PARABEN'S MEM-JOLT FAQ

When I start my computer, two Mem-Jolt icons show up in the system tray
Some systems show two icons at startup. To remove one of the icons, open the program and go to the Options tab. Here, you can uncheck the option to run Mem-Jolt at startup.

What does Paraben's Mem-Jolt do?
Paraben's Mem-Jolt manages system memory, the paging file, and the way in which virtual memory is treated in order to maximize performance. It recovers RAM not currently needed by the operating system and applications, and recovers memory leaked by applications. It also can temporarily flush unused DLLs and libraries out to disk to make room for your big applications and games (these come back transparently when needed). On Windows9X, it also adjusts the system caching in order to better target the way you use your particular machine. This can improve disk performance, gaming performance, and can prevent buffer under-runs that interfere with, for example, burning CDs.

Tell me how to use the program in plain English.
Easily done. Open the program and click CTRL + ALT + M. Or, you can click the Recover Ram or Scrub RAM buttons.
Pretty simple, huh?

How do I stop a RAM recovery in progress?

When a RAM recovery is in progress, as indicated by the on-screen status display, just press escape. If a background recovery (triggered by your timer or a memory alarm level) is running, clicking on the Mem-Jolt tray icon will abort the recovery.

Sometimes my system seems slower after recovering RAM... why?
If you have your "Target" level of RAM to recover set too high, Paraben's Mem-Jolt may reclaim memory from the file cache, or flush system DLLs (such as the shell and OLE) out of memory. When you flip to an application that needs these, they must be paged back in. Try setting your Target level to a lower level. Note that for games that do not use much of the operating system, a higher Target level is better, since more memory will be available to the game. Remember that too much free RAM does you no good unless you are going to use it. A good compromise takes a while to discover, but that's why you have the control to adjust it.

Can Paraben's Mem-Jolt make my system unstable?
No. If anything, because it increases the amount of memory available to applications, your system should become more stable. It installs no VxDs or drivers and does not modify your system files in any way.

Does Paraben's Mem-Jolt compress memory?
Absolutely not; there is no performance-robbing compression at all. It simply causes what physical RAM you have to be used in a more efficient manner, and allows you to reclaim that memory from applications and the operating system when you need it most.

Why does Paraben's Mem-Jolt not always recover up to the Target setting?
Because if you set the target too high, you've set an impossible goal! Paraben's Mem-Jolt will recover as much RAM as possible, and can usually get up to your target level (though the higher the level, the more work Mem-Jolt must do, and hence the longer it will take). Note that on Windows NT, the kernel manages the memory in such a way that as soon as memory is recovered, it is used by waiting applications and the operating system, so the displayed value may never equal the target level. It's still doing its job, though, even if not apparent.

Why can "Program X" seemingly recover more RAM than Paraben's Mem-Jolt?
Paraben's Mem-Jolt tries to be pragmatic about its memory recovery. It doesn't just arbitrarily toss things out of memory to meet your goal if that means dumping code and data you really should keep in memory, like parts of the kernel and so forth. While it would be possible to recover more memory at times, it proves detrimental to performance, so we strove to keep the heuristics on how to recover more conservative.

Why do I get "Low Virtual Memory" pop-ups under Windows NT?
Your page file size is too small for proper performance. Take the system's advice, and increase your paging file size in your system properties.

Can Paraben's Mem-Jolt really recover memory leaks?
While it cannot recover them from the address space (the application would fault if it did indeed try to use that memory at some point) it can recover the physical RAM leaked, making it available for use by the operating system and other applications.

What is the Memory Load Index?
This is a statistic provided by the system that serves as a general measurement of how much demand for RAM there currently is in your system, with 0 being very little and 100 being very much. If you find your system pegged to 100% shortly after startup, you should seriously consider adding more physical memory to your system (even Paraben's Mem-Jolt won't be enough by itself in this case).

Can Paraben's Mem-Jolt improve gaming performance?
Yes. Let's say you start a game, and part way in, it suddenly demands memory for graphics, etc. Without Paraben's Mem-Jolt, your system would visibly pause as other applications and parts of the operating system were page-faulted out to make room. If you "Defragment and Recover" before starting the game, Paraben's Mem-Jolt should make a noticeable improvement.

How does Paraben's Mem-Jolt prevent buffer underruns while burning CDs?
In the Windows9X registered version only, it adjusts the system file caching to ensure that enough cache is set aside so that the data you are burning to a CD is available, rather than having to fight with the CD on the I/O bus for the next block of data.