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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  2. Igor Leyko 112.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-07-02T16:50:58+00:00

    Answers like yours saying "There is no use".

    Sorry but seems this is some misunderstanding. I did not say these words.

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  3. Igor Leyko 112.4K Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2023-06-11T14:41:03+00:00

    Still, even with a 16GB build, if the user's daily workflow maxes out at a significantly smaller amount, the benefits of a reliable/stable RAM disk would still be of benefit.

    Sorry, but can you provide any (reliable) test results as confirmation?

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  4. 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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  5. 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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