Version
8 of QEMM is Quarterdeck Corporation’s
latest version of memory management software. According to the user’s manual,
the program “works behind the scenes to provide you with as much memory
as possible for running programs in Windows 95, Windows 3.x and DOS.”
I would classify this program as a general utility, which can benefit most DOS or Windows based computer users. The minimum system requirements are an IBM compatible PC with a 386 or higher processor; 1.25 meg of RAM for DOS based systems or 4 meg RAM for Windows systems; Microsoft or IBM DOS 3.1 or later, or DR DOS 5.0 or later; 4.5 meg of free hard drive space and a 3.5 inch floppy drive.
Memory is extremely important to users of Windows 3.x. One (of many) of the drawbacks of Windows 3.x is its dependence on the availability of conventional memory, defined here as the first 640K of memory. This 640K limit is concrete - if it is consumed by other programs or drivers, Windows will not run, regardless of how much RAM your PC has. QEMM works to free up conventional memory so Windows has enough space in which to run.
I tested QEMM on two systems. The first is a Dell Pentium 100 MHz desktop system, with 16 meg RAM, a 1.2 gig hard drive, quad-speed CD and 28.8 fax modem. This system uses MS-DOS 6.22, Windows for Workgroups 3.11, and is part of a Novell 3.12 network. The second system is a CompuAdd 386 25 MHz notebook, with 4 meg RAM, an 80 meg hard drive and a 2400 data/fax modem. This system also uses MS-DOS 6.22 and Windows for Workgroups 3.11. Installation was automatic and trouble-free on both systems.
Quarterdeck recommends the default “Express” installation for most users, and I used that for both tests. The program installs from three 3.5 inch floppies, and took approximately six minutes on the desktop system and fifteen minutes on the notebook. Once the program is copied to your hard drive, (using about 3.8 meg of space) you are offered the choice of running the Optimize program. If you run Optimize, QEMM reboots your computer several times and examines your system for terminate and stay resident (TSR) programs, device drivers and parts of DOS that can be loaded into different memory areas (upper memory). The program then changes your autoexec.bat and config.sys files to automatically load those items into upper memory. QEMM allows you to accept or reject the changes, which is a good feature. At the end of the process, Optimize reports how much additional memory is now available. In my case, Optimize returned 28 kilobytes of memory on the desktop system, and 43 kilobytes of memory on the notebook. Both systems now have approximately 532 kilobytes of RAM available to Windows.
QEMM includes several other programs besides Optimize. The first, Manifest, provides detailed information on your systems hardware and software. Manifest is similar to the DOS program MSD.EXE, but provides much more detailed information on your system, and provides it in a Windows based format. QEMM also includes MagnaRAM, which helps manage memory usage from within Windows. MagnaRAM is installed during the Express setup, and loads automatically whenever you turn your computer on. It is similar to Hurricane and other *RAM doubling* software. I was not able to determine if MagnaRAM actually worked. On both systems, I was able to open the same number of programs before locking the PC up, whether using MagnaRAM or not. The one difference I did notice is that the notebook now “seems” even slower than before, although I did not perform any specific before and after tests to verify that perception.
QEMM comes with a thorough users manual, which discusses PC memory in as much detail as anyone might want. The program also has complete and easy-to-use on-line help. QEMM 8.0 is available at most software resellers in San Antonio, including Egghead, which offers a discount to Alamo PC Users Group members. The average price for the program here in town is $67 plus tax.
QEMM is a good, solid program which, for the most part, does what
it is supposed to do. I would recommend it for users who need or want to
maximize their memory usage. QEMM version 8.0 is produced by Quarterdeck
Corporation, and can be reached in the following ways:
snail (USPS) mail: 13160 Mindanao Way FL 3, Marina Del Rey, CA 90292-9705
Tech support: support@qdeck.com or (310) 309-4250
Product information: info@qdeck.com or (310) 309-3700
WWW: http://www.qdeck.com/