It is commonplace for new computers to come equipped with 2GB of memory. Unless you're playing large 3D games, such a large amount of memory often goes unused. How can we make good use of this idle memory? We can mount the unused memory as a virtual hard drive, allowing many temporary disk operations to be performed in memory instead. For instance, we could store IE temporary files and system temporary files on the virtual drive.
Advantages of doing so:
1. Significantly improves file read/write efficiency since RAM-disks are much faster than regular hard drives;
2. Protects the hard drive by reducing opportunities for data writes and erasures;
3. Saves time because data stored in memory disappears after rebooting, eliminating the need for manual deletion of junk files during routine maintenance.
Of course, creating a virtual memory drive requires software. I recommend a free domestic software: WinMount.
Users can choose to download either the 32-bit or 64-bit version based on their needs.
Step 1: In the WinMount main interface, click the "Mount" tab to enter the WinMount mounting window, then click the toolbar's "Create New Empty Drive" button.
Step 2: In the "WinMount New Drive Properties" dialog box that pops up, select format: FAT32, input the drive letter and size (do not exceed 4GB).
Step 3: Uncheck the "Save as WMT File" option. After confirming, WinMount will create an empty drive similar to a RAM-disk, for example Z:\. (Checking "Save as WMT File" would save the data on the hard drive, which we won't cover here.)
Step 4: Start using the virtual memory drive.
Plan 1: Set the system's temporary folder directory. Right-click "My Computer" on the desktop, Advanced -> Environment Variables, change both "User Environment Variables" and "System Environment Variables" to Z:\temp.
Plan 2: Set IE's cache directory. Select Control Panel -> Internet Options -> General -> Settings, modify IE's cache directory, setting the directory size to 5-20MB.
Plan 3: Set other application temporary folders. Make corresponding settings for different software, such as QQ, WinRAR, etc.