How To Sync Windows Memory Buffer With Disk Data Instantly

FlushVol is a free utility that keeps the state of all fixed disk volumes in sync with their file buffers in memory. It utilizes command line interface and helps prevent data loss in the event of a system crash. Basically, it provides a good preventive measure against Windows’ ‘lazy write’ technology.

By default, Windows OS uses the lazy write technology to improve disk performance. What this does is that data is not immediately written to the fixed drive; it is stored in memory buffer for a while and then written after a delay. How much this delay would be, is not guaranteed. It can range between 10-20 seconds to minutes or even more. During this time if a system crash occurs, the files you were working on would probably get lost since they had not yet been written, and memory buffers get cleared once system restarts.

With FlushVol, the buffer is written to the fixed disk immediately, providing guarantee that you won’t lose your work in progress.

Once you have extracted the downloaded file, go to command prompt by typing ‘cmd’ in Run dialog. Navigate to the folder where flushvol.exe is residing, and run the file with –v parameter (runs the file in verbose mode).

FlushVol requires administrative privileges to be executed. However, you also have the option to set the utility as a service, so that it runs periodically, and can work even if a non-administrative user is working on the machine.

To install as the service, simply run the program with –i parameter.

When FlushVol is installed as a service, it works ‘in place’, meaning it will not copy the executable to any location, but instead work from the directory the user has placed it in. The package also contains an ini file, which governs the service priority, execution delay etc.

The command line switches supported by FlushVol are:

-v  Verbose (print internal volume names to be flushed)
-i  Install as a service
-r  Remove the service

-?  Print short usage information

It has been tested to work with all versions of Windows, including Windows 7.

Download FlushVol