Fine-tuning your memory consumption ? relocating uninstall/update-time stuff

[Menneisyys]

In my previous articles (for example, program relocation - a tutorial, Relocating (part of) Spb Pocket Plus 3.0 to the File Store, The main memory of my hx4700 is full. What should I do?, Where's my memory gone ?, Relocating CalliGrapher from the main memory - free up 1.2Mbytes!, Reducing the main memory footprint of the Stowaway keyboard driver, Reducing the main memory footprint of Microsoft Reader / Pocket Presence Running Voice GSM, Reducing the main memory footprint of dotPocket; and, a generic overview of the difference between RAM- and flash ROM-based memory: RAM, ROM, flash ROM and everything that's related to them and alternative (much more terse) threads on the same subject here, here, here and here), I?ve spoken a lot about where particular apps should be installed to and what measures should you take to clean up memory after installing a particular program.

I?ve mentioned in almost all my articles (particularly in that of CalliGrapher) that all Windows Mobile applications, due to system restrictions, put their help files (which are plain, uncompressed HTML files with possibly additional linked images ? and, there may be several of these image files, all contributing to a slower Pocket PC, which is the case with, for example, NetFront 3.2, NoteM and CalliGrapher) in the \Windows. If you don?t use the help in your program, you can freely delete these files. The gain will be, in cases, enormous.

In \Windows and in \Windows\AppMgr, there?re other files worth moving to a memory card (not deleting though ? you may later need them if you uninstall/upgrade them!). First, the .unload files in \Windows. They are only used upon uninstalling an application, so, unless you want to uninstall your favourite applications, you may move them to a storage card (as with the contents of \Windows\AppMgr ? more on this later).

A typical example:

07/29/2005  09:29 AM             9,906 ACCESS NetFront32.unload
07/29/2005  09:30 AM             8,134 Adobe Reader for Pocket PC 2.0.unload
07/29/2005  09:41 AM             1,528 Alexander Zavorine MP3 Voice Recorder.unload
07/29/2005  09:30 AM             1,732 C. Ghisler & Co. Total Commander.unload
07/29/2005  09:43 AM             1,390 HAL9000 SE_VGA.unload
07/29/2005  09:40 AM               860 Resco Explorer 2003.unload
07/29/2005  09:44 AM               178 Resco Registry Add-in.unload
07/29/2005  09:18 AM               346 SOTI Pocket Controller.unload
07/29/2005  09:23 AM            10,346 Spb Pocket Plus.unload
07/29/2005  09:40 AM             4,754 Stowaway Keyboard and Mouse Driver.unload
07/29/2005  09:43 AM             1,562 TCPMP The Core Pocket Media Player.unload
07/29/2005  09:44 AM               260 Visual IT Simple SMS.unload
12 File(s)         40,996 bytes

The same stands for the DLL files in \Windows\AppMgr: you can move them anywhere and you only need to move them back here when you plan to uninstall them.

07/24/2004  04:55 AM             6,656 Adobe Reader for Pocket PC 2.0.DLL
10/01/2003  11:21 PM             9,728 Alexander Zavorine MP3 Voice Recorder.DLL
10/04/2002  08:42 PM             9,216 HAL9000 SE_VGA.DLL
02/04/2004  01:50 PM             8,192 Resco Explorer 2003.DLL
03/16/2004  12:14 PM             9,216 Resco Registry Add-in.DLL
04/26/2005  04:48 PM            44,032 SOTI Pocket Controller.DLL
07/07/2005  08:12 PM            77,104 Spb Pocket Plus.DLL
11/05/2004  09:24 PM            20,480 Stowaway Keyboard and Mouse Driver.DLL
07/08/2005  04:31 PM             9,728 TCPMP The Core Pocket Media Player.DLL
              9 File(s)        194,352 bytes

Even the limited number of applications I have on this particular PDA install uninstall files that occupy 245 kbytes. The more apps you install (even if they go to a storage card and, seemingly, they don?t occupy anything), the less RAM you will have. By installing 30-40 apps on your PDA?s storage card (which isn?t uncommon), you may even have 1-2 Mbyte of totally useless, uninstall-related files in the RAM.

And, of course, don?t forget about deleting the HTML help files and .bmp/.2bp files (they are all used from HTML files) from \Windows either!

Please note that you will need these files if you upgrade a given program, even if you don?t delete the old version by hand first. Upgrading also results in an uninstall behind the scenes.

[k2stingray]

In regards to the where has all my memory gone issue, I had problems w/ memory on X30 being gobbled up far faster than expected based on limited amount of programs installed.

Tried a freeware program called Where Is My RAM (WIMR) [available on the PocketPC Freewares site] and found out quickly that when use surf via WiFi using PIE there are folders in the Windows\Profiles\guest\Temporary Internet Files\Content.IE5 folder that fill up with files and take up space at an alarming rate.

Now I regularly check this folder location after using WiFi for surfing & clear out the folders full of junk. No memory problems since then.

[classvino]

Check out the freewareppc site for a program calles FastCleanup - it clears these temp files for you with a single click. Add a shortcut to your favourite launcher, and ridding yourself of those memory gobbling IE Cache files couldn't be easier.

[Vance G]

Or, even better, just tell PIE to stop using so damn much memory for a cache in the first place.

Got this off the MS PPC NG some time ago, I have always set a limit of 2048, it works well.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Using your well trusted Registry Editor, you will have to go to
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet
Settings\5.0\Cache\Content

you will have to change the DWORD Data from 19456 (decimal value) to
any value of your preference from 512 up to 19456. I am using these
values basing it on the Microsoft default value of 512 and the amount
set by default in my iPAQ h2210 being 19456. These values reflect the
size in KB.

DWORD Value
Name CacheLimit
DWORD Data 19456
Base Decimal

In this example, the value was changed from 19456KB to 2048KB:

DWORD Value
Name CacheLimit
DWORD Data 2048
Base Decimal

This then limits the size of the cache to 2MB which leaves the rest of
the RAM free for other applications to use.


--
ppcsurfr

[imported_gmerin]

Just noticed: if I use Memmaid to move some dlls out of /Windows (whic I do; mine are in /Storage/DLL Store), and I relocate the *unload* files and the content of /Windows/AppMgr, Memmaid is no longer able to identify both the dlls it has already relocated, and those dlls still in /Windows. The relocated and remaining dlls still function correctly; Memmaid just doesn't appear to recognize them anymore, which prevents my using Memmaid to futher relocate and restore dlls until the files are restored to /Windows and /Windows/AppMgr, at which point Memmaid again functions completely.

[Menneisyys]

Originally posted by gmerin
Just noticed: if I use Memmaid to move some dlls out of /Windows (whic I do; mine are in /Storage/DLL Store), and I relocate the *unload* files and the content of /Windows/AppMgr, Memmaid is no longer able to identify both the dlls it has already relocated, and those dlls still in /Windows. The relocated and remaining dlls still function correctly; Memmaid just doesn't appear to recognize them anymore, which prevents my using Memmaid to futher relocate and restore dlls until the files are restored to /Windows and /Windows/AppMgr, at which point Memmaid again functions completely.

It may mean MemMaid uses .unload files to recognize DLL files and not their name/signature. This is certainly understandable - it's much safer to recognize DLL's this way than just based on their, say, filename.

However, if you don't use MemMaid's relocation features at all but always relocate your DLL's by hand or always copy these files back for the time of the MemMaid relocation session, then, you won't have problems because of this.

[expats r us]

There might be problems with moving the unload files depending on the application.

For instance, this morning I found that Journal Bar's expansion set refused to load after I moved the two unload files for Journal Bar and Journal Bar expansion set. After moving both files back to the Windows directory I haven't had any problems.

Obviously, JB searches for the expansion set unload file in Windows before it unlocks the extra content. Other programs might do something similar.

[imported_burtba]

Menneisyys

Thankyou so much for all your articles, they are always such a good read, and is so good of you to share your findings with all.

Kudos to you.

[dinarsoft]

Originally posted by gmerin
Just noticed: if I use Memmaid to move some dlls out of /Windows (whic I do; mine are in /Storage/DLL Store), and I relocate the *unload* files and the content of /Windows/AppMgr, Memmaid is no longer able to identify both the dlls it has already relocated, and those dlls still in /Windows. The relocated and remaining dlls still function correctly; Memmaid just doesn't appear to recognize them anymore, which prevents my using Memmaid to futher relocate and restore dlls until the files are restored to /Windows and /Windows/AppMgr, at which point Memmaid again functions completely.

Hi,

MemMaid uses the unload files to be able to distinguish between installed DLLs and system DLLs.
MemMaid shows only installed programs' DLLs and if you select a DLL in the list, the info window in MemMaid will give you some information about this DLL including the program that installed it (so you can test this program after you move it, or if you find a program that doesn't function correctly after you move its DLLs, you can identify its DLLs and move them back)

Hope this helps

[dinarsoft]

Originally posted by Menneisyys
It may mean MemMaid uses .unload files to recognize DLL files and not their name/signature. This is certainly understandable - it's much safer to recognize DLL's this way than just based on their, say, filename.

However, if you don't use MemMaid's relocation features at all but always relocate your DLL's by hand or always copy these files back for the time of the MemMaid relocation session, then, you won't have problems because of this.

Thank you Menneisyys for answering and for your (as usuall) great article.