[Fix] “ReadyBoot” stopped due to the following Error: 0xc0000188
ReadyBoot is a mechanism to help you speed up your computer’s boot time. Each time you turn on your computer, Windows keeps track of the way your computer starts and the programs which are usually accessed in the startup process. Windows readily save this information in the form of small files in the “Prefetch” folder. The next time you turn on your computer, Windows refers to these files to speed up the startup process.
The Prefetch folder is located under the Windows system directory and is self-maintaining. There is no need to erase its contents as it will only slow down the boot process as Windows will not be able to access the files it saved and will boot in the traditional way.
What is the main Difference between ReadyBoot and ReadyBoost?
Let’s start by defining the mechanics of both the processes. On systems with more than 700MB of RAM, ReadyBoot uses information from 5 previous boots to create a plan for a boot-time memory cache. It will try to prefetch the files needed in the future onto the RAM beforehand. The memory used by ReadyBoot is freed up after around 90 seconds or immediately if another process needs the memory.
To put it in simple terms, if you have a system where your system is booted from an SSD, ReadyBoot may not improve the boot time by a lot. However, it will try to utilize your fast RAM so it can serve as a fast cache for the disk. At this moment, even the fastest SSD’s are slower than your RAM so it does improve the boot time by a little.
ReadyBoost, on the other hand, is meant for utilizing the flash memory for the swap file. If you have an SSD, there is no point in using the ReadyBoost utility as it will be slower. You may see a message pop-up whenever you plug in a fast USB flash into your computer about whether you want to use it for ReadyBoost or not.
What does the Error Condition under Discussion mean?
This error mainly occurs if the memory allocated to the ReadyBoot service is less than the service actually needs. Therefore it is unable to make the small files which we discussed earlier and your computer is forced into not using the service to its potential. The default size of ReadyBoot in most computers is 20MB which may prove to be less over time. We can try changing the allocation size and see if this solves the error message.
- Press Windows + S, type “performance monitor” in the dialogue box and open the application.
- Expand “Data Collector Sets” and click on “Startup Event Trace Sessions”. Look for “ReadyBoot” using the navigation pane present at the right-side of the screen and double-click it.
- Select the tab “Stop Condition”. Now increase the size located at the near bottom of the screen. The ideal size if 128 MB. It isn’t much space but it suffices for the application to function normally.
- Press Apply to save changes and exit.
Now restart your computer. To check if the error condition got fixed, follow the steps listed below.
- Press Windows + R, type “eventvwr.msc” in the dialogue box and press Enter.
- Now you can check in the event viewer if the error message happened recently. Furthermore, you can also navigate to the directory “C:\Windows\Prefetch\ReadyBoot” and check if space is more than the 20MB which we defined earlier.
What are the Side effects on my Computer if the Error Message is Still there?
According to an official statement by Microsoft:
The logging of this error will not affect the operation of your computer.
So to sum up, this error will not in any way affect the way your computer operates or will cause any loss of functionality. It is only used to speed up your computer by increasing its boot time. If Windows is unable to access this utility, it will switch to booting the traditional way and boot the operating system without consulting the memory table which was built because of this service. Do note it will slightly increase the boot time but that’s all there is.
