How to disable non-volatile caching in Windows Vista

This chapter excerpt from the Windows Vista Resource Kit, by Mitch Tulloch, Tony Northrup and Jerry Honeycutt with the MSWinVista Team, is printed with permission from Microsoft Press, Copyright 2007. Click here to purchase the entire book and find more expert advice on working with the Windows Vista operating system.

Windows Vista is the first Windows operating system to support caching hard disk data to non-volatile cache on hard disks with the required cache. Windows Vista can use the cache to improve startup performance, improve the performance of frequently modified system data, and reduce utilization. In rare circumstances, the failing non-volatile cache might cause problems. To eliminate the possibility that the non-volatile cache is causing problems, you can disable different cache functionality using the following Group Policy settings (located in Computer ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesSystemDisk NV Cache):

• Turn Off Boot And Resume Optimizations Enable this policy to prevent Windows Vista from using the non-volatile cache to speed startup times.
• Turn Off Cache Power Mode Enable this policy to prevent Windows Vista from putting disks into a non-volatile cache power-saving mode, which enables the hard disk to spin down while continuing to use the non-volatile cache.
• Turn Off Non Volatile Cache Feature Enable this policy to completely disable all use of the non-volatile cache.
• Turn Off Solid State Mode Enable this policy to prevent frequently written files such as the system metadata and registry from being stored in the non-volatile cache.

Reprinted with permission from Microsoft Press. From Windows Vista Resource Kit (ISBN:9780735622838) Microsoft Press. All rights reserved.

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