Free Up Computer Memory - Put Media in the Root Directory

Do you have a lot of videos or large image files in your Documents? You may want to move them to the root C:\ directory, because it takes a lot of RAM (Random Access Memory) to get them loaded each time you open your Documents folder or fire the machine up.

"My Pictures" (or "Pictures" for Vista users), "My Videos", and quite a few other folders that your computer uses are stored in your Documents folder. The more information that is stored in the folders, the harder it is for your computer's RAM to load it into the resident memory.

RAM accesses the Documents folder upon starting up, and of course, each time that particular folder is actually opened. Think of it like having to open several doors before you get to the room you need. The less doors that have to be opened, the faster you get there!

By moving large media folders to the root directory, your Documents folder will open much quicker, the computer will probably start up faster, and it will be harder to access your images and video should the machine ever get used by family, friends or neighbors.

For instance, let's say you are a photographer, or a DJ, and have a few folders with huge amounts of information, and they are stored in your Documents. Simply right click the folder, select "Cut", and go to the Start menu. From there, choose "My Computer" (or "Computer" for Vista users), and then C:\.

A folder will open with files and folders you probably won't recognize, but that's okay. Right click any blank spot on the screen, and scroll down to "Paste". Depending on the speed of your computer and the size of the information being processed, it could take a while to transfer the folder.

Once it appears, right click it again and choose "Send To >", then slide the mouse to the right and select "Desktop (create shortcut)".

Now go view your desktop; there will be a new icon there. This new icon will take you directly to the folder you just moved, and you can rename the shortcut to anything you like. Now it is safely in the root directory, and not cluttering up your Documents folder or the RAM.

The next time you restart the machine or open your Documents folder, you will more than likely notice that things have quickened up a tad - or a lot - depending once again on the speed of your machine, and the amount of information freed up.