System Utilities;
Do you ever get the feeling
you're losing your memory?

Memory Management

Do you ever get the feeling you're losing your memory? No, we're not talking about the onset of senility. Just as there are a lot of quack remedies for the problem many us have retaining facts, there are a multitude of software products that claim to increase your PC's memory and speed. In our benchmark and hands-on testing, we saw no improvement in speed with these products. In fact, some of them actually degrade performance.

Perhaps you'd see some improvement on the older systems that many of these products target-machines running Microsoft Windows 95 or 98 with 32MB of RAM. But if your PC is that old, you're much better off adding RAM or getting a brand new computer, which would also get you Windows XP with its excellent built-in memory handling. Still, these utilities aren't without merit. Many offer useful features that experts can use to optimize system settings.

DMK Memory Optimizer Pro 2002 ($29.95)

claims to increase memory by dealing with leaks and unused resources. A status page offers a live chart of memory usage and a running total of saved memory. Memory Optimizer also has a process viewer that can monitor and cancel processes, though without the library details or other options of Tenebril's MemoryBoost Pro 2.6. A neat feature is the ability to right-click on a process and change its CPU priority, which is impossible in Windows 9x alone. One complaint we have is that, unlike MemoryBoost, Memory Optimizer's process killer doesn't ask you if you're sure; once you click on End Process, it's gone. Settings are minimal: Just target and trigger your desired level of memory optimization, display refresh rate, and free start-up memory. (DMK Corp., http://www.dmk.ca www.dmk.ca **)

MemoryBoost Pro 2.6 ($19.95)

offers a near-real-time view of your PC's memory usage and does its cleanup during idle CPU time. Its system tweakers can set file, folder, and write-back cache sizes. An optimization wizard asks questions, such as whether your programs load or run slow, and presets cache values to optimal levels. Though it can't reclaim resources, the Crash Protect feature can alert you if User, GDI, or System resources drop below specified levels. The cool Process Detective displays running programs, memory consumption, and all associated code libraries (DLLs). You can stop any process or click on Stop all nonessential processes, which clears out everything but Windows system programs. If the infamous recurring malware program Porn Dialer shows up on your machine, MemoryBoost's Sniper feature will kill it before it starts. (Tenebril Inc., http://www.memboost.com www.memboost.com ***)

PC Accelerator XG ($29.95),

a power tool on steroids, includes over 400 settings (some are OS- or application-specific)-more than most of the other programs we tested in this section. A wizard can recommend settings for your machine, or you can dig through page after page of check boxes. Since many of these settings modify the Registry, PC Accelerator comes with Registry backup and restore capabilities. An HTML-based help file gives spotty details on all of PC Accelerator's features. The program also comes with utilities such as a monitor calibrator, which displays a special gray scale and instructions on setting contrast. PC Accelerator's myriad settings can provide endless hours of happy tinkering. (Live Wire Media, http://www.smartalec2000.com www.smartalec2000.com ***)

SpeedUpMyPC ($29.95)

offers several distinctive status charts. Users can view live CPU, memory, and Internet usage charts with time lines in minutes or hours. The utility also lets you test your connection speed and optimize your Internet settings. The handy start-up program optimizer lets you easily weed out memory-hogging applications that launch when Windows starts up, and the crash recovery wizard can terminate non-responsive applications. As with Memory Optimizer, you can assign a higher CPU priority to running applications. SpeedUpMyPC's crash-recovery function successfully cleaned our system after our test crash. The online help is comprehensive, but it's viewable only in Adobe Acrobat Reader. (LIUtilities Inc., to download your review copy ***)

WinSpeedUp 2.52 ($15)

shows good manners by saving your current configuration on start-up so you can revert back to it if your changes don't work. With a rich, tab-based interface, the program offers 14 pages of detailed tweaks, tips, and tunings. WinSpeedUp didn't improve our system's performance, but it has a lot of handy features, ranging from niceties like its Start menu editor to the esoteric Windows 98 RAM alignment utility. It also simplifies the process of getting to Windows' hard-to-find built-in utilities, such as the DirectX Diagnostic Tool, Regedit, and Msconfig. Though it's not as comprehensive as PC Accelerator XG and lacks in-depth help, WinSpeedUp is practical and user-friendly. It's the best value in Windows tweaking among the products we looked at in this category. (Script Soft, http://www.winspeedup.com www.winspeedup.com ****)

System Utilities; Do you ever get the feeling you're losing your memory?