Should you install programs on a RAM disk?
Generally, no. Installing or keeping programs on a RAM disk brings very little benefit and can cause problems. This article explains why, and what to put on a RAM disk instead.
A program on a hard disk
Windows always runs programs from RAM, and it keeps recently used files in memory for as long as it can. When you start a program, say APP.EXE, for the first time:
- Windows reads APP.EXE from the hard disk into RAM;
- it reads the DLL files the program needs into RAM;
- it prepares the code in RAM and starts it;
- the files read in steps 1 and 2 stay in the disk cache, in RAM, while the computer is on.
The next time you start APP.EXE in the same session, Windows takes the files from the cache. That is why a program is slow to start the first time and quick after that.
A program on a RAM disk
From a RAM disk, APP.EXE would start a little faster the first time, as Windows copies it from RAM to RAM. But the program had to be copied to the RAM disk first: a RAM disk is empty after every restart, so anything kept on it must be loaded from an image file at start-up and written back at shutdown, and that takes time too.
Programs that include drivers or services can also fail outright: Windows may try to start them before the RAM disk they are on is ready.
What to do instead
Keep programs on your hard disk or SSD, and let them use the RAM disk for their temporary data, such as caches and temporary files, which is where a RAM disk really helps. How to set this up differs from program to program; see How to improve your computer performance with a RAM disk and RAM Disk: tips.