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Thread ID: 90162	2008-05-25 03:16:00	Readyboost service wont start	Brettp (13789)	Press F1

Post ID	Timestamp	Content	User
672351	2008-05-25 03:16:00	Hi. I have been trying for a couple of weeks to use readyboost and have found that the service won't start. it seems that this means that the USB drive that I'm am using isn't even being tested by readyboost. There is no readyboost tab when I look at the properties of the drive and when I go to readyboost in services.msc it does not show as started (the status column is blank). An older USB drive that my son lost used to work with readyboost but stopped working. I'm now trying with a Kingmax 4GB U-drive which I've found listed on lists on the net as being compatible. The core issue seems to be that the readyboost servoce wont start. When I try and start it from services.msc I get an error message that says "Windows could not start the readyboost service on local computer. Error 6: The handle is invalid". I've searched this problem heaps on google and have only found one person that seems to have had the same problem. They fixed it by loading a bit of someone else's registry but the link to the registry file is dead. I also found someone that had problems starting another service who got an invalid handle error, who fixed it by changing the account that the service logged on with. When I try this it still wont start - I get "Windows could not start the readyboost service on local computer. Error 1079: The account specified for this service is different for the account specified for other services running in the same process". I've looked at the dependencies of the readyboost service. None of the seem to appear in my services list. I don't know if that could be the problem or if it is, what to do about it. The 4 listed are: - File Information FS MiniFilter - Readyboost Caching driver - Remote Procedure call - Software Licensing I think that the last one (Software Licensing) could relate to the fact that I have Adobe Premiere Elements installed. My PC runs fine without Readyboost (I have a dual core E8400 with 4GB of 1GB Crucial matched DDR2 sticks and a 950 GB SATA 0 array, so this isn't urgent from a PC working point of view but it is one of tose things that is really frustrating because it should work. If anyone can help put me out of my misery it would be most appreciated. regards, Brett	Brettp (13789)
672352	2008-05-25 03:59:00	Hi Brett, the 4 servicing you mention wont start until readboost service is started. Try check which account is selected to run the service, you maybe able to change to admin or system account, taking into account what you have said above with error message 1079.	SolMiester (139)
672353	2008-05-25 04:22:00	"ReadyBoost" is not ready yet, seems that... :p	Renmoo (66)
672354	2008-05-25 08:54:00	Thanks Solmeister but I don't think that is the problem. I don't actually have any other optional accounts. Apart from the administrator account that I use, there is the standard guest account. After your suggestion I also used the method described at lifehacker.com to open access to the Vista "hidden' admin account and tried readyboost there. Exactly the same errors. I think that my mention of logging in with a different account was just a red herring. Sorry about that - it was just something that I found when googling had worked for someone else with a different service. Thanks anyway for your help. Regards, Brett	Brettp (13789)
672355	2008-06-08 03:00:00	I still haven't managed to fix this. Does anyone have any other suggestions or diagnostic questions?	Brettp (13789)
672356	2008-06-08 03:31:00	DOne this? The way Vista tests a USB flash device for use with ReadyBoost can be a little 'deceptive'. Some USB flash devices will initially test as not compatable, however, they may really be compatable. Theres a little trick to it that the average user may not realize, and this may be the reason why some USB flash devices are not listed in the various lists on line as compatable with ReadyBoost when in actuality they may be compatable. When you first plug a USB flash drive in Vista comes up and asks you what you want to do with it, one of the options is to use it to speed up your system, click on this and Vista will check the flash device for compatability with ReadyBoost. The problem is that the very first test may not be accurate if it comes back and tells you that the device can't be used for ReadyBoost when it may be perfectly capable for use with ReadyBoost. So...here's the trick to determine if your device is or is not compatable with ReadyBoost; 1. Insert the USB flash device, and let Vista detect the device. When it comes up and asks you want you want to do close the GUI and do not make any selection. 2. Next, go to USB Flash device in explorer or disk management and format the device. Format the USB device you plan to use for ReadyBoost with NTFS and cluster sizes of 4096. Name the drive something you want like 'My_ReadyBoost' or something. 3. After the format is complete right click on the USB device and choose 'Properties' then the 'ReadyBoost' tab. 4. On the ReadyBoost tab unckeck the box to stop testing the device every time. 5. Next, click the Test again button. If the tab changes from the test tab to a tab that gives you two options of 'Do not use this device' and 'Use this device'. Check the 'Use this device' box and do not make any other changes on the tab especially to the 'Space to reserve for system speed' slider, leave the 'Space to reserve for system speed' setting at what ever Vista recommended. 6. Click 'Apply' then 'OK'. Your almost done - go to step 7 7. After completing the above steps go back to the tab in step 5 and check the 'Do not use this device' item. Then in explorer re-format the device as FAT32. After re-format go back to the tab in step 5 and check the 'Use this device' item. Now your done, and if your device is truely compatable you can now use the device for ReadyBoost. The fact that the tab changes is not a true indication of ReadyBoost capability. Some flash devices may in fact allow this tab to be shown and still not be ReadyBoost capable. To determine if your device will indeed be ReadyBoost capable look on the flash device after you complete the above steps, if a file named ReadyBoost.sfcache exists on the flash device and the flash device is actually being used when you access any hard drive in your computer to start up an application then congratulations as your device may actually be ReadyBoost capable even if it initially tested as not capable. May or may not work for all USB flash devices, If the tab with the two options in step 5 above will not come up, or the file named ReadyBoost.sfcache does not appear on the device, then the device is truly not compatable with ReadyBoost so you will not be able to use it for that purpose. The flash device must handle a capacity of between 2 to 3 times your installed RAM. While your using the device as a ReadyBoost drive you can't use it for normal storage purposes you can only use it for ReadyBoost. The ReadyBoost device must be USB 2.0 and the USB port your plugging it into must also be USB 2.0. I stumbled across this when an IT friend of mine gave me a call and told me that all 30 of the company purchased Verbatim 4GB Store and Go USB Flash devices were giving mixed results for ReadyBoost with several different machine models. Some would pick the Store and Go USB Flash drives right up and let you know the devices were ReadyBoost compatable and didn't need further testing by Vista. Some machines would not detect the device as compatable. We knew the flash devices were ReadyBoost capable because some machines were using them just fine and detected them as compatable, so we came to the conclusion that differences in chipsets may be the dividing factor because on the machines with certain chipsets the devices would be detected and used just fine with ReadyBoost but the exact same Verbatim 4GB Store and Go USB Flash device plugged into a machine with a different chipset would not initially sucessfully test as ReadyBoost capable. After doing this little trick, all the machines that tested the USB device as not ReadyBoost compatable intially were now using the devices in a ReadyBoost capacity without complaint. There was a noticible improvement in speed of the system, it varied between systems, but there was a difference.	pctek (84)
672357	2008-06-08 04:06:00	why try!? It doesn't work anyway!	Blam (54)
672358	2008-06-09 01:41:00	Thanks pctek but a part of my problem is that the Readyboost tab doesn't appear, so I can't follow those instructions. I have formatted the USB drive as NTFS (as well as FAT and FAT32) but still the Readyboost tab doesn't appear. I suspect that it is because the Readyboost swervice wont start, as I've described above. I suspect that what I need is some ideas abiut what might make a service unable to start as described above, rather than info on using Readyboost. Thanks very mcuh for your suggesiotn anyway. Brett	Brettp (13789)
672359	2009-01-11 21:10:00	Brettp ...... Lucky you ! My problem is that it started OK, and filled my 4Gb Sony stick so I have only 17 Kb left - and I can't uninstall it ! In Properties /Readyboost/ the option not to use this device is no longer posted. Can anyone tell me how to go back to square one pls. ? blam6 ........ I agree, why bother, which is why I'm trying to get the facility to use my memory stick back again.	Speedbird (12581)
672360	2009-01-11 22:44:00	Brettp ...... Lucky you ! My problem is that it started OK, and filled my 4Gb Sony stick so I have only 17 Kb left - and I can't uninstall it ! In Properties /Readyboost/ the option not to use this device is no longer posted. Can anyone tell me how to go back to square one pls. ? blam6 ........ I agree, why bother, which is why I'm trying to get the facility to use my memory stick back again. Once again M$ comes up with a great idea but is executed badly.:yuck: Have you tried formatting it? Right Click>Format	Blam (54)
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