Cleanmem and the page cache

[TheAnonymous]

Everytime I run CleanMem, the memory emptied from running processes is put into the page cache. You can monitor the page cache usage on Windows Vista or Win7 through Task Manager. Navigate to the Performance tab, then look under Physical Memory section, then look at the number beside "Cached". Run CleanMem and you will see the cache increase, unless it is already full.

CleanMem indeed does free up memory space for programs. So, note, unless the page cache is full, the memory you cleared is still there, but not using up memory space allocated for programs. If the data in memory needs to be accessed by the program for some reason, it's still in memory and doesn't have to be re-read from the disk. I think this point should be made on the front page, to further reduce rumors about this app.

If using Vista, you may want to temporarily disable Superfetch to monitor what I am talking about. Superfetch is less agressive in Windows 7, but Vista will fill up the page cache on any chance it gets (a good thing I might add) but will make it harder to observe the above.

[Shane]

  Your right I just checked it and the memory cache grows just like it should.

Thanks for pointing this out, I just hope people don't confuse it with the page file and take it as something bad lol

Shane

[Kissol]

To do this test I need to disable the clear file cache feature (adding file cache to the ignore list).

Because the system working set (System Cache) includes the file cache.

@ TheAnonymous, thanks a lot for share this info with us! 

[TheAnonymous]

To do this test I need to disable the clear file cache feature (adding file cache to the ignore list).

Because the system working set (System Cache) includes the file cache.

@ TheAnonymous, thanks a lot for share this info with us! 

No you do not. The file cache is seperate from the page cache, using the file cache clearing feature will not clear any of the page cache, infact the data from the file cache is likely to be stored into the page cache as demonstrated above. 

[Kissol]

It seems that there is some salutary confusion here... 

I agree when you said: "the data from the file cache is likely to be stored into the page cache". It's why I don't understand when you say the opposite before: "file cache is seperate from the page cache".

I tested in this way:

- When I clear file cache with "Cacheset.exe", Sysinternals, the cache decrease. So I can't say "using the file cache clearing feature will not clear any of the page cache".

- When using CleanMem there are two effects:
1. the cache increase because "the memory emptied from running processes is put into the page cache."
2. the cache decrease because of CleanMem' "file cache clearing feature" - like using "Cacheset.exe".

Like the cache decrease (2.) could to quash cache increase (1.), I avoid that when disable the clear file cache feature, to appreciate your useful demonstration.