Question on configuring a RAM disk on WinXP 32-bit SP3

[PartingShot]

Hey all,

I have an old Compaq PC that runs WinXP 32-bit SP3. It runs a bit sluggish so I am thinking of installing and configuring a RAM disk to offload, at minimum, the WinXP temporary internet file writes there.

Upon researching, I learned of a popular and free (up to 4GB) RAM disk solution called DataRAM RAM Disk. But I can't use it because the program automatically sets aside 512MB of the available physical RAM to be used by the OS. Unfortunately, the maximum total RAM that can be installed in this old Compaq just happens to be 512MB. So there is no "overhead" that DataRAM can use to create a RAM drive.

I have also learned about another freeware option based on the Gavotte RAM drive utility. It has a minimum requirement of 256MB of physical RAM, and if you use that, then you’re recommended not to set a RAM disk with size more than 64 MB. This looks like it will suit my particular needs w.r.t. the RAM limitation of the Compaq PC.

So I am wondering if anyone here has used the Gavotte RAM drive utility. I learned about it mostly from *HERE*.

Thank you in advance for any replies.

[usually_quiet]

I doubt that creating a RAM drive will help. Too little physical RAM is often the reason why older PCs are sluggish. 512MB is not enough to running XP SP3 and adequate security software these days.

I increased the amount of RAM in 2 windows XP machines for relatives in the past year, and it made a world of difference.

[Joe The Dude]

If you could upgrade to at least 1 GB or RAM, you'd see a marked improvement across the board, without need for any ramdisk software.
It's too bad that your Compaq can't support more than 512 MB...

You know, you might be able to find a new, or refurb, mobo that can support more ram, as well as your existing CPU,
but don't forget to compare the cost of doing that versus buying a newer cpu + new mobo + new ram.
Then again, you might also have to get a new case and psu as well, if the compaq case is non standard, and the compaq psu isn't strong enough.

I've been in the same situation as you a couple of times, and wound up doing a new build, and savaging what I could from my older PCs.

There are some cheap AMD Phenom II (Socket AM3) Dual Core CPUs that have a nice bang-for-the-buck when it comes to building a PC for a non-hardcore-gaming family member.

[PartingShot]

Thanks for all the replies. Here's an update and another question.

Update: The Compaq system with the sluggish performance has an onboard IDE controller that is limited to ATA66. On a whim, I migrated the OS to a newer ATA100 PATA HDD (knowing that it wouldn't perform at ATA100 speed, just wanted to see if a newer HDD would alleviate some of the sluggishness). Another reason for the migration is that the old ATA66 HDD was only 40GB, and over 95% of the HDD space was used. So when the system was moved to the newer HDD (200GB capacity), this gave the OS much more breathing room, and performance did increase a bit. There's still some sluggishness, but it is not nearly as bad as it was.

So now I'm wondering if I drop in an ATA133/100/66 IDE controller PCI card (PCI-to-PATA IDE), which I could probably get for around $20, could this improve performance even more?

I'm not inclined to dump any significant $ into this old Compaq machine, but $20 seems reasonable for this upgrade which has the potential to give another performance boost. What do y'all think? Should I go for it? Thanks!

[neomaine]

You're only real answer is to add real RAM. That means some sort of PCI(e) RAM card. They get expensive real quick. Actually, they start expensive and work up to more expensive.

Adding a PCI card for more IDE slots may help. You could isolate temp files and your pagefile to it freeing up the main drive for basic OS needs. In the end, your trying to fit a gallon of liquid in a half-gallon container. No matter what, with so little RAM XP will have to spill to swapping/paging for memory operations.

Personally, if all you need to do is run the basic browser, email and word processor type stuff then you could go with an Unix based OS with a smaller footprint to free up RAM. As long as you run no more than one app at a time, you could make it work.

[PartingShot]

Are the IDE controller cards configurable in BIOS to select the device mode (i.e. AUTO, PIO, or DMA)? Thanks everyone.

[aedipuss]

with that little ram available you might want to switch it over to linux rather than wasting money on trying to get xp to work with that little. or for the price of the upgrades you can probably find a used box that's much faster.

[ranchhand]

I am really not trying to be a troll here, but for years I have had people come to me with hopelessly outdated desktops and laptops. "Just fix 'er up, I really don't care about speed, it's only gonna be used fer..........."

Yeah, right.

Week later: Sheeeeze, doya' think we could speed 'er up a little, it takes so long and then it freezes, could you look at it again? It won't run XXXX and XXX and it barely runs XXXXXX. Waddyathink? Huh?

Friend, it's an old machine; you can spend days on it trying this and that and its not going to make any difference.

[PartingShot]

Week later: Sheeeeze, doya' think we could speed 'er up a little, it takes so long and then it freezes, could you look at it again? It won't run XXXX and XXX and it barely runs XXXXXX. Waddyathink? Huh?

That's what happens when you surf for pr0n

Seriously, I hear you though. Watch out for my next thread, titled: "Need help! Trying to swap out a motherboard under an existing WinXP partition without having to reinstall the OS and programs."

[ranchhand]

[edDV]

From my similar retro struggles, it all comes down to RAM as far as "faster Windows browsing" or snappier GUI response is concerned. HDD speed difference from ATA-66 to ATA-100/133 will have little effect on general Windows performance. Answer is to add RAM (search eBay for PCI RAM cards) or

1. Switch to a minimal Linux
2. Switch to XPLite
http://www.litepc.com/xplite.html

XPLite used to be a good way to keep old Windows laptops functioning but in recent years, secure browsers and malware security software may limit the how far you can squeeze the XP RAM footprint. Best to research recent XPLite user experiences.

The idea is to get XP and application software to work within the 512MB limit without page file swaps to the hard drive.

[the_man_one]

try a linux distro)

[sanlyn]

Watch out for my next thread, titled: "Need help! Trying to swap out a motherboard under an existing WinXP partition without having to reinstall the OS and programs."

Software exists that can clone from one disk to another (i.e., an exact disk copy image, including boot partition, et al). I still use DriveImage 2002 for that. You can also use disc imaging software to migrate from one HDD in one PC to a new HDD in another PC -- if you can find the correct XP chipset drivers and other driver support for the new PC. I've always used Drivemage/PartitionMagic for this, so I haven't checked-out newer software but I've seen them mentioned elsewhere.

You can't push 2011 software into an old PC with only 512MB of RAM.