How to manually turn disk write caching on or off

This article describes steps to manually turn disk write caching on or off.

Applies to:   Windows Server 2012 R2
Original KB number:   324805

Summary

With some third-party programs, disk write caching has to be turned on or off. Additionally, turning disk write caching on may increase operating system performance; however, it may also result in the loss of information if a power failure, equipment failure, or software failure occurs. This article describes how to turn disk write caching on or off.

Turn disk write caching on or off

1. Right-click My Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager.
3. Expand Disk Drives.
4. Right-click the drive on which you want to turn disk write caching on or off, and then click Properties.
5. Click the Policies tab.
6. Click to select or clear the Enable write caching on the disk check box as appropriate.
7. Click OK.

For Windows Server 2008

1. Right-click Computer, and then click Properties.
2. Click the Device Manager link under Tasks.
3. Expand Disk Drives.
4. Right-click the drive on which you want to turn disk write caching on or off, and then click Properties.
5. Click the Policies tab.
6. Click to select or clear the Enable write caching on the disk check box as appropriate.
7. Click OK.