Is your computer running a tad slow? Do you need to speed up Windows, games, or videos? Windows can access the RAM (memory) hundrends of times faster than it can fetch something off the hard drive. This makes software you are currently using, or have recently used, run at optimum speeds. However, Windows Vista is very resourse heavy itself and running software on top of that requires a great deal more RAM memory than was needed with Windows XP. The solution is fairly simple…add more memory. You can buy additional memory cards just about anywhere and prices have dropped significantly. But, there are a few reasons why this may not be the optimal solution.

It’s fairly easy to install a memory card to a desktop, but it can be more difficult for less experienced users to add memory to a laptop. And, what if you’ve used up all your additional memory slots, but still don’t have enough? My previous computer was a Sony Vaio desktop and only came with one additional slot. The same holds true with my new Toshiba Satellite. Not to worry, there’s an easy way around all this and it may be sitting right next to your computer, taking up space, and it’s called a USB flash drive.

You can use ReadyBoost with a USB flash drive to instantly and very easily add more memory, making your computer and software run faster. It’s basically a matter of plugging the flash drive in and clicking a couple of buttons and Bammo…you have added additional RAM to your computer. To be honest, this is actually the whole purpose of ReadBoost.

To use ReadyBoost, both the flash drive and your computer must have USB 2.0 or higher.

1. Now, plug a flash drive into your computer’s USB jack. The AutoPlay dialog box should open.
2. Click “Speed up my system” in the flash device’s Properties dialog box.
3. Turn on “Use this device”.
4. Try out your most resource heavy game.

You computer will now use the flash drive in addition to its own built-in RAM, and you should get a speed boost.

Here is some additional information you should know:

• ReadyBoost will work with other memory cards like SD and Compact Flash cards from digital cameras, but only if you computer has a buit-in card slot. You can not use external card readers.
• Not all flash drives will work with ReadyBoost. You’ll need to look at the drive’s package and see if there’s a Vista ReadyBoost logo.
• You can only use one flash drive per computer.
• ReadyBoost works only with memory gadgets with capacities from 256 MB to 4GB.

The amount of speed boost you get depends on how large the flash or other drive is. You’ll need to use the same size USB flash drive as the memory in your computer. In other words, if your computer has 1GB RAM, you should use a 1 gig flash drive. Using smaller flash drives will greatly reduce the amount of speed boost you get from ReadyBoost.

Finally, remember that the flash drive can not be used for storing files after using it for memory until you change the settings in the Properties dialog box, or until you reformat the drive.

Here’s a good video a young man made about Vista ReadyBoost: