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Something like "/dev/disk4" (except that it prints it followed by a bunch of spaces). What this actually does: the command hdiutil attach -nomount ram://16384 creates a RAM disk, and prints the path to the device file corresponding to it. $( ) does essentially the same thing as backquotes, but is visually and syntactically clearer, so use it instead. The two kinds of quotes look very similar (there was at least one book on Unix that used a font where they were identical), so this is an easy (and common) mistake to make. as a literal string, and passes that to diskutil, which isn't what you want at all. as a command, and uses its output as an parameter to diskutil. They look really similar, right? But they do very different things the one with backquotes runs hdiutil. Compare these commands: diskutil erasevolume HFS+ RAM_Disk_512MB `hdiutil attach -nomount ram://16384`ĭiskutil erasevolume HFS+ RAM_Disk_512MB 'hdiutil attach -nomount ram://16384'
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However, they are quite expensive, so this is probably only feasible if you absolutely need RAM-level speeds for your work.Short answer: diskutil erasevolume HFS+ RAM_Disk_512MB $(hdiutil attach -nomount ram://16384)Įxplanation of the original problem: I'm pretty sure the original problem was due to using the wrong quotes (single-quotes instead of backquotes).
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They contain batteries to prevent data loss. This type of drive uses RAM modules instead of traditional SSD modules. Another option for taking advantage of this is looking into purchasing a RAM-based solid-state drive. This way, if there’s a surge or power outage, you’ll be able to shut down your computer safely without losing data. In addition, if you aren’t using a laptop with a strong battery, you should hook up your PC or laptop to a UPS. Luckily, ImDisk pretty much takes care of this. You will need to ensure that data stored on your RAM disk is backed up to an image, of course. A RAM disk can provide the necessary read/write speeds.Īlso read: How to Use Windows Memory Diagnostic Tool to Find Memory Problems Precautions and Recommendations Statistical modeling: this requires access to data at high speeds.Imagine how smoothly your games would run if you did this. Gaming: if you have a lot of RAM, you can run some games from your RAM disk.Video and photo editing: these processes can be resource-intensive, and more traditional means of storage can create a bottleneck slowing them down.However, with between 8GB and 32GB of RAM, you can do some useful things. In most cases, it isn’t feasible to buy more RAM simply to have a bigger RAM disk. It shows up in Windows File Explorer just like any other drive.Īlso read: What is VRAM, How to Check it, and Can You Increase It? You can access and use it just like any normal hard drive. Depending on your use case, that may be disappointing or unusable.Īlso read: How to Map a WebDAV Drive in Windows Using Your RAM Drive Basically, the drive would act much more like RAM and much less like a disk. It would also disable the RAM drive’s ability to load the previous content. If you don’t, the contents of your RAM drive will be erased completely every time, with no saved image storage. This will also allow ImDisk to save your RAM drive’s data to an image file when you shut down your computer. With Fast Startup off, boots may take slightly longer, but it’s doubtful that you’ll notice much.ĭisabling fast startup will satisfy the warning window, but let’s consider why.
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As you may guess, this could mess with your RAM drive’s ability to preserve and track its data. This happens when the computer writes the contents of your RAM to a stable hard drive.
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Fast Startup speeds up the process of turning on your computer by saving a system state between completely off and hibernation to your hard drive.
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