ReadyBoost

What is ReadyBoost?

ReadyBoost is a disk cache component integrated into Microsoft Windows, first introduced with Windows Vista in 2006 and later included in Windows 7 in 2009. It leverages flash memory, such as USB flash drives, SD cards, or CompactFlash, to provide a high-speed cache for improving system performance. This caching mechanism can accelerate random disk reads by up to 80-100 times compared to traditional hard drives. The caching applies to all disk content, not just specific system files ReadyBoost optimizes performance by intelligently managing the caching process. It recognizes large, sequential read requests and directs those to the hard disk, while servicing random disk reads using the faster flash cache. When a compatible flash storage device is connected, Windows offers an option to use it for ReadyBoost acceleration, and users can configure the amount of space allocated for the cache, ranging from 250 MB to 256 GB (4 GB in Windows Vista). To ensure data integrity, ReadyBoost compresses and encrypts the cached data using AES-128 encryption, typically achieving a 2:1 compression ratio

Highlights

• Utilizes flash memory (USB drives, SD cards, etc.) as a high-speed cache to accelerate random disk reads by up to 80-100 times compared to traditional hard drives
• Caching applies to all disk content, not just specific system files
• Intelligently manages caching process, directing large sequential reads to the hard disk and serving random reads from the flash cache
• Allows configuration of cache size, from 250 MB to 256 GB (4 GB in Windows Vista)
• Compresses and encrypts cached data using AES-128 encryption, with a typical 2:1 compression ratio