SoftRAM

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SoftRAM and SoftRAM95
Developed by	Syncronys
Latest release	1995 / August 1995
OS	Microsoft Windows
Genre	System software
License	Proprietary
Website	Formerly syncronys.com

SoftRAM and SoftRAM95 were system software products which claimed to "double" the available memory in Microsoft Windows without the need for a hardware upgrade. In July 1996, Developers Syncronys settled charges brought by the Federal Trade Commission of "false and misleading" claims in relation to the capability of the software.^[1] The product was rated the third "Worst Tech Product of All Time" by PC World in 2006.^[2]

1 SoftRAM
2 SoftRAM95
3 FTC investigation
4 Footnotes
5 References

[edit] SoftRAM

SoftRAM was designed for use with Windows 3.x. It was launched in May 1995 and would go on to sell over 100,000 copies.^[3]

Most memory errors in Windows 3.x were caused by the first 1 megabyte of memory in a PC, the conventional memory, becoming full. Windows must allocate a Program Segment Prefix (PSP) in this area of memory for each program started. Some utilities prevented DLLs from allocating memory here, leaving more space for user programs. This was a standard technique also used by other memory optimisation tools.^[4] SoftRAM also increased the amount of virtual memory available by compressing the pages of virtual memory stored in the swap file on the hard disk, which has the added effect of reducing the number of swap file reads and writes.^[5] The system also increases the size of the Windows page file, something easily achievable for free and without the use of additional software by changing system settings.^[6]

[edit] SoftRAM95

SoftRAM95 was designed for Windows 95 and was released in August 1995.^[7] The company sold over 600,000 copies of SoftRAM95 at a list price of USD $79.95, GBP £60 or 170 DM.^[8]

When Windows 95 was launched, it was widely reported that software for the operating system would be "memory hungry", requiring at least 4 mebibytes of RAM and preferably 8. Syncronys positioned SoftRAM as a cheaper alternative to buying more memory for those who would otherwise be unable to run Windows 95. Furthermore, the company used the "Designed for Windows 95" logo on the packaging when the product had not been approved by Microsoft for use with the operating system.

The German computing journal c't eventually exposed the sham by disassembling the program and proving that it did not even attempt to do what it was meant to do.^[9] In fact, the data passed through the VxD completely unaltered so that no compression whatsoever could have taken place. The actual drivers were in fact slightly modified versions of code examples taken from Microsoft's "Windows Development Kit". Still, the program would try to pretend that it increased system resources, by silently increasing the size of the swap file on Windows 3.1 and by giving false information on the current state of the system. Even worse, the program was compiled with the debug flag on and so runs slower than the original driver from Microsoft. Further publications by PC Magazine and Dr. Dobb's Journal came to similar conclusions.^[10]

[edit] FTC investigation

The Federal Trade Commission began an investigation into the company in late 1995 dubbing the company's claims "false and misleading" and stating that "SoftRAM95 does not increase RAM in a computer using Windows 95; nor does the product enhance the speed, capacity, or other performance measures of a computer using Windows 95".^[11] The investigation prompted the company to recall both SoftRAM and SoftRAM95 from the market in December 1995. Syncronys settled with the FTC in July 1996 and eventually filed for bankruptcy in 1999 after releasing other poorly received tools.^[12]