Increase the Performance of Windows Disk Cache

What is “disk cache”? A cache memory is used by operating systems to store frequently accessed data. As the cache memory is a part of the RAM, it is faster to access and retrieve information from the cache memory compared to getting the information or files from the hard disk. In Windows it is possible to increase the performance of a disk cache through a modification of the system registry. Take a backup of the registry before running REGEDIT. Change the values of the LargeSystemCache key in the registry from 0 to 1. This should increase the performance of a disk cache.

What Is “Disk Cache”

The disk cache is used to store disk information in RAM. Access to RAM is faster than the hard disk, so the information will be available more rapidly.

How to Increase the Disk Cache Performance

First and foremost, and as with any registry modification, it is advisable to backup the entire contents of the registry, or at least the key(s) you want to edit.

• Open the Start menu, click Run and type the command: regedit.
• Find the following key:

• HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Control\Session Manager\Memory Management.       

• In the right column find the LargeSystemCache value and double click on it .
• If the value does not exist you will need to create it:
  • Click on an empty part of the window and click New.
  • From there, select 32-bit DWORD value and name it LargeSystemCache.
  • Double click on the value and select Edit.
• Change the value of LargeSystemCache from 0 to 1, making sure the Hexadecimal option is checked.
• Restart your PC to apply the changes.

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