Your PC uses a number of memory caches, where data that is likely
to be needed next is kept at the ready--because it's most efficient
to read from or to write to memory. There are caches for the hard
drive and for your CD-ROM drive that are different from the drives'
built-in buffers. In addition, there's a cache that holds the names
and locations of files. Cacheman aims to help to optimize these
caches, make the most efficient use of them, and control how big
they are. For the hard drive cache, for instance, you can choose
what type of system it is (a file server or one that runs
applications), and the program claims to manage the hard drive
cache appropriately for the fastest access. It can also try and
free up memory in a way similar to FreeRAM, minimizing the amount
of memory that programs grab and unloading memory-hogging DLLs that
aren?t needed anymore to keep your PC running as speedily as
possible. The program is fully functional, but the developer asks
for a $10 registration fee if you like it or are a commercial user.
Richard Baguley has been writing about, testing and breaking technology for the past 20 years. He has written for Wired, Macworld, USA Today, Amiga Format and many others More by Richard Baguley
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