How can we cut to zero writing on the OS SSD hard disk?
I am on Win 8.1. I would like to put every temp file writing on another hard disk than the OS SSD. An automated application would be good for that, or an option for that.
I found two articles about that.
1) http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/3-top-tips-maintain-performance-extend-life-ssd-si/ where it says: Use Firefox Memory (RAM) Cache
In Firefox, type about:config in address bar and hit Enter. Promise to be careful, then search and double-click browser.cache.disk.enable and set value to False. Right-click anywhere and select > New > Integer and set the Preference Name to disk.cache.memory.capacity with a value of 32768 for 32MB and 65536 for 64MB etc., depending on the size in MB you want to reserve for the browser cache. Restart Firefox for changes to come into effect. --- I do not catch the logic of it and I want to not just pot a small amount of MB on the disk but zero, and put some MB to another disk. I did it.
Is it easy the cancel that modif by just deleting the newly created var and re enabling the cache?
The 2nd article about it was on your support forum: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/questions/1019042
But the procedure is not clear enough for me.
That is why a built in option would be better for addressing the reality of using SSDs for improving performance.
Thanks Marc
Alle Antworten (3)
If you want to point Firefox to a different drive (e.g., E drive), you can "move" the disk cache as described in this thread: how do I specify or move my cache directory? Basically you are specifying the new top level folder and Firefox will build its structure below that.
Does that work?
Regarding the two references you found:
(1) Firefox caches some files to disk for long term maintenance, and keeps some in an in-memory cache for faster access. The steps you found:
- completely disable caching to disk
- enlarge the space allocated to the in-memory cache
You can reset these modified preferences to their default values by going back into the about:config preferences editor, right-clicking them, and choosing Reset.
(2) The other support thread only related to migrating Firefox file, and not to how the cache works.
But... if you want ZERO writes you need to move more than your cache folder. Firefox updates your settings (profile) folder as often as every 15 seconds as it maintains your session history (open and recently closed windows and tabs). So you would need to move your entire profile.
I've never done it and I'm not sure we can fully support it on this site, but on the community-driven mozillaZine site there is an article: http://kb.mozillazine.org/Moving_your_profile_folder
Note that there may be permission issues with downloads, since Firefox uses the Windows Temp folder as an intermediary location. You might want to experiment with a new profile to make sure it works in the new location before moving your existing profile.
Create a new Firefox profile
A new profile will have your system-installed plugins (e.g., Flash) and extensions (e.g., security suite toolbars), but no themes, other extensions, or other customizations. It also should have completely fresh settings databases and a fresh cache folder.
Exit Firefox and start up in the Profile Manager using Start > Run:
firefox.exe -P
Do not delete anything here. Any time you want to switch profiles, exit Firefox and return to this dialog.
Click the Create Profile button. When you see the option to choose a non-default location, you can point Firefox to your spinning drive. To avoid data loss, never re-use an existing folder. Then start Firefox in the new profile you created.
Can you get down to zero use of the SSD? Any complications?
When returning to the Profile Manager, you might be tempted to use the Delete Profile button. But... it's a bit too easy to accidentally delete your "real" profile, so I recommend resisting the temptation. If you do want to clean up later, I suggest making a backup of all your profiles first in case something were to go wrong.
You can modify the TMP and TEMP environment variable via the Windows Control Panel > System to make them point to the other drive.
See also: