Advice : Don't use it :) .

Programs in this category do harm to performance, by pushing an important Code from the (fast) main memory to the (slow) virtual memory (swap / pagefile)..

The operating system can manage memory better and more efficient than all programs.

Thanks
Azi

Azi  –  14 years ago  –  A fost util acest comentariu? da | nu (+18)

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Many negative comments here but many stars. What gives?

John Davidson  –  14 years ago  –  A fost util acest comentariu? da | nu (+8)

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@#5 and #19: I agree with both of you in general, but #12 (Charles) makes a very valid point. Sometimes, Windows programs can and do 'leak' memory which is typically unrecoverable until you reboot.

Most programs in the 'RAM cleaner/defragmenter/recovery' category don't actually address that problem: their usual modus operandi is to shunt running programs to and from physical RAM and swap space on disk. If you're having memory 'leak' problems, all these programs will usually do for you is swap the 'leaked' memory to and from disk! I don't know whether today's GOTD uses that method or not, but it does specifically claim to be able to recover 'leaked' memory.

I just checked out the Rizone freeware program (Memory Booster) cited in #14 and #15 above, which works very differently. As its developer states, 'all' it does is to periodically perform a Windows API call (Clear Processes Working Set, for all you fellow geeks ;)) which forces all running apps. to 'return' any memory they aren't currently using. (Again, it's impossible to tell whether or not today's GOTD is using the same call to perform its scheduled 'memory washing.') True, that API call won't necessarily reclaim any memory which Windows has, uh… 'mislaid,' but it still seems to me like a better and safer way of 'tidying up' RAM, should you want or need to do that.

I'm not in that category anyway, so I'll pass on today's GOTD (but thanks anyway, as always!), though I would be very interesting to hear a slightly more technical description from Giant Matrix—in broad terms—of the techniques that Memory Washer uses to go about its task.

Finally, I would add that there are lots of freeware process manager/killers out there, many of which provide better information about what the running processes are than (on the basis of their own screenshots) the rather bare list of program/file names which Memory Washer provides in their list of 'running processes.'

Scottish Geek  –  14 years ago  –  A fost util acest comentariu? da | nu (+7)

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#20 The Punisher You are not correct with your assumption that you only need 4GB of RAM for XP and WIN7...

Firstly, XP can only address 3GB of RAM with the top 1 GB reserved for the operating system. Hence you still will only have 2GB for running software.


Second, WIN7 can access up to 32GB RAM but only true WIN7 applications can make use of RAM above 4GB. However, software is being upgraded as we breathe, so most software will be >4GB compliant very soon. One needs to use the RAM >4GB for running multiple applications in a given environment. As an example, in a home music studio using MIDI I would need to run the DAW (Digital Audio Workstation>, perhaps several samplers, processors and many GBs of sample libraries all at once. Some sample libraries are over 60GB, and usable content at any one time could easily be 2GB just from one library. For that reason, one would need 8GB of RAM or more and as fast a CPU/HD/RAM as one can afford.

Graphics applications too will need more than 4GB to work smoothly and concurrently.

However, with regard to today's GAOTD offering, there is no substitute for real RAM. Trusting that any application can guess the correct priorities of your applications is ludicrous at best. Applications are written with the operating system's RAM optimization in mind. Anything else in the middle will only degrade performance.

As to memory leaks, they are the responsibility of the software developer. Complain to him. If he can't or won't fix it, move to a better behaved application.

Hemingway  –  14 years ago  –  A fost util acest comentariu? da | nu (+7)

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I agree totally with Azi (#5). This program, like all other RAM cleaner, actually slows down your computer, and makes Windows more unstable. The legend that pushing the code of your running program in the extremely slow pagefile can improve the PC performance is a known hoax. There are tons of similar program on the net, probably because they are extremely easy to write and to sell, but the only good system to speed your PC up is to buy some real RAM. Given the current price of the RAM, this kind of program is a rip-off.

r0lZ  –  14 years ago  –  A fost util acest comentariu? da | nu (+6)

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