Windows (XP and Vista) has excellent memory management and for the most part you don't need a third party memory management product. I've tried a few free memory managers but none has impressed me enough to allow recommendation. Until now that is.
Most people believe that Memory Optimizers are nothing but "Snake Oil". And, that is mostly true. Most memory optimizers simply fill up memory in windows, and force everything to the page file. However, there a couple that seem to actually work.
Free Memory Optimizer
CleanMem I've got to talk about this little program that another category editor told me about. I've been running it now for over a year and I've got to say that I almost forgot about it. You never notice it other than you eventually notice that your system is running smoother and faster. After installation, you don't even realize that it is working. The program will install and set it to run every 30 min via the windows task scheduler. You can change this to any amount of time you like by simply going to the task scheduler in windows and changing any of the options you like.
Install it and your done! The program doesn't run in the back ground, once it does its job it closes and doesn't run again until the task scheduler runs it. The program is very simple to operate as it will run and clean the memory out of all processes it can, without any user input.
This doesn't work like other memory cleaners that do nothing but force windows to free up memory by using up all the avail. memory. This old trick then causes your system to lag big time!
NEW UPDATE:
CleanMem has been upgraded to version 1.7.0. This is a major update. Make sure to uninstall any old versions of CleanMem first.
CleanMem is now 3.5x faster. CleanMem use to take 3.5 sec to do its job and close. It now takes 1 sec.
Several new cool features have been added. The most dramatic is a new CleanMem Mini Monitor. This runs separate from CleanMem. The mini monitor allows a user to keep an eye on current memory usage and clean the system memory with one click of a button. The program calls CleanMem to do its job. This new mini monitor is an addition to CleanMem, not a replacement. The mini monitor actually calls cleanmem to run, the mini monitor itself doesnt do the cleaning. CleanMem still installs and runs in the back ground via the task scheduler just as it always has. You do NOT have to use the mini monitor if you chose not to. However, I like it. You can also hide it to the tray icon.
One additional feature that I am also excited about is a feature to change cleanmem auto run time via the right click menu. Basically, when you click it, it opens the task scheduler for the user. It isn't rocket science, but it is a new handy feature.
Special Note: Upon installation, you have 2 choices--you can either install a 32-bit version or a 64-bit version.
Most people believe that Memory Optimizers are nothing but "Snake Oil". And, that is mostly true. Most memory optimizers simply fill up memory in windows, and force everything to the page file. However, there a couple that seem to actually work.
Free Memory Optimizer
CleanMem I've got to talk about this little program that another category editor told me about. I've been running it now for over a year and I've got to say that I almost forgot about it. You never notice it other than you eventually notice that your system is running smoother and faster. After installation, you don't even realize that it is working. The program will install and set it to run every 30 min via the windows task scheduler. You can change this to any amount of time you like by simply going to the task scheduler in windows and changing any of the options you like.
Install it and your done! The program doesn't run in the back ground, once it does its job it closes and doesn't run again until the task scheduler runs it. The program is very simple to operate as it will run and clean the memory out of all processes it can, without any user input.
This doesn't work like other memory cleaners that do nothing but force windows to free up memory by using up all the avail. memory. This old trick then causes your system to lag big time!
NEW UPDATE:
CleanMem has been upgraded to version 1.7.0. This is a major update. Make sure to uninstall any old versions of CleanMem first.
CleanMem is now 3.5x faster. CleanMem use to take 3.5 sec to do its job and close. It now takes 1 sec.
Several new cool features have been added. The most dramatic is a new CleanMem Mini Monitor. This runs separate from CleanMem. The mini monitor allows a user to keep an eye on current memory usage and clean the system memory with one click of a button. The program calls CleanMem to do its job. This new mini monitor is an addition to CleanMem, not a replacement. The mini monitor actually calls cleanmem to run, the mini monitor itself doesnt do the cleaning. CleanMem still installs and runs in the back ground via the task scheduler just as it always has. You do NOT have to use the mini monitor if you chose not to. However, I like it. You can also hide it to the tray icon.
One additional feature that I am also excited about is a feature to change cleanmem auto run time via the right click menu. Basically, when you click it, it opens the task scheduler for the user. It isn't rocket science, but it is a new handy feature.
Special Note: Upon installation, you have 2 choices--you can either install a 32-bit version or a 64-bit version.
FreeRAM XP is a memory manager that not only works but also doesn't seem to cause problems; a rare combination. It ticks away in the background, consumes few resources, and does genuinely free up a bit of memory when you ask it to. It can also be configured to automatically free up memory.
Does freeing up memory improve performance? On both my test system and personal laptop it certainly did release some more memory, but it didn't make much difference to performance. Still, all my systems are XP and have 1GB plus. Maybe on older PCs with less memory, or when using applications like PhotoShop that eat up a lot of memory it may make a difference, I can't say. What I can say is that FreeRAM XP caused no problems other than a 10-30 second freeze of my PC when FreeRAM is in the actual process of releasing memory.
This product no longer appears to be in development. The most recent release is from 2006.
Others
MZ Ram Booster (http://mztweak.bravehost.com/) Please be advised that MZ Ram Booster requires .Net Framework 2.0 or higher. Recently upgraded to version 3.5.2 and is currently in development. Reportedly works in all versions of Windows.
RAMBooster 2 (http://www.sci.fi/~borg/rambooster/). There are actually 2 videos on CNET TV (http://www.cnettv.com/) featuring RAMBooster 2 that speak highly of the program. If you are interested, just follow the link and do a search for RAMBooster. Version 2.0. Please note that the most recent version was released in 2005. It appears to be no longer in development.
CachemanXP (http://www.outertech.com/index.php?_charisma_page=downloads) While not solely a Memory Optimizer, I also need to mention it. CachemanXP is somewhat unique. CachemanXP is a Windows tuneup utility designed to improve the speed and stability of your computer by optimizing several caches, recovering RAM, and fine tuning a number of system settings. Oneclick-Optimization makes it suitable for novice and intermediate users yet it is also powerful and versatile enough for computer experts. Backups of settings ensure that all user modifications can be reversed with a single click. CachemanXP requires Cacheman runs on Windows XP, Vista, 7 x86|x64, uses minimal resources and virtually no CPU time. It does offer a Memory Optimizer as a part of its package.
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