[ubiquityman]

If you have 2GB of ram, I recommend the following performance optimizations for Windows XP:

1. Disable Virtual Memory (swap drive)
Control Panel -> System -> Advanced tab -> Performance [Settings] -> Advanced tab -> Virtual Memory [Change]
Select "No Paging file"

2. Create a 256-512MB RAM DRIVE (I used drive letter B
Follow the directions here. Search for "Gavotte Ramdisk"
http://www.mydigitallife.info/2007/0...d-2003-server/

3. Set the TEMP and TMP environment variables to B:\
Control Panel -> System -> Advanced tab -> [Environment Variables]
Edit Variables TEMP and TMP.
(I point both to B:\ since my ramdrive is B: )

4. Set the Internet Explorer (or Firefox Cache) to the RAMdrive
Internet Explorer -> Tools -> Options -> Browsing History [Settings]
Click the [Move Folder] button, and assign the temp folder to your ramdrive.
Change the disk space to be slightly less than the capacity of the RAM drive.
(Firefox is a bit more involved, requires editing of one of the config files)

After doing all that my Mini 9 felt noticeably faster.

[joyork]

Thanks for that. I've already switched the swap file off and trimmed down the apps that launch at startup. With the default XP theme and a wallpaper my system is using 148mb of RAM once it's booted. I could slim that down more by reverting to a more basic theme I suppose, but the boot time really isn't an issue.

Does moving the browser cache to the RAM drive mean you don't retain your web history between boots?

Btw I've found that Chrome Beta 2 works very well on the mini, loads faster than Firefox and doesn't seem as laggy. Fullscreen mode doesn't work properly yet (had to CTRL-ALT-DEL) but other than that it's great.

[reflex]

You can perform a similar optimizations in Linux.

1. Disabling swap
If I recall correctly, my Mini shipped without any swap, so if you're running the factory-installed Linux, then there's no need to disable it

2&3. Using a RAM drive for temp files
Using a RAM drive for temp files is as simple as adding the following line to "/etc/fstab" (and then rebooting):

tmpfs		/tmp		tmpfs	mode=1777

That'll give you a dynamically-sized RAM drive with a maximum size of 1/2 your RAM.

4. Pointing the browser cache to the RAM disk
Then, you can point Firefox's disk cache to "/tmp", but I just disabled it.

[anguish]

Hmmm.. I may have to get off my butt and do that. Generally speaking though, I'm content with the performance I've got at the moment.

[g-nome]

What do these changes do? It sounds like you are creating a place within RAM to write temp files, which sounds like a good idea (also improves life and preserves speed of drive over long term). What are the downsides? Does it erase your history every time you shut down (this is a good thing, I think)?

thanks,

[EdZ]

Essentially, it turns part of your memory into a ramdisc. The OS looks at it like a disc, but accesses it at the speed it accesses your main memory (i.e. fast). Placing temporary files there will mean they can be read from and written to a lot faster than even an SSD, so background operations should be a lot faster. The downside is that you lose a chunk of your main memory, but for something like a netbook where you're not running any memory-intensive programs, going from 2gb RAM to 1.5GB isn't going to be an enormous hit.
As for data loss: When you computer sleeps, the contents of your RAM are still powered, so no data is lost. When you hibernate, RAM is saved to disc, so no data is lost. If power is cut without warning, you would lose the contents of your RAM, and thus the contents of the ramdisc too. Worst case scenario: you would lose your browser cache (i.e. saved images and pages to make common page loads appear a bit faster), but the rest of your profile, being stored on the SSD proper, would be intact.

[reflex]

Originally Posted by EdZ

The downside is that you lose a chunk of your main memory, but for something like a netbook where you're not running any memory-intensive programs, going from 2gb RAM to 1.5GB isn't going to be an enormous hit.

I'm not familiar with the Gavotte Ramdisk software mentioned above, but on Linux, a RAM disk created using "tmpfs" only uses the minimum amount of RAM it needs. If you have only 1MB of files stored on it, then that's all the RAM it consumes. You need to give it a maximum size upon creation (default is 1/2 RAM), but that can freely be changed on the fly, too.

[ubiquityman]

My notes were specific to windows. Sorry, I should have pointed that earlier.

[nollie]

I have a question - as I predominantly use Chrome as my main browser, does anyone know how I can change its temporary folder? I can't find anything in its own settings.

Also if there is no method to change my Internet Browser's temporary folder to the RAM, would I notice any general improvements in performance despite not being able to benefit from RAM useage with Chrome?

[TooL]

Moving Firefox's browser cache to the Ram Disk:

Type about:config in the address bar. Right click your mouse anywhere and select New > String from the Menu. In the String box, type in browser.cache.disk.parent_directory as the preference name and the next box type the new path to the cache location, for instance d:\temp. Once this preference is specified, a new directory named “Cache� will be created at the path you set.