Quick overview:
Windows reads files from your hard disk in advance so that they can be used more quickly when they are actually needed. They are then kept in the working memory of the computer because this is much faster than the drives from which they are read. The part that Windows reserves for such files is called the cache - so the cache that takes up data in advance is also called the read ahead cache.
Unfortunately, modern programs need so many files that this nice feature is overwhelmed. But you can increase this cache in the registry.
1. Click on Start > Run and enter the command regedit in the command line, which will take you directly to the program for editing the Windows registry.
2. Go to the key "HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\ CurrentControlSet\Control" one after the other. If you now click once on "FileSystem", you will see several values in the right-hand window. Only the value "ReadAheadThreshold" is important for us. If it is not there, right-click on a free area in the pane and select "New" > "Binary value". Now click on this value again with the right mouse button and select "Change". Now enter "00,00,20,00" and click on "OK".
Done! Your Windows is now using exactly 2 megabytes as a read-ahead cache. And the great thing about this is that it does not permanently load the RAM because it then empties this cache. A restart completes this important change to the system.
NOTE FOR NEW PUBLICATION:This article was produced by Sandro Villinger and comes from the Windows Tweaks archive, which has been built up since the late 1990s.
On Windows Tweaks you will find time-saving tech guides for PC, software & Microsoft. For a stress-free digital everyday life. Already we have been "tweaking" Windows since 1998 and just won't stop!
