Frequently Asked RAM Doubler (tm) for Windows Questions
Sales Related Questions
Q: When will RAM Doubler for Windows ship?
A: RAM Doubler for Windows 1.0 shipped on April 24th at COMDEX, Atlanta.
You should be able to find it at your local store by now.
Q: How much does RAM Doubler for Windows cost?
A: RAM Doubler retails for $99. Many mail order and retail outlets are
selling it for about $60.
Q: How do I order RAM Doubler for Windows?
A: RAM Doubler may be ordered for $99 directly from Connectix (registered
owners of other Connectix products may obtain it for $49). There is a small
charge for shipping, and California and Massachusetts residents must pay
sale tax on the purchase.
Most mail-order houses carry RAM Doubler for Windows for about $60. Try:
- PC Connection SKU#P19989
- PC Warehouse
RAM Doubler for Windows is also available through Tiger Software, CompUSA,
Egghead Software, Computerware, Computer City, Micro Center, Fry's Electronics,
and virtually every other place you find Windows software. Your local dealer
can order it through Ingram or Merisel.
Q: I don't live in the US. How do I order RAM Doubler for Windows?
A: RAM Doubler is distributed worldwide by distributors
who are affiliated with Connectix.
Software Technical Issues
Q: How do I install RAM Doubler for Windows?
A: RAM Doubler comes with a Windows-based Setup utility that does all
the work for you. Simply click on the Install button and RAM Doubler for
Windows is installed. The Setup utility can also remove RAM Doubler from
your system: simply click on the Remove button and all traces of RAM Doubler
will be removed from your computer. RAM Doubler for Windows' Setup utility
also allows users who have modems or fax machines to electronically fill
out the registration card. Not only does this insure that the data we have
on file for you is more accurate, but it also means you get registered faster
and more conveniently. In the US we even use an 800 number for modem registrations
so that you save the cost of the half-minute connection time.
Q: How does RAM Doubler for Windows work?
A: RAM Doubler solves several Windows memory bottlenecks, most of which
result in the "Insufficient Memory to run this application" message.
- First, RAM Doubler for Windows typically doubles the effective capacity of the 64K GDI and User system resources. Normally, Windows uses fixed, 64K blocks of memory to track system resources. When you run out of memory in even one of these fixed blocks, you're prohibited from launching additional applications. Some applications are tuned to use little system resource space, but others aren't. It's important to understand that no matter how much RAM you add to your computer, these system resource blocks do not grow in size, thus your ability to do more with your computer is not particularly enhanced by adding memory. RAM Doubler for Windows extends these system resource blocks so that you can often launch two, three, or even four times as many applications simultaneously.
- Second, RAM Doubler for Windows cleans up the under 1MB memory space, which can also cause the "Insufficient Memory" message to appear. Hardware drivers (e.g., network or display drivers) and application DLLs often fight over space in the under 1MB area of your system. Unfortunately, Windows can't resolve these fights, and generally just gives up with the "Insufficient Memory" message. RAM Doubler for Windows fixes this problem effectively, without causing memory space to be wasted.
- Finally, RAM Doubler for Windows uses patented memory management techniques to substantially reduce virtual memory hard drive access delays. RAM Doubler does this by compressing infrequently used parts of RAM memory, thus allowing swapping to occur at the speed of RAM rather than at hard drive speeds, which are much slower. Indeed, because many Windows users trigger the access of Windows virtual memory scheme so often, they tend to resort to very large disk caches (2MBs or more), which chew up even more memory that should be going to applications.
Q: Okay, I understand how it works. Still, why should I purchase RAM
Doubler?
A: Consider two alternate working scenarios: (1) you load one application
at a time and quit out of it when you need to run another application; (2)
you load all your applications once upon starting the computer and switch
between them with the Windows task switching key (Alt-Tab). In scenario
#1, you'll spend a fair amount of time saving data, quitting, launching
another application, then loading another data file every time you need
to change what you're doing. In scenario #2 you change from task to task
with far fewer keystrokes and virtually instantly. Which method would you
prefer?
Because of the memory bottlenecks inherent in Windows, most Windows users
adopt some variant of scenario #1. Maybe they load two programs at time,
but they certainly don't load their full complement of applications. One
beta tester of RAM Doubler for Windows reported this: "without RAM
Doubler the most applications I could run at once on my 8MB portable was
2, with RAM Doubler running I was able to open every application I had,
which was 11." Or consider this: on an 8MB Gateway desktop machine
we purchased, we were unable to load the entire Microsoft Office Pro suite
at the same time. With RAM Doubler installed on the same machine, we were
able to load both the Office suite and WordPerfect's PerfectOffice suite,
and still had room to run additional applications.
OLE (Object Linking and Embedding, built into Windows) is a productivity
enhancement, allowing sharing of data between applications. But if you're
only running two applications at any given time, you're not enjoying the
full benefits of OLE! And if you're a suite user (Microsoft Office, WordPerfect
PerfectOffice, or Lotus SmartSuite), you're probably not getting the full
benefits of your software when you're not running RAM Doubler for Windows.
Q: My machine seems more stable with RAM Doubler for Windows running.
Is it?
A: Yes, this is a possible side benefit of using RAM Doubler. Without
RAM Doubler running, it is possible for applications to attempt access to
non-existent memory during low system resource conditions. If this happens,
you'll normally get an error message and the application will terminate
("crash"). Since RAM Doubler extends the amount of memory available
in at least four critical bottlenecks, the likelihood of errant memory accesses
is reduced, and your applications crash less often. Some applications are
more prone to low memory conditions than others, so you may or may not see
this benefit with the applications you use.
Q: I thought virtual memory provided me more memory. Why do I need RAM
Doubler?
A: Raw memory for applications is what virtual memory provides. However,
virtual memory does not extend system resource space, fix the under 1MB
problem, or otherwise address the Windows memory bottlenecks. It's unlikely
that on most machines you'll ever exercise the full benefits of virtual
memory since other memory problems will intrude before you fill up the virtual
memory space.
Q: I just added 8MBs of SIMMs to my machine, didn't that fix the problem?
A: No. Again, simply adding raw memory doesn't change the Windows memory
bottlenecks. Only RAM Doubler for Windows will break down those barriers,
allowing you to use the extra memory you purchased.
Q: I have a program that requires 16MBs of RAM but I only have 8MBs installed
in my PC. Will RAM Doubler help?
A: You must have enough real memory to run your largest application,
or you will find that system performance degrades, sometimes to unacceptable
levels (i.e., a 4MB PC running a 16MB application will certainly be unusable).
Q: Will there be a Windows 95 version?
A: Yes. We have been working with Windows 95, and we will have an upgrade
to RAM Doubler for Windows after Windows 95 ships.
Q: What settings do I have to change with RAM Doubler?
A: There are no settings you have to change. Simply install RAM Doubler
and it will begin working for you the next time you start up Windows.
Q: If there's nothing to set, then how do I know RAM Doubler is running?
A: When Windows starts up, RAM Doubler puts a discrete "RAM Doubler"
message in the lower right corner of the display.
Q: When About Program Manager reports that I have 20% of the system resource
space remaining, what does that mean?
A: Without RAM Doubler, that means that the most used of the 64K heaps
only has 20% of its space left (20% of 64K is about 13K). With RAM Doubler
running, the heap sizes are effectively doubled, so 20% means 20% of 128K,
or about 26K.
A utility called SYSMETER, which Microsoft ships to developers to monitor
their system resource use, generally turns yellow (caution) at about 50%
space remaining in a 64K heap, and red (stop!) at 20% space remaining. Doing
anything that consumes additional system resource memory when it has dwindled
to 20% or lower will increase the possibility of your experiencing a crash
or application error. RAM Doubler helps keep you from depleting your system
resources to that level.
Q: Can I stop RAM Doubler from loading?
A: Absolutely. Simply hold down the Escape key (ESC on most keyboards)
as Windows begins to load. Let go of the key when you hear a beep and you'll
be presented with the message "RAM Doubler load canceled by user request."
Q: I have QEMM, doesn't this already give me more memory?
A: Utilities such as QEMM, 386Max, and Netroom are complimentary products
to RAM Doubler. They increase room for DOS sessions (both within and outside
of Windows), but they don't increase Windows system resource space, manage
the under 1MB problem while Windows is running, or keep the virtual memory
from being triggered by compressing the least recently used memory blocks.
That's why you'll want to get RAM Doubler, even if you already own QEMM
or a similar product. With both installed, you'll have optimized your PC's
memory no matter what kind of task you launch.
Q: I've heard about other products like MagnaRAM, how do they compare
to RAM Doubler?
A: MagnaRAM is a utility that uses only compression to increase Windows
memory space. MagnaRAM uses compression to decrease the size of the information
being written to the virtual memory file, modestly increasing the available
application space while doing nothing to preserve system performance. Others
use compression to achieve more application memory before virtual memory
is triggered, but it is unlikely that you will get any benefit from this
increase in memory, as this is not the kind of memory you run out of first.
Just as adding SIMMs doesn't relieve Windows memory constraints, neither
do many memory utilities.
RAM Doubler not only uses field-proven, patented compression techniques
to increase application memory space and keep virtual memory from being
triggered, but also includes techniques that deal with several key Windows
memory limitations that would otherwise stop you from using that increased
memory. RAM Doubler is more comprehensive in the memory management techniques
it uses than any announced competitive product. RAM Doubler is also the
only product that can increase memory on both Macintosh and Windows-based
machines, meaning your organization can standardize the way it equips all
its desktop computers.
Q: I've heard about a product called MoreMem 4.0, how does this compare
to RAM Doubler?
A: MoreMem and a shareware product called 1MBFORT both attempt to solve
the under 1MB conflict by fragmenting space in this area so that DLLs can't
load there but hardware drivers can. While this technique works, the user
may have to make adjustments to make it work effectively for them. RAM Doubler
requires no user adjustment and provides the same benefit plus additional
system resource space and in-memory compression.
Q: Are site licenses available?
A: Yes. Connectix has been providing site license options to organizations
of all sizes for several years on all its products. Ten packs of RAM Doubler
and site licenses beginning with as few as 50 copies are available. Call
Connectix sales at 800-950-5880 to ask about site licenses.
System Resources Background
Windows puts all icons, strings, menus, brushes, and other physical assets
used to write to the screen into one of seven fixed, 64K heaps (GDI, User,
Memory, etc.). This is true no matter how much memory you add to your machine.
So adding physical memory does not enhance Windows capability of tracking
system resources. When you run out of memory in any of these 64K heaps you
will get the "Insufficient memory to run this application" message.
Worse still, as the amount of space in any heap gets low, Windows will try
to conserve space by not tracking system resources it deems less important.
This is one reason why Windows systems get inherently unstable when the
reported system resource space falls below 20%. One reason why Microsoft
has not been able to change this limitation in Windows is that some applications
use special knowledge of where these heaps are located, and use that knowledge
to increase performance or do something special by directly accessing it
(typically a no-no in Windows memory management). Changing the way these
heaps work or simply adding memory to them would make those applications
crash or act incorrectly. While there are not a lot of these applications,
a handful of them are popular and used by a large number of Windows users.
RAM Doubler for Windows uses special detection mechanisms that make the
heaps work the same as always for these renegade applications, but adds
space for applications that correctly use the Windows memory manager to
access system resources. The net effect is a doubling or more of the system
resource space available.
Under One Megabyte Background
On a typical PC, 150K or more of the space under one megabyte may be
free for use. This is because DOS and the machine's hardware control the
memory space from 0 to 1MB. Windows controls the space from around 1MB to
the amount of memory installed in the machine. [The "around" in
the last sentence is due to things like DOS loading higher than 1MB, and
other use of high memory by DOS memory extenders or drivers.] Some items,
like Novell's network driver and other hardware drivers, need to be loaded
under one megabyte to function correctly. Windows tries to maximize use
of the under one megabyte space by also loading some DLLs into this area.
If Windows is successful in loading one DLL into this area, it tries to
continue doing so when additional applications are launched. Unfortunately,
there is a limited amount of space available, and it is not directly managed
by Windows, so it doesn't take much to run out of space in this area. When
you do, Windows will display the "Insufficient memory to run this application"
message. On a machine with a Novell network and a CD-ROM drive, typically
this will happen after only one or two applications are loaded, despite
the fact that there should be plenty of other memory available for the applications.
RAM Doubler again uses special detection mechanisms that make sure that
things that have to be loaded under one megabyte are, but things that don't
have to aren't. The net effect is that network users can finally run multiple
applications and begin to fully utilize the memory in their machine.
Virtual Memory Background
Virtual memory is turned on by default under Windows. Virtual memory
is a scheme by which hard disk space is utilized as a substitute for additional
physical RAM. This scheme has the benefit of providing extra memory at virtually
no cost (assuming you haven't filled your hard disk!), but has the drawback
of creating memory that is slower in performance than real RAM. Thus, once
virtual memory begins to be used (i.e., you're out of physical memory),
system performance degrades significantly. On 4MB Windows machines, performance
can be quite slow using virtual memory, since virtually anything you do
will trigger a virtual page swap. There are several things you can do to
lower the amount of speed loss: (1) make the swap file permanent rather
than temporary; (2) use the fastest possible hard disk you can find; (3)
add real memory equal to the largest application you are trying to run.
RAM Doubler helps, too, by using in-memory compression to keep virtual memory
from being used for as long as possible. This gives you effectively double
the application memory without the performance penalty that virtual memory
triggers. On a fast 486 or Pentium-based machine, a full compression/decompression
cycle is much faster than a write and read cycle on a hard disk. Yes, using
compression is slower than using real memory, but it is still faster than
using virtual memory. And on Energy Star systems that spin down the hard
drive to conserve power, a compression/decompression cycle can save several
seconds of time compared to using virtual memory. RAM Doubler is also smart
enough to know when it shouldn't use compression (i.e., in cases where a
virtual memory write/read may be faster). RAM Doubler therefore won't degrade
performance of your system, but will keep it from degrading as fast as it
would without RAM Doubler.
