Microsoft Windows Memory Management Overview

Microsoft Windows Operating Systems (95, 98, Me, 2000, NT, XP) have sophisticated memory management systems that allow applications to use more RAM (Random Access Memory) than a PC really has. This is important so a user can run many programs simultaneously. Currently unused areas of RAM are swapped out to the harddisk. By doing this the currently running application can have access to more physical RAM, while unused programs swap their inactive memory to the hard disk. This really speeds up operation as the harddisk is very slow compared to RAM. Windows tries to figure out which files need to be loaded fastest, and keeps them in physical RAM, while other files are swapped to the much slower harddisk.

This sounds foolproof, but it's not, because there are several things that can go wrong with this process that will slow down your PC.

• Program Errors
  Many applications today have programming errors, and so does Windows itself. Most programming errors occur without a user ever seeing them. Sometimes one of these errors leaves some amount of memory allocated, even if it is not needed any more. This basically wastes RAM, your system's most valuable resource. Windows cannot detect these errors, and simply gives RAM to programs that need it- thereby wasting RAM that could be recovered.
• File Caching
  Without swapping and file caching a PC would be very slow. However, Windows is not always smart enough to detect which files need to be held in RAM and which are not. If a program uses a needed file, Windows places it in RAM, but it is not removed from RAM immediately after its use is over. Windows may leave unneeded files in RAM for some time after they are used. Assume a PC has 32MB of RAM and about 20MB are used to cache files from the harddisk. This makes the PC have only 12MB of RAM left to applications and the operating system. Is this why people buy 32MB instead of 12MB?
• Large Libraries
  Many programs use large libraries. Libraries are useful tools for programmers to take advantage of great features in Windows without having to rewrite code for each one - they are shortcuts. Some of these libraries are very large and consume a notable amount of memory. All OLE libraries fall into this category. Unfortunately the memory is used, even if the program doesn't really need it. Sometimes a library is loaded, just to provide 2 or 3 functions. However the library reserves RAM as if the program would use all 100 functions.
• Background Programs
  Windows is capable of running many programs at the same time. This is great for users, enabling the existence of some tools that work constantly in the background and provide useful services. Ram Boost is one such tool. However there are programs that provide unnecessary background services. These tools just consume RAM and provide no important service. Ram Boost reduces the amount of RAM these programs need by freeing it and making it available for your PC.

How can these problems be solved? How can you use RAM optimally?
Easy - with Ram Boost.