Lower, Reduce and Optimize Windows RAM Memory Usage with CleanMem
How to lower RAM memory usage in Windows or how to reduce memory or physical RAM usage in Windows is probably one of the most asked question and most wanted answer. Despite increasingly bigger amount of RAM been installed on computer, with relative low cost of RAM modules making it affordable for user to add even more memory to fill up all available RAM slots, computer may still use up all the memory, especially when after running for a while with many opened application programs, causing slow and sluggish feel when using PC.
CleanMem is a memory and cache optimization program, which also known as memory cleaner or memory optimizer. CleanMem works by calling the Windows API EmptyWorkingSet to instruct Windows operating system to clean all running processes to remove as many pages (memory) from the working set, except the processes excluded in the ignore list. EmptyWorkingSet cleanup API will remove the no longer used portion of memory to reclaim the memory (which due to bad programming does not release it after using) for other program’s usage, and will not cause paging to hard disk drive (overflow memory been written in pagefile.sys virtual memory that causes even slower system). When a program that has been ’squeezed’ requires more memory, it simply occupy more memory address automatically.
CleanMem is not using as a memory-resident background proccess, and does not sit in system tray (notification area) waiting to clean up the memory. Instead, it’s been triggered by Task Scheduler every 30 minutes. No window frame nor pop-up will be opened. After cleanup, CleanMem shuts itself down, until the next interval. Thus, it in itself doesn’t use up any memory, another plus advantage.
In newer version of CleanMem, it also clean and clear the system file cache, which resides in kernel address space, and is used to buffer access to the much slower hard drives by mapping open files in the system cache based on access patterns, application requests and I/O demand. However, when file system cache grows too big, it will cause excessive paging I/O to disk.
For effectiveness of CleanMem, just take a look at two screenshots below, depicting original RAM usage by top running processes, and after CleanMem lower and reduce memory usage by instructing all processes to release unused memory, which significantly reduce RAM utilized by Firefox, IE and other browsers.
Memory usage before CleanMem doing its job
Memory usage after CleanMem doing its job
CleanMem can be installed automatically and it will run automatically by Task Scheduler. CleanMem also supports exclusion of processes to optimize or reduce RAM usage, by specifying process names in cleanmem_ignore_list.txt, or only choose which processes to clean by specifying process names in cleanmem_only_list.txt. Both files are installed to %SystemDrive%\Windows\System32 (for 32-bit OS) or %SystemDrive%\Windows\SysWow64 (for 64-bit OS).
CleanMem is compatible with both x86 and x64 flavors of Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008 and Windows 7. CleanMem is availabel in installer or ZIP package for portable or manual installation usage. CleanMem setup installer will automatically install CleanMem with ignore list and only list support, and configure Task Scheduler to run it automatically every 30 mintues. ZIP package has all the CleanMem executable, batch command scripts, configuration files and Task Scheduler Task objects, but requires user to manually install them, if required. CleanMem.exe can be run independently withotu all extras, and can be ran off USB flash drive, thumbdrive, CD, DVD or across the network.
Download CleanMem v1.4.2 Installer: cleanmem_v1.4.2_setup.exe
Download CleanMem v1.4.2 ZIP: cleanmem_v.1.4.2.zip
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Entries (RSS)
September 11th, 2009 00:23
Most modern operating systems do indeed seem to use all of available memory. That is what they were designed to do.
Most popular perceptions of how memory is managed are hopelessly outdated. Memory is actually used as a cache for your data on disk. This data consists of your application files, application data, and the pagefile. A fundamental principle of a cache is that it must be kept full at all times.
This is not some new idea that Microsoft dreamed up. It is a mature technology that has been used in large computer systems since the 1960’s. Virtually all modern systems are now using it. It as been extensively researched and tested.
Don’t fight it, let it work for you.
Larry Miller
Microsoft MCSA
August 26th, 2009 10:42
A great programme, its value in Vista is probably higher than windows 7 though. I find it better to disable the ‘File cache’ component and use the ‘Dynamic Cache Service’ which is available from Microsoft downloads (requires a manual install. ONLY works for Vista)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=e24ade0a-5efe-43c8-b9c3-5d0ecb2f39af
I believe windows 7 cache management is better t han Vista, and the above service should not be used with Windows 7.
Cleanmem does not work like the other cleaners out there, it really doesn’t do anything in itself it just optimises the inbuilt windows cleaning system! (easiest way to put it)!