Convert a USB Pen Drive as a RAM Module

Do you feel your Windows 11 laptop lags after a software update?

Maybe your laptop tells you to add extra RAM modules to improve the system's performance.

However, you may not be able to add an extra RAM module even if you understand this device needs it badly. But don't worry. I will teach you a workaround to fix the low RAM issue without adding extra RAM Modules.

Prakash Sharma, one of the regular readers of CoreNetworkZ Tech Solutions, shared his concern about no extra room to add more primary memory to his old laptop.

He asked my advice to solve this issue. I fixed his problem with a USB flash drive. He shared his experience in our community, and I received many similar requests in the comment field.

So, I developed this tutorial based on the tips I shared with Prakash Sharma in the hope of helping many other readers.

If you feel an extra RAM module can speed up your Windows 11 computer, try the tip I share in this tutorial.

Let me first explain how I fixed the low RAM problem on Prakash's laptop. I converted a USB memory stick into a Virtual RAM module in his device.

So, how did I do it? It is simple. Windows 11 and 10 devices can convert a USB Flash memory unit into Virtual RAM.

So (without buying a new RAM Unit), I fixed the lagging issues with a simple USB Pen Drive. Let us check how to transform an ordinary USB Pen Drive into a RAM Unit.

We can fix a low RAM issue on Windows 11 laptops by turning an SD card or USB stick into a Virtual RAM module.

Paola Delgado asked for a technical explanation of using a USB flash drive as a virtual RAM module. You can read her question in the comment section.

So, let me answer Paola. Microsoft ReadyBoost technology helps us to do it.

Let us check the steps.

1. Connect a USB Pen Drive to your Windows 11 Laptop.

2. Right-click the USB Drive.

   
   

3. Click Properties from the Righ-click menu.

   
   

4. Click on ReadyBoost from the top tabs.

   
   

5. You can use two options.

   
   

   If you wish to convert this USB stick as a permanent RAM module, select the "Dedicate this device to ReadyBoost" option.

   If you wish to keep the data in the USB drive, select the "Use this Device" option.

6. I chose the Use this Device option and clicked the Apply button.

That is it. You have converted the USB flash drive into a virtual RAM module.

Your Windows 11 device recognizes the USB drive as an extra RAM module. So, do not remove this USB drive from your PC.

John Ward asked me how to remove a USB drive from his laptop once he converted it into virtual RAM using Windows 11 Readyboost technology. Well, John, it is easy. Let me explain the removal process.

If you want to remove the SD card or Pen Drive (acting as RAM with ReadyBoost), follow the steps below.

• Go to the USB Drive Properties (as explained ago), and select the "Do not use this device" option.

  
  

• Click the Apply button and OK.

• Now, you can remove the pen drive from your Windows 11 notebook.

Martin Johnson, a senior System Administrator at CoreNetworkZ Tech Solutions, suggested mentioning one point in this article. According to Martin, this technique works better on older laptops running on HDD.

If you have an old laptop running on Windows 10 or 7, you can boost the performance by adding virtual RAM modules.

Did you know an ordinary USB pen drive can speed up old Windows laptops? You can also use SSDs as RAM modules on Windows devices.

However, as per my observations, it does not affect the latest laptops running on SSD. Even the comment from one reader, Rahul Vinayak, confirms it. A faster laptop does not need virtual RAM, so ReadyBoost is useless.

One of my clients, Christopher Kimball, asked me for uses with his spare USB pen drives.

I suggested Christopher not throw away those pen drives but use them as virtual RAM modules for his older laptops. It was a convenient solution because he felt his older computer lacked enough RAM.

So, he increased it by using USB memory as virtual Random Access Memory.

When you connect a flash memory card, Windows will ask if you want to use the unused portion to speed up your PC.

If you click OK, Windows converts the unused portion to virtual RAM.

We cannot use all kinds of USB memories to speed up our computers.

It should meet some minimum requirements to enable ReadyBoost technology. The USB drive must be faster and have a minimum of 256MB of free space. However, I recommend a faster USB pen drive with at least 4GB of space.

I have updated this tutorial with the latest system requirements required by the new Microsoft standards. You can read that below.

1. It should be at least 256 MB.

2. It should have an access time of 1 ms or less.

3. It should have at least 2.5 MB/s read speed. It must have a minimum of 1.75 MB/s write speed.

Kevin Antony asked in the comment section if he would lose the content stored on his pen drive if he activated the ReadyBoost. Let me answer Kevin in this section.

You will not lose the content on the USB flash drive if you select the option Use this Device while activating ReadyBoost.

It is not very hard to convert a USB flash drive to virtual RAM using ReadyBoost technology.

You cannot use this technology on Windows XP computers.

1. Connect the USB Drive to your Windows PC.

2. Right-click on the USB drive and click properties.

   
   
   

3. Click on the tab ReadyBoost and apply.

Now, if your Flash memory meets all the requirements mentioned, it will turn to virtual RAM, and you can see a considerable improvement in system performance.

Windows Vista is limited to 4 GB, but Windows 7 can support up to 256 GB of additional memory by connecting a maximum of 8 different flash drives. Windows OS older than Vista doesn't support ReadyBoost technology.

You can use ReadyBoost to convert USB Flash drives into Extra RAM modules in Windows 11 and 10.

I believe it is time to conclude this article. I explained the Microsoft technology ReadyBoost and how it helps convert USB pen drives into virtual RAM modules. For further studies, I suggest you read the references provided below.

1. https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-System-and-Recovery/ReadyBoost/td-p/7276368
2. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/745893/how-to-fix-this-readyboost-problem-on-my-flash-dri
3. https://www.systosys.com/viewtopic.php?t=60
4. https://www.dell.com/support/kbdoc/en-in/000149907/how-to-increase-ram-using-usb-drive-in-windows-8-10