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DinarSoft MemMaid 1.73When Clinton asked if I would like to write a review for this site, I jumped at the chance. When he listed the software titles he wanted reviewed, I quickly asked if I could write about one of my favorite applications, Dinarsoft's MemMaid. So let me back up for just a moment and give you a peek into the sordid underbelly of guest reviews: ordinarily we will agree to write about a program that we don't already own. Surprised? You shouldn't be. It gives us the chance to try something new, and if we like it - we get a cool new software title for free. If we don't like it, it's better luck next time. Consider it a perk associated with spending days or even weeks testing out a software title, and hours or even days composing the review's text. But in the case of MemMaid, I am writing about software I already own; in fact...I paid for it with my own money. Should that impress you? Well, I hope it does because in all honesty, it is not everyday that I choose to purchase software. From the first time that I used MemMaid, I was impressed with the software - so much so that I immediately bought a licensed copy. According to the DinarSoft site, "MemMaid is a tool that scans and detects all the files and registry entries that consume your memory and removes them leaving your Pocket PC's memory clean like never before. The only tool you will ever need to clean and manage your Pocket PC's memory." Why would you need such a program? Because just like any computer, a Pocket PC will collect installation artifacts and temporary files: junk which should be deleted, but that isn't always easy to find and eradicate. However, MemMaid isn't just a one-trick pony, it can also perform some other very valuable services. Let's take a look at what MemMaid can do, and then you can decide for yourself if it's the killer application I'm making it out to be... There are two cleaning methods which can be employed in MemMaid: Quick and Advanced. The main difference between the two is that Quick Cleaner is designed to "quickly get rid of those junk files stored everywhere" by allowing a quick scrub of all the checked files types, whereas the "Advanced Cleaner" makes you scan them all first, then gives the option of learning more information about each item found so that the user can choose to manually select or deselect individual items. Both Quick and Advanced Cleaning modes are designed to scan through the following list, looking for leftover files and registry entries: Windows Temp Files, MS Reader Bookmarks, Notify Queue Duplicates, PIE Cache files, AvantGo Cache Files, PIE Cookies, PIE History, Dead Shortcuts, Dead Registry, Opera Cache, NetFront Cache, Temporary Files, Dangling Notifications, Windows Media DRM, Virtual Earth Mobile, Mail Attachments, Log File (Phone Edition), User Folder 1 & 2, and Custom Extensions.
When the "Clean" option is chosen, a progress window will appear which shows the number of bytes recovered as each type file is scanned. When the "Scan" option is chosen, all checked folders will be scanned, and a result will be displayed which shows the total bytes which could be cleaned.
How many times have you thought that your Pocket PC was slowing down because you had too much "stuff' loaded on it? How many times have you been convinced that your available memory was being sucked into a giant void after a few Pocket Internet Explorer sessions? It shouldn't surprise you that just as your computer collects temporary files in a folder, your Pocket PC does the same. These collected temporary files can quickly accumulate into a significant amount of tied-up memory; running MemMaid will delete them all - quickly and efficiently.
Clicking the little gear icon in the upper right of the Cleaner screen opens the Cleaner Settings. For those wondering, the gear icon is replaced by the upside down triangle when the Settings screen is open. In the Cleaner Settings, there are options to define up to two User Folders. If you are storing your temporary files on a memory card, that location can be set to automatically clean. The cleaning feature alone would make MemMaid a must have application, but there are other goodies that deserve mention. Clicking the "Jump To" menu reveals the other options available to the user; the first on the list is the Notification Queue.
For those unfamiliar with it, "the notification queue is a queue of items coming from your appointments and calendar as well as programs that are activated on certain system events." Why should you care? Because for whatever reason duplicates can (and do!) occur in the Notification Queue, and when they occur, they wreak all sorts of havoc. It's a well known issue that duplicate notifications were a problem in Pocket PC 2002 and 2003, but I usually find at least a few every time I do a check on my WM5 Treo 700wx. There is also an option to add notifications, although I have never done so - nor have I heard a compelling reason to do so.
Examining the items shown under Start Up Programs allows the user to check which programs will run after a soft reset, get more information about each one, remove unwanted items, add programs, and control the order in which the programs are executed. I can honestly say that this is not a feature I have ever needed to use.
The Start Up Services screen allows the user to check which services will run with each soft reset, get more information about each service, and remove those unwanted entries which can be removed. Following along in the same vein,. the Today Plug-ins screen allows the user to check and see which Today Screen plugins are installed on their device, get more information about each one, change the Today plugins' display order, display and change the Today plugin option when possible, and delete plugins from the list - although this is not a full uninstall of the named program.
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