Want better performance and memory management from your emulators and high-performance games and apps? Want to save RAM and boost performance without upgrading your 'aging' Mac? Tired of manually setting and resetting bare bones extensions and Virtual Memory every time you want to run your emulator or high-end game? ResourceFree v1.1 can help!
ResourceFree allows you to easily customize a preferred resource-saving setup... Virtual Memory, extensions/control panels, quitting background apps & the Finder... All to save RAM and processor cycles. Without ResourceFree, you have to tediously set, remember, and reset these options (and you can't easily quit the Finder). ResourceFree takes care of these frustrating maneuvers with one-click configuration and reconfiguration! And ResourceFree can give new life to otherwise 'outdated' PPC and 68K Macs (even G3s)! Milk those frames-per-second for all they are worth... Run your emulator that much faster... Increase disk-performance and offset the drawbacks of Virtual Memory by saving more RAM by other methods!
ResourceFree is based from our popular 'VPC Helper' software for Connectix' Virtual PC. ResourceFree offers the same features and more! But while 'VPC Helper' is specifically designed for Virtual PC, ResourceFree can be used for virtually any emulator, game, or program. ResourceFree is especially well-suited for emulators... Such as other high-performance Windows, Super Nintendo, Sega, PlayStation, and console game/OS emulators.
ResourceFree is shareware. It comes with a 10-day demo period… Afterward, an unlock code is needed to run the software. ResourceFree is only $12.95! See the registration chapter for payment information (you can pay by credit card on a secure server, check, or MO).
ResourceFree v1.1 will save you RAM and increase performance by:
* Allowing you to control and set Virtual Memory automatically to save RAM. (Mac OS 9 only)
• Allowing you to add any number of programs/emulators to the listing, switching between them at any time.
* Allowing you to switch extensions sets on the fly! Regular or Conflict Catcher 8 supported!
* Restoring your non-ResourceFree preferences with one click of the mouse!
* Quitting 'hidden' background applications that hog RAM and processor cycles!
* Quitting the Finder itself and freeing more RAM and processor cycles! Allocate more RAM to your chosen apps!
* Providing easy setup and management of your ResourceFree profile.
* Providing configuration and on/off options for all features.
* Not stealing RAM or startup memory from your system. It's an app, not a RAM-hogging extension! Run it only when you want it!
* Containing built-in 'smart' safeguard features to prevent settings from getting 'out of whack' after a crash or hard restart!
System Requirements
• Macintosh 7.6 or later (PPC or 68K)
• Mac OS 9 for memory management features.
• About 2MB RAM for the setup application.
• AppleScript required.
Installing ResourceFree
Installing is simple. You've already done it. ResourceFree is not an extension or a control panel… Those steal startup time and RAM, something ResourceFree aims to prevent. ResourceFree is an application. You can put it anywhere that you normally store applications.
Before Using - Read This
There are several important notes to keep in mind before using ResourceFree.
* Have Connectix Virtual PC? Because of the nature and enormous popularity of this emulator, we created 'VPC Helper'... 'VPC Helper' is much like ResourceFree, with the exception that it is designed specifically for VPC and will work with no other program. Because of the design of the program, we were able to design 'VPC Helper' to take better advantage of specific Virtual PC details. We recommend these users download 'VPC Helper' as well... It is free with the purchase of ResourceFree. If you only use VirtualPC and have no need for the ResourceFree features, you can purchase 'VPC Helper' solo for $8.99. See the web site for more info...
* ResourceFree will not work with every program, emulator, or game. Some programs need the Finder active in order to perform some tasks. Many do not. Luckily, ResourceFree uses simple calls and safe methods... You can experiment with your emulators, games, and apps to see what results you get.
* Results will be varied depending on the program you use. Turning off Virtual Memory and quitting the Finder will dramatically increase disk-performance in many high-end emulators and apps. Quitting the Finder will increase video performance in many games. Switching to a bare bones extensions set will save RAM and increase performance. Emulators such as Virtual PC will receive the most benefit because they heavily drain all system resources. Some programs may see little to no increase. Some games take complete control of the Mac at launch time (a good thing). ResourceFree will still work with these games, only quitting the Finder will produce no real performance increase. There are no fixed results... It all depends on your Mac and your program.
* ResourceFree's Virtual Memory manager is only activated on Macs with Mac OS 9 or higher. The other features of the software can still be used. Virtual Memory control is simply grayed out. You will have to set your Virtual Memory settings by hand as normal before restart and before going back to your regular settings. It's not our fault… Apple did not integrate AppleEvent and AppleScript support into the Memory control panel until Mac OS 9.
* ResourceFree's extensions/control panels manager will support both Conflict Catcher-enabled and regular systems. It does not use Apple's Extensions Manager because Apple's software does not support AppleEvents (why?). Instead, ResourceFree uses a safe method of switching extensions sets on Macs without Conflict Catcher. See the next chapter for info and setup hints on this feature.
* iMac / iBook users take note… ResourceFree may not work properly if you set it to turn off Virtual Memory completely. These newer systems seem to have a demand for VM to be on (ROM issues, I believe). For these users, we suggest you set VM to one meg over your built-in amount. This will have no noticeable effect on performance and will please the OS. Apple recommends every Mac user turn VM on, and with 8.5 above this is really no problem. The VM manager in 8.5 and above is pretty swift. Should you encounter feature problems running ResourceFree on a non-iMac/iBook, try turning VM to one meg over the built-in amount and try again.
* Conflict Catcher 8 Users... Before you use ResourceFree, remember to set up your preferred Conflict Catcher set(s). You may have different sets for different apps (based on their needs). These sets should include only the bare essentials. Items that you need are likely to include the Memory, Appearance, and third-party extensions needed for critical hardware. You'll also need AppleScript and the AppleScriptLib extension (if present).See the next chapter for more performance hints.
* Non-Conflict Catcher 8 Users... Now you can enjoy the same features! Read the next chapter for information and instructions for setup! Unlike with Conflict Catcher 8 users, you will set up your preferred extensions set after you setup ResourceFree.
The next chapter contains in-depth instructions...
