FarStone's Virtual Hard Drive Pro runs applications in memory, boosting the performance of resource-hogging Vista systems by as much as 340%.

Irvine, CA -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/29/2007 -- FarStone Technology has released Virtual Hard Drive 2 Pro (http://www.farstone.com/software/virtual-hard-drive.htm), a RAM disk utility that improves the performance of sluggish Vista systems equipped with a surplus of system memory. The newest version of Virtual Hard Drive Pro includes a total redesign of the interface and enhancements to the RAM disk building and mounting functionality of the software.

How virtual hard drive pro works:
Virtual Hard Drive Pro takes a portion of a computer's system memory and creates a RAM disk. A RAM disk appears in Windows as a normal drive letter and performs much like a physical hard drive, only with far superior access rates.

A RAM disk bypasses the physical hard drive, which is the slowest part of a computer system. Applications can be installed directly into a RAM disk and manipulated as though they were on a physical hard drive. When a RAM disk session ends, files are saved as a disk image so they can be reused.

The boost in performance varies by system, but can be as much as 340 per cent. Since the physical arm of the hard drive no longer has to read and write data, Virtual Hard Drive Pro reduces the response time of calculation-intensive operating systems and applications. Businesses running multiple servers can improve access rates by moving frequently accessed html files to a RAM disk, or even store an entire database in memory.

Other benefits include reduced wear and tear on a system, since a RAM disk has no moving parts and can be operated indefinitely at maximum speed, and cooler, quieter operation.

Virtual Hard Drive Pro supports an unlimited amount of RAM, and works with 64 and 32-bit versions of Windows Vista, Server, and XP.