How to Fix: Pro Tools Could Not Allocate Memory for the Disk Cache

Introduction

Pro Tools, the digital audio workstation from Avid Technology, is the established industry leader among sound professionals. The software typically receives updates on a yearly basis, with the latest release being tagged as version 2019.5.

The update contained bug fixes, performance improvements, and better support for continuous playback.

Modern versions of Pro Tools can be run on either the Microsoft Windows or Apple Mac OS X operating systems. Starting with version 12, some Pro Tools users experience an error when setting up the software.

The exact message states: “Could not allocate memory for the disk cache.” In this article, we’ll provide the exact troubleshooting steps to get past this issue and run Pro Tools smoothly.

Fixing Pro Tools Memory Error

Modern computers rely on constant data transfer between a system’s random access memory (RAM) and the internal hard drive. With the Windows operating system, a small amount of RAM is embedded on the hard drive to make this data exchange seamless.

This is known as the disk cache and if the Pro Tools installer or launcher cannot allocate memory for it, then the error message will be thrown.
Follow the steps below to resolve or get around the disk cache issue.

• 1. Ensure your computer meets the system requirements for the version of Pro Tools you are trying to run. PC users must have a 64-bit Intel-based processor running Windows 7, 8, or 10. The software also requires a minimum of 16 gigabytes of RAM and 15 gigabytes of internal hard drive space for installation and storage. If you have previously tried installing Pro Tools with an external hard drive and are receiving the “disk cache” error, then you should first attempt it instead with an internal drive.
• 2. Check for software updates for your version of Pro Tools. These updates often fix known bugs and can resolve errors like the “disk cache” message. Updates can be found on my.avid.com after logging in to your subscription account.
• 3. Go to the “Settings” or “Control Panel” menu on your PC, depending on your version of Windows. Then browse the list of applications currently installed.
• 4. Highlight “Pro Tools” from the list of applications and click on the “Uninstall” button. A wizard will appear to walk you through the steps of uninstalling the software.
• 5. Make sure you select the “Pro Tools, Avid HD Driver, Preferences, Databases, and MIDI Device/Patch Settings” option when using the wizard to uninstall the entire Pro Tools suite. The “disk cache” error often originates in the software’s preferences, so all data must be cleared.
• 6. Go back to the Windows control panel or settings area and click on “User Accounts.” Then select the “Change User Account Control Settings” option and switch the setting to “Never notify.” After saving this setting, you will be prompted to restart your computer.
• 7. Run through the Pro Tools installer once the computer has restarted. During this process, make sure any antivirus scanning tool is temporarily disabled, as it could interfere with installation data and cause the “disk cache” error to come back again.
• 8. If the error still appears after performing a fresh installation of Pro Tools, then you will manually need to remove and add the necessary driver files that manage data transfers to the internal hard drive. To start, go back to the application list in the control panel or settings area. Look for the item labeled “Avid HD Driver (x64)” and click the “Uninstall” button.
• 9. Browse to your Pro Tools DVD or installation package and navigate to this path: Pro Tools Installer\ISSetupPrerequisites\Avid HD Driver x64.
• 10. Double-click on the “Avid HD Driver10_x64.exe” file to manually add a fresh copy of the driver.
• 11. Reboot your computer again and launch Pro Tools like you normally would. The “disk cache” error message should now be cleared.

Conclusion

Given the scope of the Pro Tools audio software, installing it on a PC requires a large amount of RAM and hard drive memory. If the two data sources cannot communicate properly, you will often see an alert about “Could not allocate memory for the disk cache” and be unable to launch the program.

If your Windows system meets all of the requirements for the version of Pro Tools you are using, then a clean installation of the software and its drivers will resolve the issue.