RAMDisk for W2k / XP / Vista / Server 2003 / 2008 / 2012 / Windows 7 / Windows 8 / Windows 10 / Windows 11

2023, Januar 6th : Preliminary : Personalized OEM RAMDisk versions become available again ...

The offer to provide OEM versions was regrettably ended at 2017,August 1st due to expiration date of the code signing certificate. Within the current still available regular versions 5.3.2.15 which were signed and timestamped before October 2017 , it is possible to replace RAMDriv.dll and RAMDiskImage.exe with adapted versions , but only if the regular version has been installed before. Some registry settings that refer to manufacturers can be changed after installation of the ramdisk as well. After all , the installed ramdisk will manifest itself as it was developed by another company than WinRamTech.

The OEM full installation version site license ( unlimited installations ) will become available for the fair price of $ 85.00 USD

2021, July 31th : The full size evaluation version expires ...

The evaluation version will keep working after August 1st as long as the Operating System or the Ramdisk itself is not restarted. Users who installed the evaluation version may easily move to the paid version by replacing the C:\Windows\System32\drivers\RAMDriv.sys with the RAMDriv.sys file from the paid version.

Step 1 : manually save the ramdisk content if you configured the ramdisk to save the content at shutdown.
Step 2 : Disable the ramdisk from with Device Manager.
Step 3 : Replace C:\Windows\System32\drivers\RAMDriv.sys with the paid RAMDriv.sys file. Acknowledge the demand for administrative permissions.
Step 4 : Enable the ramdisk from with Device Manager.

The evaluation version displays the expiration date at the top of the RAMDisk Properties Window as shown in the pitcture hereafter. If the update is successful and the ramdisk is up and running, the expiration date will not be displayed. See second picture. .

Properties showing the expiration date. The expiration date is not displayed when the ramdisk is disabled

Properties showing the non expirating version when in running condition

2021, June 30th : One month left before the very last full-size 64bit evaluation will expire

Just as a reminder .... The full size evaluation version that expires on August 1st , 2021 will not be replaced. The 256 MB free version remains available for evaluation purposes.

2021, Januar 19th : Only about 400 packages left for sale before the site goes down

Just as a reminder ....

2021, Januar 2nd : Outlook Express 6.0 on Windows10 ( updated on 2021, September 9th )

Go for the introduction to http://winramtech.orgfree.com/OE/OutlookExpress6onWindows10.htm.

Not for sale, users that paid for the www.RunAsXP.com version may receive the installer for free. Nostalgic Windows 10 users that want to install Outlook Express 6.0 again are welcome as well after donating for the RAM Drive.

2020, Mars 21th : Procedure to repair/install the ramdisk in a basic hard manner ( updated on 2020, October 15th )

Almost any error situation during installation of the ramdisk or after a windows update can be resolved by following next steps excactly as described :

1) Open a command prompt window as administrator and enter following command to stop the RamDrivService in case it was still running :

>net stop ramdrivservice

2) configure explorer to show all file extensions such as .dll , .exe , .txt and so on.
3) search on your C:\Windows drive for all files with the name RAMDriv.sys , RAMDriv.dll and RAMDiskImage.exe and delete them. You may be prompted for administrator approval. Files within the "repositories" need permisstion from SYSTEM and dont't need to be deleted.
4) create a short new folder, for example C:\RAMDISK and copy QsoftRAMDiskHelpInstall.exe and all installation files ( RAMDriv.sys , RAMDriv.inf , RAMDriv.dll , ramdriv.cat and RAMDiskImage.exe ) into C:\RAMDISK as well
5) Open a Command Pompt window as administrator and enter following command exactly as hereafter :

>C:\RAMDISK\QsoftRAMDiskHelpInstall.exe /remove

6) restart Windows ( do not use "shutdown" and start up )
7) When up and running again , run QsoftRAMDiskHelpInstall.exe out of C:\RAMDISK as administrator from within explorer. Remember that the installation files ( RAMDriv.sys , RAMDriv.inf , and so on ) must reside in the same folder where QsoftRAMDiskHelpInstall.exe is stored

Before executing step 7) , I suggest to read 2018, June 21 th : Installation Timeout and Windows 10 / Server 2016 memory usage. hereafter , especially about the search for "System" memory.

"QsoftRAMDiskHelpInstall.exe" can be found here QsoftRAMDiskHelpInstall.7z

2019, November 7th : There are currently about 700 x64 packages left for sale

Remember : When this stock is exhausted, selling of this ramdisk product will end and the site will go off line.

2019, Jamuar 7 th : Recommendation : uninstall the ramdisk on Windows 10 before upgrading to version 1809.( feature update )

The ramdisk does work on Windows 10 version 1607 without restrictions. It is however strongly recommended to uninstall the ramdisk before starting to update to a higher version than 1607 to avoid registry issues. It is also strongly recommended to install the ramdisk again after upgrading i.e. to Windows 10 version 1809 by means of the "QsoftRAMDiskHelpInstall.exe" installer program and explicitely started "As Administrator".

2018, June 21 th : Installation Timeout and Windows !0 / Server 2016 memory usage.

On PC systems with huge amount of RAM on board , it may happen that the installation will timeout. It is recommended to increase the installation timeout to 30 minutes by following the procedure described at this web site : https://techjourney.net/change-device-installation-timeout-in-windows-fix-0x000005b4-error/.

The registry setting to change the installation timeout to 30 minutes can be found here again : change_device_installation_timeout.7z

Windows 10 and Server 2016 do generate almost no so called "System" memory. See RAMDriv.chm or installation instructions on the web page for more details about this type of memory. It is recommended to turn off the ramdisk search for "System" memory before you install the ramdisk on these OS versions. By this , the installation and the reload at boottime will become faster. Following registry entry , which has to be created before you start the installation , turns off this search.

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RAMDriv\Parameters]
"AllowedMDLPGPoolBanks"=dword:FFFFFFFF

The registry setting to turn off the search for "System" memory can be downloaded from here: TurnOffSystemMemory.7z .

2017, September 22 th : Limited amount of packages for sale.

Starting from 2017 , October 1st , users will be provided with a pre-built version 5.3.2.15. There are currently about 1000 x64 pre-built packages available , and about 150 x86 pre-built packages available. When this stock is exhausted, selling of this ramdisk product will end and the site will go off line.

2017, Februar 21 th : The WinRamtech ramdisk configured to its 128 GB limit on Server 2012 R2 .

2016, October 18 th : The WinRamtech ramdisk installs and runs smoothly on Windows Server 2016 Essentials Evaluation.

Tests as per date above have proven that the current version 5.3.2.15 runs without any issues on the "Windows Server 2016" OS version. This was expected since the kernel software of Windows Server 2016 is practically the same as the Windows 10 kernel.

As per consequence and announced on 2016, August 17th below , version 5.3.2.15 will be the last and final release of this ramdisk product.

2016, September 29 th : The WinRamtech ramdisk installs and runs smoothly on Windows Server 2016 Essentials Technical Preview 5.

2016, August 17th : WinRamtech ramdisk "full support with updates" not available anymore.

Because of the increasing costs and decreasing demand , the effort to provide the "full support with updates" option becomes to high compared to the benefit. For the same reason , updates to existing "full support with updates" users will only be provided upon corrections to reported bugs ( as far as a correction or amelioration is possible ) till 2017, August 1st.

What does this mean in practice ?
1) Development of the ramdisk software will end on 2017, August 1st.
2) If the current version 5.3.2.15 works flawlessly and without any issues on the upcoming "Windows Server 2016" OS version , it will be the last version of the life time of this ramdisk product. If corrections are necessary , a new version 5.3.2.16 will be distributed to all existing "full support with updates" users before 2017, August 1st and this update version 5.3.2.16 will then become the final version of the ramdisk product.

Will this software be still available after 2017, August 1st ?
Yes , the "no support without updates" option will remain available for a restricted amount of new users.

2016, Mars 12th : WinRamtech ramdisk price changes.

The price of the "full support" 64-bit version is slightly increased from $25 USD to $26 USD. The price of the "no-support" 64-bit version is reduced from $12 USD to $11 USD.

2015, July 26th : The WinRamtech ramdisk may not install on Windows 10 after 2016, August 8th. ( Updated : August 4th )

Microsoft has decided to introduce a new Code Signing strategy for kernel mode Device Drivers in Windows 10. Since the ramdisk is a PNP kernel mode device driver , it is affected by this new regulation. This implies that :
a) the Device Driver software must be signed with a new EV ( Extended Validation ) Code Signing certificate.
b) each package with the signed driver must be submitted to and additionally signed by the "Windows Hardware Developer Center Dashboard portal"
( http://blogs.msdn.com/b/windows_hardware_certification/archive/2015/04/01/driver-signing-changes-in-windows-10.aspx )

More details about this new strategy can be found here :
https://www.osr.com/blog/2015/07/24/questions-answers-windows-10-driver-signing/

Consequences :

Custom builts , as they were used in the past by providing each individual user with an own time stamped or branded version will not be possible anymore after 2016, August 8th. This was especially practiced for OEM users and for "full support" users that automatically obtained updates with their "branded" e-mail address in the RAMDriv.sys driver file.

The CERTUM CA ( Certification Authority ) does currently not provide EV certificates. They will not become available before 2016 to individual developers. By this , the ramdisk software can currently not be signed and submitted to the Microsoft Dashboard which makes it unavailable for Windows 10.

What is about to change :

New users after 2016, August 8th will still be able to purchase "full support" versions and existing users will still receive updates with a Ramdisk version that installs and works on Windows OS versions prior to Windows 10 ( starting from Win2000 to up to Windows 8.1 ) and on Windows 10 with "Secure Boot" disabled ( Secure Boot Overview : https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/Hh824987.aspx ).

Support for Windows 10 with "Secure Boot" may become available again in 2016. The price for this specific version will however drastically increase , and it will be sold as "non support" i.e. without providing automatic updates. Each update will have to be purchased again. The time needed to manually submit the package to the Dashboard prevents providing individualized updates to every existing full support user.

The increased price is regrettably caused by the increased amount of costs to support this ramdisk :
- yearly and expensive payment to Microsoft for receiving tools and operating systems
- the price for the currently used Code Signing certicate to support OS verions from XP to up to Windows 8.1
- the high price for the EV certificate to be used to sign and to submit the software after 2016, August 8th.

The sum of these costs EXCEEDS currently the yearly revenue of providing the software to customers and OEM users.

As described in the OSR blog from the link above , the current ramdisk version will install and run on Windows 10 when disabling "Secure Boot" , which is not recommended and meant for test purposes only. Also , users that do pay for "non-support" will receive a package that will install and run on Windows 10 , even with "Secure Boot" enabled. This applies to OEM users and for "full-support" users as well under the condition that they purchase the ramdisk before 2016, August 8th. After that date , OEM users will have to code sign and submit the package themselves with their own code signing certificate.

2015, June 2nd : The WinRamtech ramdisk installs and runs smoothly on Windows 10 Enterprise Insider Preview.

2015, Januar 21th : Concurrent benchmark of two different ramdisk programs installed on the same computer

The speed of ramdisks strongly depends on the used PC hardware ( CPU , RAM speed , etc.. ). A benchmark of a ramdisk is by this to interprete with caution. The most accurate tests are comparative tests between one or more ramdisks on the same PC , with the same ramdisk size an using the same file system. To be accurate , the tests must even be carried out simultaneously ( concurrent run of the ramdisks ) , thus by starting the benchmarks at the same time.

Next picture shows a concurrent run of the Dataram ramdisk ( drive E:\ ) and the Winramtech ramdisk ( drive B:\ ).

Next picture shows a concurrent run of the SoftPerfect ramdisk ( drive H:\ ) and the Winramtech ramdisk ( drive B:\ ).

2014, November 19th : "Fast Startup" on Windows 8

Starting with Windows 8 , the OS uses per default a hybrid combination of a cold startup and a wake-from-hibernation. See http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/hardware/jj835779(v=vs.85).aspx. In practice , services and applications stop running and are closed at shutdown , but the status of kernel memory , including the status of device drivers and the memory it uses , is saved into the hybernation file. This method increases the start up time during boot. As per consequence however , the content of the ramdisk is saved as well. This behaveour differs from the behaveour on older Windows versions and this is sometimes not whished at all.

To clean the ramdisk content on Windows 8 at shutdown , a small utitity "RAMDrivCleanContent.exe" was created.

It can be download here : RAMDrivCleanContent.7z

How it works and how to use it ?

1. On startup of that utility , it writes an entry in the registry that tells the OS to start it up again during the next boot.
2. Once started , it sleeps ( does not perform any action ) and waits for the OS shutdown.
3. When shutdown occurs, it first deletes all ramdisk content and then ends.

While the utility runs , a icon is displayed on the taskbar. See picture hereafter.

The user has to customize this icon to "always show" it. When the user clicks on the icon with the right mouse button , a popup window is displayed. When pushing "Uninstall RAMDrivCleanContent" , the utility ends after deleting the registry entry that tells the OS to start it up at boot time. When pushing "Exit RAMDrivCleanContent" , the utility simply ends. In both cases , no actions will be taken at shutdown since the utility is not running anymore.

To use this utility , copy it on the hard disk into an existing directory or a new directory of your choice and start it up. When moving the utility to another location , one has to start up it once again to refresh the registry entry.

Since the ramdisk is not restarted when the OS boots from its hybernation state , and thus can not reload an image file , the utility will NOT clean the content when the ramdisk did load its image file. In this case , the ramdisk acts as if "Save content at shutdown" was set.

Important Note :
This utility will not delete files without changing the security settings of the "System Volume Information" folder on a NTFS formatted RAMDisk. One has to configure the "Ownership" of that folder to "Everyone" , and afterwards add "Everyone" as user with "Full control" to that folder. These settings remain persistent after a shutdown , but must be renewed after a restart ( reboot ). This does not apply when the RAMDisk has the FAT , FAT32 or exFAT format.

2014, October 27th : Version 5.3.2.15 compatible with Windows 10 !

Version 5.3.2.15 installs and works without a problem on the upcoming Windows 10 64-bit version ( available from Tech review as Evaluation Version http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/preview-iso ) .

2014, Januari 12th : Version 5.3.2.15 released.

Version 5.3.2.15 is now available for download and purchase. Changes to this version are described below. The distribution of updates to the full support users has completed.

2013, November 24th : Urgently testers wanted !

The upcoming version will be capable to be configured as a 128 GB disk. To achieve this goal , I kindly ask the owners or users of systems with more than 128 GB on board to cooperate with the development of this version whose release date depends on those test results. Users should run the 64-bit version of Windows 8 or Server 2012 per preference.

The upcoming version will correct following issues :

- Due to a changed behavior while setting security on registry keys , the content within "RAMDisk Properties" panel and within the Image Configuration Utility was broken on Windows 8 within a non-administrative account.
- The ramdisk is extended to allocate 128 GB and the possibility to configure these bigger sizes is enabled in "RAMDriv Properties".
- Potential Driver software crash when using the exFAT filesystem on the ramdisk with a disk size bigger than 24 GB.
- Automated memory allocation when loading image files. Version 5.3.2.15 allocates the necessary ramdisk space calculated out of the bootsector from an image file that has to be loaded. Within previous versions , the ramdisk disksize had to be manually configured to a value that matches the bootsector Image File coordinates.
- BSOD may occur after the trial version has expired ( trial version only problem ). This problem has been solved.
- Reordered selectable disk sizes within "RAMDriv Properties".
- Prevent of driver crash when the image file could not be read due to a hard disk hardware error.
- Optimized Image Load. When using the non-compatible Image File format , the map of occupied blocks of 32 MB are stored into a 512 byte bitmap at the beginning of the Image File. This bitmap now reflects more accurate the occupied blocks without a manually saving of the ramdisk content.

2013, May 21th : Testers wanted !

The upcoming version will be capable to be configured as a 128 GB disk. To achieve this goal , I kindly ask the owners or users of systems with more than 128 GB on board to cooperate with the development of this version. Users should run the 64-bit version of Windows 8 or Server 2012.

2013, Januar 18th : Update Versions 5.3.2.14 not available anymore at http://qsoftramdisk.orgfree.com.

Full support users whose updates to version 5.3.2.14 are stored at http://qsoftramdisk.orgfree.com may not be able anymore to download their version via the link at the bottom of the update notification e-mail. These users may still request to receive their update version via e-mail.

2012, December 07th : Versions 5.3.2.14 released.

Version 5.3.2.14 is now available to be purchased. All update notification e-mails have been sent to the "full support" users. From now on , the purchase of the "full support" 32-bit version is abandoned due to the lack of interest. This "full support" 32-bit version will still be made available when it is purchased together with the "full support" 64-bit version for the price of $35.00 USD or more. Existing "full support" 32-bit version users will still receive updates as before.

2012, October 28th : Development progress ...

The release of the new version 5.3.2.14 is planned before the end of 2012 , but new "full support" users may get a final "RTM" ( Ready To Manufacture ) version upon their payment. They have to request for this RTM before they make their payment. The evaluation RTM is available here : EVALUATION_VERSIONS_20130401.7z

The new version will solve following issues :

- Corrections for Windows-8 :
- icon within Device Manager fails to display
- "Ramdisk Properties" window crash when selected

- Event Log flood "RAMDRivService turned into the running state" when using timely backup
- New "Excluded System Memory" ( "dots" ) settings to prevent clashes with some video cards on 32 bit OS systems
- Prevent of Event Log id 137 when using NTFS -- needs still to be investigated on 32 bit OS versions
- Anomalies whereby the timely backup did not save the ramdisk content when the RAMDiskImage utility did run as non-administrator
- Procentuel and absolute display of the saved MB during the manual saving of the ramdisk content.
- Implementation of the "exFAT" filesystem !
- Optimized driver load ; a big sized ramdisk may start two times faster when not loading an image file.
- New "red" bulb display warnings when moving the "Excluded Resident Memory" slider
- Faster manual saving of the ramdisk content to an existing Image File. The saving time to a new , non existing Image File remains the same.

2012, June 18th : Use of the 32-bit version discouraged.

To discourage the use of the 32 bit version , prices are now slightly adapted :

- 32 bit version "non support" : $ 9 USD instead of $ 10 USD .
- 32 bit version "full support" : $ 21 USD instead of $ 20 USD .

This price change is beneficial for users who want to migrate from the 32-bit "full support" to the 64-bit "full support". Please send an e-mail for details.

2012, April 15th : Upgrading from 32-bit "full support" to 64-bit "full support".

Currently , all full support users of the 32-bit version that did purchase their version before 2007, May 1st did receive the 64-bit "full support" version for free and upon request. Starting from 2012, May 1st , this benefit will not be available anymore.

Instead , every existing "full support" user of the 32-bit version who wants to migrate to the 64-bit "full support" version may benefit from a reduced price when purchasing the 64-bit version and when he wants to revert his current 32-bit full support license into a "non support" license. Please send an e-mail for details.

2012, Januar 25th : Issues detected with the 64 bit Developer Edition ( Windows-8 ).

Corrections are provided within WIN8UPD.7z

Anomalies detected after installation are :

1.) crash of the RAMDriv Properties panel. This can be corrected by replacing %Systemroot%\System32\RAMDriv.dll ( i.e. C:\Windows\System32\RAMDriv.dll ) with one of the RAMDriv.dll files that can be found within WIN8UPD.7z , and according the used language.

2.) the approriate icon is not displayed at the "RAM Drive" entry within Device Manager. This can be corrected by means of the "WIN8UPD.reg" registry patch within WIN8UPD.7z.

2012, Januar 9th : Upgrade version 5.3.2.13 released.

Version 5.3.2.13 is available for download. All "full support" users have now received the update notification e-mail with a download link to their personal version.

2011, November 30th : Upgrade version 5.3.2.13 development progress .....

Changes for the upcoming version 5.3.2.13 can be described as follows :

- New default settings are used during a fresh installation. The amount of excluded ( "Reserved" ) non paged pool 'Resident' memory is set to 512 MB on the 32-bit versions of Vista and Windows-7 and on all 64-bit OS versions , except for the 64-bit versions of Vista , Windows-7 and Server2008-R2. On the 64-bit versions of Vista , Windows-7 and on Server2008-R2 , the amount of excluded ( "Reserved" ) non paged pool 'Resident' memory is set to 1024 MB. The default settings remain unchanged for 32-bit pre-Vista OS versions. The amount of "Allowed" non paged pool 'Resident' memory is set to its maximum on Vista and newer OS versions.

- Correction of the previously detected anomalie whereby data on a FAT/FAT32 formatted ramdisk was not completely written during the timely backup or manually saving. This anomalie was detected and partly solved with version 5.3.2.12.

- Minimal correction to suppress the warnings from transaction server in the Event Log.

- Minimal correction to prevent the start up of the RAMDisk Image Utility in case the ramdisk was not installed via Device Manager. Manually starting the RAMDisk Image Utility prior to installing the ramdisk caused an erroneous RAMDiskImage "service" installation.

- New interfaces with Mount Manager allow that the ramdisk can now be checked for volume errors and defragmented from within Explorer. This was previously only possible with means of command lines tools such as "Chkdsk.exe" ( volume checking tool from Microsoft ) and "contig.exe" ( from http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb897428 ) .

- On some OS installations , "RAMDiskImage.exe" ( RAMDisk Image Utility ) initiates a "publisher could not be verified" warning. To avoid this message , the utility will now been signed with the code signing certificate.

- Under certain conditions , it may happen that the Image File doesn't load anymore after manually formatting the ramdisk and after saving these changes to the Image File. This problem has now been localized and corrected.

- Full size FAT32 format to 64 GB instead of the currently restrictive 4 GB.

- Maximum RAMDisk size is extended to the "real" 64 GB ( equals 65536 MB ) instead of 64000 MB.

2009, December 26th : Upgrade version 5.3.2.12 is about to be distributed to full support users.

Version 5.3.2.12 will be released next week , and thus earlier than planned. This version solves following issues :

- optimized search for free 'System' memory on Windows-7 and Server2008-R2. Due to a changed 'System' memory strategy withine these OS's , the search for free memory became very slow and optimization was necessary.
- adding functionallity to support "Readyboost" again on Windows 7. Placing the "Readyboost" cache on the ramdisk was broken on Windows 7. The Readyboost setting is however still lost after a reboot ; further investigations are necessary.
- adding functionallity to allow to set security settings on directories and files again in case of a NTFS formatted ramdisk. This functionallity was broken on Windows 7 / Server 2008 - R2
- solved some anomalies whereby data on a FAT/FAT32 formatted ramdisk was not completely written during the timely backup or manually saving to the image file.
- implementation of the RAMDiskImage "service" described here : RAMDriv_5.3.2.X.htm . The implementation of this "service" allows the timely backup an manual saving of the ramdisk content to the image file from within a non-administrative account too. This functionallity was previously only possible from within an administrative account.

2009, December 5th : Update version 5.3.2.12 planned for mid January 2010.

Contrary to what is stated about the non availability of further updates , new updates are again possible and the next variant 5.3.2.12 ( details : RAMDriv_5.3.2.X.htm ) will be released during Januar 2010 to all "full support" users.

2009, April 23th : Update version 5.3.1.11 delivery accomplished.

All "full support" users have now been sent the version 5.3.1.11 update notification E-mail.

2009, April 4th : Update version 5.3.1.11 delivery planned.

Existing "full support" users will receive update version 5.3.1.11 at the end of April 2009. Owing to circumstances beyond my control , this update will the final ( last ) update for all users that paid for the "full support" option. Those users will however promptly receive new updates whenever the delivery would become possible again.

Version 5.3.1.11 is a minor update and solves following issues :

- minor issue after uninstalling the ramdisk. Using 5.3.1.10 , a renewed installation may have returned with the message "device instance does not exist in the hardware tree" and a subsequent prompt to reboot if the ramdisk could not be unloaded during the preceding uninstallation. After reboot, the renewed installation did succeed again. This problem has now been solved.
- The default value for "Volume ID" has been changed from "12345678" into "abcd5678". Value "12345678" caused problems when the ramdisk is used as "Readyboost" cache on Vista.
- The "Allowed 'Resident' Memory" is reduced to 1024 MB during the installation on Vista 32-bit and higher OS versions.

2008, August 16th : Version 5.3.1.10 update completed.

All "full support" users have now been sent the update notification E-mail.

2008, August 3rd : Release of Version 5.3.1.10 : production of the user update binaries has started.

The build of the Version 5.3.1.10 update binaries for existing full-sypport users is in progress. From now on , new users will receive the new version upon their payment.

2008, July 27th : Release of Version 5.3.1.10 planned.

Version 5.3.1.10. is planned to be released during August. This version is a minor update and solves following issues :

- allow user accounts ( non-administrative ) to change ramdisk settings ( i.e. manually saving ramdisk content to the image file ).
- correction of the ( undocumented ) manually saving of the image file per command line parameter ( /saveimage ).
- Windows PE only : ignoring registry parameter value "AutoResize" if parameter "DiskSizeList" is present.

Depending on the progress of updating the current ramdisk users , new customers may already receive this new version instead of version 5.3.1.9 before the release date.

2008, July 2nd : Slightly increased pricing of the "full support" versions.

Due to current but ongoing currency conversion between the EURO against the USD , I feel obliged to slightly increase the price of ramdisk software. The augmentation retricts to only $ 1.00 USD for the "full support" ramdisk versions. The price of the "no support" versions remains untouched.

2007, September 30th : New Version 5.3.1.9 released !

1. Solved problems :

- Some anomalies within the disk-size display when selecting big ramdisk sizes on systems with more than 64 GB on board.
- If "Save RAMDisk content to Image at Driver Unload" has been selected , the ramdisk driver may not save the content during shutdown due to lack of OS system resources. This applies to the 64 bit version of the ramdisk only.
- Disabling of "locked" memory usage on 64 bit systems. The Server 2003 64-bit and Vista 64-bit OS's react unappropriate when locking huge amount of paged memory.
- Minor language corrections within the "RAMDisk Properties" configuration window and the Image File configuration utility ( all language versions ).

2. New features :

While using the RadmiskImage utility to manually save the content , the image file size will change according the occupied ramdisk content. The image file size may also automatically shrink when files are deleted on the ramdisk if the timely backup , either at interval or at fixed times , is active. The image file will not shrink while using the "Synchronous image write" method.

The "Ramdisk Properties" panel has been enhanced with small "green bars" that give the user an idea about the actually used amount of memory.

2007, June 2nd : Price reductions !

Because of the increasing demand for the RAMDisk , the investement effort for the 64-bit hardware can be paid off much sooner than expected. As per consequence , the price for the "Non ( minimal ) support" versions has now been reduced with about 20 %.

2007, May 6th : RAMDisk 5.3.1.8 released !

The new 5.3.1.8 version can now be purchased for both the 32-bit and 64-bit OS versions. Primary , the changes made in 5.3.1 8 version are a spin off of the changes required to adapt the software to the 64-bit OS versions and the changed "evaluation" stratgy on the Vista OS versions.

The new release solves also some minor issues detected in the current version 5.3.1.7 :

- anomalies when toggling the "Autoresize" button and when the selected ramdisk size is bigger than 1 GB.
- erroneous communication between the "RAMDisk Properties" window and the "RAMDisk Image" utility in case of slow load time of the latter.
- one unified RANDriv.sys file that works on W2k , XP with SP1 , and the other 32-bit OS's.

The built of the binaries to update existing "full support" users of the 5.3.1.7 version and to upgrade those users that requested the 64-bit version , is in progress. Those users will receive the update notification message(s) within the next 14 days.

2007, April 5th : Changed pricing , delivery and support when the RAMDisk for 64-bit OS comes available.

The Ramdisk comes actually in two flavours and prices :

1. "Enterprise Lite" for a fixed price of $ 10.00 USD
2. "Enterprise (full)" for a minimal price of $19.00 USD

When the 64-bit version becomes available , one will be able to make an option between two formulas when purchasing this 64-bit version :

1. "Enterprise (full)" : no support and no updates/upgrades for a fixed priced of $ 15.00 USD.
2. "Enterprise (full)" : FULL support and free updates/upgrades for a minimal price of $ 29.00 USD.

Providing those two additional version will however change the way the current 32-bit version of the "Enterprise (full)" is provided. As soon as the 64-bit version can be purchased , the "Enterprise (full)" 32-bit version with FULL support will be available for a "fixed" price of $ 19.00 USD. The buyers will still receive free "Updates" for that 32-bit version , but NO "Upgrades" ( ! ) anymore.

Users that make an option to purchase the FULL support option for the 64-bit version , will NOT ONLY receive updates for the 64-bit version , but will ALSO receive the 32-bit version for FREE upon simple request ! When these users have once requested for the 32 bit version , they will be added to the list of FULL 32-bit supported users too , and by this , these users will receive notifications for the 32-bit updates when they become available as well.

People that pay $15.00 USD for the NO SUPPORT option of the 64-bit version , will not receive the 32-bit version for free.

Next table shows a summary of provided versions and prices.

When the 64-bit version becomes available i.e. can be purchased , all FULL support users that have purchased the current 32-bit version till then , will receive a notification E-mail about how to proceed to receive the 64-bit version.

The newest beta of the "Enterprise" 64bit ( x64) is available here : RAMDriv_x64_Beta5.7z. The Driver is not signed , and by this , it cannot run on Vista 64bit without taking following special action : at boot time , press F8 and select "Disable Driver Signature Enforcement" . Also , this beta is time limited and will stop working on the Vista OS on July 1st. Click here to view a screenshot of a 64-bit ramdisk in action.

2007, Mars 26th : RAMDisk 5.3.1.7b for 64-bit OS goes "beta".

The beta of the "Enterprise" 64bit ( a64) is available for download : RAMDriv_a64_Beta2.7z. Be aware that not all functions have been regression tested. The Driver is not signed , and by this , it cannot be installed on Vista 64bit without taking special actions. Click here to view a screenshot of the ramdisk installation on Vista 64bit.

2007, Februar 28th : RAMDisk 5.3.1.7 Released.

All "full support" users have now been sent the update notification E-mail.

2007, Februar 25th : RAMDisk 5.3.1.7 Released.

The release of the update is on schedule. Both the "Enterprise Lite" and the "Enterprise (full)" versions are available and can be purchased. The "full support" users will be notified to download their update within a few days.

2007, Februar 17th : RAMDisk 5.3.1.7 release planned for the end of Februar.

The new release will bring some new features and solve issues detected in the current 5.3.1.6 version :

- use of the MMX processor instructionset during the data copy ( full version only).
- "automatic" disk resizing depending on the total amount of PC RAM memory and based upon a predefinable "curve" ( non-linear ). This new feature is especially meant for PE users. See also RAMDriv_5.3.1.X_PE.7z
- "handle" ( memory ) leak in the RAMDisk Image utility. The leak occured when timely backups are configured.
- improved interactive dialog between the user and the RAMDisk Image utility application ( full version only).
- improved treatment of the amount of PTE's ( Page Table Entries ) when the /3GB switch is used in boot.ini.
- solved problem when changing the driver letter on the Vista OS : the old drive letter did not disappear and the new drive letter did not appear until reboot.
- corrections within the German translation.

The "Extended" RAMDisk version 5.2.10.2 has retired !

This product is discontinued in favor of the "Enterprise Lite". The "Enterprise Lite" allows to allocate bigger ramdisk sizes without stressing the OS. All "non support" users that ever purchased the "Extended Pro" version , have been sent an invitation to upgrade their version to the "Enterprise Lite" for $4 USD ! This action runs till May 1st 2007. After that date , ALL support for the "Extended" version will irreversibly stop and all records to the existing "non support" users of the "Extended" version will be deleted ( archived ). Users that already upgraded to the "Lite" , did receive version 5.3.1.6b which is a pre-release , identical to the upcoming Lite version 5.3.1.7.

2006, December 3th : RAMDisk 5.3.1.6 Released.

2006/11/16 : RAMDisk 5.3.1.6 Released !
All existing 5.3.1.5 users have now ( 2006/11/20 ) received the update notification message with a download link to the update !

2006/11/19 : RAMDisk 5.3.1.6 "Lite" Available ! Go here to read more about it !

2006, August 17th : RAMDriv.sys update : version 5.3.1.5e .

While using the "Save content to an Image File" feature , it may happen that some ramdisk content gets lost during shutdown or manually unloading the ramdisk. This may result in a corrupted file system or corrupted files on the RAMDisk Image *.img file , detectable when the RAMDisk reloads that Image file. The problem occurs on the XP and Server 2003 OS's , and not on the Windows 2000 OS versions.

All "Full support" users have been sent a notification message, Due to time constraints , those users were provided with one and the same "Silent Evaluation" version. New users will receive a personalized version 5.3.1.5e as usual.

2006, April 29th : "Patched" RAMDisk Evaluation version 5.3.1.5 ( "cracked" ) does crash !

Some software patching community people have spread a "patched" version of the RAMDisk "Evaluation" version 5.3.1.5. Depending on the configuration of the OS , using this patched version may cause spontaneous reboots or BSODs with following information :

STOP 0x00000001 , ( 0x00000006 , 0x00000002 , 0x00000000 , ....
DRIVER_IRQL_NOT LESS_OR_EQUAL

Be persuaded that this error situation does not occur with the regular ( non patched ) evaluation versions and paid versions. Remember that people who want to use RAMDisk 5.3.1.5 but do not want to pay , may always download the full featured , no-nagging Russian version.

2006, Januar 5th : Happy New Year to Everybody !

If for some reason , someone is not able to reach me by E-mail or does not receive an answer back from me , please leave a message in the "General Help" Forum Index at http://www.ramdiskzone.com.

2005, November 28th : License Violation detected ....

There has recently been detected a severe case of license violation by even a stock market notated company ( www.pc-ware.de ). The company violated the agreement by reselling/redistributing a "Single User License" to another stock market notated company ( www.volkswagen.de ).

Definition of the provided licenses :

1.) "Single User License" :
You may install a "Single User License" purchased version on as many computers as you wish as long as YOU ( or your family ) are the user of these computers.

2.) "Personalized OEM Version" :
You may freely distribute or sell the OEM version for the amount of licenses you have paid. OEM versions are especially meant for use within organizations where other people than the "Single User" has access, or to be distributed together with other products.

Notice that license violations will always have consequences :

1. "Blacklisting" : support and updates will not be provided anymore.
2. Piracy Report to the Business Software Alliance ( www.bsa.org )
3. Legal Prosecution

2005, October 4th : Version 5.3.1.5 Update notification E-mails have been sent to existing 5.3.1.4 users

Some E-mails returned again undeliverable for different kind of reasons. A list of the domain names that returned a message follows :

@stevens.gb.com
@tampabay.rr.com
@nc.rr.com
@world.std.com
@crosswinds.net
@sitgroup.net
@shintasoft.com

Everyone who did not received the notification e-mail and/or uses one of these domain names within his e-mail address, is strongly invited to contact me. Without action, these users will turn into "inactive" and will NOT receive notifications in the future until they send me a message.

2005, September 29th : The production of RAMDisk Version 5.3.1.5 binaries is started.

The distribution to full support users is planned for October 1st. New users will already receive this version 5.1.3.5 upon a $19.00 USD donation.

2005, September 27th : Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (KB891861)

The problem within the ramdisk software after installing KB891861 , ( see description below ) has been localized and solved !

The development of the "Extended" Version 5.2.10.2 has been "freezed", but because of the severity of the problem, an unique update of this 5.2.10.2 is provided. The update restricts to a new driver file RAMDisk.sys ( and RAMDriv.sys for PE ) Version 5.2.10.3 that is now been made available :

- The downloadable Evaluation package RAMDisk_Evaluation_52102PRO.7z has been updated with RAMDisk.sys version 5.2.10.3.
- Users that purchased a "Full Support" license of RAMDisk Pro 5.2.10.2 do receive the update automatically.
- The "Extended Pro" version can now be purchased for only $2.00 when using "Moneybookers" for payment. This action will run till 2005 November 1st as a compensation for those "No support" users that do not benefit from the automatically sent updates.

"Enterprise 5.3.1.4" users will receive the 5.3.1.5 update automatically within the next days. Anyone who purchases version 5.3.1.4 now, will receive then the update too. The web page and downloadable evaluation version will be updated gradually. Once the existing users have received the update, new users will automatically receive 5.3.1.5 upon payment.

2005, September 23th : Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (KB891861)

There has been a severe problem discovered on the W2k Operating Systems after installing Update Fix "KB 820888 Computer stops responding (hangs) when it tries to mount an NTFS volume after you restart the computer". Since this update is incorporated in the "Update Rollup 1 for Windows 2000 Service Pack 4 (KB891861)" , the problem may persist or occur again after integrating this update.

Symptoms : While solving the "hang" on Hard Disks, the KB 820888 Fix causes instead a new "hang" on the ramdisk when the user selected to use the NTFS format as file system. This applies to both RAMDisk versions 5.2.10.2 and 5.3.*.*. Also, the W2k OS refuges to collect the occupied clusters from the NTFS formatted ramdisk after installing the Fix. As an immediate consequence, no image file can be created from the NTFS formatted ramdisk with the RAMDiskImage.exe tool. That image is loaded by the 5.3.*.* version to populate the content of the ramdisk at boot time.

The "hang" seems to be solved after installing the "Update Rollup 1 (KB891861)" , but the RAMDisk itself is still detected as "corrupted" when the NTFS is selected.

Conclusion : Do not install the KB820888 Fix or KB891861 if it is not necessary. If you unconditionally need to install them , select FAT32 as file system to be used for the ramdisk or fall back to the Microsoft NTFS.sys driver version 5.0.2195.6710. Other alternatives on how to work around this problem is provided on request to full supported users of 5.3.*.*.

This problem applies to Windows 2000 only !

2005, August 2nd : Mirror Site at http://www.8ung.at ....

Starting from September 1st, the mirror site at http://www.8ung.at will no longer be available. Please change your bookmarks to http://www.ramdisk.tk or to the second mirror site http://home.tiscali.be/ir006712/RAMDisk/ramdriv.htm .

2005, August 1st : Forum about Ramdisks ....

There exists an independent forum at http://www.ramdiskzone.com . The forum should cover usage / experiences / appraisal of "RAMDdisk's" in general. The site runs independent and is not sponsored ( and maintained ) by me or by other ramdisk software providers ...

2005, July 6th : Version 5.3.1.4 Update notification E-mails have been sent to existing 5.3.1.1 users.

Once more , a lot of E-mails returned undeliverable for different kind of reasons ( E-mail address does not exist , quota exceeded , rejected as spam , etc .... ) . Next list shows the domain names from which at least one E-mail returned.

@videoproduktion-hamburg.de
@f-m.fm
@insight.rr.com
@west.raytheon.com
@intel.com
@webnet.qc.ca
@astralkestral.com
@tiscali.fr
@comlabs.com.au
@colorave.com
@verizon.net
@access4less.net
@xbconnect.com
@ssmbco.com
@world.std.com
@cs.cmu.edu
@sitgroup.net
@unitynet.co.uk

This list may still grow ....

Everyone who did not received the notification e-mail and/or uses one of these domain names within his e-mail address, is strongly invited to contact me. Without action, these users will turn into "inactive" and will NOT receive notifications in the future until they send me a message.

2005, June 23th : The production of RAMDisk Version 5.3.1.4 binaries is started.

The distribution to full support users as well as the website update are planned for June 25th. New users will already receive this version 5.1.3.4 upon a $19.00 USD donation.

2005, June 10th : KB 820888 "Computer stops responding (hangs) when it tries to mount an NTFS ..."

There has been a severe problem discovered on the W2k Operating Systems after installing Update Fix "KB 820888 Computer stops responding (hangs) when it tries to mount an NTFS volume after you restart the computer."

Symptoms : While solving the "hang" on Hard Disks, the Fix causes instead a new "hang" on the ramdisk when the user selected to use the NTFS format as file system. This applies to both RAMDisk versions 5.2.10.2 and 5.3.1.1. Also, the W2k OS refuges to collect the occupied clusters from the NTFS formatted ramdisk after installing the Fix. As an immediate consequence, no image file can be created from the NTFS formatted ramdisk with the RAMDiskImage.exe tool. That image is loaded by the 5.3.1.1 version to populate the content of the ramdisk at boot time.

Conclusion : Do not install the KB 820888 Fix if it is not necessary. If you unconditionally need to install the Fix, select FAT32 as file system to be used for the ramdisk.

This problem applies to Windows 2000 only !

2005, June 5th : RAMDisk Version 5.3.1.x "Automatic Image Saving" at Driver Unload and Shutdown.

The first prototype of a new version that is able to automatically save the changed RAMDisk content at system shutdown, is successfully doing the job !

2005, May 15th : RAMDisk Version 5.3.1.1 and "Longhorn".

A registered user has installed RAMDisk 5.3.1.1 on a test version of the upcoming "Longhorn" and . . . it works !

.

2005, April 18th : RAMDisk Version 5.3.1.2 is available as "Evaluation" version ...

The version 5.3.1.2 evaluation ( "nagged" version ) can be downloaded here :

RAMDisk_Evaluation_530102.7z. This version will however not be distributed to the "full support" users or sold until other features become available. Everyone who purchased already version 5.3.1.1 is however strongly recommended to download, extract and use "RAMDiskImage.exe" version 1.0.0.3 from this package. This new RAMDiskImage.exe may generate smaller images when the ramdisk is only partly used. And since smaller images will load faster by the ramdisk, the use of this RAMDiskImage.exe may reduce the PC boot time when the ramdisk is configured to load an image.

2005, Mars 26th : RAMDisk Version 5.3.1.1 is distributed to the current "full support" users ...

There are about 20 users who could not be reached anymore, either because the E-mail address or the mail server name itself does not exist anymore. Please update your E-mail address or send a message to let you remove from the "full support" user list ...

2005, Mars 25th : RAMDisk Version 5.3.1.1 is releasing !

"Full support" users will receive a download notification E-mail tonight ...

2005, Januar 4th : WinPE/BartPE boot problem on Virtual PC / Virtual Server 200x

"Full support" users that implement the RAMDisk on WinPE/BartPE may encounter boot problems ( never ending boot phase ) when using their PE on Virtual PC / Virtual Server 200x. They may contact me for a version that provides a "workaround" to this Virtual PC/Server issue.

2004, November 3rd : RAMDisk & Restore Points on XP

For now, using Restore Points together with certain types of RAMDisk's is not possible, since all restore points are lost when files, especially the "Recycled" folder, are deleted. There may however be a solution to solve this problem. The solution that I found has been detected on pure coincidence and should be tested on a larger scale before it may be widely published. Anyone who purchased the [QSoft] RAMDisk may ask for details to try out the workaround and the procedure to follow.

2004, October 26th : E-mail address

E-mail address RAMDisk@Compaqnet.be is temporarely not available due to massive spam. Please use RAMDisk@Tiscali.be instead.

2004, October 24th : Experimental version 5.3.0.0 - - I need YOUR help !

Version 5.3.*.* is coming ... but I still hardly need help from participants who possess systems with more than 4 GB.

Some pictures :

Bigger RAMDisk allocatable on Windows 2000 systems without to fear for performance restraints :

2004, September 3rd : E-mail address

E-mail address RAMDisk@Tiscali.be is temporarely not available till September 6th. Please use RAMDisk@Compaqnet.be instead.

2004, August 30th : Minor update version 5.2.10.2 released

Minor update version 5.2.10.2 is shipping to the "full support" users. Two new features were added :

a. : Volume Name of the RAMDisk can be changed
b. : Volume Identification of the RAMDisk can be changed

2004, August 4th : Promotional Campaign - end

F. Blom from Toronto ( Canada ) was the lucky "Full Support" user No. 150

2004, July 24th : Promotional Campaign - continued

S. Schoelch from Hirschhorn ( Germany - Europe ) did became "Full Support" user No. 140 ... Only one chance left !

2004, July 23rd : Experimental version 5.3.0.0 - - I need YOUR help !

Anyone who feels involved to help me with the development of the upcoming "Super" version 5.3.0.0 is welcome. What do I need ? I need to collect some registry entries stored by an experimental RAMDisk version running on W2k and XP/Server 2k3 and installed on systems that have 2 GB, 4 GB and more RAM memory plugged in. Just send me an E-mail if you like to participate.

2004, July 3rd : Promotional Campaign - continued

Someone from the "Republic of China" became the 130th "Full Support" contributor. Who will be next ?

2004, June 16th : Promotional Campaign

The amount of "Full Support" distributions is about 120 at this moment ! The success of this software, whose distribution started in October 2002 with a modest version 1.1 at CodeGuru, will be celebrated by refunding the money to the 130th, the 140th and the 150th "Full Support" contributor.

2004, June 2nd : Undeliverable Software

It often happens last time that users do not receive the software upon their payment because E-mails are blocked by mailservers for all kind of reasons or even due to malfunctioning, wherby the E-mail gets lost. Everyone is strongly invited to send a message if the software does not arrive within the 48 hours that followed the payment.

Due to the same reason, "Full support" users may not have received updates. To reduce the chance of blocking E-mails, updates will now be announced with a simple E-mail that contains a link to a download location. However, users are still invited to check regularly on the web-site about the release of new versions and complain when they did not receive these updates in time.

Everyone who purchased software, is still strongly invited to reply upon the receipt of the software or when the software has been downloaded.

2004, May 28th : Version 5.2.10.0 shipping to the "full support" users is accomplished, the web-site is adapted.

2004, May 25th : Version 5.2.10.0 is shipping to the "full support" users.

The RAMDisk 5.2.10.0 evaluation ( "nagged" version ) can be downloaded :

RAMDisk_Evaluation_52100PRO.7z.

2004, May 15th : Alpha release 5.2.10.0 available for evaluation

The RAMDisk 5.2.10.0 "Alpha" evaluation ( "nagged" version ) can be downloaded for evaluation :

RAMDisk_Evaluation_5210AlphaPRO.7z.

This version is already rather complete, but still needs to be polished. Documentation is yet not available. The RAMDisk installation is similar to the installation of version 5.2.9.0. In case of problems, the documentation provided with 5.2.9.0 still applies. Users that choose to upgrade their 5.2.9.0 evaluation version with this alpha version, have to uninstall the "RAMDisk Format" service AFTER the update run and the reboot that follows. The "RAMDisk Format" service can be uninstalled by means of next commands :

>NET STOP RAMFORM (*)
>INSTSRV RAMFORM REMOVE (**)

(*) Ignore error messages.
(**) Program INSTSRV.EXE is provided with the 5.2.9.0 package.

To avoid the NET STOP error message, one should configure the RAMDIsk 5.2.9.0 to use NTFS , before updating to version 5.2.10.0.
If INSTSRV.EXE returns an error message , then download and use

INSTSRV.exe.7z or delete next registry key :
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\RAMFORM]
When deleting the registry key, the service will be uninstalled during the next reboot.

ATTENTION : This version cannot been purchased yet ! "Full support" users will receive the final version automatically before the official release is announced on the web-site.

2004, May 3rd : New version 5.2.10.0 available in the near future

The next version 5.2.10.0 will be latest major update of the 5.2.x.x. series.

The 5.2.10.0 will not reveal spectacular new features , although , some important changes will be incorporated regarding the file format of the ramdisk.

The current versions 5.2.x.x use a service to format the RAMDisk into FAT32 or NTFS. This way of doing things may cause problems , because the task to format the RAMDisk may run in parallel with other applications that already access the ramdisk at the same time. The new driver version will format itself to the desired format at load time , without the use of an additional service. Summarized, the consequences are :

1. No use of the additional service: the installation and the registration of the SRVANY.exe process are omitted.
2. Early format of the RAMDisk during the boot process: user programs will find the ramdisk always ready to use.
3. The RAMDisk can be re-formatted on the fly by means of the "RAMDisk Property Sheet" : no reboot is required anymore.

The 5.2.10.0 will be the base for the "Super" variant 5.3.x.x. ... More to come later about this new variant ...