Unreliable operation of your Macintosh or unexplained crashes are common symptoms of System Heap size problems. Here's how to check for and solve the problem.
Start up your computer. At the Finder, select "About the Finder" from the Apple menu. A memory usage bar chart will be displayed. Look at the bar labeled "System." A number will also be displayed to the left of the bar—write down this number, you will need it when using HeapFixer™. The darker part of the bar indicates memory used; the lighter part of the bar indicates free memory. If there is less than 25% free space indicated for the "System," you may occasionally have problems.
The HeapFixer program included on this disk can be used for adjusting the area of memory, called the "System Heap," where Fonts, Desk Accessories, Control Panel devices and "INIT" software such as our Aask™ and CEToolbox™ files load. Because of the increasing number of "INIT" files in use on the Macintosh, shortages in the "System Heap" are becoming more frequent.
How to use HeapFixer:
1) Copy HeapFixer onto your start-up disk and eject this disk.
2) Double-click the HeapFixer icon.
3) When the program's menu bar appears, select "Heap Size…" from the File menu.
4) A dialog box will appear asking you which disk's heap size you wish to alter. Use the "Drive" button, if necessary, to select your start-up disk. Click the "Select" button.
5) A dialog box will appear showing how much memory is used for your current "System Heap" and how much space is free. We recommend keeping AT LEAST 20% or more free. If you have 2Mb or more of RAM or use MultiFinder, keep at least 30% free. You are shown how much your "System Heap" has been increased beyond normal. (INIT files can cause the System Heap to be expanded beyond its initial size.)
NOTE: HeapFixer considers 48k to be "normal." Never set the system heap less than 80k above normal.
6) To increase the initial size of System Memory (beyond the expanded size caused by INITs), type the number that you wrote down earlier (from the "About the Finder" memory display) into the entry field of the dialog box, replacing whatever is there. You can even give it a little extra memory (10k to 20k).
NOTE: It may seem as if you are adding far too much to the System Heap, but your net gain is not as much as you may think.
7) Click the "OK" button and restart your Macintosh when prompted.
NOTE: If you are running HeapFixer under MultiFinder, you will not be prompted to restart your machine. Before your changes will take effect, you will need to select "Restart" from the Special menu in the Finder.
8) After your Macintosh has restarted, check the "About the Finder" memory display again. If you still do not have 25% or more space free, use HeapFixer again, as described above, to further increase the amount of System Memory. It is also possible to have allocated too much memory to the System Heap. If you have more than 50% free, use HeapFixer again to reduce the amount of memory allocated to the System.
WARNING: Increasing System Heap memory reduces the memory available to run application software. If you are using a one-megabyte Macintosh or have too many INIT files or are using INITs that may require large amounts of System memory, such a print spoolers, RAM caches, "beep sound" programs and others, you may find it necessary to remove some INITs to have enough free memory to run all of your applications.
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Reinstalling the System Software
If you reinstall the System Software (with Apple's Installer) or reformat your hard drive, the start-up allocation amount will change back to what it was before you used HeapFixer. Adding or removing any INITs will also affect your System Heap memory.
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Partitioned Drives Using Different System Software Versions
You may partition your hard drive to use System 6.0.x on one partition and System 7.0 on the other. When you install System 7.0, the changes made by HeapFixer will be overwritten by the System 7.0 Installer. Use HeapFixer again to restore the changes made earlier to the System Heap size.
HeapFixer is a trademark of CE Software, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.
