Every time I set up a RAM disk using ImDisk Toolkit, I wonder what's the best option when it comes to the Temp folders, between placing both user's and system's in the RAM disk or use a junction from ProgramData to the RAM disk.
What are the pros and cons of both options?
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As long as you don't have any issue, use the first option. It can be very slightly faster for file opening because the path is direct.
If you have issues with some installation programs or with Windows Update, try the second option (junction). Some issues can persist though.
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I'm in the same boat, but my question is even simpler: what does enabling "Create a TEMP Folder" actually do?
I mean, I get that it creates a new directory, but what's the impact?
1) Does it change how my current programs run?
2) Does it redirect all my current programs to use the new TEMP directory?
3) What are the pros and cons of enabling "create a TEMP folder"?
Can I safely UNCHECK/DISABLE "Create a TEMP folder"? (For this current project, I'm just want to cache to RAM instead of caching to an SSD; the raw data need not survive rebooting.)
// I make no pretense that I have any idea what I'm doing. So corrections are welcome!
Last edit: jeffrey liu 2024-02-24
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Speaking only for myself, placing the Temp folders in the RAM disk does speed things up on my computers (both fairly recent Asus laptops) and it also saves some wear-and-tear on the SSD since all the data that would normally be written on disk is saved in the RAM instead.
Indeed, all that data is gone once your reboot your PC, unless you set ImDisk Toolkit to save the content of the RAM disk to your SSD.
As for programs knowing where the Temp folders are, ImDisk Toolkit changes the path of the Temp folders in the Environment Variables in Windows, so your applications (and Windows itself) know where the Temp folders are.
If you create a RAM disk in command line, you'll see it briefly before the command line window closes; it'll say something like "Notifying applications of the changes".
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Although... On reflection... Hear me out: What if I created 2 RAM disks, one with a junction with ProgramData and one where the user and system Temp folders are?
Would they work independantly?
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UPDATE: I tried that, and lo and behold, it doesn't work. If I set one RAM disk with a ProgramData junction and the other with user and system temp folders, the latter's temp folder remains empty as everything is routed through ProgramData.
In other words, the settings you use on one of the RAM disk will also be used on the other, regardless of what they are.
Is this normal behavior?
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Hi everyone,
Every time I set up a RAM disk using ImDisk Toolkit, I wonder what's the best option when it comes to the Temp folders, between placing both user's and system's in the RAM disk or use a junction from ProgramData to the RAM disk.
What are the pros and cons of both options?
As long as you don't have any issue, use the first option. It can be very slightly faster for file opening because the path is direct.
If you have issues with some installation programs or with Windows Update, try the second option (junction). Some issues can persist though.
OK thanks! I don't really understand the difference between the two options, other than that they point at different directories.
I'm in the same boat, but my question is even simpler: what does enabling "Create a TEMP Folder" actually do?
I mean, I get that it creates a new directory, but what's the impact?
1) Does it change how my current programs run?
2) Does it redirect all my current programs to use the new TEMP directory?
3) What are the pros and cons of enabling "create a TEMP folder"?
Can I safely UNCHECK/DISABLE "Create a TEMP folder"? (For this current project, I'm just want to cache to RAM instead of caching to an SSD; the raw data need not survive rebooting.)
// I make no pretense that I have any idea what I'm doing. So corrections are welcome!
Last edit: jeffrey liu 2024-02-24
Speaking only for myself, placing the Temp folders in the RAM disk does speed things up on my computers (both fairly recent Asus laptops) and it also saves some wear-and-tear on the SSD since all the data that would normally be written on disk is saved in the RAM instead.
Indeed, all that data is gone once your reboot your PC, unless you set ImDisk Toolkit to save the content of the RAM disk to your SSD.
As for programs knowing where the Temp folders are, ImDisk Toolkit changes the path of the Temp folders in the Environment Variables in Windows, so your applications (and Windows itself) know where the Temp folders are.
If you create a RAM disk in command line, you'll see it briefly before the command line window closes; it'll say something like "Notifying applications of the changes".
Although... On reflection... Hear me out: What if I created 2 RAM disks, one with a junction with ProgramData and one where the user and system Temp folders are?
Would they work independantly?
UPDATE: I tried that, and lo and behold, it doesn't work. If I set one RAM disk with a ProgramData junction and the other with user and system temp folders, the latter's temp folder remains empty as everything is routed through ProgramData.
In other words, the settings you use on one of the RAM disk will also be used on the other, regardless of what they are.
Is this normal behavior?