I READ a story in a recent issue of Technology Post that mentioned a program called RAM Doubler. As I recall, this program is for the Apple Macintosh and appears to double the memory of the computer. Is there a version for the PC, or another program that will do the same, or do I have to forever live in envy of Mac users? JULIE NGAI Taikoo Shing No, there is no reason to be jealous of Mac users over this one. Connectix, the United States company that makes RAM Doubler, does indeed have a version of the program for PC users. True, it took the firm more than a year longer to develop the PC version than the Mac program, but that is understandable considering the different ways memory management works in PCs and Macs.
With the recently released RAM Doubler for Windows, you are supposed to be able to more than double your PC memory. To achieve this, Connectix has designed the Windows version to operate much the same as the Mac product.
RAM Doubler examines the PC's RAM to determine which areas are occupied by an application that is not active. It then compresses that area of memory and allows active program code to be swapped at memory speeds. As a result, you can run more Windows applications simultaneously. Its built-in memory management features also let you run programs that may not usually work because of a lack of free system resources.
Because of its specific built-in Windows memory management features, it works well with DOS memory managers such as QEMM from QuarterDeck and MemMaker, the program that comes with the latest versions of MS-DOS.
Installing RAM Doubler for Windows is easy enough - it hardly takes a minute to do - and it does not call for any changes to be made to your computer's CONFIG. SYS and AUTOEXEC.BAT files, a process that can be tricky for novice users. It also comes with an uninstall utility, and you can even choose not to run the program with Windows after it is installed by simply holding down the ESC key when you fire up Windows.
The program will run with Windows 3.1 or 3.11 and needs a 386 or higher microprocessor to work. Connectix says it will work with only four megabytes of RAM, but as with most new Windows applications, a minimum of eight MB of memory is recommended.
RAM Doubler is available in Hong Kong through local Connectix distributor Multiware and sells for about $800. For more information, telephone 2850-4577.