Scratch space

Scratch space is space on the hard disk drive that is dedicated for only temporary storage. It cannot be used to permanently backup files. Scratch disks can be set to erase all data at regular intervals so that the disk space is left free for future use. The management of scratch disk space is typically dynamic, occurring when needed.

Scratch space is commonly used in graphic design programs, such as Adobe Photoshop. It is used when the program needs more memory, and the amount of available system RAM is insufficient. A common error in that program is "scratch disks full", which occurs when one has left the scratch disks configured to the default setting, being the boot drive. Many computer users gradually fill up their primary hard drive with files, slowly reducing the amount of space the scratch disk may take up.

Professional graphics designers often partition off several gigabytes of hard drive and leave that space empty to ensure reliable scratch disks. Hard drive space, on a per-gigabyte basis, is far cheaper than RAM, though performs far slower. Even if on a separate physical drive (even a fast 'WD Raptor' drive) to the main operating system and software, a scratch disc cannot match RAM for speed. However, since 10 000rpm hard drives can be purchased with capacities of up to 300GB, whereas few motherboards can handle more than 32GB of RAM, for applications such as video editing, it is a reasonable solution.

See also

• Scratch tape
• Temporary folder
• TMPDIR