Windows 7: Odd USB Ready Boost

Have been looking at a friends computer for him and added an empty 2Gb stick into it and set it for Ready boost.

Thing is when I open the Drive "j" or whatever it is designated it shows the contents as a bright red!!

Put it in the other machines and it is showing white and empty - ready ti use so to speak.

Mind you this machine of his is dodgy as I think some low life has sold him a Vista machine that has been formatted and a pirate 7 Home put on it as I cannot factory default the thing to what it was originally - Vista Business.

Anyway of finding out if this has been done cos the bloke who sold it to my mate isn't going to own up to that eh?

The red filenames are normal when a USB drive has been configured as a ReadyBoost drive. It reminds you that you can't put any other files on it whilst it's being used for ReadyBoost.

When it's plugged into an OS which doesn't support ReadyBoost or Readyboost has been disabled, nothing will be on it.

That's all normal behaviour.

Thanks pip22 The machine is originally a Vista one - although there's no trace of Vista on it - a funny deal methinks on someone unsuspecting.

Anyway at least he can get to use it now.

Cheers!

Why would a machine with Vista once on it now with Windows 7 have any left over traces of Vista? Dual Boot from two different drives or partitions aside. Me thinks I need more clarification before we slander the friend?

Agreed, there is nothing wrong with upgrading your operating system.

Ok I was only considering that it was a shonky deal OS because of the lack of info on what had been done with this machine.

At the time I got onto my mate - the current owner and told him what might have gone on. He was happy to take the machine home and accept whatever - if anything that may come up.

Have spoken to him on several occasions now and nothing has come up so I guess unless one could find out who the person is who put on the 7 then will have to take it at face value. At the time I was doing it - it just didn't feel right - am a very suspicious individual by nature - perhaps too much for my own good really.

As an after mention the machine is still flying and they are quite happy with how it's going and particularly Windows 7!

With all the money Microsoft makes, let them worry about catching software pirates, I'd refuse to do that for them. If your friend had doubts about ownership of the OS, the time to ask about that was before he paid for the computer. If he looks into it again, or contacts microsoft, they will have him install something like "Windows Genuine Advantage", which has been known to flag genuine licensed products as not being genuine, then even if you own the OS, good luck getting it fixed by MS.

I once had a dead computer and transferred some of the hardware and OS to a new computer I built. I then had difficulty activating the windows and Microsoft wanted to sell me a new license. I flipped out on them and demanded that the OS I owned and paid for be activated.

They eventually apologized and did so, but I bet they get a lot of people (like your friend) to pay them money, not because MS found it to be unlicensed, but because the consumer can't prove it is.