Miray RAM Drive Manual miray-software.
Miray RAM Drive Manual
Table of Contents 3 Table of Contents 1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1 Chapter summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.2 Terminology used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.3 Explanation of the symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Table of Contents 5.2.2 Opening the RAM drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2.3 Formatting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2.4 Turning off the RAM drive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inactive RAM drive (persistence) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3.1 Setting the capacity (persistence) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.3.
Table of Contents 5 10.1.2 Slider showing too little memory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.1.3 Insufficient memory (switching on) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2 Driver and service problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2.1 Service not started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2.2 Driver missing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.2.
Introduction 1 Introduction Thank you for using Miray RAM Drive. This application has been developed with the objective to equip a software, sophisticated and powerful inside, with effortless and intuitive usability. Nevertheless, if you require any assistance with your Miray RAM Drive, or you feel that it does not fit your needs, our team is here to help; please refer to 411.7 Manufacturer information. 1.
Product description 7 How to access more information and support from Miray. {{ {{ 12 Appendix General, legal and other information. 13 Glossary Explanations of terms used. 1.2 Terminology used Some of the terms used in this manual may require further explanation, or an explanation of how they are to be understood in the context of Miray RAM Drive. They can be found in the 413 Glossary. 1.
Introduction 1.4.2 Miray RAM Drive Plus In addition to all of the features of Miray RAM Drive, Plus includes: {{ RAM drive with up to 24 GB {{ Runs in a standard user account (no admin rights required) {{ Autostart function {{ Persistence mode (48.4 Persistence) Miray RAM Drive Plus is designed for users who require a permanently available RAM drive, or a RAM drive that runs in a standard user account. 1.4.
Technical specifications Feature Overview Std ● Simple 3-click interface ● Maximum performance and minimum latency ● Immediately ready with AutoFormat Plus Pro Server ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● Autostart function (47.3 Autostart) ● ● ● ● InstantOn function (47.4 InstantOn) ○ ● ● ● Persistence mode (48.4 Persistence) Runs without administrator rights ○ ● ● ● ○ ● ● ● 48.
2 Quick start Quick start Complete the following steps for a quick start of Miray RAM Drive: 1. Start the installation program (SETUP.EXE) and follow the on-screen instructions. Accept the proposed settings. 2. Miray RAM Drive will be started automatically once the installation process is complete. Alternatively, it can be started from the Start Menu. 3. In the program window, use the slider to set the desired capacity of the RAM drive. Once complete, turn on the RAM drive (45.1.
Setup 3 Installation 3.1 Installation package 11 Miray RAM Drive for Windows comes in the form of an installation package (SETUP.EXE). The installation package contains the following components: {{ Software files {{ Driver {{ Windows service (Miray RAM Drive Plus/Pro/Server editions only) {{ Windows Help file {{ Product Manual (PDF) 3.2 Setup To install Miray RAM Drive, click on SETUP.EXE.
Installation following are optional components: {{ {{ {{ {{ {{ Executable from a standard user account (Miray RAM Drive Plus/Pro/Server only) Installs a system service (413 Glossary), which allows Miray RAM Drive to run without administrator rights. This is necessary if you wish to use it from a standard user account Automatically start on system startup (Miray RAM Drive Plus/Pro/Server only) Activates the Autostart function (47.3 Autostart).
Installing updates/upgrades 13 In Windows XP, you need to further confirm the Hardware Installation popup (4Fig. 3) by clicking on Continue Anyway. If Windows opens the Found New Hardware Wizard (4Fig. 4), close it by clicking Cancel. Fig. 3: Windows Hardware installation 3.3 Fig. 4: Windows Hardware wizard Uninstall Before beginning the uninstallation, turn off the RAM drive (45.2.4 Turning off the RAM drive) and exit Miray RAM Drive (44.4 Close the program).
Start the program 4 Start the program 4.1 Start options To start Miray RAM Drive, use the program icon created on the desktop during the installation. If you have opted not to create a desktop icon during installation, access the application via the Start Menu. In the program folder Miray RAM Drive (or the name that you have opted to use during setup), click Run Miray RAM Drive; the program window will open and the program icon will appear in the system tray (46 Tray icon).
Close the program 15 brightly colored icon (4Fig. 5) shows that the drive is active, whilst the darker shaded icon (4Fig. 6) denotes an inactive RAM drive. See 46 Tray icon for more information regarding the system tray. 4.4 Close the program You can exit the application by clicking Quit Miray RAM Drive on the context menu (4Fig. 7); this will also remove the application icon from the system tray. If the RAM drive is still active, you will be asked to confirm your request to quit the application (4Fig.
Program window 5 Program window The Miray RAM Drive program window is displayed at startup and can always be accessed from the system tray (46 Tray icon). The program window has three layouts (4Fig. 9), which correspond to the different states of the RAM drive: Active (45.2 Active RAM drive), inactive (45.1 Inactive RAM drive) and inactive in persistence mode (45.3 Inactive RAM drive (persistence)). The application window is not displayed when it is not needed.
Active RAM drive {{ Click on the slider label to select the capacity. {{ Click anywhere on the slider to set an arbitrary intermediate value. {{ {{ 17 Hold down the arrow button with your mouse and drag it to the desired value. In this case, the arrow shows the exact value, thus allowing a precise setting. Miray RAM Drive Plus/Pro/Server editions only: right-clicking on the arrow button opens a small box which enables you to specify the desired size in MB (Plus/Pro/Server) or in sectors (Pro).
Program window In this state, the bright green power button indicates the active status of the RAM drive. 5.2.1 Status display When the RAM drive is active, the following information is displayed in the program window: {{ The Windows drive letter of the RAM drive volume. {{ The total capacity of the RAM drive. {{ The free space on the RAM drive, as a value and as a bar graph. 5.2.2 Fig. 13: Active Opening the RAM drive Clicking on the Miray RAM Drive icon (4Fig.
Inactive RAM drive (persistence) 19 You will be asked to confirm your request to quit the driver; this is required due to all stored data being lost once it is turned off. After confirming, a waiting animation will appear on the power button. The symbol then changes to dark green once the RAM drive is turned off and all previously allocated resources are deallocated. Fig.
Program window 5.3.1 Setting the capacity (persistence) Changing the capacity of a persistent RAM drive causes the deletion of that drive and the setting up of a new one with the desired capacity; thus, any data previously saved on the drive is lost. Please follow these steps, if you wish to change the capacity of the drive in persistence mode: {{ {{ {{ {{ Disable the persistence mode (47.5.3 Persistence). Switch off the RAM drive. Fig.
Open the program window 21 6 Tray icon When the Miray RAM Drive application is started, the program icon appears in the system tray, on the lower right side of the taskbar (4Fig. 20). Note: You may find that the icon has been placed under the arrow icon on the taskbar (4Fig. 19). You can store it permanently in the system tray by drag and drop.
7 Context menu Context menu The basic control functions of Miray RAM Drive, such as setting the capacity and turning it on and off, are performed via the 45 Program window. Other commands and functions are accessible via the context menu. The context menu can be opened by right clicking inside the program window or on the application icon in the system tray (4Fig. 23 and 46 Tray icon). 7.1 Fig.
Advanced Settings 23 or disable the InstantOn function. A check mark next to the menu item indicates that InstantOn is active. 7.5 Advanced Settings This menu item opens the Advanced Settings window; the settings are grouped in tabs, as described in the below subsections. 7.5.1 Confirmations In the Confirmations tab you can activate the security prompts previously deactivated. When turning off the RAM drive, when the program ends (4Fig.
Context menu Note: The sector size, file system and cluster size can influence each other so that not every setting is available for every file system. This is caused by the file system itself. If you do not need a special, personalized setting simply choose the Auto option, Miray RAM Drive will then automati cally select the appropriate options. Miray RAM Drive must be restarted in order to apply the changes to format and layout (45.1.2 Turning on the RAM drive). See 48.
Extended memory 25 8 Additional functions 8.1 Autostart and InstantOn By combining the 47.3 Autostart and the 47.4 InstantOn functions, the RAM drive is turned on automatically at the startup of Windows. This is useful for applications such as caching (49.3 Cache) or for the dropping of temporary files: after the system starts, a fresh RAM drive is available for temporary data. Data from the previous session is automatically and ultimately deleted. In combination with 48.
8.3 Additional functions Drive Layout Miray RAM Drive Pro/Server only These settings allow you to set the sector size, cluster size (Pro edition only) and file system manually, making it extremely easy to use different configurations, for example for testing. Being able to set the sector size allows to simulate disks with different sector sizes, making test much easier than with physical drives. In addition, other sector sizes than 512 and 4K can be set (47.5.2 Drive Layout). Fig.
Automation (CLI) 8.5 27 Automation (CLI) Miray RAM Drive Pro/Server only The MRDCLI.EXE from the program directory, allows you to automatically start Miray RAM Drive or to engage it in automated processes.
Application areas 9 Application areas 9.1 General notes Miray RAM Drive is designed for universal usage and works even faster than SSDs. The following sections describe some specific scenarios that particularly benefit from the usage of Miray RAM Drive. However, the use of Miray RAM Drive is not limited to these scenarios. 9.2 Temporary files Some programs or processes create temporary files that are no longer needed after their termination.
Data security 29 Note: A prerequisite for the support of more than 4 GB of RAM is that the Windows operating system is equipped with the required mechanisms (48.2 Extended memory). 9.5 Converting data A RAM drive can optimize the process of converting photos, music or videos into several different formats. Usually, the source data will be read again for every new format generated. Putting them onto a RAM drive first will clearly accelerate the subsequent data processing.
Application areas Hint: This also applies to user sessions: if the temporary data of a user session is stored on a RAM drive, all of this data will be permanently deleted at shutdown. 9.9 Development and testing Miray RAM Drive can accelerate software development and testing, thus saving time. There are three main application areas: {{ {{ {{ Different sector formats A beneficial feature of Miray RAM Drive Pro is the ability to simulate different sector formats.
Memory problems 31 10 Troubleshooting There are some instances in which Miray RAM Drive cannot work as expected; in such cases an error message will be displayed. This section details the possible errors and the steps you should take to resolve them. 10.1 Memory problems 10.1.1 Insufficient memory (at startup) If you receive this message, there is insufficient memory available, even for a small RAM drive (< 20 MB).
Troubleshooting and are sometimes very small. For efficiency reasons, Miray RAM Drive will only consider storage areas that have a certain minimum size. Due to this, the memory available for the RAM drive is about 1-5% less than the actually available memory. 10.1.3 Insufficient memory (switching on) The actually available memory in the system is subject to temporal changes, so that the slider may display a higher value than actually available.
Persistence file problems {{ 33 If you do not know the cause of the problem, or you want to install the service straightaway, simply reinstall Miray RAM Drive (43.2 Setup). 10.2.2 Driver missing Explanation: This error message (4Fig. 37) indicates a missing Miray RAM Drive Adapter driver. It is normally installed automatically during the installation of Miray RAM Drive. Solution: Reinstall Miray RAM Drive (43.2 Setup). Fig. 37: Driver missing 10.2.
Troubleshooting 10.3.2 Insufficient disk space Explanation: In order to make the RAM drive persistent, its contents will be saved to the persistence file when switching it off. This file has the same size as the RAM drive. If there is not enough free space on the specified drive, this error message will appear (4Fig. 40). Solution: There are two ways to fix this: {{ {{ Create enough free space on the specified drive, for example by deleting files. Fig.
Persistence file problems 35 the persistence file and restart the RAM drive. {{ {{ Create persistence file will start the RAM drive with a newly created persistence file. To start the RAM drive without persistence, click Deactivate persistence. 10.3.5 Persistence file not found Explanation: This message (4Fig. 43) appears when Miray RAM Drive is switched on manually (45.1.2 Turning on the RAM drive) or automatically (44.
Troubleshooting file location or name using the Advanced Settings (47.5.3 Persistence) and then retry. {{ Select Yes to turn off the RAM drive. The data stored on will then be lost and the persistence mode will be disabled. 10.4 Other sources of errors 10.4.1 Persistence file stored in the Programs directory In persistence mode (48.4 Persistence), the contents of the RAM drive are saved in the persistence file when turning it off.
Other sources of errors 37 from My Computer » Extras » Options » View. {{ {{ {{ {{ Open the system drive (for example C: \) and remove the write protection from the BOOT.INI file by opening right-click » Properties. Open BOOT.INI in Notepad and look for lines with this pattern: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\%systemroot%="Windows XP" Change this by appending /PAE to: multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(2)\%systemroot%="Windows XP" /PAE and save the file.
Help and support 11 Help and support When developing Miray RAM Drive, our focus was to produce a program that is both, reliable and easy to use. Nevertheless, should you have questions or encounter any problems, with Miray RAM Drive, the sources listed below will help you find a solution. 11.1 Program help You can access the program's Help section by pressing F1 on your keyboard or by selecting Help from the context menu.
Manufacturer information {{ 39 Other questions You can find answers to questions regarding the product, application areas, compatibility, technical data, etc. within this manual or online at the Miray RAM Drive product page (miray-software.com/mrd). If you do not find the answer satisfactory answer or solution to your problem using these sources, please contact us directly: E-mail mail@miray.de Phone +49 (0) 89 72013-643 (Monday-Friday, 9 am to 5 pm CET / CEST) 11.
Appendix 12 Appendix 12.1 Software package Miray RAM Drive is supplied as an 43.1 Installation package. You may receive the installation package in one of the following forms: {{ Via download {{ On CD/DVD {{ On USB stick Please follow the instructions in section 412.2 Genuine software, to ensure that you use the genuine product. 12.
License model 41 12.4 Disclaimer Although Miray RAM Drive was created with the utmost care and was subject to extensive testing, we do not guarantee the proper functioning of the program, nor are we liable for any damages resulting from its use subject to gross negligence or willful misconduct. 12.5 Security mechanisms Miray RAM Drive is equipped with a mechanism, to ensure that the software is not used without a proper licensing.
{{ {{ {{ {{ {{ {{ Appendix Single License For the installation of the software on one computer only. Workplace License For the installation of the software on two computers. Maintenance license For using the software on multiple, arbitrary computers. Technician license Combines a Workplace License with a Maintenance License. Volume license Includes a certain volume of Single Licenses. Utilization licenses Licensed based on duration or frequency of use. 12.6.
Glossary 43 13 Glossary File system A partition or volume must be formatted with a specific file system (for example, NTFS or FAT) so that the files can be stored on it. In common usage, the file system is often equated with the partition in which it is located (for example, NTFS partition). Technically, however, a partition and file system are two different structures.
Glossary Persistence mode The mode in which Miray RAM Drive is in when 48.4 Persistence is activated. Program window A window of the program, from which the program’s functions can be controlled. RAM drive Designated virtual disk created in memory. System tray Area in the Windows taskbar (bottom right), displaying the icons for the programs running in the background and the date and time.
