Copyright: Copyright © 1995 Quarterdeck Corporation.
Citation: Copyright © 1995 Quarterdeck Corporation.


About popup
Displays the "About MagnaRAM" message box.


 Average Compression Ratio

The ratio of the size of data before compression to the size of data after compression. This is an average figure obtained from the data compression that has occurred since this Windows session began. The average compression ratio will probably change as you do more work in Windows. Compression ratios as low as 1.21:1 are not uncommon when compressing programs that have had their code optimized to reduce memory consumption. Compression ratios as high as 5.2:1 are not uncommon when compressing graphics that have never been compressed previously.


Close Popup
Exits the MagnaRAM Button bar, leaving MagnaRAM active.


Compression Buffer Size
 MagnaRAM Compression Buffer Size

MagnaRAM allocates a RAM buffer out of the physical memory (installed RAM) on your system. By default, MagnaRAM takes a buffer equal to one-quarter of the physical memory that is available when it starts up. The minimum setting for this buffer is 32K; the maximum is the amount of available physical memory.

In general, if you increase the size of this buffer, MagnaRAM will be able to do more data compression and provide more extra Windows memory, but the system may run a bit slower, especially when starting a new program. Conversely, if you decrease the size of the buffer, MagnaRAM will be able to provide less additional Windows memory, but the system may speed up a bit. The ideal size of the buffer for your system will depend on which of MagnaRAM's benefits you prefer--speed or extra memory.

If you leave the size of the RAM buffer at its default value, then MagnaRAM will adjust this setting whenever the amount of available physical memory on your system changes. For instance, loading or unloading a TSR or driver, or adding RAM chips, will cause MagnaRAM to adjust the size of the buffer. If, however, you change the size of the buffer manually, MagnaRAM will honor your setting and will not adjust it to accommodate any changes to your system. If you set this field manually, you may want to revert to MagnaRAM's default value (by clicking on the Default button on this screen) whenever you make a change to your system, as your old setting might now be inappropriate.


Configuration popup
Displays the Configuration screen to change MagnaRAM parameters. Click here for more information.


 Configuration screen

The Configuration screen lists current configuration options, and provides you a means to change those options. When you have finished making changes on the Configuration screen, click OK to save the changes or Cancel to discard them.

Click on a topic for more information.

Disable MagnaRAM compression.

PAGEOVERCOMMIT (Windows 3.1x only)

MagnaRAM Compression Buffer Size

Minimum Compression Threshold

Default button

The Default button at the right of the Configuration screen sets MagnaRAM's configuration back to the way it was when you installed MagnaRAM. Use this button if you have changed MagnaRAM's settings and do not like the results, but cannot remember how to restore the original settings.


Contents
 MagnaRAM for Windows

Contents

Introduction

The MagnaRAM Button Bar

Optimizing your system

Troubleshooting

Read Me File (Windows 3.1x)

Read Me File (Windows 95)

For help using the online help system, press F1.


Copyright information
MagnaRAM for Windows

Online help written by Dan Sallitt; design by Robert Parker; edited by Robert Parker and Phil Glosserman.

Copyright © 1995 Quarterdeck Corporation. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.


 Disable MagnaRAM compression

Turns off MagnaRAM's data compression feature the next time you start Windows. This is not the same thing as disabling MagnaRAM altogether; MagnaRAM will still allocate its RAM buffer, and it will still send swapped-out memory to the buffer until it is full. Even so, this option lets you get a feeling for how much difference MagnaRAM's data compression makes on your system. You can still monitor your system's performance on the Statistics screen, even with compression turned off.

If you change this setting, you will see a dialog box asking whether you wish to restart Windows. You can restart Windows immediately, or continue making configuration changes, but you must restart Windows before your change will take effect.


Errata in the printed documentation (Win3.1)

The correct way to disable MagnaRAM at startup is to remove or to comment out the line:

device=C:\MagnaRAM\MAGNA31.VXD

 in the [386Enh] section of SYSTEM.INI, rather than the line

run=C:\MagnaRAM\LOGO31.EXE

 in the [windows] section of the WIN.INI file.

To disable MagnaRAM permanently, you may do so by following this procedure.

1)  Start Windows with MagnaRAM inactive.

2)  When Windows has finished loading, select the MagnaRAM group.

3) From the menu that is presented on this screen, select MagnaRAM Uninstall. This will remove MagnaRAM completely from your hard disk. After diagnosing and resolving the conflict, you may then re-install MagnaRAM.

The README file first identified on page 3 of the manual is named README.TXT (the file you are reading now).

The last paragraph on page 3 notes that MagnaRAM will appear under the Start menu in Windows 95, under the name MagnaRAM 2 in the Programs sub-menu.  The correct name is MagnaRAM.  All subsequent occurrences of "MagnaRAM 2" should read "MagnaRAM" instead.

On page 4, in the section "To uninstall MagnaRAM", the first step suggests that you double-click on the MagnaRAM Uninstall item.  A single click is all that is required.  Subsequent references to double-clicking at any point in the Start menu or its submenus should refer to a single click instead.

 On page 9, the acronym "RMA" should read "RAM" instead.

The last paragraph on page 17 of the manual, which continues on page 18, contains incorrect information and should be ignored.

The last paragraph on page 18 is similarly incorrect and should be ignored.  MagnaRAM's installation does create a backup version of WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI, and places them in the directory into which you installed MagnaRAM.

The information on page 21, which notes the changes that MagnaRAM makes to your system configuration, is incorrect.  MagnaRAM does not use a  for any of its services, but instead relies on a Windows Virtual Device Driver (VxD).  The name of this VxD, and the method by which it is loaded, depends on your version of Windows.  In Windows 3.1, MagnaRAM is loaded by a line in the [386Enh] section of the Windows SYSTEM.INI file:

device=c:\magnaram\magna31.vxd

In Windows 95, MagnaRAM's VxD is loaded via the Windows Registry,

 under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE entry in the path

\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\Quarterdeck_MagnaRAM

The Display_Compression parameter, described on page 22, is no longer a

 MagnaRAM parameter.

4K sections of memory, as referred to on page 26 are "pages", rather

 than "+pages".


Errata in the printed documentation (Windows 95)

The README file first identified on page 3 of the manual is named README.TXT (the file you are reading now).

The last paragraph on page 3 notes that MagnaRAM will appear under the Start menu in Windows 95, under the name MagnaRAM 2 in the Programs sub-menu.  The correct name is MagnaRAM.  All subsequent occurrences of "MagnaRAM 2" should read "MagnaRAM" instead.

On page 4, in the section "To uninstall MagnaRAM", the first step suggests that you double-click on the MagnaRAM Uninstall item.  A single click is all that is required.  Subsequent references to double-clicking at any point in the Start menu or its submenus should refer to a single click instead.

 On page 9, the acronym "RMA" should read "RAM" instead.

The last paragraph on page 17 of the manual, which continues on page 18, contains incorrect information and should be ignored.

The last paragraph on page 18 is similarly incorrect and should be ignored.  MagnaRAM's installation does create a backup version of WIN.INI and SYSTEM.INI, and places them in the directory into which you installed MagnaRAM.

The information on page 21, which notes the changes that MagnaRAM makes to your system configuration, is incorrect.  MagnaRAM does not use a .DLL for any of its services, but instead relies on a Windows Virtual Device Driver (VxD).  The name of this VxD, and the method by which it is loaded, depends on your version of Windows.  In Windows 3.1, MagnaRAM is loaded by a line in the [386Enh] section of the Windows SYSTEM.INI file:

device=c:\magnaram\magna31.vxd

In Windows 95, MagnaRAM's VxD is loaded via the Windows Registry,

 under the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE entry in the path

\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\VxD\Quarterdeck_MagnaRAM

The Display_Compression parameter, described on page 22, is no longer a

 MagnaRAM parameter.

4K sections of memory, as referred to on page 26 are "pages", rather

 than "+pages".


Help popup
Activates the online help system.


HelpingHand Popup
Technical Support

Click this button to display a list of technical support address and phone numbers.


If Applications do not have enough memory with MagnaRAM installed

A very large program (for example, a CAD program) might require a huge amount of memory before MagnaRAM's data compression even begins. Try decreasing the size of the MagnaRAM compression buffer on the MagnaRAM Configuration screen, or try increasing the size of your Windows virtual memory swap file.


If MagnaRAM seems to have no effect on my system

If MagnaRAM is installed and working on your system, you should see the MagnaRAM logo, with its expanding RAM chip, as Windows starts up. If you don't see this logo, try running the MagnaRAM installation program again.

If MagnaRAM is installed and the logo appears as you start Windows, check the MagnaRAM Configuration screen to make sure that the Disable MagnaRAM Memory Compression box is cleared. If this box is selected, MagnaRAM will not compress memory on your system.


If your system locks up after MagnaRAM is installed in Windows 95

In the unlikely event that you experience a system failure after you install MagnaRAM, you may wish to consider the following possibilities.

The system can become unstable if the Windows swap file is located on an area of your hard disk that is being compressed by a disk compression program. (This is true even when MagnaRAM is not installed.)  In general, you should either move your swap file to an uncompressed section of your hard disk, or make sure there is plenty of free disk space on the compressed drive that contains the swap file. The swap file location is set via Windows Control Panel / 386 Enhanced / Virtual Memory.

Some programs expect to run in physical RAM, and can cause system instability if they do not get the physical memory they expect. You cansometimes work around this problem by decreasing the size of disk caches, RAM disks, and other TSRs and drivers loaded before you start Windows. It may also be possible to work around this problem by decreasing the size of MagnaRAM's compression buffer, though MagnaRAM's ability to create more Windows memory will decrease along with the size of the buffer.

If Windows does not start at all, and you suspect that MagnaRAM may be involved, you can disable MagnaRAM by following this procedure.

1) Start Windows 95 in Safe Mode.  To do this, reboot your system and, when you see the message "Starting Windows 95", hold down the F5 key.

2)  When Windows has finished loading, click on the Start button, then on Settings, then Control Panel, then Add/Remove Programs.

3)  From the menu that is presented on this screen, select MagnaRAM. This will remove MagnaRAM completely from your hard disk.  After diagnosing and resolving the conflict, you may then re-install MagnaRAM.


If your system locks up when MagnaRAM is installed in Windows 3.1

In the unlikely event that you experience a system failure after you install MagnaRAM, you may wish to consider the following possibilities.

The system can become unstable if the Windows swap file is located on an area of your hard disk that is being compressed by a disk compression program. (This is true even when MagnaRAM is not installed.)  In general, you should either move your swap file to an uncompressed section of your hard disk, or make sure there is plenty of free disk space on the compressed drive that contains the swap file. The swap file location is set via Windows Control Panel / 386 Enhanced / Virtual Memory.

Some programs expect to run in physical RAM, and can cause system instability if they do not get the physical memory they expect. You cansometimes work around this problem by decreasing the size of disk caches, RAM disks, and other TSRs and drivers loaded before you start Windows. It may also be possible to work around this problem by decreasing the size of MagnaRAM's compression buffer, though MagnaRAM's ability to create more Windows memory will decrease along with the size of the buffer.

If Windows does not start at all and you suspect that MagnaRAM may be involved, you can disable MagnaRAM temporarily.  Use a text editor such as DOS' EDIT to edit your WINDOWS\SYSTEM.INI file. Comment out the following line in the [386Enh] section by placing a semicolon at the front of the line that loads MagnaRAM, which is typically:

device=C:\magnaram\magna31.vxd

Change the line to:

device=C:\magnaram\magna31.vxd

and Windows will start without loading MagnaRAM.  If you are still unable to start Windows, it is unlikely in the extreme that MagnaRAM has anything to do with the problem.  Note that the MagnaRAM control panel will refuse to load if MAGNA31.VXD is removed or commented out.


If your system seems to slow down after MagnaRAM is installed
If your Windows 95 system seems to slow down after MagnaRAM is installed

If your system seems to slow down after you have installed MangaRAM, you can improve performance to a small extent by decreasing the size of the MagnaRAM compression buffer and increasing the minimum compression threshold. In both cases, the cost of increased performance is less data compression and less extra Windows memory.


If your system seems to slow down after MagnaRAM is installed in Windows 95
If your Windows 3.1 system seems to slow down after MagnaRAM is installed

If your system seems to slow down after you have installed MangaRAM,  try decreasing the value of the PAGEOVERCOMMIT statement in MagnaRAM's configuration. MagnaRAM generally sets PAGEOVERCOMMIT to a value of 8, which is significantly higher than Windows 3.1's default value. It is possible that the higher value will create more memory bookkeeping for Windows and have an impact on performance. Try a PAGEOVERCOMMIT value of 4 (Windows 3.1's default) and see if your system speeds up.

You can also improve performance to a small extent by decreasing the size of the MagnaRAM compression buffer, and increasing the minimum compression threshold. In both cases, the cost of increased performance is less data compression and less extra Windows memory.


Introduction

What is MagnaRAM?

MagnaRAM is a Windows utility that works by replacing part of Windows' virtual memory system. Virtual memory, available in Windows 95 and in Windows 3.1's 386 enhanced mode, is a way of simulating memory by using available hard disk space as if it were extra RAM. Virtual memory works by swapping the contents of RAM to the hard disk and back again as needed. When you are using Windows' virtual memory, you can run many more programs than you could in the actual RAM on your system. But accessing your hard disk is much slower than accessing RAM, and so virtual memory comes with a price tag--slower performance.

MagnaRAM inserts itself into the chain of Windows programs that determine what parts of RAM will be swapped to the hard disk. Instead of going to the hard disk, the swapped-out RAM information goes to MagnaRAM's own buffer in RAM, which is a much faster process. During idle times on your system, MagnaRAM compresses the information in its RAM buffer to a fraction of its size, clearing more room in the buffer for new data that may arrive. And, when the RAM buffer is full and some of its contents must finally be swapped to the hard disk, the compressed data requires less space on your disk and less time to store it than if it had not been compressed. So your performance is improved two ways: Windows accesses the hard disk less frequently, and when it does it writes out smaller pieces of data.


 Linear Memory Free

Counts all the memory addresses that Windows still has available to give out to programs. Windows may not have enough physical or virtual memory to go with all these memory addresses-- linear memory is just a numbering system that measures the capacity for memory allocation, not a measure of actual available memory. The size of linear memory is fixed at two gigabytes in Windows 95. In Windows 3.1, it depends on the PAGEOVERCOMMIT statement in SYSTEM.INI (you can change this value on the Configuration screen in Windows 3.1).


 Linear Memory Used

Indicates all of the memory that has been allocated from Windows' memory manager, which includes most of the memory that Windows itself has taken and all of the memory that Windows programs have taken. This figure is a good measure of the memory demand on the system--it does not reflect MagnaRAM's behind-the-scenes data compression, just the amount of memory that programs in Windows have asked for and gotten.


MagnaRAM and 'Quick Start' programs

Changes to Windows's Virtual Memory settings and MagnaRAM's configuration typically require Windows to be restarted for the changes to take effect.  Programs that allow Windows to be exited and restarted quickly may not take such changes into account.

Generally, such programs should be disabled before you make changes to Windows' Virtual Memory settings or MagnaRAM's configuration.  After making your changes, exit and restart Windows when prompted to do so, either by using the Restart dialog box or the standard Windows exit procedures. After you have restarted Windows, you may reactivate your quick restart program.


MagnaRAM needs Enhanced Mode and Virtual Memory

MagnaRAM requires Windows 3.1 to be running in 386 Enhanced Mode and to have Virtual Memory enabled.  Virtual memory setup and configuration instructions can be found in Chapter 4 of your MagnaRAM user's guide.


MagnaRAM needs Virtual Memory

MagnaRAM requires Windows 95 to have Virtual Memory enabled.  Virtual memory setup and configuration instructions can be found in Chapter 4 of your MagnaRAM user's guide.


 Minimum Compression Threshold

The Minimum Compression Threshold field tells MagnaRAM whether to compress all the data in its RAM buffer, or just a part of it. The default setting, 0%, means that MagnaRAM will try to compress all the data in its buffer. The maximum setting for this field is 80%, which means that MagnaRAM will only start compressing data when its buffer is more than 80% full, and that it will stop compressing when the contents of the buffer have shrunk to less than 80% of its capacity.

Any setting of this field is a trade-off between more memory and better performance. A bigger value means that MagnaRAM can create slightly less additional Windows memory, but that performance will be improved slightly. A smaller value means a bit more Windows memory and a bit more performance overhead.


Optimizing MagnaRAM for Your System
Optimizing your system

Optimizing Windows

Swap File Size

Virtual Memory

TSRs and Device Drivers

MagnaRAM Configuration

The MagnaRAM Buffer

The MagnaRAM Compression Threshold Percentage


PAGEOVERCOMMIT Configuration setting


 PAGEOVERCOMMIT Setting

The PAGEOVERCOMMIT=n setting appears in the [386Enh] section of the Windows 3.1 SYSTEM.INI file. It determines the size of linear memory, which is the address space that Windows programs see when they allocate memory from Windows. If the PAGEOVERCOMMIT statement doesn't appear in the SYSTEM.INI file, Windows 3.1 defaults to a value of 4, which means that the size of linear memory will be four times the amount of physical memory (installed RAM) on your machine. MagnaRAM will usually set PAGEOVERCOMMIT to 8, which is twice Windows 3.1's default. The allowable values of PAGEOVERCOMMIT are 1 through 20.

If the value of PAGEOVERCOMMIT is too small, then some of the physical or virtual memory on your system will go to waste, because there will be no addresses for Windows 3.1 to give out to programs, even if the memory is available. If PAGEOVERCOMMIT is too big, however, Windows 3.1 wastes precious physical memory to keep track of unneeded linear memory addresses. The best way for you to determine how big PAGEOVERCOMMIT should be is to monitor MagnaRAM's performance on the Statistics screen. Open a number of programs until physical and virtual memory have been almost used up, and then check the amount of available linear memory. If there is quite a bit of linear memory left, try decreasing

PAGEOVERCOMMIT. You want to arrive at a value of PAGEOVERCOMMIT that leaves some available linear memory behind when physical and virtual memory are used up, but doesn't leave too much.

The size of linear memory is fixed at two gigabytes in Windows 95, and the PAGEOVERCOMMIT statement is no longer needed or used. MagnaRAM's Configuration screen gives you a PAGEOVERCOMMIT option only in Windows 3.1.


 Physical RAM Free

All the physical memory (installed RAM chips) on the system that is currently unused. The numbers for Physical RAM Free and Physical RAM Used should always add up to the same number: the total amount of usable physical RAM on your system.


 Physical RAM Used

All the physical memory (installed RAM chips) on the system that is currently used: by programs running before Windows, Windows itself, MagnaRAM, and programs running in Windows.


Read Me File (Windows 3.1)
Read Me File (Windows 3.1x)

This file includes tips to help you get the most out of MagnaRAM.  For that reason alone, it is worthwhile reading! It also contains last-minute information that did not make it into the manual and a few corrections to the manual. If you want to print this file for future reference, be sure you are in the MagnaRAM directory and type:

COPY README.TXT PRN:

at the DOS prompt.  Alternatively, you may print this file from the Windows Notepad by clicking on File, then Print.

NOTE:  The online help file is more up-to-date than the printed documentation.

MagnaRAM needs Enhanced Mode and Virtual Memory

MagnaRAM and 'Quick Start' programs

If your system locks up when MagnaRAM is installed in Windows 3.1

If your system seems to slow down after MagnaRAM is installed

If MagnaRAM seems to have no effect on my system

If Applications do not have enough memory with MagnaRAM installed

Errata in the printed documentation (Windows 3.1x)


Read Me File (Windows 95)

This file includes tips to help you get the most out of MagnaRAM.  For that reason alone, it is worthwhile reading! It also contains last-minute information that did not make it into the manual and a few corrections to the manual. If you want to print this file for future reference, be sure you are in the MagnaRAM directory and type:

COPY README.TXT PRN:

at the DOS prompt.  Alternatively, you may print this file from the Windows Notepad by clicking on File, then Print.

NOTE:  The online help file is more up-to-date than the printed documentation.

MagnaRAM needs Virtual Memory

Restrictions on the MagnaRAM Directory

MagnaRAM and 'Quick Start' programs

If your system locks up after MagnaRAM is installed in Windows 95

If your system seems to slow down after MagnaRAM is installed

If MagnaRAM seems to have no effect on your system

If Applications do not have enough memory with MagnaRAM installed

Errata in the printed documentation (Windows 95)


Restrictions on the MagnaRAM Directory

 MagnaRAM must not be installed in a folder (directory) that uses the  Windows 95 long file name conventions, because Windows' long file name support is not available at the time that MagnaRAM loads. The folder in which you install MagnaRAM must have a name of eight characters or fewer, must have an extension of three characters or fewer, and must not contain more than one period, and must not contain spaces. If MagnaRAM is stored in a folder below the root directory, all folders above it must adhere to these rules as well.

 EXAMPLES:

 MagnaRAM cannot be installed in these folders:

 \Quarterdeck                        (Folder name is longer than 8 characters.)

 \sys MR\MagnaRAM        (Parent folder name contains a space.)

MagnaRAM can be installed in these folders:

\sysutils\mr

\mr

\MagnaRAM                         (This is the default, recommended folder.)


Statistics popup
Displays the MagnaRAM Statistics screen. Click here for more information.


 Statistics screen

This data and graphical display demonstrates the current status of memory usage for linear memory, physical memory, and virtual memory. Click on a topic for more information.

Linear Memory Used

Linear Memory Free

Physical RAM Used

Physical RAM Free

Total Physical RAM Compressed

Virtual Memory Used

Virtual Memory Free

Total Virtual Memory Compressed

Total Memory Compressed

Average Compression Ratio

Swap File Hits

Swap File Hits Avoided

Swap File Time Saved

You may occasionally notice a discrepancy in memory reporting between the Statistics screen and the Help/About screens in Windows 3.1's Program Manager and File Manager. In particular, Help/About will sometimes report more free memory than can be found in either Physical RAM Free or Virtual Memory Free on the Statistics screen. This discrepancy comes from Windows' practice of keeping the contents of swapped-out pages in memory until another program needs that memory area. Windows does this to save disk access time in case the swapped-out pages are needed back in memory immediately. Help/About lists these pages as free memory, whereas the Statistics screen lists these pages as used, and therefore not free.

. The formula used to calculate free memory is as follows:

Free memory = Total physical memory - compression buffer + (compression buffer + total virtual memory) * compression ratio - total used memory


 Swap File Hits

The number of times that Windows has written out data to its swap file during this Windows session. This figure is generally lower than it would be if MagnaRAM were not storing data in its RAM buffer and compressing it.


 Swap File Hits Avoided

The difference between the number of times that Windows tried to write data to its swap file during this Windows session and the number of times that data actually reached the swap file. MagnaRAM avoids many swaps to disk by storing data in its RAM buffer and by compressing it so that more data fits in faster RAM.


 Swap File Time Saved

An approximation, in hours, minutes, and seconds, of the additional time that Windows would have spent writing data to its swap file if MagnaRAM had not stored and compressed data in its RAM buffer. To calculate this figure, MagnaRAM clocks the amount of time that it takes on your system to write a page of memory to your hard disk, and multiplies it by the Swap File Hits Avoided figure. This figure does not reflect the additional swaps that Windows must make because of MagnaRAM's RAM buffer, which takes up space and forces earlier swapping.


Swap file size

Swap File Size. By default, Windows 3.1 will try to create a large amount of virtual memory--three times the amount of physical memory, in many cases. It is quite possible that you will never use most of this virtual memory, especially if you have a lot of RAM available. And Windows 3.1 uses physical memory for tables to keep track of virtual memory--the more virtual memory that you have, the more physical memory Windows uses up. So it is undesirable to have more virtual memory than you will use. (Windows 95 creates virtual memory only as it needs it, and so you do not have to adjust the size of its virtual memory swap file.)


TSRs and device drivers

TSRs and drivers loaded before Windows use up physical memory, which MagnaRAM could use to provide more data compression and more Windows memory. Some of the most common memory-hungry TSRs and drivers are disk caches like DOS's SmartDrive, and RAM disks like DOS's RAMDrive. Disk caches and RAM disks can be useful, but computer users often devote megabytes of RAM to these programs without knowing how much benefit they are getting for their investment. If you have a disk cache or a RAM disk in memory, and you are not loading them for a particular purpose, you might try disabling them, or reducing their size, and then checking how much Windows memory you gain by looking at MagnaRAM's statistics screen.

If you notice that the performance of your system declines when you remove your disk cache, then try replacing the cache but with only a modest amount of memory, like 256K or 512K.


The MagnaRAM Buffer

MagnaRAM uses a buffer in RAM to store data or programs that Windows would have sent to the slower virtual memory swap file. Although technically this RAM area belongs to the MagnaRAM program, it ultimately is used by Windows. The setting for buffer size is automatically determined each time you start Windows. The calculation used to determine the size is 25% of available physical memory.

Increasing the buffer size will increase the amount of memory that can be compressed and stored back into physical memory (virtual memory is unaffected). A larger buffer size may sometimes reduce Windows performance, although typically only by a few seconds when initially starting a new program.

Decreasing the buffer size will decrease the amount of memory that can be compressed and stored back into physical memory (virtual memory is unaffected). A smaller buffer size may sometimes increase Windows performance, although typically only by a few seconds when initially starting a new program.


The MagnaRAM Button Bar

You can use the button bar to display the statistics screen, change configuration options, or display online help. You do not need to display or use the button bar to activate MagnaRAM's "behind the scenes" memory management functions; those are automatically loaded and run in the background when you start Windows.


The MagnaRAM Compression Threshold Percentage

The compression threshold determines when MagnaRAM should begin to compress data. The default setting is 0% or, in other words, compression should occur when there is any data or programs available to be compressed. This value can be changed from 0% to 80%. If the value is anything over 0% threshold, compression is delayed until such time as the MagnaRAM compression buffer exceeds the threshold.

For example, if the threshold is set at 50% and the buffer size is 1024KB, compression will not begin until at least 512KB, (or 50% of the 1024KB buffer) is exceeded. At this time, the buffer is compressed until it is again below the threshold (512KB).

Increasing the compression threshold percentage will slightly increase Windows performance and slightly reduce the amount of memory that can be compressed.

Decreasing the compression threshold percentage will slightly decrease Windows performance, while slightly increasing the amount of memory that can be compressed (that part of the buffer below the threshold is never compressed).


 Total Memory Compressed

The amount of memory represented by compressed data in the MagnaRAM RAM buffer and in the Windows swap file. Total Memory Compressed is the sum of Total Physical RAM Compressed and Total Virtual Memory Compressed. It measures the size of the data before compression, not the amount of space that the data currently occupies.


 Total Physical RAM Compressed

Tells how much memory is represented by compressed data in MagnaRAM's RAM buffer. For instance, if the MagnaRAM RAM buffer contains 600K of compressed data, and if the data was compressed at a 3:1 ratio, then the value of Total Physical RAM Compressed will be 1800K.


 Total Virtual Memory Compressed

The amount of memory represented by compressed data in the Windows swap file. For instance, if the swap file contains 5000K of compressed data, and if the data was compressed at a 2:1 ratio, then the value of Total Virtual Memory Compressed will be 10000K.


Troubleshooting

MagnaRAM should require no attention after you install it--it works behind the scenes, providing its memory and performance benefits while you work in other programs. If you do experience problems while running MagnaRAM, check the list of symptoms in the appropriate READ ME file to see if there is a solution to your problem. If you still cannot get the results you want from MagnaRAM, see the Passport brochure for information on contacting Quarterdeck Technical Support.

Read Me File for Windows 3.1x

Read Me File for Windows 95


Uninstalling MagnaRAM in Windows 95

To uninstall MagnaRAM from Windows 95:

1.	On the Taskbar, click the Start menu and select Settings.

2.	Select the Control Panel.

2. 	Select Add/Remove Programs.

3. 	Select MagnaRAM.

4. 	Click Add/Remove.


Virtual memory

You can keep track of how much virtual memory you are using by checking MagnaRAM's Statistics screen. If you notice that you never come near to using all the virtual memory that you have, then you can reclaim precious physical memory by reducing the size of your virtual memory swap file in Windows 3.1.

Use the Statistics screen to monitor your changes, and keep reducing virtual memory until you see that you are sometimes using 80% or more of it. If you reduce the size of virtual memory and start getting Out of Memory errors from Windows, then you should increase the size of virtual memory again


 Virtual Memory Free

All the space in the Windows swap file that is currently unused. The numbers for Virtual Memory Used and Virtual Memory Free should always add up to the same number: the size of the Windows swap file.


 Virtual Memory Used

All the space on the hard disk that is currently used to store swapped-out data. This value represents the actual hard disk space used, regardless of whether the data on the disk is compressed.


nop
This button will be removed in the next release.