A method for operating a computer having coupled thereto a storage medium and a non-volatile cache device , the computer comprising an operating system, the method comprising acts of: A) in response to a request to write a data item to an address on the storage medium, causing the data item to be written to the address on the storage medium and to a corresponding address on the cache device and generating a representation of at least the data item and writing the representation to the cache device; B) subsequent to a reboot of the operating system and in response to a request to read the data item from the address on the storage medium, determining whether the data item stored at the address on the cache device can reliably be employed to satisfy a request to read the data item from the address on the storage medium, wherein determining includes verifying that the data item stored at the address on the cache device was not modified after completion of the act A), wherein verifying includes B1) retrieving the representation of data written to the cache device; B2) re-generating the representation of data retrieved from the cache device; and B3) comparing the representation retrieved in B1) to the representation re-generated in B2) to determine whether the data item stored at the address on the cache device can reliably be employed to satisfy the request to read the data item; and C) if it is determined in B) that the data item stored at the address on the cache device can reliably be employed to satisfy a request to read the data item from the address on the storage medium, causing the data item to be served to satisfy the request from the address on the cache device. A) in response to a request to write a data item to an address on the storage medium, causing the data item to be written to the address on the storage medium and to a corresponding address on the cache device and generating a representation of at least the data item and writing the representation to the cache device; B) subsequent to a reboot of the operating system and in response to a request to read the data item from the address on the storage medium, determining whether the data item stored at the address on the cache device can reliably be employed to satisfy a request to read the data item from the address on the storage medium, wherein determining includes verifying that the data item stored at the address on the cache device was not modified after completion of the act A), wherein verifying includes B1) retrieving the representation of data written to the cache device; B2) re-generating the representation of data retrieved from the cache device; and B3) comparing the representation retrieved in B1) to the representation re-generated in B2) to determine whether the data item stored at the address on the cache device can reliably be employed to satisfy the request to read the data item; and B1) retrieving the representation of data written to the cache device; B2) re-generating the representation of data retrieved from the cache device; and B3) comparing the representation retrieved in B1) to the representation re-generated in B2) to determine whether the data item stored at the address on the cache device can reliably be employed to satisfy the request to read the data item; and C) if it is determined in B) that the data item stored at the address on the cache device can reliably be employed to satisfy a request to read the data item from the address on the storage medium, causing the data item to be served to satisfy the request from the address on the cache device. <EOS>