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

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  1. Anonymous
    2023-05-10T00:59:20+00:00

    Yes, a sample virtual disk code was in Windows Developer Kit for many years.

    Moreover, there was a vdisk.sys driver in MS-DOS, and I've used it in DOS times. But unfortunately, there is no RAM disks general usefulness now, especially after M.2 SSDs appearing.

    Your point about there being "no RAM disks general usefulness now, especially after M.2 SSDs appearing." is not quite accurate though.

    With SSD's being so much faster the speed benefits may have been reduced greatly, But if a situation exists where a large number of files is created, edited and deleted then this process will cause a SSD's lifespan to be reduced immensely. SSDs will not last for as long as a good old HDD. So to be honest using a RAM drive for temp files would actually be more benificial to a moden systems durability that it ever was.

    Im actually surprised that MS isnt promoting this as a use for it own windows temp files. I would also think that it would help with heat production as a SSD being written to a lot would generate more heat that a ram chip.

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  2. Igor Leyko 112.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-05-10T17:05:30+00:00

    Modern SSDs allow a lot of written data. As for me, SSD is just an instrument but not the sacred cow.

    RAM drive will take away memory from running programs, that is the main reason.

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  3. Anonymous
    2023-05-13T07:15:54+00:00

    Hello,

    I personally have had many years of excellent experience with Primo Ramdisk. It costs some coin, but it really is a "set it and forget it" tool. As of the latest version 6.6.0 (2022-03-15), it also supports Windows 11.

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  4. Anonymous
    2023-06-10T21:07:36+00:00

    Yes, a sample virtual disk code was in Windows Developer Kit for many years.

    Moreover, there was a vdisk.sys driver in MS-DOS, and I've used it in DOS times. But unfortunately, there is no RAM disks general usefulness now, especially after M.2 SSDs appearing.

    I think many of us with more RAM than usually needed during daily workflows still wish this was a viable option. I have a very fast 4th gen M.2 drive, but tapping into my fairly ordinary 64GB of DDR4-4000 is still several orders of magnitude faster in response/latency. Clearly Redmond has reasons for not bringing support for something that capable, and I'm left trusting the engineers, but still pining for more.

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  5. Igor Leyko 112.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-06-10T22:50:22+00:00

    my fairly ordinary 64GB

    Alas, this configuration is not typical for most users.

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