#16 Fail to install software from ramdisk created by Imdisk

[Sunny Pham]

Dear Developer,
I created a NTFS ramdisk in official Win10 May 2019 using Imdisk. I downloaded and save install files (msi) into the ramdisk. I then run it and it failed to install anything. Imdisk has a bug that prevent executing installation files from a ramdisk created by Imdisk. At first, I thought it was the new Win10 update. After further testing, I found it was the virtual ramdisk. I moved the install files back to my ssd and run it from there and everything works fine. I also tested the same process on Primo Ramdisk and it runs fine in its virtual ramdisk. You can try out Primo Ramdisk. It is the best ramdisk software out there. I tried it and found it has many advanced options which Imdisk is lacking. It would be nice if you can make Imdisk work similar to Primo Ramdisk. Please fix the bug in Imdisk soon.

Keep up the great work!

Thank You

[MichaIng]

I do not have this issue and never had. Using the RAMdisk mainly to download installers and run them. So it must be related to your RAMdisk configuration.

I use NTFS as well with dynamic allocated size, although had fixed size before as well without issues. Everything else I left default. So you should paste some more details of your config.

[Sunny Pham]

The problem with your software is that most software and apps cannot see
the ramdisk drive letter created by it. For example, you can see this by
open up "Disk Management" in Windows. Your ramdisk will not shows up. This
is the problem most software cannot work with. I also set the user
variables (Temp folder) to the ramdisk. Then run install files (.exe, .msi)
from the ramdisk and it fails to run. Your software doesn't have the Disk
Type which can be selected either by SCSI Disk or Direct-IO Disk when
creating a ramdisk. SCSI Disk type will work with everything. The problem
is I think your software creates using Direct-IO Disk which is incompatible
with most software or apps. Please see attachment file "Imdisk settings" to
see my configuration when I created the ramdisk drive.

I did not promote Primo Ramdisk here. I was just pointing out the fact that
I tested it out with their trial and it works perfectly with the same
settings like Imdisk when I created the ramdisk. Imdisk just doesn't work.
Please make it use SCSI Disk type when creating a ramdisk like in Primo
Ramdisk. This will prevent those issues. All you have to do is make it a
SCSI Disk instead of Direct-IO disk and it will solves all problems. Please
see the attached screenshots for Primo Ramdisk settings and compare it to
Imdisk.

Don't get me wrong. Your Imdisk software is good, especially it is free. It
has incompatibility issues, that's all. Thank you for making such a nice
software and share with the world. We appreciate it.

Sincerely,

Pham

On Sun, Jun 9, 2019 at 9:14 AM Micha Felle michaing@users.sourceforge.net
wrote:

I do not have this issue and never had. Using the RAMdisk mainly to
download installers and run them. So it must be related to your RAMdisk
configuration.

I use NTFS as well with dynamic allocated size, although had fixed size
before as well without issues. Everything else I left default. So you
should paste some more details of your config.

You promote Primo here but there is the tiny difference that Primo is a
paid and closed source RAMdisk implementation while ImDisk is FOSS. If you
mention alternatives, mention comparable ones, otherwise one gets the
imperession that you're only here for advertising ;).

---

• [tickets:#16] https://sourceforge.net/p/imdisk-toolkit/tickets/16/
  Fail to install software from ramdisk created by Imdisk*

Status: open
Created: Mon May 27, 2019 05:29 AM UTC by Sunny Pham
Last Updated: Mon May 27, 2019 05:29 AM UTC
Owner: nobody

Dear Developer,
I created a NTFS ramdisk in official Win10 May 2019 using Imdisk. I
downloaded and save install files (msi) into the ramdisk. I then run it and
it failed to install anything. Imdisk has a bug that prevent executing
installation files from a ramdisk created by Imdisk. At first, I thought it
was the new Win10 update. After further testing, I found it was the virtual
ramdisk. I moved the install files back to my ssd and run it from there and
everything works fine. I also tested the same process on Primo Ramdisk and
it runs fine in its virtual ramdisk. You can try out Primo Ramdisk. It is
the best ramdisk software out there. I tried it and found it has many
advanced options which Imdisk is lacking. It would be nice if you can make
Imdisk work similar to Primo Ramdisk. Please fix the bug in Imdisk soon.

Keep up the great work!

Thank You

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[MichaIng]

Ah, forgot to mention that I don't use a drive letter but a mount point at C:\RamDisk while having the drive letter unused/invisible. Perhaps this makes the difference then.

Note that I am no ImDisk dev, I just found and jumped in the tickets here randomly today ;).

Got it about the other RAMdisk implementations. I am just a bid biased I think because of nasty ways of advertising on other platforms/forums :).

[v77]

Olof Lagerkvist, the author of the Imdisk driver, already created a driver that emulates a SCSI disk:
https://github.com/ArsenalRecon/Arsenal-Image-Mounter
Imdisk, like some softwares such as VeraCrypt, creates a volume, not a disk. This is why it does not appear in the Disk Manager.
And of course, softwares that expect a disk behind each driver letter will fail.

[Sunny Pham]

Can somebody contact Imdisk developers to have them implement SCSI driver
in Imdisk installation to create SCSI ramdisk? This will solves all the
problems I reported. Once it is implemented and works perfectly similar to
Primo Ramdisk, then I don't mind paying a small fee for it. Honestly, I was
just testing out Primo Ramdisk to find out what's the problem with Imdisk.
That is why I try both software to see which one is the problem. I did not
promote anything. Please don't say I'm promoting it. I feel offended by it.

I hadd tested out many ramdisk software and found out that Primo Ramdisk
creates the fastest ramdisk. I did benchmark with all ramdisks I created
from each software. Imdisk came in second in terms of speed tests which is
great for a free software. It just needs SCSI driver and all problems will
be solved.

On Sun, Jun 9, 2019, 12:15 PM v77 w77@users.sourceforge.net wrote:

Olof Lagerkvist, the author of the Imdisk driver, already created a driver
that emulates a SCSI disk:
https://github.com/ArsenalRecon/Arsenal-Image-Mounter
Imdisk, like some softwares such as VeraCrypt, creates a volume, not a
disk. This is why it does not appear in the Disk Manager.
And of course, softwares that expect a disk behind each driver letter will
fail.

---

• [tickets:#16] https://sourceforge.net/p/imdisk-toolkit/tickets/16/
  Fail to install software from ramdisk created by Imdisk*

Status: open
Created: Mon May 27, 2019 05:29 AM UTC by Sunny Pham
Last Updated: Sun Jun 09, 2019 07:02 PM UTC
Owner: nobody

Dear Developer,
I created a NTFS ramdisk in official Win10 May 2019 using Imdisk. I
downloaded and save install files (msi) into the ramdisk. I then run it and
it failed to install anything. Imdisk has a bug that prevent executing
installation files from a ramdisk created by Imdisk. At first, I thought it
was the new Win10 update. After further testing, I found it was the virtual
ramdisk. I moved the install files back to my ssd and run it from there and
everything works fine. I also tested the same process on Primo Ramdisk and
it runs fine in its virtual ramdisk. You can try out Primo Ramdisk. It is
the best ramdisk software out there. I tried it and found it has many
advanced options which Imdisk is lacking. It would be nice if you can make
Imdisk work similar to Primo Ramdisk. Please fix the bug in Imdisk soon.

Keep up the great work!

Thank You

Sent from sourceforge.net because you indicated interest in
https://sourceforge.net/p/imdisk-toolkit/tickets/16/

To unsubscribe from further messages, please visit
https://sourceforge.net/auth/subscriptions/

[MichaIng]

Jep sorry for saying it, as said I am just biased by experiences I made in a forum I was taking care of. I will edit the sentence out in my first reply.