-Microsoft) Software as a solution. Understood and already taken into account.
    No need to put any more comments unless they bring solid knowledge or solutions.

    Constructive information is always welcome.

    Let's concentrate on the subject. To recall it: Title "RAM Disk on Windows 11". Main question is "... how to create a ram disk on Windows 11."

    Thank you.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-12-29T10:06:19+00:00

    adding a me-too for those derailers who don't understand use-cases.
    Sometimes if I am crunching BMD6K RAW footage, it would be nice to know an official way to set-aside 32GB-96GB RAMdisk to "pre-load" a batch of clips that I will be scrubbing through shortly.
    With TLC SSD's being the norm at time of writing, there is hilarious speed-crashes once they have been in continuous use for 30+ minutes and/or GC is overrun.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-12-14T20:00:04+00:00

    Capacity = / = doing

    Anyone who pays for a high end motherboard and processor can and likely would pay for 128GB cause the price in comparison is little.

    1 i9 is usually the same price as 4 x 32GB

    the majority of users that bought/built PCs nowadays have around 16GBs of ram, that can be easily inferred from the fact that DDR4 starting size is 4GB per slot, BUT the price of a 8GB slot was very soon nearly the same and most PCs are built for minimal usage like browsing, as happened to every stage of DDR memories, so it can be expect that the 16GB slot will cost nearly the same as the minimum 8GB DDR5, if they don't already do.

    But let's stop guessing and get some real data:

    https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/processormfg/

    On processors statistics:
    Intel
    3.3 Ghz to 3.69 Ghz = 15.11%
    3.7 Ghz and above = 2.94%
    3.0 Ghz to 3.29 Ghz = 6.62%
    AMD
    3.3 Ghz to 3.69 Ghz = 13.01%
    3.7 Ghz and above = 10.00%
    3.0 Ghz to 3.29 Ghz = 6.09%

    total = 53,77% of the total player base have a processor that can handle 128GB of ram, those are the ones which are mid to high end.

    As for ram statistics:
    16 GB = 49.88%
    32 GB = 22.77%
    64 GB = 3.72%
    More than 64 GB = 0.30%

    from this data we can see that the ones at 32 + 64 + More = 25,79% of the total player base are the ones who could possibility benefit from using a ram disk or extra caching.

    This isn't proof the market has already 128GB, this is proof that the market could or would use such a thing if it was available, most people have no clue what a ram disk is lawl

    It is also valid to point out that we are talking about players, the amount of ram a PC could have for professional use increases by a lot considering that applications like CAD style are already demanding in ram and big projects would benefit a lot.

    Another example:
    "SOLIDWORKS recommends at least 16 GBs of RAM. TriMech recommends at least 32 GBs of RAM, at least 64 GBs if you are conducting regular FEA and CFD simulations.

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  5. Igor Leyko 112.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-12-14T11:29:40+00:00

    How hard is for some people to understand that you can have up to 128GB on a workstation nowadays and want chunk of 100GB to be loaded inside the ram, for several reasons, like compilation or in my case,

    Sorry, but the question for a clarification. Can you evaluate:

    a) a percentage of users who have 128 GB RAM - 90 %, 50 %, 20 %, 5 %, 1 %, or less,

    b) a percentage of workstations with 128 GB RAM among total number of sold PCs?

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