ReadyBoost in XP? Sure Why Not?

For those of you in the computer world that have had experience with Microsoft's Vista, you may have come across a cool little utility added to the Operating System. The utility in question is called "ReadyBoost." I must admit that when I was using Windows Vista I was very impressed with the ReadyBoost utility. It made Vista move a little faster, nevertheless, there were other considerations which caused me to return to the familiar Windows XP, which you can read about here, http://tranquilbeach.blogspot.com/2008/09/why-not-upgrade-to-microsoft-vista.html

ReadyBoost is a utility which enables the user to use just about any flash memory device, limited only by your computer's hardware, as RAM (Random Access Memory). This greatly increases the speed of your PC because it enables you to shut down the virtual memory which reduces the amount of data being written to and read from the hard drive. The use of the hard drive by Windows to create virtual RAM is a detriment to the speed and efficiency of the Operating System. However, in this case you will not be shutting down virtual memory but instead putting the "Swap file" on your flash drive.

Well, I started wondering how I can use a flash memory device in Windows XP as a generic type of ReadyBoost. I had come across a few tutorials across the Internet, but none really set it up so that I could fully enjoy the benefits of this particular upgrade. I am sure that there is one somewhere so if you have written one or know of one do not be offended if I am not aware of it. What we want to accomplish is to set up a flash memory device as extended RAM and then have the ability to turn off the paging file on the hard drive, which is the virtual memory.

Flash thumb drive and jump drives are relatively cheap and you can probably find one for about twenty bucks, already this is cheaper than buying more RAM for your computer, even if you can fit it in. I went to Wal-Mart and purchased a two Gigabyte jump drive to use in my PC and one Sandisk flash card to use in my laptop. I could have used the jump drive in my laptop but the flash card has a smaller profile and does not stick out where it can get broken off.