CachemanXP v1.6.0.20
Size: 1.41 MB
CachemanXP is a Windows tuneup utility designed to improve the speed and stability of your computer by optimizing several caches, recovering RAM and fine tuning a number of system settings. Oneclick-Optimization makes it suitable for novice and intermediate users yet it is also powerful and versatile enough for computer experts. Backups of settings ensure that all user modifications can be reversed with a single click.
:: CachemanXP requires Windows 2000/2003 or XP/XP64 to run, uses minimal resources and virtually no CPU time. The help file includes a screenshot based system performance guide. CachemanXP is the successor of Cacheman.
Unlike other tuneup utilities, CachemanXP runs as a system service, minimizing resource usage and tweaking Windows at system-level.
:: CachemanXP will backup your system settings (so you can always revert any changes!). The Auto-Optimize feature will examine your system and tweak it for best performance. With one click of a button! From version 1.60 on Auto-Optimize tweaks also the DNS Cache for improved Network and Internet performance.
System Tweaks
CachemanXP allows you to tweak a number of system settings.
Here is an example of a system tweak:
Most Windows users know and dread this Automatic Updates dialog.
In the middle of your work or entertainment session Windows can display this dialog. Since you want to go on with your work, you click on Restart later.
But Windows will not leave you alone. The dialog will reappear every 5 minutes, no matter what. It gets even worse, it will stay on top of all other programs, in some cases even in front of a movie you are watching.
If you use CachemanXP to tweak your system, you can prevent this dialog from showing up and restart your system when you are done with your work.
The tweak lets you only decide when to restart your system, the updates will still be installed!
With two clicks in CachemanXP you can get rid of this dialog for ever.
Process List functions
:: CachemanXP displays a list of loaded Windows processes (Applications and System Services) along with detailed information including RAM usage.
:: If a process consumes more than 10% CPU Time the process name is displayed in blue color, if a process consumes more than 30% of CPU Time the process name is displayed in red.
:: You can sort the process list by clicking on any of the column headers. You can also change the display order by drag and dropping column headers.
:: If you doubleclick on a process with a window. CachemanXP will bring the window to front.
:: The most important CachemanXP process feature is Kill Process.
What is this function for?
From time to time a Windows program can crash and become non responding. It completely stops to react to user input. In bad cases it can slow down your whole system and even stop other programs from working.
When this happens, you usually show the Task Manager and try to end it.
:: Show window: brings the main window of the selected process to front
:: Open folder: opens the folder of the process executable with Explorer
:: Lower RAM usage: temporarily moves the selected process from RAM to Paging File
:: End Process: closes the main window of the selected application (normal exit)
:: Kill Process: eliminates the selected process from memory, use only on crashed applications or processes without a window
> Set Priority: sets the level of CPU Priority of the selected process, processes with higher Priority will get more CPU time and run faster, but slow down reaction time of other processes
RAM-Recovery
>> How does it work?
RAM-Recovery functionality is already included in Windows. You may ask yourself why there are so many programs that offer this feature. There is no magic behind this function. Inactive or crashed programs are simply moved from your physical memory (RAM) to a space on your Hard Drive called the Paging File (=Swap File).
>> If Windows does recover RAM already, why bother?
As an example imagine a computer with 1024 MBytes of RAM. After booting up you have 700 MBytes free RAM left. You launch several larger applications, work with them and free RAM goes constantly down. After hours there is only 50 MBytes of free memory left. Then you start loading a data file that needs 80 MBytes of RAM. Now the Windows RAM recovery feature becomes active, programs that have not been used for a longer time are moved out to the Paging File in order to make room for 80 MBytes of data. This process consumes both CPU time and causes disk activity - it creates a slow down. Preferably you would like to work with the data immediately, not wait until Windows makes room for it. Instead your cursor becomes a hourglass and you have to wait.
>> What does CachemanXP differently?
CachemanXP will not wait with the recovery until your system runs completely out of RAM. You can configure at which state (below value) CachemanXP should perform the recovery process. The postpone recovery on high system activity option ensures that no recovery happens if you are working on an important task and do not want to be disturbed. CachemanXP will wait until the job is done and perform the recovery thereafter. Since the recovery happens earlier as usual your system will have enough RAM available a much longer time.
>> How does this CachemanXP feature differ from RAM-Recovery in other programs?
Almost all RAM-Recovery programs do more harm than good.
It makes no sense to recover memory from programs if there is still free RAM available. You computer memory SHOULD be used to the maximum extend.
Other Ram-Utilities recover very frequently (constant disk activity). Too much data gets moved to the Paging File (so when the user switches programs there are major slow downs) and often the recovery is executed at a time when the user does something important and CPU consuming, slowing down all system operations.
CachemanXP ensures that..
:: no recovery happens if the system has still a lot of free RAM left (below setting)
:: long pauses between recovery operations (pause setting)
:: the recovery will be postponed if CPU intensive applications (like video editing software or a fullscreen game) are working
:: active programs are not moved to the Paging File
Tray Icons
:: The Tray Icons belong to the CachemanXP system service (CachemanXP.exe). The service uses minimal resources (usually around 1 MByte) and virtually no CPU time.
:: The main purposes of this system service are to control the File Cache, recover RAM and display system information (configurable in the Options tab). Since it is a system service it works also if no user is logged in.
:: If you double click one of the Icons, the service will launch the CachemanXP settings window (which is an independent application that communicates with the service).
:: The next screenshot shows the CachemanXP Tray Icon menu.
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