RAM disk in Win2k/XP questions

[klinux]

Does using ram disk in win2k / xp , really help applications , like say virtual dub or flask mpeg . if not , which kinda apps can really benefit from it . Got 512 and using 64 mb for video , so i can spare a lot of RAM . Plus anyway to create ramdisk without third party software ? like in win98 , using the boot floppy files . And is it possible for linux too . there is initrd for linux , but isnt that only for booting alone ?

*www.webtechgeek.com/Windows-Software-Review-Download-175.htm

 

[enoonmai]

Yes, if you have access to large, fast memory, then using ramdisk would actually speed up A/V programs, databases, compilers, webserver caches, etc. As far as I know, the only way to create ramdisks in Windows 2000/XP is through third party software because AFAIK, all Windows 2000/XP provide is the RAMDisk driver itself, not a means for the end user to access it.
With Linux, initrd is just what it is - the initial RAMDisk. Linux creates and maintains a number of ramdisks for use, but not all of them are actually used. You can always create a RAMDisk by creating the mountpoint, increasing the ramdisk size in grub.conf, using the mke2fs command to create a ramdisk with the EXT2 FS, and then mount it. You can later take a look at its use with df -k and tune2fs.